SS
Key Takeaways
- The shokumu keirekisho describes your actual work in detail, unlike the standardised rirekisho form it accompanies.
- Its format is more flexible, which makes it the document where you can genuinely differentiate.
- Concrete outcomes, numbers and specifics outperform general descriptions of responsibility.
- New graduates with limited work history use it for internships, research, projects and substantial activities.
- Both documents are typically submitted together, and treating either as a formality weakens the application.
What it is for
Detail, where the rirekisho gives structure. The rirekisho records that you worked somewhere between two dates. The shokumu keirekisho explains what you actually did there — the projects, your role, the results, the skills you used.
More flexible in format. Common conventions exist and you have real latitude in how you organise and present the content. This is where the differentiation the standardised form does not permit actually happens.
Traditionally a mid-career document, since it presumes work history. New graduates increasingly submit one anyway, populated with internships, research, projects and substantial extracurricular work.
Read carefully. For roles where specific capability matters — technology, engineering, specialist positions — this document frequently carries more weight than the form.
How to structure it
A summary at the top. A few lines stating who you are professionally and what you do well. The reader's first impression, and worth writing last.
Work history in reverse chronological order for experienced candidates, or a projects-and-experience section for new graduates.
For each entry: the organisation, the period, your role, what the team or project was, what you specifically did, and what resulted.
A skills section. Technical skills, tools, languages, and your Japanese level stated plainly.
Qualifications and certifications.
Self-promotion section. A conventional closing section where you make the case for yourself, connecting your experience to what this employer needs.
Writing it well
Concrete over general. "Responsible for improving the reporting process" says nothing. "Automated two manual steps in the weekly reconciliation, reducing it from roughly three hours to twenty minutes" says everything. This principle is universal across markets and it applies here directly.
Numbers wherever honest. Scale, duration, team size, volume processed, percentage change. Round honestly and say you are rounding.
Your contribution, distinguished from the team's. Describe what the group did as context, then what you personally did. Failing to locate yourself in the work is the most common weakness in these documents.
Name the tools and methods. Specific technologies, frameworks, instruments and techniques.
Structure it for scanning. Clear headings, consistent formatting, generous white space. A reader working through many applications should be able to find what matters quickly.
Length. Typically one to two pages for a new graduate; longer for experienced candidates with more to describe.
Tailor the self-promotion section per company. The factual sections stay stable; the argument for why you suit this employer should be written fresh.
For new graduates with little work history
Internships, described properly with what you actually did rather than what the programme was.
Research and thesis work. Particularly valuable for technical roles — describe the problem, your approach, the methods and the outcome.
Projects. Anything you built, ran or organised. Something with real users, however few, outperforms coursework — the project standard applies here as anywhere.
Part-time work, described in terms of responsibility, reliability and what you learned rather than as filler.
Substantial extracurricular activity. Club leadership, event organisation, competitions — treated seriously in Japanese hiring as evidence of character and commitment.
Study abroad or language achievement, especially where relevant to an international role.
Common Mistakes
- Describing responsibilities rather than results. The most common weakness and the easiest to fix.
- Never distinguishing your contribution from the team's. Leaves the reader unable to assess you.
- Submitting only a rirekisho. For many roles the work history document carries the substance.
- Reusing the self-promotion section unchanged. It is the one part that should be written per company.
- Writing it as a narrative. Structured and scannable beats prose.
- Assuming new graduates cannot write one. Internships, research, projects and activities all populate it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do new graduates need one?
Increasingly yes, and even where not strictly required it is frequently welcomed, particularly for technical and specialist roles where the standardised form conveys almost nothing about your capability.
How long should it be?
One to two pages for a new graduate. Experienced candidates write more, driven by what they actually have to describe.
Can I write it in English?
For foreign-affiliated companies and English-conducted roles, frequently yes. For Japanese companies applying through Japanese channels, Japanese is generally expected.
Is the format fixed like the rirekisho?
No, and that is the point. Conventions exist and you have real latitude, which is why this is where differentiation happens.
Should I include projects that are not work?
Yes, particularly as a new graduate. Research, personal projects and substantial activities all belong here when described concretely.
Do I submit both documents together?
Typically yes. They serve different purposes — one records the facts, the other explains the substance — and submitting only the form leaves the reader without the information that actually distinguishes you.
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