How to Convert an English Resume to a Japanese Resume (履歴書)

Last updated: October 2026

You already have an English resume or a LinkedIn profile. To apply to a Japanese company you need a 履歴書 (rirekisho) and usually a 職務経歴書 (shokumukeirekisho). This guide shows why a straight translation is not enough, which part of your English resume goes where, and two ways to convert it: with Rireksho's import, or by hand.

Why a straight translation is not enough

• Two documents, not one. An English CV mixes basic facts and career detail. Japanese hiring splits them: the rirekisho for facts and the shokumukeirekisho for the story.
• Different order. The rirekisho lists education and jobs oldest first. An English resume usually starts with the newest.
• Different dates. Japanese forms use year and month, and dates are commonly written with the Japanese era (for example 令和 Reiwa) or the western year depending on the form. Be consistent in both documents.
• Fixed fields. The rirekisho has set boxes: photo, address with furigana (reading), commute time, dependents, licenses, motivation and self-PR. Western resumes have none of these.
• Different phrasing. Bullet verbs such as "spearheaded" or "drove" have no direct equivalent. Japanese uses modest, structured phrases (〜を担当し、〜を達成しました).
• Required sections that English CVs skip. A 志望動機 and 自己PR are expected. See how to write jiko PR and shiboudouki.

What maps where

Use this table to move each part of your English resume into the right Japanese document.

Step by step with Rireksho import

1. Create a free account. You can sign up with Google, then open a new resume.
2. Choose "Upload Resume". On the new resume page, under "Already have a resume?", upload a PDF or DOCX file up to 10MB. LinkedIn's PDF export works too. Free users can import 2 resumes per day, paid users 30.
3. Wait for the extraction. Rireksho reads the file and pre-fills the form. Stay on the page until it finishes.
4. Pick your template. After the import you see a message to choose your template and review each step.
5. Review every step. The form has six steps: Template, Personal Info, Education, Work Experience, Skills and About You. The import does not extract photos, so add yours if needed.
6. Generate and download. The AI writes the Japanese business phrasing for your 履歴書 and 職務経歴書. You get the Japanese PDF free. Editable Excel and Word files plus AI-written 志望動機 and 自己PR come with the paid pack.

No other English-language tool combines importing an English resume with both Japanese documents and AI-written 志望動機 and 自己PR.

The manual alternative

If you prefer to do it yourself, follow this order:

1. Start from a rirekisho template and fill the fixed fields, writing education and jobs oldest first.
2. Write the 志望動機 and 自己PR separately for each company.
3. Build the shokumukeirekisho from your English experience bullets, using the structure in our guide and rewriting each bullet as "responsibility, action, result".
4. Have a Japanese speaker check the tone, or compare with the rirekisho example.

Checklist before you send

• Both documents present, with matching employers, titles and dates.
• Dates use one style throughout (era or western year).
• Education and jobs are listed oldest first on the rirekisho.
• Photo included and appropriate.
• 志望動機 mentions the specific company.
• Shokumukeirekisho is one to two A4 pages.
• No machine-translated idioms; polite style used consistently.
• File names are clear and the PDFs open correctly.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides: Japanese resume basics, shokumukeirekisho, jiko PR and shiboudouki.