Japanese CV/Resume E–±Œo—ð‘

[Hokuto-shinken]

[Ptyx]

I did write a regular japanese cv and it contained information about my work experience and education.
I wrote in the best japanese i could muster and then i double checked with japanese friends. The point of my resume was not to look like as if i were extremely well written though, it was about showing that i could communicate in basic written japanese.
I could have asked a friend to write it for me but i would have looked like an ass at the interview.
For my diplomas i just put them directly in Romaji along with the name of the university, next i wrote a rough equivalent of the diploma in Japanese.
The reason was to play the gaijin factor (wow a foreign school!) and i didn't see a point in translating the name of the school in katakana, it made no sense.
Now, i'm not working in tech so i don't have nor need dozens of certifications so i can see where your problem might be.
To cut it short try to get a japanese friend to help, someone with a similar background as yourself.

[Mulboyne]

Old Thread

Charles' kit is no longer online but the comments in this thread are still valid.

Edit: His kit is still online as he mentioned when he replied to your question before in this thread.

[Charles]

Old Thread

Charles' kit is no longer online but the comments in this thread are still valid.

Edit: His kit is still online as he mentioned when he replied to your question before in this thread.

It seems to me that the general advice for describing your work experience in a resume would also apply to this short form. They want the same info.

I will only add that when I filled out my own resumes, I put the names of my US employers in romaji, with tiny katakana furigana over it. I have no idea if this was useful or perhaps considered overkill, as I only got one offer (which I didn't pursue) out of about a half-dozen submissions.

The only thing that still puzzles me about Japanese employment histories is that the individual job listings generally use only one date, which I presume is when you started the position. This is different from US resumes, which usually list both starting and ending dates. I guess the Japanese presume you could never be unemployed or have a period of slack time between jobs.

Anyway, the general advice stands, read some samples and follow their examples, and ask the advice of a native speaker if you're not confident in your Japanese ability. Hell, have a native speaker check it even if you ARE confident.

[IkemenTommy]

Old Thread

Charles' kit is no longer online but the comments in this thread are still valid.

Edit: His kit is still online as he mentioned when he replied to your question before in this thread.

Exactly my point. Thanks Mulboyne.

[Hokuto-shinken]

[Hokuto-shinken]

[Hokuto-shinken]

It seems to me that the general advice for describing your work experience in a resume would also apply to this short form. They want the same info.

I will only add that when I filled out my own resumes, I put the names of my US employers in romaji, with tiny katakana furigana over it. I have no idea if this was useful or perhaps considered overkill, as I only got one offer (which I didn't pursue) out of about a half-dozen submissions.

The only thing that still puzzles me about Japanese employment histories is that the individual job listings generally use only one date, which I presume is when you started the position. This is different from US resumes, which usually list both starting and ending dates. I guess the Japanese presume you could never be unemployed or have a period of slack time between jobs.

Anyway, the general advice stands, read some samples and follow their examples, and ask the advice of a native speaker if you're not confident in your Japanese ability. Hell, have a native speaker check it even if you ARE confident.

Thanks for your advice Charles. I guess I will write an all Japanese one, for when I apply for jobs through Hello Work and might try to write another one in Romanji, for when I apply for other jobs.

[Charles]

[IkemenTommy]

[momotobananaoishii]

If the employer/ad doesn't specify should I use a resume or CV for regular ESL conversation jobs? English style resume? Japanese?

I've got a spouse visa but not many teaching credentials other than being Canadian and having taught privately with references.


Thanks

[ttjereth]

If the employer/ad doesn't specify should I use a resume or CV for regular ESL conversation jobs? English style resume? Japanese?

I've got a spouse visa but not many teaching credentials other than being Canadian and having taught privately with references.


Thanks

An American style resume translated into Japanese has always worked for me.

[Charles]

If the employer/ad doesn't specify should I use a resume or CV for regular ESL conversation jobs? English style resume? Japanese?

Remember, deviation from the arbitrary standard can freak people out, many nihonjin do not know how to deal with gaijin doing things outside their norm. So it is important for you to follow the standard format in Japanese resumes. That is why I put the resume kit together, so you can see the standard formats.

Of course, YMMV, especially in jobs like ESL where they are used to dealing with gaijin. I wouldn't know about that, since I've never worked ESL.

[ttjereth]

Remember, deviation from the arbitrary standard can freak people out, many nihonjin do not know how to deal with gaijin doing things outside their norm. So it is important for you to follow the standard format in Japanese resumes. That is why I put the resume kit together, so you can see the standard formats.

Of course, YMMV, especially in jobs like ESL where they are used to dealing with gaijin. I wouldn't know about that, since I've never worked ESL.

I've managed to get work at Morgan Stanley, Sony, Hitachi, etc. etc. without ever once using the standard forms

[Charles]

[ttjereth]

[halfnip]

[quote="ttjereth"]Since all three of the above were as project managers I'd say real job ]

Project management is a real job? Just joking.. I loved it when Dilbert was going off on project managers and how they're like robots.

[ttjereth]

[quote="halfnip"]Project management is a real job? Just joking.. I loved it when Dilbert was going off on project managers and how they're like robots. ]

I didn't say it was a fun/interesting job, but I'd put it at least of "local english monkey"

I quit all 3 eventually anyway

[Samurai_Jerk]

[quote="Charles"]All of them are familiar with gaijin applicants. But as I said, YMMV.

Ironically, my best friend used this exact kit to get his job at Sony. We researched and presented the resume kit as our semester-long project in Japanese language class. I think the core issue here is, are you applying for a 総]

I'd say that's not true at all. It really depends on the industry and the company. As a matter of fact, if you're a gaijin and applying for a job that requires a Japanese-style rirekisho, it's probably not a job worth having.

[halfnip]

As a matter of fact, if you're a gaijin and applying for a job that requires a Japanese-style rirekisho, it's probably not a job worth having.

Hahahahahah! Classic......

[Ptyx]

I'm looking for cover letter samples in japanese, i think i'm technically able to write one by myself but i need some sort of example to get me going.
I wrote one some times ago but it was kinda cheesy and i got comments on it from my employer during the interview. It wasn't a deal breaker but it wasn't looking very professional either.
Does anyone know where i might find that ?
By cover letter i really mean the parts in the rirekisho when you have to talk about motivation and things like that, not a western style cover letter. So basically rirekisho samples should do it.

[Charles]

I'm looking for cover letter samples in japanese, i think i'm technically able to write one by myself but i need some sort of example to get me going.
I wrote one some times ago but it was kinda cheesy and i got comments on it from my employer during the interview. It wasn't a deal breaker but it wasn't looking very professional either.
Does anyone know where i might find that ?
By cover letter i really mean the parts in the rirekisho when you have to talk about motivation and things like that, not a western style cover letter. So basically rirekisho samples should do it.

I presume you've read the samples in the rirekisho kit I put up as a PDF. Was there another format you're looking for? Did your employer give specific comments on your cover letter? Because if the info in my kit isn't up to date or accurate or comprehensive enough, I want to know about it. I'm thinking of polishing up my own resume.

I have seen a lot of cheesy employment applications. I should tell you about applying at Oracle during a J Job fair. They had all the candidates watch a powerpoint presentation and then you got a questionnaire to fill out. It asked questions in Japanese like "which company philosophy inspires you most to want to work here?" Then you were expected to regurgitate something from the presentation, like "The Four Fs, Fortitude, Freedom, Foundation, and Fenestration." Of course this was all in dense Japanese (except for the Fs). I didn't get it at first, until I peeked at other applicants filling out their forms and they were all writing exactly the same answers.

[Ptyx]

The thing is i was unable to download your kit, the link from this thread ( http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17456 ) seems to be dead.
It would be nice to have a link to it sticked somewhere in the Working forum or on the top of this thread.

The interview i did was not very formal, the comments weren't very serious more like a snide. Basically they implied that the "cover letter" part of my rirekisho was a bit naive/cheesy, which i blame on my japanese level. I don't think it's a big deal all in all but since i'm aiming at a better position now i might as well play the part the best i can.
Basically i'm looking for that special middleground between bragging and being humble at the same time.

[Mulboyne]

Ptyx, the link through this post works fine for me.

[Charles]

The thing is i was unable to download your kit, the link from this thread ( http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17456 ) seems to be dead.

There is one problem with downloading my PDF file. Some websites were deep-linking to it, so I had to put up some anti-linking protection. This unfortunately means I can't just put up a direct link here. To get around this, manually copy and paste this URL into a new browser window:

http://weblog.ceicher.com/rirekisho.pdf

That should do it for you. I think the file will have the examples you need.

[Ptyx]

This is really helpful, thanks a lot for making that kit.
I'm still looking for rirekisho examples though, especially for the 自己ＰＲ and 本人の希望 sections of the resume, right now i'm doing the 自己ＰＲ section in a bullet list style, listing three of my qualities, but i was wondering if it wasn't better to write a proper paragraph.
I'm also looking for the proper adjectives to use, for example, how do you qualify organization skill or communication skill , is it high, strong, good etc...
For example motivation in japanese is usually high or low, not strong or weak.
It's details but i guess it has its importance.
The 本人の希望 part is also tricky, on the resume form i got from my conbini it says that it should mention expected salary, working hours and coveted position. Still mentioning the amount of working hours i want to do seems very "un-japanese". Maybe i'm overthinking this whole thing.

[Charles]

[Taro Toporific]

[quote="Ptyx"]...The 本] I have no idea what is apropos when it's written. However, I do know from sitting in at job interviews at Hitachi that the correct answer applicants should say is they are expecting ふつ futsu (regular/normal) salary/working hours.
Bottom Line: I would just write ふつ in the blanks of that resume form about expected salary/working hours.

[Ptyx]

I've decided to leave the hours and wage part blank, and i've put a hint in my 自己ＰＲ that i was ok to do long hours.
It's funny though because i'm also using j-job hunting sites ( like mynavi or ecareer) and the resume i made on those are radically different from the paper resume i'm writing.
On those sites there's a check box for just about everything you've ever done in you life. While the paper rirekisho seems to be made to be as generic and vague as possible.

[ttjereth]