How to Write “Basic Information” in the RIREKISHO – Documents required for job hunting 04

This post is also available in 日本語

The ” RIREKISHO,” or resume, is an official document that is required when looking for a job in Japan. It is kept even after you join a company, as it is used for personnel data. If the contents are false, it is considered a forgery of personal documents and may lead to dismissal, so it is important to fill it out accurately and carefully in Japanese. In this article, I will introduce the “Basic Information” section of the resume, in detail.

Write “Basic Information”

A. Date

Write the date you plan to submit your resume.

• When sending your resume by mail: Posting date
• When sending by email: Date sent
• When bringing to the interview: Interview date

If you are preparing your resume in advance, you can leave the date blank and write it in once you have decided on the submission date. Either the Western or Japanese calendar can be used. However, use consistent notation for other items on “RIREKISHO (resume)” and “SHOKUMU KEIREKISHO (curriculum vitae)“. Use arithmetic numerals rather than Chinese numerals.

• Make sure you do not forget to write the date down when you submit your application!
• If you are submitting “RIREKISHO (resume)” and “SHOKUMU KEIREKISHO (curriculum vitae)“ at the same time, make sure the dates align.
• When sending by mail, the date on the cover letter should be the same.

B. Furigana (full name)

Enter the reading of the name in hiragana if the item name is listed as “ふりがな”, or in katakana if the item name is listed as “フリガナ”.

C. Name

Fill in your full name correctly. Leave a space between your first name, middle name, last name, etc.

D. Affixing your seal

• If the company has not instructed you to affix your seal and there is no space for it on your resume, you do not need to do this.
• If the company instructs you to put your seal on the resume and there is no space for it on the resume, place your seal in the name column, to the right of your name.
• If the company has not instructed you to affix your seal, but there is a space for it on your resume, put your seal in the column.

When affixing your seal, make sure to use the correct orientation, and carefully make sure that the impression is clearly visible and that it does not extend beyond the column.

E. Date of birth

The date of birth should be entered in the format “(Year) 年/(Month) 月/(Day) 日生”. For age, enter your age as of the date you submit your resume.

F. Gender

Optional; you may leave this field blank.

G. Furigana (current address)

If the item name is listed as “ふりがな,” enter it in hiragana; if it is listed as “フリガナ,” enter it in katakana. The reading of the number, building name, and room number is not required. However, if kanji or alphabet are used in the building name, enter appropriate Furigana

H. Current Address

Use arithmetic numbers for postal codes and street numbers.
Addresses should be entered starting with the name of the prefecture. When writing house numbers, do not use abbreviated form, but write it in the form of “X丁目X番X号”. Make sure to include the name of the building and the room number.

I. Furigana (contact information)

Enter Furigana only if the contact address is different from your current address. If you set your contact address as “同上 (Same as above),” leave it blank.
*This item has been omitted from the format that can be downloaded from this site.

J. Contact information

Fill in the form only if your contact address is different from your current address. If your contact address is the same as your current address, rather than writing the same address or leaving it blank, write “同上 (dojo)”, which means “Same as above”
*This item has been omitted from the format that can be downloaded from this site.

K. Telephone number

Provide a number where you can easily be reached during the day, such as your cell phone number. A landline phone at home is fine, but if family members are likely to receive your call, make sure they know about the company you are applying for. If no one is available to answer calls for you, set up an answering machine. Never provide your current work number.

L. Email Address

If there is an email address field, fill it in. If you don’t have an email address field, fill in the empty space of your contact information or phone number field, in the format “email address: example@example.com”. Free email such as Gmail is fine. Avoid carrier e-mails such as those set up by cell phone companies, as they may not allow you to send or receive attachments. Never use the email address of your current employer.

Summary

In this article, I introduced how to fill out the “Basic Information” section of a resume. The basic information on your resume is more than just contact information.  For example, if the date is missing, it gives the impression of being distracted. If a novelty email address is used, it gives the impression of frivolity. Make sure to fill out the form carefully. In the next article, I will explain about the photo for placement in the basic information section of the resume.