How to Describe “Reason for Application” in your RIREKISHO – Documents required for job hunting 08

This post is also available in 日本語

In the “RIREKISHO” used when searching for a job in Japan, there is a section for filling in your reason for applying. This is the item that you can use most within the RIREKISHO to appeal to your qualities. Fill this in simply for every company you apply to, thinking about the profession you apply for. On this occasion, I shall explain how to fill out the “Reason for Application” in detail.

Let us consider the purpose of filling out the “Reason for Application”

In the Reason for Application, there are generally the titles of “Reason for Application, Special Skills, Favorite Subjects, Appeal Points”. You may adopt or reject these items.

However, the company will want to know “why you applied for this company rather than other companies” and “what advantages are there to the company of hiring this purpose”. If you base the discussion around special skills and favorite subjects, you should fill this in from the perspective of “how will I apply this to the profession I am applying for”. If you are a foreign national, you might want to add an explanation of “why Japan rather than another country”.

As you will have described your skills and employment history in detail in the SHOKUMU KEIREKISHO, just summarize this simply when filling out the appeal points.

How to fill out the “Reason for Application”

• When referring to yourself in Japanese, use the polite form “私(Watakushi)”, rather than “僕(Boku)”, “俺(Ore)”, or “自分(Jibun)”.
• When referring to the company you are applying to in the second person, use the written word “貴社(Kisha)”. As the word “貴社(Kisha)” itself is an honorific, you do not need to use the term “貴社様(Kisha-sama)”. The word “御社(Onsha) is also an honorific expression but it is the word used in the spoken form, so should not be used.
• Write in sentences, rather than in bulletin points. At the end of each sentence, use the polite “です(desu)” or “ます(masu)” forms.

Never do this! The worst 5!!

Blank/”特になし(Nothing in particular)”

If you do not have anything to enter, you can input “特になし(Nothing in particular)” justified to the left of the section. However, if “you have no reason for application”, the company will probably judge that “you are not serious about wanting to join that company”. So, avoid submitting the application with that section blank or “特になし(Nothing in particular)” included.

Bad-mouthing your previous company

Even if your actual reason for applying is “my salary is low, so I want to change jobs” or “there was too much overtime or holiday work so I want to change jobs”, avoid including such points of dissatisfaction or complaints. This gives the negative impression that “you would work anywhere to quit your current job” or “you may quit your job immediately after being hired”. In particular, avoid mentioning salary, package, or work location.

Do not copy or reuse

There are various entry examples published on the Internet. If you copy these as is, they will inevitably be too abstract. Sometimes the copied content will not combine properly with the content you have created yourself. Research the company and profession you are applying for and write why you want to apply for that company in your own words.

Further, if you reuse content for the same type of profession, the content will necessarily become ambiguous. Think carefully about the content every time you apply.

Wanting to learn

A company is not a school. It hires people to develop the company rather than human resources. Of course, the desire to learn things and gain experience through your jobs is important, and not it is not wrong to include this. But “wanting to learn” should not be the central idea, rather it should be “wanting to bring benefits to the company you are applying for through the things you learn”.

Wrong/missing characters

When you write in sentences, there is a tendency for wrong/missing characters to increase compared to other items. Wrong/missing characters give the impression of a lack of concentration. Check very carefully before submitting your application.

Summary

On this occasion, I introduced you to how to write the “Reason for application” in your RIREKISHO. It is used to describe why this company, why this profession, and what advantages you can bring about. Review the content from the perspective of the company you are applying for and use your own words. Next, we shall explain how to fill out the “Personal entry request field”.