Japanese and English Resumes
13 Key Differences
This essay will discuss thirteen differences between English and Japanese resumes from the cultural perspective of an American in Japan who is familiar with both English and Japanese resumes. This essay is not an explanation of how to write an English resume, what a good English resume is, or how to properly translate a Japanese resume into English. This essay is based on the observations of one English speaking American over years of reading resumes by people of different nationalities, although primarily Japanese and people from English speaking countries, written in English and Japanese. Other native English speakers may have different reactions. While this list should be of some help if you write an English resume, it is not a guide. Please look elsewhere if you would like a guide. Please also note that while most of these facts probably hold true for the English speaking world, given our common cultural heritage, there may be differences between some English speaking countries and others.
- A driver’s license
A driver’s license is not mentioned on a resume. If I had a special license for truck driving or bus driving and if I were looking for a job driving, I would probably mention my license in my resume. Otherwise, a license is not relevant to my resume; it is not a qualification.
- Word processed
A resume should be word processed. A handwritten resume would be inappropriate.
- Information separation
Personal information is not included on English resumes. Such information includes age, height, weight, marital status, and number of children. In the United States, personal and family information is considered private and personal.
- Education
After we graduate from college, the educational section of our resume normally ends with college. We write the additional information in reverse chronological order. That is, the most recent education experience is first. If we have a college degree, we do not include information about high school.
- Education dates
For education, the dates for starting and leaving each school are normally not written. We only put the date of our degree on our resumes along with the name of the degree.
- Photographs
Pictures on resumes are inappropriate. In the United States, employers are not allowed to ask for pictures. The assumption is that candidates will be judged more for their appearance and less for their work qualifications.
- Resume forms
We do not have forms for resumes. We need to decide the format ourselves.
- Truth certification
We do not certify in writing that our resume is the truth. If prospective employers want to confirm that the resume is a truthful one, they may check references.
- Previous companies
While prospective employers may be interested in your previous employers, they are more interested in knowing what kind of work you did.
- Dated resumes
Resumes do not include dates. Prospective employers do not normally keep resumes for very long, so there is no need to date them.
- Signed resumes
Resumes are not signed. Generally resumes are sent via email. Sometimes they are sent snail mail with signed cover letters.
- Special skills and qualifications
While we will probably note special skills and qualifications on our resumes if we have any, licenses and qualifications in areas that may be totally irrelevant to employment are generally excluded. Japanese employers appear to like knowing about such special skills and qualifications.
- Specific positions
In the United States, generally people apply for a specific position. In a resume, we have a goal, which we often state on our resumes, while Japanese do not state such a goal. It appears that Japanese apply to work for a company, not to do something specific in a company.
An English resume and a Japanese resume are very different. If you translate your Japanese resume into English, it may look fine to Japanese employers who are used to Japanese resumes. International employers in Japan will understand, but they will know the difference. As for employers in America and other Western countries who do not have experience with Japanese resumes, such translated resumes will look completely inappropriate. If you write an English resume, be sure to write one that makes sense in English. Don’t simply translate the Japanese language and culture into English. Such language translations do not work.
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