Japanese CV templates 2026 for Japanese companies

Guide

Japanese CV templates: 職務経歴書 versus 履歴書, stating JLPT, polite language and the portrait photo

8 sectionsAbout 3 min readUpdated 07/10/2026

A Japanese-style application has two different documents, and many people treat them as one: 履歴書 (rirekisho) is a form with a fixed layout, while 職務経歴書 (shokumu keirekisho) is a free-format account of your experience, close to the CV Vietnamese job seekers are used to. Việc Hot has 8 Japanese CV templates, including one for a Japanese interpreter and translator; their previews show content in Japanese. This guide covers which document you need when, section headings, how to state JLPT, how to write politely, the portrait photo and the mistakes Japanese recruiters notice.

How 履歴書 and 職務経歴書 differ

	履歴書 (rirekisho)	職務経歴書 (shokumu keirekisho)
Format	履歴書 (rirekisho)Fixed layout with preset boxes	職務経歴書 (shokumu keirekisho)Free format, usually 1 to 2 A4 pages
Main content	履歴書 (rirekisho)Personal details, education and work history by year, qualifications, reason for applying, photo	職務経歴書 (shokumu keirekisho)Work done, achievements, skills, self-promotion
Writing style	履歴書 (rirekisho)Short line-by-line entries	職務経歴書 (shokumu keirekisho)Detailed descriptions with figures
On Việc Hot	履歴書 (rirekisho)Use the company’s form	職務経歴書 (shokumu keirekisho)Build it with the 8 Japanese CV templates

Japanese companies in Vietnam often accept a Japanese CV or 職務経歴書 in the first round. When you apply for a job in Japan or through a Japanese recruitment agency, they usually ask for both. 履歴書 has its own layout, so use the file the company sends or a standard form used in Japan; Việc Hot does not build that form.

When you need a Japanese CV

Situation	Reader	What to highlight
Japanese factories and manufacturers in Vietnam	ReaderJapanese managers, Vietnamese HR	What to highlightQuality control, 5S and improvement experience
Software companies working for Japanese clients	ReaderProject managers, bridge engineers	What to highlightProgramming languages, processes, ability to read Japanese documents
Japanese interpreting and translation	ReaderJapanese directors	What to highlightSubject areas translated, interpreting hours, JLPT
Engineering roles or working in Japan	ReaderJapanese companies, recruitment agencies	What to highlightBoth 履歴書 and 職務経歴書, a degree in the right field
Study and scholarships in Japan	ReaderUniversities, scholarship funds	What to highlightAcademic results, study plan

Technical interns and workers going to Japan through a sending agency usually fill in that agency’s own application form. A CV you build yourself is still useful when the company wants more detail about your experience than the form allows.

Section headings and order in a Japanese CV

English	Japanese	Notes
Career summary	Japanese職務要約	NotesThree to five lines at the top of the page
Work experience	Japanese職務経歴	NotesCompany, industry, size, period, duties, achievements
Transferable skills	Japanese活かせる経験・知識・技術	NotesTied to the role you are applying for
Qualifications	Japanese資格	NotesOfficial name, year obtained
Education	Japanese学歴	NotesSchool, faculty, graduation year
Self-promotion	Japanese自己PR	NotesOne strength, backed by an example

Pick one date style and keep it throughout: Western years such as "2022年4月～2025年3月", or Japanese era years such as "令和4年4月". For Vietnamese applicants, Western years are easier to read and less error-prone. Write your name in Vietnamese order with a katakana reading so Japanese readers can pronounce it, for example "Nguyễn Văn Minh（グエン・ヴァン・ミン）".

Stating JLPT and your Japanese level

JLPT has five levels, from N5 (lowest) to N1 (highest). Japanese recruiters read the JLPT level first, so give the exact test name, level and year passed. If you are waiting for results, write "受験予定" (planning to take the test) or "結果待ち" (awaiting results) rather than presenting it as passed.

Level	Roles that often ask for it	How to write it in the CV
N1	Roles that often ask for itInterpreter and translator, bridge engineer, executive assistant	How to write it in the CV日本語能力試験N1（2024年12月取得）
N2	Roles that often ask for itOffice staff, engineers working directly with Japanese clients	How to write it in the CV日本語能力試験N2（2023年7月取得）
N3	Roles that often ask for itProduction staff, team leaders, roles with basic communication	How to write it in the CV日本語能力試験N3（2023年12月取得）
N4, N5	Roles that often ask for itTechnical interns, roles with little communication	How to write it in the CV日本語能力試験N4（2024年7月取得）

JLPT mainly tests reading and listening. If you speak better than your certificate suggests, add the work you have done: "日本人上司への日報を毎日日本語で作成" (wrote daily reports in Japanese for a Japanese manager).

Polite language and sentence style in a Japanese CV

Write the self-promotion and reason for applying in the polite です・ます form. Duty lines under 職務経歴 are usually short and end with a noun, for example "品質管理を担当" (responsible for quality control). Do not pile on honorifics until sentences become long and hard to read; polite, clear and accurate is enough.

Before and after (illustrative figures)

Before: 工場で働いていました。品質の仕事をしました。

After: 自動車部品工場にて品質管理を担当。検査工程を見直し、不良率を3%から1%に改善。

Meaning: Responsible for quality control at an auto parts factory. Revised the inspection process and cut the defect rate from 3% to 1%.

Machine-translating the whole CV, leaving sentences that are grammatical but use words the way no Japanese writer would.
Mixing the です・ます form with the plain だ・である form in one paragraph.
Writing "日本語ペラペラ" (speaks Japanese like a breeze) instead of a JLPT level.
Leaving 自己PR empty or copying a sample paragraph from the internet.
Switching between Western years and Japanese era years.

The portrait photo in a Japanese CV

Japanese companies almost always want a photo. 履歴書 usually has a photo box 4 cm high and 3 cm wide. The photo on your CV should follow the same idea: recent, facing the camera, plain light background, shirt or suit, neat hair. Avoid selfies, photos cropped from group pictures and heavily edited images.

Using the 8 Japanese CV templates on Việc Hot

This group has 8 templates, including one for a Japanese interpreter and translator; each comes with 10 layouts, 36 backgrounds and 69 fonts. The editor supports 17 languages, Japanese among them, plus a bilingual mode in which section headings show both languages, for example "Kinh nghiệm làm việc / 職務経歴" when Vietnamese is the primary language and "職務経歴 / Kinh nghiệm làm việc" when Japanese is.

Choose a template and set Japanese
Pick one of the 8 templates and set the language to Japanese. Fill it in quickly from your Việc Hot profile, then rewrite each line in Japanese.
Turn on bilingual mode for mixed readers
Set Vietnamese as the secondary language when HR is Vietnamese and the manager is Japanese.
Download and send
Download a PDF for email, click "Download Word" when the company asks for a .docx file, or share a link. The Word file uses a single column and keeps the CV’s bold text, lists and fonts, but section headings appear in the primary language only; to keep bilingual headings and the full design, send the PDF.

Frequently asked questions

No. 履歴書 has a fixed layout, so use the file the company sends or a standard form used in Japan. Việc Hot builds Japanese CVs and 職務経歴書, which you can send together with a 履歴書.

You can, if you genuinely work in Japanese. State the work you have done in Japanese and your upcoming test. If your Japanese is still limited, a Vietnamese or bilingual CV is safer.

A 職務経歴書 is usually 1 to 2 A4 pages. People with many years of experience can go slightly longer, but the summary at the top must be clear within a few seconds.

Only if the company’s 履歴書 form has a box for it. A CV or 職務経歴書 focuses on experience and does not need this information.

Japanese CV templates