Application Documents: Work History and Entry Sheets

The pamphlet says the purpose is to show the recruiter your practical work abilities. Simply copying the work history section of your resume (rirekisho) defeats the purpose; the document should add the details and results that did not fit in the resume. Reasons for leaving are usually written briefly, for example "left for personal reasons," so a detailed explanation is not the goal. Family and housing matters are items the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare asks employers to keep out of hiring decisions, so they do not belong in this document.

The required items are the title, your name, the date, and your work history. Self-promotion and reasons for applying are optional, like qualifications and computer skills; you add the ones that help you most. A photo is usually attached to the resume, not required in the work history document. Family structure has nothing to do with job ability and does not need to be written.

The chronological format lists jobs in time order from the oldest, and it is described as the most common basic form. Starting from the most recent job is the reverse chronological format, used when you want the latest work seen first. Grouping by type of work is the career format. Ordering by the size of achievements hides the flow of time, so it is not the chronological format.

The pamphlet says it is not appropriate to reuse identical content for multiple employers. Your career facts do not change, though. The practical approach is to adjust what you emphasize, such as describing in more detail the experience the job posting asks for and tailoring your self-promotion. Rewriting the whole work history differently risks drifting from the facts. If the company asks for the document and you do not send it, your application is incomplete.

The pamphlet says to write it briefly, such as "left for personal reasons" (isshin-jo no tsugo ni yori taishoku), and if you explain further, to use positive wording; criticizing the previous employer is strictly to be avoided. Listing the company's problems is exactly that kind of criticism. Leaving the field blank can look like an oversight or like you are hiding something. Writing a reason that is not true creates contradictions when interviewers ask questions based on the document.

The best one shows your own action (creating a manual) and the result in numbers (from two months to one), in the form "contributed to ... by ...". Hello Work's materials also recommend stating figures and writing in terms of your own actions. Saying only that you cooperated and worked hard is something anyone could write and does not show what you can do. "Was told ... and then training got shorter" is passive and hides your contribution. "Engaged in process improvement" is too short to show what you actually did.

The career format groups your work by type of task and is often used by people who have stayed in one field or by specialists. Because the time flow becomes hard to follow, Hello Work's pamphlet suggests adding a separate brief history. The basic form that lists jobs from the oldest is the chronological format. There is no fixed template, so no rule forces a particular format even if you have worked at only one company. Saying no brief history is needed contradicts the format's weakness of hiding the time flow.

The ministry asks employers to base hiring on applicants' aptitude and ability, and lists a respected person and favorite books among matters that should be left to personal freedom, as "matters requiring consideration in hiring." A leaflet from the Tokyo Labour Bureau and others also asks employers to set the items on application forms and entry sheets carefully, so companies may not ask anything they like. Family members' occupations are listed as matters the applicant is not responsible for. The principle covers hiring in general, not only high school students.

An entry sheet asks you to answer questions, so the common pattern is to give the conclusion (your strength) in the first sentence, followed by a concrete experience that supports it and how you would use it after joining. Starting with your background leaves the reader not knowing your strength until the end. Listing many strengths makes the support for each one thin and hard to remember. A single sentence has no supporting experience and is far too little for the length allowed.

The pamphlet says a cover letter (soufujo) goes on top when you mail application documents, and when you send them by email, the email body takes its place. So there is no need to scan a paper cover letter and attach it. That does not mean nothing is needed: the body should explain how you are applying and which documents are attached. Reasons for applying and self-promotion in a cover letter are optional, and that content basically belongs in the resume and work history document, so it is no reason to skip the work history document.