Sounds good, right? A resume to be proud of? Well, maybe, but send a resume like this to a Japanese company and it is likely to end up in the trash bin. Why? Let's take a look at these achievements, one at a time.

1.  Improved line productivity 46%. 

When a Japanese manager sees this 46%, the immediate thought is that the employer was in bad shape to start with so improvements were easy and the numbers are not representative of your skills.  Remember, the Japanese wrote the book on quality. High numbers like this will get you labeled as not understanding real quality efforts. Whether or not you worked for companies using productivity improvement tools like Six Sigma or Toyota's quality improvement system (TPS), make sure your numbers reflect attainable accomplishments in a relatively efficient operation.

2.  Reduced staffing and operational costs by 30%.

Reducing staffing goes against the Japanese company philosophy of using layoffs and their related cost savings until absolutely necessary. If you use this type of accomplishment, make sure it's clear that such significant savings were not realized solely or chiefly by personnel layoffs.

3.  Surpassed sales projections by growing market share from 25% to 80% in the tri-state area.  Record-setting annual sales results of over $2 million.

All by yourself? What about your staff, the people in the field, the quality assurance personnel? Even if you were responsible for leading this effort, it is impossible to make such improvements entirely on your own, without support and help. Your Japanese resume reader knows that.

Asked what the Japanese interviewer finds most inappropriate in a resume, WIN search consultant Satoshi Egawa answered without hesitation, "Do not show off your achievements with over-estimated numbers.  Do not claim ideas or accomplishments as only yours."

To work for a Japanese company, you must be comfortable working and achieving as part of a group. To help convince the Japanese manager reviewing your resume to consider you, you must make that clear on your resume and in your cover letter. State that you believe in getting everyone involved to reach defined goals, that the job and the results belong to everyone, not just you. Make sure it is clear that you care about quality . . . quality service . . . quality product . . . and a quality company. Emphasize that you are not only results-oriented, but process-oriented as well; and a team player.

Make sure you spell it correctly!

It's not going to help your case if you try to show how well you understand Japanese and misspell the words. Check our list of terms related to Japanese management to make sure you've spelled difficult words correctly. Common problem words include kaizen, keiretsu, nemawashi and poka yoke.

  Just because it's in the dictionary . . .

Don't pick a word out of the dictionary and assume you can use it safely. WIN President Sada Honda once received a letter from an applicant with the salutation Dear Mr. Honda Daitouryou. It should have been Dear Mr. Honda Shachou. Maybe this is just a case of extreme brown-nosing since Daitouryou is president of a nation and Shachou is president of a company, but either way, the applicant did not leave a favorable impression.

About Your Cover Letter

Your cover letter provides an added opportunity to demonstrate to the Japanese reader your ability to summarize your qualifications. Stick to three main paragraphs. In the first, mention the position you are applying for and in the second explain why you are suited to the position. The third paragraph should be a conclusive and positive statement addressing why you would be a good employee for the company, not just a good candidate. 

It's a good idea to re-draft your cover letter after you become an official candidate. At that point, you will have more specific information to help you prepare a cover letter customized for the position and the company. 

Don't forget . . .

Emphasize any previous work for and accomplishments achieved at a Japanese-owned company.  Talk about techniques you used successfully and, if applicable, quantify savings and improvements.
 
Prepare (or have someone prepare) a copy of your resume and cover letter written in Japanese and attach it to the English copy.

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