Handwritten vs. Printed Rirekisho for Baito: Which Do Employers Prefer?

For decades, conventional wisdom in Japan was that a serious rirekisho should be handwritten. That has changed — but not everywhere. Here is how to decide for a part-time (arubaito) application.

The short answer

For most arubaito today — convenience stores, cafes, restaurants, retail, delivery, warehouses — a cleanly printed rirekisho is completely acceptable, and often preferred because it is easy to read. Typed resumes are the norm for any company that does its hiring online or asks you to email documents.

When handwriting still helps

• Small, traditional, family-run businesses where the owner is older may still read neat handwriting as a sign of sincerity and effort.
• A few job ads explicitly say 手書き希望 (handwriting preferred). If it is written, follow it.
• If your typed Japanese might contain conversion errors you cannot check, careful handwriting can actually be safer.

When printed is the better choice

• You are applying online or by email (most modern baito platforms).
• Your handwriting in Japanese is not yet confident or even.
• You are applying to several stores and want a consistent, fast-to-update document.
• The role is at a chain, a modern company, or anything tech/web related.

If you handwrite

• Use black ink, write slowly and evenly, and never use correction fluid.
• If you make a mistake, start the sheet again — crossed-out text looks unprofessional.
• Keep character sizes consistent and stay inside the lines.

If you print

• Export a clean PDF at the correct size and print it at a convenience store.
• Use plain white paper; the traditional layout prints on A3 folded, or two A4 pages.
• Sign or stamp where required, and double-check the photo printed sharply.

What about an emailed PDF?

More and more part-time roles never ask for paper at all — you apply through Townwork, Indeed, or a store's LINE and send a PDF. In that case “handwritten vs printed” is moot: a typed PDF is expected. Name the file clearly (for example, rirekisho_yourname.pdf), keep it under a few megabytes so it sends easily, and double-check it opens correctly on a phone, since that is how the manager will first see it.

A 30-second decision

• Ad says 手書き希望 → handwrite.
• Applying online or by email → typed PDF.
• Small, traditional, older owner → handwriting can score points.
• Chain, modern, or web/IT company → typed is expected.
• Not confident writing Japanese by hand → typed is the safer choice.

What matters far more than the medium

Hiring managers rarely reject a candidate purely for typing instead of writing. What actually decides a part-time application is whether the important fields are right: an accurate, readable shift-availability grid; correct dates; your residence status and work permission stated clearly; and a short, honest 志望動機 that names this specific store. Get those right and the format is a footnote.

The fastest reliable route is to build it once and export a print-ready PDF — pick a layout on the templates page or start straight away in the editor. For the shift grid and motivation samples, see the part-time resume guide.