Lebenslauf: how to write a CV for Germany
A German application is a package with conventions of its own. Get the shape right and the content you already have is enough.
- Tabular, reverse-chronological, one to two pages, no gaps left unexplained.
- Use the German section names, month-and-year dates, and CEFR levels for languages.
- The package is Anschreiben plus Lebenslauf plus Zeugnisse — and the enclosure line has to match what you attached.
What a Lebenslauf is
The standard form is the tabellarischer Lebenslauf: a tabular, reverse-chronological document of one to two pages. Left column dates, right column what happened. Prose biography is not used.
It is expected to be complete. Gaps are noticed in Germany more than in many markets, and a short honest line — parental leave, a move, further study — reads far better than an unexplained year.
The header, and the personal details
Name, address, phone and email are standard. Date and place of birth, nationality and marital status are traditional, and are increasingly dropped — under the equal treatment act (AGG) none of them may be required.
A photo, top right, is still common but optional (see the photo guide). Give the file a clear name and send it as a PDF unless the employer asks otherwise.
The sections, with the names recruiters look for
Use the German headings: Berufserfahrung for experience, Ausbildung for education, Kenntnisse or Fähigkeiten for skills, Sprachen for languages, Weiterbildung for training and certificates, and Ehrenamt for volunteering.
Under Berufserfahrung, write what you were responsible for and what changed because of it, in bullets rather than paragraphs. Dates in month-and-year form (03/2021 – 08/2024) are the convention.
Sprachen: state the level the way Germany states it
Language levels belong on a German CV, and the expected scale is the CEFR: A1 to C2, or the words Grundkenntnisse, gut, fließend and Muttersprache. A vague "good English" invites the question you did not want.
If you have a certificate — TestDaF, Goethe, telc, IELTS — name it with its result. In Germany a documented level is worth more than a confident adjective.
Anschreiben and Anlagen: the rest of the package
A German application usually includes a cover letter (Anschreiben) on one page, addressed to a named person where possible, and references the enclosures. Many employers also expect Arbeitszeugnisse — written references from previous employers — and degree certificates, as attachments.
The enclosure line matters: "Anlagen: Lebenslauf, Zeugnisse" is a claim about what is in the package, and a recruiter checks it. Traditionally the Lebenslauf ends with place, date and a signature; for a digital application this is now optional and often left out.
Questions
German or English?
Write it in the language of the posting. A German-language posting expects a German Lebenslauf, even at an international company. If the posting and the interview process are in English, an English CV is correct, and a translated-sounding German one is worse than either.
Do I still need a signature and a date?
It used to be standard and it is now optional for digital applications. A traditional or public-sector employer may still expect it; adding place, date and a signature image costs nothing and is never wrong.
How much detail for jobs outside Germany?
Keep them, and add one line of context for employers a German recruiter will not recognise — what the company does and how big it is. The role means little without it.
Letterin writes your Lebenslauf natively in German, with the German section headings and your CEFR levels, from the same profile your English CV comes from.
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