🇩🇪 Germany
Applying for a job in Germany
A German application is more formal and more structured than most. The document is called a Lebenslauf, and it is read as a factual record rather than a pitch: complete, dated, and free of the marketing language that works elsewhere.
Which language should the CV be in?
International tech companies hire in English across Germany. Outside that, German is usually expected — and for anything customer-facing, public sector, or regulated, it is effectively required.
A Lebenslauf is a record, not a pitch
Reverse-chronological, tabular, with clear month-and-year dates. Gaps are expected to be accounted for rather than hidden — an unexplained year reads worse than a stated one. Keep the tone factual; the persuasive-summary style common in US CVs tends to land badly.
The photo question
German CVs traditionally carried a portrait photo. Since the AGG anti-discrimination law, no employer may require one, and many larger companies now explicitly ask you to leave it out. Smaller and more traditional employers still expect it. Read the posting: if it says nothing, including a neutral professional photo remains common and is not held against you.
Arbeitszeugnisse carry real weight
German employers issue written reference certificates when you leave, and applicants routinely attach them. If you are coming from a country that doesn't do this, you will not have any — that is understood and not a problem, but it is worth naming referees instead rather than leaving the gap unexplained.
ä ö ü ß in the export
Same trap as anywhere with a non-ASCII alphabet: check the exported PDF, not the editor. A Lebenslauf with mangled umlauts signals that you did not look at what you sent.
Where the jobs are posted
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Try it freeCommon questions
Does a German CV need a photo? +
No employer may require one under the AGG anti-discrimination law, and many larger companies ask you to omit it. Smaller and more traditional employers still expect one. If the posting doesn't say, a neutral professional photo is still common and safe.
Should my CV be in German or English? +
International tech companies hire in English. Outside that, German is usually expected, and for customer-facing, public sector or regulated roles it is effectively required.
What is an Arbeitszeugnis and do I need one? +
It is a written reference certificate a German employer issues when you leave, and applicants commonly attach them. If you worked in a country that doesn't issue them, that is understood — name referees instead.