Jobs without German

The German CV, or Lebenslauf

A German CV looks different from a British or American one, and the differences are small but visible. This page is what goes in one, line by line.

First, the question that saves you the work. Every job on this site is advertised in English. For those employers, a clear English CV is normally the right thing to send. The German conventions below matter when the advert is in German, when the company is small or traditional, or when a form asks you for a Lebenslauf by name.

What a Lebenslauf is

It is a table, not an essay. The Federal Employment Agency's own advice is tabellarisch und chronologisch — tabular, in date order, on at most two pages, with the most recent entry first and older entries below.[1]

Nothing in it is written as prose. There is no personal statement at the top, no paragraph about your ambitions, and no adjectives about yourself. What a German reader is looking for is a record: what you did, where, and between which dates.

Section by section

1. Personal details. Your name, address, phone number and email. Date and place of birth are traditional and still common; nationality and family details are voluntary — the Employment Agency says so in as many words — and no employer needs the occupations of your parents.[1]

2. Work experience. Newest first. For each job: the dates (month and year is enough), the employer, the job title, and three to five short lines on what you actually did.[1] Keep them concrete: "ran the weekly production plan for two sites" tells a reader more than "responsible for planning".

3. Education. The same shape: dates, institution, what you studied, what you came out with. A strong final grade can be added; a weak one can be left off.[1] If your qualification is from outside Germany, say what it is comparable to only if you have had it checked — the recognition guide explains how.

4. Skills. Languages with their level (A1 to C2, or native), software you really use, and a driving licence if the job could need one.[1][2] Volunteer work and hobbies belong here only when they say something about the job.[1]

5. Place, date and signature. Not strictly required, but traditional and still worth doing on a German application: it shows the document is current.[1] International employers do not expect it.

The photo

You will read everywhere that a German CV needs a photo. That has changed. The Employment Agency now says plainly that a photo is kein Muss mehr — no longer a must — while noting that it is still customary in many industries.[1][3]

Our practical answer for the jobs listed here: follow the advert. If it says nothing, send no photo. The employers on this site are the ones most likely to prefer it that way.

The same goes for age, marital status, religion and a photo of anyone else. Family details are voluntary.[1] German equal-treatment law (the AGG) protects applicants from discrimination because of age, religion and four other characteristics, so a hiring decision must not be based on them.[4]

Gaps

A German reader will notice a gap and will not usually assume the worst — but they will expect it to be accounted for. Anything longer than about two months gets a line of its own, with the dates and one honest phrase: parental leave, caring for a relative, a move between countries, study, illness, looking for work.[1] "Career break" with no dates around it invites the question you were trying to avoid.

The rest of the pack

A traditional German application is three things: the cover letter (Anschreiben), the Lebenslauf, and the certificates (Zeugnisse) — school and university certificates, and references from previous employers.[3][5] Send them as one PDF, in that order, named so a stranger can file it: Lastname_Firstname_Lebenslauf.pdf or similar.[3]

If you have worked in Germany before, you are entitled to an Arbeitszeugnis when a job ends — a written reference in its own careful, standardised wording.[6] Include it; it is expected.[5] References from other countries are usually ordinary letters or named contacts, and saying so is fine.

Applying in Germany covers the cover letter, the portals and what happens after you send it.

An English CV and a Lebenslauf, side by side

  • Opening. An English CV often starts with a short profile. A Lebenslauf starts with your details and goes straight into the table.
  • Length. One page is common in English; one or two is normal here.
  • Order. Newest first in both.
  • Tone. An English CV sells. A Lebenslauf records.
  • Photo. Not on an English CV. Optional here, still common in many industries.
  • Signature. Not on an English CV. Not required here, but traditional and a nice touch.
  • References. "Available on request" in English. Certificates attached here.

What we cannot do

We do not read, review or forward CVs, and we never see your application — every listing here links out to the employer's own advert. This page is general information about a document, not advice about your case.

This guide is about Germany. Austria and Switzerland work differently — sometimes very differently. See working in Austria and working in Switzerland.

Where to check

Checked on 23 September 2026 against the sources below. Conventions shift slowly; the advert in front of you always wins.

Sources

  1. Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit): Den perfekten Lebenslauf erstellen — tabular and chronological on at most two pages, most recent first; month and year are enough; family details and nationality voluntary, parents' occupations not needed; a photo is "kein Muss mehr"; good grades optional; languages, software and driving licence under special skills; hobbies only if they fit the job; gaps of more than two months to be shown; signing not strictly necessary but shows the CV is current (German). Checked 23 Sep 2026. ↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑

  2. Europass (European Commission): Common European Framework of Reference for Language skills — the A1 to C2 levels. Checked 23 Sep 2026. ↑

  3. Federal Employment Agency: Bewerbungsunterlagen: Das gehört rein — cover letter, CV and certificates, in that order, combined into one PDF; a photo is no longer required but still customary in many industries (German). Checked 23 Sep 2026. ↑↑↑

  4. Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes): Zugang zum Arbeitsleben — the AGG protects against discrimination in working life because of ethnic origin, sex, religion or belief, disability, age and sexual identity (German). Checked 23 Sep 2026. ↑

  5. Make it in Germany: Applying for a job — school, university and vocational certificates, and references from previous employers, attached to the application. Checked 23 Sep 2026. ↑↑

  6. IHK Dresden (Chamber of Industry and Commerce): Arbeitszeugnis: Rechte, Fristen & Formulierungen — the right to a reference when employment ends (§ 109 GewO), written in standard reference language; hidden coded wording is not allowed (German). Checked 23 Sep 2026. ↑

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