5 Tips to Creating a German-Style Resume

Immigrating to a new country includes numerous challenges. One of the most common aspects is job hunting. Thankfully Tali Lichtenfeld, an experienced recruiter and career coach in Germany is willing to share her 5 tips to creating a German-style resume.

Before we even start I’d like to address the language issue, which many of my clients struggle with: Should I or should I not attempt to write in German?

Many try to impress the potential employer by having a local friend translate their resume. DON’T do that!

If your German is not up for an interview in German don’t send a resume in German! If you have some German skills – write it down in the language section, adding the relevant level you’ve achieved, preferably attaching the last test scores. If you do speak the German language but want a certified translation of your resume, then there are services like Beglaubigung24 that can help you with this.

Germans LOVE papers 🙂

If your German is not perfect – a good application will persuade the recruiter that you possess many other skills that would benefit their company. It’s certainly advisable to begin learning the German language as soon as possible. There are many different language courses both in Düsseldorf and online that you can check out.

Transform your English resume to a “Lebenslauf”/German-style resume

1. Include a Professional Photograph

A German-style resume includes a small professional photo/“Bewerbungsfoto” on the right upper corner. I know this may be nothing like what we’re used to from other countries, but in Germany, they expect to see that nice photo of you greening from the corner, and any resume without it would be suspected as hiding something in the worst case or at least defiant. You don’t want either.

There are more than 40 different places in Düsseldorf to get passport photos taken, some who also specialize in business photography, I would start there first! 

2. Personal Details

In Germany, they expect to find under that heading also the date, place of birth, nationality, and marital status. Failing to mentioned those may result in someone contacting you to request those details for the sake of a work permit or some other bureaucratic reason.

3. Form

The German recruiters expect the resume to arrive at their inbox in a specific layout, length, and format, accompanied by specific documents. They also expect a cover letter to go with it (I’ve also written a post on how to write a German-style cover letter if you’re interested). They’re not being mean, they’re just busy processing a lot of data. In addition, any “missing” document or data may be viewed as a problem (Germans do NOT like risks) and might lead them to discard your resume. The resume should include the following sections: ‘Personal Details,’ ‘Professional Experience,’ ‘Education and Training’, ‘Computer skills’, and ‘Language Skills.’

TIP: Don’t use too many fonts and styles, make it easy to read.

4. Facts and Figures

Keep to the facts, keep it clear, keep it modest. For example: use specific dates, starting from the most recent study and include a detailed work description. Do not try to squeeze your CV onto one page (an experienced candidate’s resume could be 2-3 pages easy). Write in length using accurate details, use numbers such as the volume of the budget you’ve worked with, the number of accounts you managed, etc.

5. Cover letter

Don’t miss out on that cover letter, as it is as important to the German recruiter as your CV itself. According to a study in 2013, 39% of HR managers in Germany rejected applications without a cover letter.

It should be no longer than one page, it should contain your motivation and interest in the specific job and company and explain why you are the right person for the job. Write it as a formal letter, addressed to the relevant recruiter(s), bearing in mind what can you offer that makes you their dream candidate. We have more information on that here. 

“PS: If you’d rather just get someone to do the work for you so that you can focus on finding a job in Germany, Fiverr is a great resource to hire freelancers at super affordable prices.” – Jenna (Founder of Life in Düsseldorf)