Writing a CV for Germany

At a glance

What it is called

Lebenslauf

Length

One to two pages. Two is the ceiling outside academia.

Photo

Usual. Top right of page one. Never when the advert asks you not to.

Dates

Month and year on both ends: 03/2021 – 08/2024.

Personal details

Full address and date of birth are conventional. Nationality is common.

Signature

Place, date and a signature at the foot of the last page.

Language

German, unless the advert is in English.

What you send

1. 01Anschreiben — one page, business-letter layout.
2. 02Lebenslauf — one or two pages, tabular, signed.
3. 03Zeugnisse — school or university certificates and the Arbeitszeugnisse from previous employers.
4. 04Certificates for any training the advert asks about.

What catches people out

• Gaps are visible and are meant to be named, not smoothed over. Give the period a row and a one-line reason.
• A profile paragraph is optional and short. The persuading happens in the Anschreiben.
• The employer is named in full, with legal form and location — "Siemens AG, München", not "a large engineering firm".
• Language levels are given as A1–C2 or Muttersprache. "Good German" tells a reader nothing.
• Your certificates travel with the application rather than being offered on request.