Guides
How to write a CV that gets read
Practical guides on structure, wording and the parts people usually get wrong. No sign-up required to read any of them.
Writing your CV2
Formatting and length2
Applicant tracking systems1
Career situations3
- How to explain a gap in your CVGaps are ordinary. What matters is whether the CV looks like it is hiding one.4 min read
- Writing a CV for your first jobWhat to put on a CV when you have never had a job. There is more than you think, and it is not padding.5 min read
- Writing a CV for a career changeHow to make ten years in one field read as preparation for another, without hiding anything.5 min read
Applying for jobs1
Germany, Austria and Switzerland5
- The German Lebenslauf, explainedA German CV is a table, not a story. What goes in it, in what order, and the four things an international CV usually gets wrong.8 min read
- The CV photo in Germany, Austria and SwitzerlandStill expected in the German-speaking markets, still optional. What a usable photo looks like and when to leave it off.5 min read
- The German Anschreiben, laid out rightOne page, a Betreff line, four paragraphs and a business-letter layout. What belongs in a German cover letter and where each part sits.7 min read
- Reading a German ArbeitszeugnisGerman employer references are written in a coded register where "stets zu unserer vollsten Zufriedenheit" is top marks. How the grades work.6 min read
- Applying in Switzerland: the BewerbungsdossierSwiss applications are a dossier, not a CV. What belongs in it, how it differs from Germany, and which language to write in.7 min read