How to Write a German CV? Free Template, Example Word / Docx, Tips.

Stay calm. Creating a German CV is not atomic physics science. You must know that every country has its own preferences when it comes to structure and content in the CV. German HR departments expect that your CV will be Short and Simple. Recruiters usually 7 to 12 seconds read a CV to check if a candidate matches the job requirements. It's not a joke. A few seconds have an impact on Your job career. If you are not applying for a specialized job position, you only need to prepare a 1-page A4 resume with the most important information relating to the job offer.

When writing a German resume, be specific (this rule also applies to writing resumes in other languages) . After all, you know what the content of the job offer was. What skills and experience the employer expects from the candidate. Match the document to the job offer, use similar phrases that are in the job offer. As I wrote before, every recruiter is busy. Once the employer gets the document in hand, he wants to find a suitable candidate. Will the job applicant go to the next stage of recruitment? This will be determined by the quality of the information provided in the CV that attracted the interest of the German employer.

Write your CV – so that it fits the German standard!

We have prepared a few tips. How to write/create an effective CV. Ready examples. So we start.

TIP 1: Design

When building Your CV, it is important to design it in a way that appears attractive to the employer/recruiter – make your CV easy to read. I've already written about it 7-12 seconds this is time to analyze your CV.
Remember that your CV is your business card which supposed to show off your experience, skills and education. Use the 11-12 font size, don't get crazy with a coloured text or italic fonts. Remember - a simple and readable document!
Length of the German CV? There used to be one page CV, currently, it can be up to two or three pages, but only if you describe that many important tasks and skills.

Preparation of documents does not have to be difficult. Use the free examples of the German CV (document templates below).

TIP 2: Structure / Format

Your Curriculum vitae for the German market should be formatted in a succeeding way:

1. Personal details (Persönliche Daten).
2. Career Summary (Kurzprofil) - Optional.
3. Work Experience (Berufserfahrung).
4. Education (Ausbildung).
5. Skills (Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten).
6. Interests & hobbies (Interessen und hobbys).

TIP 3: Content

The recruiter is not interested in information that your first job took place in a plant nursery (unless you apply as a gardener) and nobody wants to know that you worked as a waiter at every weekend during your studies (unless you are applying for a job in gastronomy).
Never add to a CV all the details of your work history. Just include information that might be useful for the profession and that shows skills, expertise which may add value to your potential employer.

TIP 4: Personal details (Persönliche Daten)

How to write a German CV? Tips - Personal details.

Add to your CV all necessary personal details that might help the recruiter to contact you and to understand who you are.

Your Photo in the CV. A professional photo in your CV should have good quality and business format. You do not have such a photo? Maybe you should use the services of a professional photographer. Optional - but this element can help us recruit.
Don't make this mistake - don't include your holiday or party photos.

Name and Surname. First and last name add to the CV, use a bold and larger font size for this purpose.

Phone, Email address. Your sim card to the mobile phone was purchased in Germany? If not? Remember to add the country code (area code) before the phone number.

Address. Place of residence.

Age/Birth date. It is worth giving the date of birth to facilitate work for the recruiter. Optional - but it helps to get a full picture of the candidate.

Citizenship. This is important information to the employer whether the candidate needs a visa or work permit in Germany.

Marital Status and number of children. Optional - but it helps to get a full picture of the candidate.

TIP 5: Career Summary (Kurzprofil)

How to write an effective German CV? Tips - Career Summary.

This is a summary paragraph of two to four lines in size, which is listed at the beginning of the german CV before the presentation of the work experience.

Voluntary: Of course there is no obligation to add a Career Summary for the German CV. Experienced managers and qualified specialists can give an overview of their individual career strengths, goals and experiences with a short profile.

If you want to include a Career Summary in your German CV, you should consider what effect you want to achieve:

1. Would you like to highlight your industry experience?
2. Would you like to prove your action strength?
3. Would you like to demonstrate your ability to innovate and your creativity?

TIP 6: Work Experience (Berufserfahrung)

How to write a professional German CV? Tips - Work Experience.

Include the work history in reverse chronological order. Add your most recent job first on the top of the section. Include the name of the company, the dates you worked for them (eg. 07/2016 - 05/2019) and also add the city (company location).

Add your position, examples: "Senior Java programmer" or ""Junior PHP programmer"" or "Graphic designer " or "Cook" etc.

Mention your responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for the job you are applying for. Use bullet points to show 4 to 8 of your most important tasks.

TIP 7: Education (Ausbildung)

How to write a perfect German CV? Tips - Education.

Same as before, add the education in reverse chronological order. Keep in mind to include names university, schools as well as the date you attended school. Attach information about acquired professional titles and diplomas.

TIP 8: Languages (Sprachen)

Include reality foreign language skills. To determine the level of knowledge languages use the scale of the Council of Europe. Examples: "English - C2", "Chinese - B1", "Spanish - B2".

TIP 9: Skills (Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten)

Did you have training that is relevant to the profession applied for? Mention it here.

Here you can determine computer skills and programs, example: "MS Excel (advanced level, knowledge of macros and pivot tables)".
Next example: "Excellent knowledge of the Y tool allowed me to reduce costs by X".

TIP 10: The correct format of application documents.

After writing, save the CV and cover letter to PDF format. You will be sure that the employer will correctly read your application documents.