You wish to find a job in Berlin or in another German city? Great idea! To maximize your chances, our translators have collected some advice to help you write a good CV in German.

Personal details

German law allows you to keep private some personal information to combat employment discrimination. You can write your full name but no need to indicate your age, date of birth or your marital status.

However, you must provide your address. It is a real advantage if you have a German adress or you live next to the border in Alsace.

In France and other countries, it is forbidden to mention your religion. On the other hand, some German institutions request that you do. Include it or not in your CV to work in Germany, depending on which employer you want to convince to hire you. Christianism is the state religion in Germany.

Of course, as a foreigner, you need to indicate your nationality.

Professional experience

It is identical in France and in Germany. One difference though: for managers and supervisors you must indicate the degree of responsability you had, that is to say the number of mentored employees and the managed budget.

Education and Trainings

Here as well, start with your last diploma obtained.

To this, add the qualifications acquired during continous training since they are linked to the job vacancy.

Two elements should be imperatively included : your languages and levels of proficiency as well as your computer skills. Although it is not compulsory, mentioning them on a CV is very beneficial.

Other particularities

Former stays in Germany or in a German-speaking country such as Austria, Switzerland, etc. are always assets.

The same applies for trips in other countries to show your life adaptability, provided that they were not holidays but language stays, au-pair placement, immigration, posted work, etc.

Unemployment periods have to be mentioned: no gap in your CV if you want to work in Germany.

Very important

The CV should be manually dated and signed. It certifies that it is up to date. Sending an “old” CV is out of the question.

The attachments

Regardless of the length of your CV, it must always be accompanied by work certificates from your former employers, preferably translated into German.

Be careful, the jargon used for this matter by the German Human Resources is quite specific. Therefore, ensure that you require the services of a qualified translator.

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