Build a CV that Germany recruiters actually read

What Germany recruiters expect

German Lebenslauf is the formal standard: tabellarisch (tabular) format, 2-3 pages, often signed and dated at the bottom. Bundesagentur für Arbeit (arbeitsagentur.de) is the Federal Employment Agency + Make-it-in-Germany.com is the federal portal for skilled foreign workers. Bewerbungsfoto historically conventional and STILL widely expected by recruiters even though the AGG (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz 2006) discourages it — many German CVs still include a professional photo top-right of page 1. Full street address conventional. Reverse-chronological with explicit section titles (Persönliche Daten, Berufserfahrung, Ausbildung, Kenntnisse, Sprachen, Interessen). Date format DD.MM.YYYY. Sozialversicherungsnummer NEVER on a public CV. Strong inbound from EU labour market. For international applicants to German companies, including a Bewerbungsfoto is usually safer than omitting it (recruiter expectation outweighs anti-discrim caveat for traditional sectors).

Local job titles we know

• educationLehrer / Lehrerin (Verbeamtet)
• educationProfessor / Privatdozent / Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter
• educationSchulleiter / Schulleiterin
• educationDirektor / Studienleiter
• financeJunior Investment Banking Analyst (m/w/d)
• financeVice President, Investment Banking (m/w/d)
• financeRisk Analyst / Risikoanalyst (m/w/d)
• financeWirtschaftsprüfer / Steuerberater / Bilanzbuchhalter

Trusted government sources we cite

• Den perfekten Lebenslauf erstellen — official CV/Lebenslauf guide— Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA) — Federal Employment Agency, Germany
• BA — international workers info + advice (English)— Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA) — Federal Employment Agency, Germany
• Application process in Germany — Part 1: CV / Lebenslauf— Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA) — ZAV — International Skill-Set

Germany CV — frequently asked questions

What paper size does a Germany CV use?

A4 is the standard paper size for CVs submitted to recruiters in Germany. CVJinny renders every output at this size automatically.

What date format should I use on a Germany CV?

DD.MM.YYYY is the convention recruiters in Germany expect. CVJinny formats every date this way — never raw ISO timestamps.

What language should my Germany CV be written in?

Common defaults are de, en. CVJinny supports every locale and lets you draft in your strongest language while targeting Germany recruiters.

Does CVJinny work for Germany job applications?

Yes — CVJinny is built for Germany (and 90+ other countries). Every output honours local recruiter expectations: format, phrasing, compliance, photo policy.