The German CV, explained for international applicants.
Applying for jobs in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland? Master local conventions: tabular Lebenslauf format, optional photo guidelines, Deckblatt, DIN 5008 cover letters, and translation from your English resume.
30 free credits · no card needed · data stays in the EU
Templates with and without photo
PDF and DOCX, ATS-readable
German and English
Marko Weber
Senior Backend Engineer
Musterstraße 12, 10115 Berlin +49 151 2345 6789 marko.weber@mail.de
Berufserfahrung
seit 03/2022
Senior Backend EngineerOstwerk Payments GmbH, Berlin
–Bereitschaftsdienst für 6 Teams eingeführt; Störungen in zwei Quartalen um 40 % gesenkt.
–Zahlungsabwicklung vom Monolithen auf Go-Services mit Kafka umgestellt.
01/2019 – 02/2022
Backend EngineerElbtakt Software GmbH, Hamburg
–Buchungs-API für 30 Partner entwickelt und betrieben (Kotlin, PostgreSQL).
–Deployments von wöchentlich auf täglich umgestellt.
Ausbildung
10/2011 – 09/2017
M.Sc. InformatikTechnische Universität Dresden · Note 1,7
Kenntnisse
Sprachen
Go, Kotlin, SQL
Plattform
Kafka, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, AWS
Sprachen
Deutsch
Muttersprache
Englisch
verhandlungssicher (C1)
Spanisch
gute Kenntnisse (B1)
Berlin, 15. Oktober 2026
Seite 1 von 2
Page 1 of 2
Show photo
Common in DACH, legally optional.
DACH standards
Six German CV conventions international candidates need to know
Standards and expectations across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland—and how to adapt your international resume to meet them.
1
Photo: voluntary, but common in DACH
Unlike the US and UK where photos are discouraged, DACH recruiters are accustomed to professional headshots. Legally under the AGG, you can omit it without penalty.
2
Contact details & work status
Name, location, email, and phone at the top. International applicants should include work authorization or relocation timeline. Date of birth and marital status are optional.
3
Tabular layout (Lebenslauf)
Strict two-column tabular layout: dates on the left (MM/YYYY), roles and achievements on the right. Clear, structured, and easy for recruiters to scan.
Marko Weber
Senior Backend Engineer
2Musterstraße 12, 10115 Berlin +49 151 2345 6789 marko.weber@mail.de
1
Berufserfahrung
4
seit 03/2022
Senior Backend EngineerOstwerk Payments GmbH, Berlin
–Bereitschaftsdienst für 6 Teams eingeführt; Störungen in zwei Quartalen um 40 % gesenkt.
–Zahlungsabwicklung vom Monolithen auf Go-Services mit Kafka umgestellt.
01/2019 – 02/2022
Backend EngineerElbtakt Software GmbH, Hamburg
–Buchungs-API für 30 Partner entwickelt und betrieben (Kotlin, PostgreSQL).
–Deployments von wöchentlich auf täglich umgestellt.
Ausbildung
3
10/2011 – 09/2017
M.Sc. InformatikTechnische Universität Dresden · Note 1,7
Kenntnisse
Sprachen
Go, Kotlin, SQL
Plattform
Kafka, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, AWS
Sprachen
Deutsch
Muttersprache
Englisch
verhandlungssicher (C1)
Spanisch
gute Kenntnisse (B1)
5
Berlin, 15. Oktober 2026
6Seite 1 von 2
4
Reverse-chronological order
Current or most recent role first, going backwards. Highlight quantifiable results and impact alongside technical responsibilities.
5
Date & signature tradition
Traditional German applications often conclude with location, date, and signature. Optional for digital portals, but respected by established employers.
6
One to two pages maximum
Keep your Lebenslauf tightly edited to 1–2 pages. Attachments (Arbeitszeugnisse, degree certificates) are bundled separately in the application dossier.
The German application dossier (Bewerbungsmappe)
What makes up a complete German application
In DACH, a comprehensive application often bundles three key documents into a single clean PDF.
Bewerbung
als Senior Backend Engineer
bei der Kranich Mobility GmbH
Marko WeberMusterstraße 12 · 10115 Berlin +49 151 2345 6789 marko.weber@mail.de
Anlagen Anschreiben Lebenslauf Zeugnisse
1. Deckblatt (cover sheet)
Optional front page summarizing your application: position title, contact info, photo, and key qualifications. Common for traditional and executive roles.
Marko Weber Musterstraße 12 · 10115 Berlin +49 151 2345 6789 · marko.weber@mail.de
Marko Weber · Musterstraße 12 · 10115 Berlin
Kranich Mobility GmbH Frau Lena Hoffmann Torstraße 140 10119 Berlin
Berlin, 15. Oktober 2026
Bewerbung als Senior Backend Engineer, Kennziffer BE-2026-14
Sehr geehrte Frau Hoffmann,
Ihre Plattform plant täglich Tausende Fahrten in Echtzeit. Genau an solchen Systemen arbeite ich seit sieben Jahren: zuletzt als Senior Backend Engineer bei Ostwerk Payments, wo ich die Zahlungsabwicklung auf Go-Services mit Kafka umgestellt habe.
Besonders reizt mich an der Stelle die Verantwortung für den Betrieb. Bei Ostwerk habe ich den Bereitschaftsdienst für sechs Teams eingeführt und die Zahl der Störungen in zwei Quartalen um 40 % gesenkt.
Ich freue mich auf ein Gespräch, in dem ich Ihnen zeigen kann, wie ich Ihr Plattform-Team unterstützen würde. Meine Kündigungsfrist beträgt drei Monate.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Marko Weber
Anlagen: Lebenslauf, Zeugnisse
2. Anschreiben (cover letter)
A one-page business letter formatted to DIN 5008 standards connecting your qualifications directly to the German job specification.
Translate your English resume into a German Lebenslauf
Already have a strong resume in English? One click turns it into a German Lebenslauf. Layout, fonts, and page breaks stay intact, and the translation lands as a copy next to the original.
It works the other way too: for roles in international teams, turn your German Lebenslauf into an English CV.
If you do not like the result, you reject it and the 11 credits come back.
Original · English
Marko Weber
Senior Backend Engineer
Musterstraße 12, 10115 Berlin +49 151 2345 6789 marko.weber@mail.de
Work experience
03/2022 – now
Senior Backend EngineerOstwerk Payments GmbH, Berlin
–Introduced on-call for 6 teams; incidents −40% in two quarters.
–Moved payment processing from the monolith to Go services on Kafka.
01/2019 – 02/2022
Backend EngineerElbtakt Software GmbH, Hamburg
–Built and ran the booking API for 30 partners (Kotlin, PostgreSQL).
–Moved deployments from weekly to daily.
Education
10/2011 – 09/2017
M.Sc. Computer ScienceTU Dresden · grade 1.7
Skills
Languages
Go, Kotlin, SQL
Platform
Kafka, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, AWS
Languages
German
native
English
fluent (C1)
Spanish
good (B1)
Berlin, 15 October 2026
Page 1 of 2
Copy · German
Marko Weber
Senior Backend Engineer
Musterstraße 12, 10115 Berlin +49 151 2345 6789 marko.weber@mail.de
Berufserfahrung
seit 03/2022
Senior Backend EngineerOstwerk Payments GmbH, Berlin
–Bereitschaftsdienst für 6 Teams eingeführt; Störungen in zwei Quartalen um 40 % gesenkt.
–Zahlungsabwicklung vom Monolithen auf Go-Services mit Kafka umgestellt.
01/2019 – 02/2022
Backend EngineerElbtakt Software GmbH, Hamburg
–Buchungs-API für 30 Partner entwickelt und betrieben (Kotlin, PostgreSQL).
–Deployments von wöchentlich auf täglich umgestellt.
Ausbildung
10/2011 – 09/2017
M.Sc. InformatikTechnische Universität Dresden · Note 1,7
Kenntnisse
Sprachen
Go, Kotlin, SQL
Plattform
Kafka, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, AWS
Sprachen
Deutsch
Muttersprache
Englisch
verhandlungssicher (C1)
Spanisch
gute Kenntnisse (B1)
Berlin, 15. Oktober 2026
Seite 1 von 2
Country guide
The German job market guide in seven chapters
Everything an international candidate needs to prepare a complete, professional application in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
1Tabular and reverse-chronological
The German Lebenslauf is structured like a table: the period on the left, the role on the right with title, company, and two to four impact bullets. Your current role sits at the top, moving backwards in time. Month and year format (e.g. 03/2022 – 02/2024) is standard.
Organize into work experience, education, skills, and languages. If you are starting out or relocating, highlight international projects, internships, and key achievements. Use active verbs and measurable outcomes.
At the top: full name, location/city, phone number with country code, and professional email. Links to LinkedIn or GitHub are welcomed. You do not need to state date of birth, nationality, marital status, or religion.
For international candidates applying from outside DACH, include a concise note regarding your work authorization or relocation timeline, such as "Eligible for EU Blue Card" or "Available to relocate to Berlin from 1 January".
3The application photo
Professional headshots remain customary in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, though they are legally voluntary under the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG). International teams often omit them, while traditional employers still expect them.
If you include a photo, choose a recent, professional portrait with neutral lighting, friendly expression, and business attire. In FlowResume templates, you can toggle the photo on or off with a single click.
The Deckblatt is an optional cover page placed at the very front of the application dossier. It provides an executive summary: target position, your photo, contact info, and an overview of your key strengths and attached documents.
A Deckblatt is popular for senior roles and traditional employers. For online portal applications, recruiters often prefer reviewing the CV directly. FlowResume generates an optional matching Deckblatt whenever you need one.
5The cover letter to DIN 5008
German cover letters follow a formal business letter layout governed by DIN 5008: sender address at top, formal recipient block, right-aligned date, bold subject line, formal salutation, concise body paragraphs, sign-off, and enclosures list.
Keep the letter to one page with three or four clear paragraphs: why this specific company, what unique expertise you bring, and your earliest start date. In Switzerland, this document is known as a Motivationsschreiben.
In addition to the cover letter and CV, German applications value supporting documents: employment reference letters (Arbeitszeugnisse), university degrees, and relevant professional certifications. Order them in reverse chronological order.
When applying by email or portal, bundle everything into one optimized PDF under 5 MB in this order: Deckblatt (if used), cover letter, CV, and certificates. Use a clear file name like first-name-last-name-application.pdf.
Many German employers and multinational corporations use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to parse candidate profiles. Systems extract text into standardized fields, which requires clean single-column layouts and standard section headings.
Mirror key requirements from the job posting in your descriptions when accurate. Avoid nested tables, graphics, and critical contact details placed in headers or footers. The FlowResume ATS check audits your document for free.
Frequently asked questions for international applicants
Answers to common questions about relocating, working in DACH, and German resume standards.
Should international applicants include a photo?
It is optional. Under the German General Equal Treatment Act (AGG), employers cannot require a photo or discriminate if you omit one. However, headshots remain widely customary in DACH. If you include one, use a professional 4:5 portrait.
How long should a German CV be?
One to two pages. For entry-level or career changers, one page is ideal. For experienced professionals, two pages is standard. References and diplomas belong in the attachments, not inside the CV.
Do I need to sign the CV?
A signature is traditional in Germany (location, date, and signature at the end of the CV). While increasingly skipped in online forms, adding a digital signature looks polished and conscientious.
How do I explain employment gaps to German recruiters?
German recruiters value chronological transparency. Account for any gap longer than three months with a concise, factual line (e.g., "Further training in cloud architecture", "Parental leave", or "Career transition").
Do the same conventions apply in Austria and Switzerland?
Largely yes: reverse-chronological tabular format, 1–2 pages, and professional presentation. Switzerland frequently requests reference contacts and work certificates, and calls the cover letter a Motivationsschreiben.
Do international candidates need a Deckblatt?
No, it is optional. A Deckblatt provides an elegant executive overview for traditional German companies, but can be omitted when submitting through standard corporate ATS portals.
Which file format should I submit?
Always export as a clean, text-searchable PDF unless the job portal specifically requests a DOCX file. FlowResume exports both formats optimized for ATS readability.
Create your German CV today.
Import your existing LinkedIn profile or English resume for free. FlowResume formats it into a recruiter-ready German Lebenslauf.