The Perfect CV in Germany

By now, I can see this question lurking in the corner of the conversation. It’s hiding behind the friendly
smile of the expat when I have a glass of wine at InterNations. It’s sneaking up to me behind the hopeful
eyes of a young graduate when I speak at a university: “Can you have a look at my CV?”

The pure form of a correct curriculum vitae scares the hell out of a lot of international professionals. I
get it; after all, we Germans are sticklers for perfection, right? It might surprise you, but I don’t worry
about the form of your CV. It is not what keeps you from getting job interviews. (More on this later.) But
since you insist, here are five things that you should pay attention to in your curriculum vitae.

1. Make sure there are no gaps in your description. If one job ended in May and the next one
started in September, recruiters will want to know what you did in June, July, and August. Help
them out by providing an explanation. “Re-evaluation of career options” (read: unemployed) or
“Taking a gap year after university.” That’s not a big issue, just don’t make us guess. Uncertainty is
something most human-resources specialists can’t handle very well—especially if they are
German!

2. Don’t write just job titles. Give us a short description of your most important tasks and
achievements in that position. The goal of an employer is to understand if you can help him
solve his problems. For this, we need to know what you are actually able to do.

3. Use a standard CV for all your applications. Edit it only if you can add an experience that is
relevant to the concrete goals that this employer wants to achieve. But if you have an experience
that is relevant, you must add it. This is where you separate yourself from the crowd. (I will show
you how to do this in the following chapters.)

4. Don’t lie. Employers will find out. A lie in your CV will harm your reputation and can also
have legal consequences in Germany.

5. Prepare your CV in the EU standard form. Here you will find a template that you can use and
more additional information about the formal aspects of your résumé than you could ever dream
of. You will wish you’d never asked.

A personal message from Chris Pyak

I hope these five tips have calmed your fears. Believe

me: Your CV is the least important part in your job
hunt. Successful jobseekers talk to HR after securing
a job interview. As a pure formality.

The tips above are an excerpt from my book “How

To Win Jobs & Influence Germans”. I suggest you get
a copy at Amazon. I want you to change the things
that really affect your career. I wish you success.