Dispelling Popular Myths About German CVs

Guten tag Reader -

As a person who creates content and coaches people about finding work in Germany, I spend a lot of time researching what others say to remain updated on current trends and more importantly, sort out the good information from the bad. And sadly, as I touched upon in a recent newsletter blast there's shockingly a lot of terrible advice out there.

So I'm here today to dispel popular myths about German CVs to help you sort out what's true vs what's false:

1) Everyone talks about how companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to scan CVs for keywords and present them with the top candidates. This is probably the biggest myth of them all and after personally talking with multiple recruiters in Berlin, all of them confirm that humans read and make decisions on all job applications. So write your CV for human consumption and don't rig it full of keywords that make you sound like a robot. The only place your profile needs to be optimized for keywords is on job search platforms like LinkedIn or Xing.

Recommended reading: What Are The Best Berlin Job Search Websites? ​

2) Others go on about how Germans are this way or that way, reinforcing outdated and offensive stereotypes. Examples include people saying things like "Germans are direct, straightforward, and efficient" to explain why CVs should only be 1 - 2 pages maximum. They also claim that Germans don't like CV's with different colors, fonts, and font sizes. Having a CV that doesn't span multiple pages or creating one that's easy to read has nothing to do with German culture or preferences but are simply basic principles for putting a CV together.

3) They also tell you to share all sorts of personal information such as your date of birth, marital status, and the number of children you have. Sharing these details introduces unnecessary bias into the recruiting process and could cause employers to make snap decisions about you, such as rejecting you for not living close enough to the office or assuming that your having kids will see you taking numerous sick days. None of this information is relevant during the recruiting process and even beyond. Date of birth, marital status, and the number of children should never, ever be included on a CV. Such information will be needed for payroll purposes, but only after you've been hired for the job.

4) People will also instruct you to include a photo on your CV and that adding one is a must. They say that an employer can tell a lot about your level of "professionalism" based on how you look in a photo instead of actually just reading about your education, experience, and skills. While adding a photo is widely practiced, you don't need to include one unless you want to and these days, more and more employers ask applicants not to include their photo on their CV.

Recommended reading: German CV Photos – Are They Even Necessary?​

5) It's also advised by some that you need to explain employment gaps on your CV and that failing to do so creates a bad impression. The fact that you took time off at any point in your life is no business of your potential employer and shouldn't influence their decision to invite you to a first interview. You can explain gaps if you like, but don't feel compelled to do so. Indeed has some great tips about how to approach employment gaps.

6) Another weird myth is that you should include your signature on your CV because "Germans love signing things". Aside from this being another horrible stereotype, this adds zero value to your CV and should never be included, period.

To find out more about how to write a German CV, read our detailed guide. I also offer coaching services to help you develop a CV that's not only fit for the German market but get you that first interview. Read more about my coaching services to see if I can be of help.

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Until next time,

Founder - The Berlin Life