German CV Format: 5 Lebenslauf Samples and the Rules

By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published 2026-10-08 · Updated 2026-10-08

10 min read

The German CV format is the Lebenslauf: a tabular, reverse chronological CV of one to two A4 pages, dates on the left, personal details at the top, and traditionally a place, date and signature at the bottom. The one constraint: it is never sent alone, because German employers expect a cover letter (Anschreiben) and your certificates with it. The Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Germany's Federal Employment Agency, sets out the rules quoted below. On this page: the layout, the attachments, recognition of foreign degrees, and 5 complete samples. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.

A German CV still traditionally ends with your signature, as if your work history were a rental agreement. The idea behind it is simple: the recruiter checks every month since school against a document that proves it.

Example 1: a graduate CV for an English-language job in Berlin

Lena Brandt is applying for a junior data analyst job at a Berlin startup that advertises in English. Her CV is in English, in German layout:

What the sifter is scoring

• Month and year on every line, so no gap is left unexplained.
• Place, date and name at the bottom: the classic German close.

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The German CV layout: tabular, dated, two pages at most

The Bundesagentur für Arbeit's guide to the Lebenslauf puts the format in one line: "Format: Schreibe den Lebenslauf in tabellarischer Form auf einer bis maximal zwei A4-Seiten." In English: tabular form, one to two A4 pages at most. Three rules follow:

• Dates on the left. Every entry gets a start and end date, and the agency adds: "Monat und Jahr sind dabei ausreichend." Month and year are enough, written as 02/2025.
• Newest first. "Beginne mit dem Abschnitt, der am kürzesten zurückliegt." Start with the most recent period.
• Plain design. "Vermeide verspielte Designs oder Farbwechsel." Avoid playful designs and color changes.

On gaps the agency writes: "Unterbrechungen von mehr als zwei Monaten solltest du im Lebenslauf angeben." Any break over two months goes in, as its own dated line saying what you did. A dated line reads as planned; a missing month reads as a question.

What goes in a German Lebenslauf

The sections, in the usual order:

• Persönliche Daten (personal details). Name, address, phone, email, and traditionally date and place of birth. The agency adds: "Die Angaben zur Familie und Staatsangehörigkeit sind freiwillig." Family details and nationality are voluntary. If you need a work permit, add your residence status in one line; the employer will ask anyway.
• Berufserfahrung (work experience). Employer, city, job title, and the agency's suggestion of 3 to 5 short bullet points per job.
• Ausbildung (education and training). Degrees, vocational training and school, each with dates and the qualification earned.
• Kenntnisse (skills). Languages with a level, software, and a driving license if the job needs one.
• Interessen (interests), volunteering and memberships, if they fit the job.

The photo. The agency says: "Dies ist kein Muss mehr." It is no longer a must. If you include one, use a professional application photo at the top of the CV. For a traditional German employer a good photo still looks normal; for an English-language tech job, leave it out.

Date and signature. The agency says: "Es ist nicht unbedingt notwendig, den Lebenslauf zu unterschreiben." Signing is optional but shows the CV is current: city, date and your name at the bottom of the last page.

Example 2: a skilled worker CV in German

Mehmet Aydın trained as an electrician in Turkey and applies to an electrical contractor in Stuttgart. The advert is in German, so the CV is too:

What the sifter is scoring

• The move gets its own line, so no gap is left to guess at.
• The recognition result sits under the training, where the recruiter checks it.

The Anschreiben and the rest of the application

A German application is a set, not a CV. The traditional Bewerbungsmappe (application folder) is now usually one PDF, in this order:

• Anschreiben (cover letter). One page, to a named person if possible: why this job, why you, your earliest start date and, if asked, your salary expectation.
• Lebenslauf (CV). The one or two pages above.
• Zeugnisse (certificates). Your degree or training certificate and any Arbeitszeugnisse (employer references), translated if asked.

Name the file plainly: Bewerbung_Lena_Brandt.pdf. Moving country for the job? Our relocation cover letter guide covers that paragraph.

Recognition of foreign qualifications: anabin and Anerkennung

The government portal Anerkennung in Deutschland says: "Recognition of your foreign professional or vocational qualification is necessary in order to work in certain occupations." Its page on higher education qualifications gives examples: "Regulated professions include medical practitioners, engineers and teachers." Nursing is in the same group, which is why the nurse in Example 3 names her recognition status.

For other jobs the portal says that if you already hold a German residence permit or come from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, "you can work in your profession without recognition." It adds that an assessment of your degree "may be helpful, for example, when applying for a job."

The first check is anabin. The portal says: "In the anabin database, you can check how your university and higher education qualification are evaluated in Germany." The anabin portal offers "umfangreiche Informationen zur Bewertung ausländischer Bildungsnachweise", information on evaluating foreign qualifications. If your degree is not listed, you can apply to the ZAB (Central Office for Foreign Education) for a Statement of Comparability, which the portal calls "an official document which records the quality of your higher education qualification."

On the CV, recognition is one line under the qualification: the German equivalent, or the month you applied. For the application itself, the portal's page on documents warns: "Publicly appointed and authorized translators must prepare these translations." If your CV needs to change language as well as country, read our resume translation guide.

Example 3: a nurse CV in German with recognition status

Grace Mensah is a registered nurse from Ghana who is applying to a hospital in Cologne while her recognition is in progress:

What the sifter is scoring

• The recognition line and the language course fill the time since her last job and show where she stands.

Example 4: an IT professional CV for an English-speaking team

Arjun Mehta, a backend engineer in Bangalore, applies to a Munich software company that works in English. His CV keeps the German table:

The ZAB line answers the visa question before the recruiter asks it.

Example 5: a career changer CV in German

Sofia Romano worked as a hotel receptionist in Italy and Munich and now applies for an office assistant job (Büroassistenz) in Munich:

The course comes first because it is the newest entry and the reason for the change.

For a guide written entirely in German, see our tabellarischer Lebenslauf page. For how this differs from a US resume, read European CV vs American resume; for more formats, see our CV examples.

In CVBooster you can fill in a CV by hand for free in one of the free templates; AI tailoring and PDF download are part of Pro.

Frequently asked questions

Should a German CV be in German or English?

Use the language of the job advert. A German advert gets a German CV and cover letter. An English advert, common in tech and research, gets an English CV, ideally still in the tabular layout with month and year dates. State your German level honestly, such as A2 or B1.

Do I need a photo on my CV for Germany?

No. The Bundesagentur für Arbeit says a photo is no longer a must, though some online forms ask for one separately. If you add one, use a professional application photo at the top of the CV. For English-language jobs at international companies, a CV without a photo is normal.

How long should a German CV be?

One to two A4 pages, in tabular form, as the Federal Employment Agency recommends. A graduate fits on one page; ten or more years of experience can use two. Certificates and references do not count toward that length, because they follow the CV as attachments in the same PDF.

Do I have to sign my German CV?

It is not strictly necessary, according to the Bundesagentur für Arbeit, but it is still common. Add the city and date at the bottom of the last page, then your name or a scanned signature, which shows the CV is current. In online forms you can skip it.

Do I need my foreign degree recognized to apply for jobs in Germany?

For regulated professions such as doctors, nurses, engineers and teachers, yes, before you can work in that role. For other jobs, EU citizens and people with a German residence permit can work without recognition. Check your degree in anabin and add the result, or the date you applied, to your CV.

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