German CV format: a complete example, translated and explained
See a complete German CV (Lebenslauf) with an English translation of each section, the format rules for length, order, photo and signature, and when to use English.
By DraftApply · · 7 min read
Short answer
A German CV is usually a tabular Lebenslauf of at most two A4 pages, with the most recent role first. The Federal Employment Agency describes personal details with a professional photo and a scanned signature for online applications; some employers ask for an anonymised CV instead. Write it in the language of the vacancy and follow the employer’s instructions.
German CV format at a glance
Tabular
Layout
A tabellarischer Lebenslauf: sections, with dates on every entry.
Max. 2 pages
Length
A4. Aisha’s example fits on one.
Newest first
Order
Current role at the top, then back in time.
Usually included
Photo
A professional photo with your personal details. Leave it out if the ad asks for an anonymised CV.
Scanned online
Signature
Scanned into the document for email and online applications; handwritten on paper.
Match the ad
Language
German for a German ad. More below.
Layout, length, order, photo and signature follow the Federal Employment Agency’s application guidance. A specific employer’s instructions take precedence over any template, including this one.
The complete German CV, annotated
Aisha is a fictional senior product manager in London applying for a role in Berlin. Her German is B2. The candidate, employers and universities are fictional; her matching cover letter is in the translated letter guide.
Germany · Fictional senior candidate · German
Photo
Common in Germany, not universal. This portrait is clearly fictional.
Real address, relocation stated
London stays; “Umzug: nach Berlin möglich” says she can move.
Three-sentence profile
Experience the vacancy asks for, without “I”.
Month/year, newest first
“heute” marks the current role.
A result shared with the team
A real number, credited “mit dem Team”.
Languages with CEFR levels
Native, B2, B1: the same levels as in her letter.
Original degree names
MSc and BSc, not translated into German titles.
Read the complete text
Aisha Patel Senior Product Manager | B2B SaaS aisha.patel@example.com 7 Example Road, London E1 6AN, Vereinigtes Königreich Umzug: nach Berlin möglich
PROFIL Product Managerin mit mehr als zwölf Jahren internationaler Erfahrung in B2B-Software. Verbindet Kundeninterviews, Produktanalysen und die Zusammenarbeit mit Engineering und Vertrieb. Verantwortet seit 2021 die Roadmap einer SaaS-Plattform für Logistikteams in zwölf europäischen Märkten.
BERUFSERFAHRUNG 04/2021 - heute | Senior Product Manager Cedarworks Software (fiktiv) | London, Vereinigtes Königreich • Verantwortet Roadmap und Priorisierung für eine B2B-SaaS-Plattform in zwölf europäischen Märkten. • Leitete mit acht Mitarbeitenden aus Engineering und Design die Einführung eines neuen Onboarding-Prozesses. • Reduzierte mit dem Team die durchschnittliche Einrichtung neuer Kundenkonten von zehn auf sechs Tage. • Führte 35 Kundeninterviews durch und überführte die Erkenntnisse in gemeinsam überprüfbare Produktentscheidungen.
09/2017 - 03/2021 | Product Manager Maplebridge Digital (fiktiv) | London, Vereinigtes Königreich • Entwickelte mit zwei Produktteams ein Self-Service-Portal für Geschäftskunden. • Koordinierte drei Produkteinführungen mit Vertrieb, Support und Engineering. • Etablierte monatliche Reviews zu Nutzung, Supportanfragen und offenen Kundenproblemen.
07/2013 - 08/2017 | Business Analyst Amberpath Services (fiktiv) | Manchester, Vereinigtes Königreich • Erfasste Anforderungen von fünf Fachabteilungen und übersetzte sie in überprüfbare Akzeptanzkriterien. • Begleitete die Einführung eines internen Serviceportals und dokumentierte Rückmeldungen aus dem Pilotbetrieb.
AUSBILDUNG 2012 - 2013 | MSc, Management & Information Systems Beispieluniversität London (fiktiv), Vereinigtes Königreich
2009 - 2012 | BSc, Business Information Systems Beispieluniversität Manchester (fiktiv), Vereinigtes Königreich
KENNTNISSE & SPRACHEN Produktarbeit: Roadmap & Priorisierung, Customer Discovery, B2B SaaS, Stakeholder-Abstimmung Methoden & Werkzeuge: SQL, Produktanalysen, Jira, Figma, Agile Produktentwicklung Sprachen: Englisch: Muttersprache, Deutsch: B2, Spanisch: B1
Download the PDF to see the layout, or copy the full text to adapt it. Replace every personal detail and achievement with your own.
Key lines translated and explained
Six lines from the CV, each with its English meaning and what to copy for your own. The full German text is under the example above.
Header: name, contact and relocation
German original
Umzug: nach Berlin möglichEnglish translation
Relocation: possible to Berlin
For your own CV: Aisha keeps her real London address and says she can move. Do not give a German address before you live there. Willingness to move does not establish work authorisation; state that separately if the application asks.
Profil: a three-sentence summary
German original
Product Managerin mit mehr als zwölf Jahren internationaler Erfahrung in B2B-Software. Verbindet Kundeninterviews, Produktanalysen und die Zusammenarbeit mit Engineering und Vertrieb. Verantwortet seit 2021 die Roadmap einer SaaS-Plattform für Logistikteams in zwölf europäischen Märkten.English translation
Product manager with more than twelve years of international experience in B2B software. Combines customer interviews, product analytics and collaboration with engineering and sales. Since 2021, responsible for the roadmap of a SaaS platform for logistics teams in twelve European markets.
For your own CV: German CV lines often drop the “I”: the sentence starts with the verb or the role. “Product Managerin” is the feminine form of the job title. Keep the summary to experience the vacancy asks for.
Berufserfahrung: the current role
German original
Reduzierte mit dem Team die durchschnittliche Einrichtung neuer Kundenkonten von zehn auf sechs Tage.English translation
Together with the team, reduced the average setup time for new customer accounts from ten days to six.
For your own CV: “Mit dem Team” keeps the shared result honest. The current role uses present tense for ongoing duties (“Verantwortet”) and past tense for finished projects (“Reduzierte”). Use a number only when you can back it up.
Dates and the word “heute”
German original
04/2021 - heute | Senior Product ManagerEnglish translation
April 2021 – today | Senior Product Manager
For your own CV: Month and year for every role, newest first. “Heute” means “present”. Keep the same date format through the whole CV so gaps and overlaps are easy to read.
Ausbildung: keep the original degree name
German original
2012 - 2013 | MSc, Management & Information SystemsEnglish translation
2012 – 2013 | MSc, Management & Information Systems
For your own CV: Do not translate a degree into a German title it is not. Give the original name, institution and country. Some regulated jobs and visas need formal recognition; check the employer’s or office’s instructions.
Kenntnisse & Sprachen: levels you can support
German original
Sprachen: Englisch: Muttersprache, Deutsch: B2, Spanisch: B1English translation
Languages: English: native, German: B2, Spanish: B1
For your own CV: Use CEFR levels (A1–C2) and keep them identical in your CV and letter. An interviewer may switch to German to check. A clear B2 is better than a vague “fluent”.
Should your CV be in German or English?
| Situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| SituationThe vacancy is written in German | UseA German CV | WhyThe ad’s language is the clearest signal of what the reader expects. |
| SituationThe vacancy is written in English | UseAn English CV is usually fine | WhyKeep the German structure (tabular, newest first) unless the employer asks otherwise. |
| SituationThe ad names a language for documents | UseThat language | WhyExplicit instructions beat any general rule. |
| SituationA visa or recognition office asks for a CV | UseWhat its checklist names | WhyFor example, the German Embassy San José asks for a CV “verfasst auf Deutsch oder Englisch” for the EU Blue Card. |
Only write a German CV in German you can stand behind in an interview. A translation tool can help with wording; the claims, levels and dates must stay accurate. Make it in Germany recommends translations of relevant certificates into German or English.
German CV words you will meet
- LebenslaufCV / résumé
- A “tabellarischer Lebenslauf” is the tabular format above.
- BerufserfahrungWork experience
- Newest role first.
- AusbildungEducation / training
- Also vocational training; context decides.
- KenntnisseSkills
- Often split into areas, as in Aisha’s example.
- MutterspracheNative language
- Other languages take a CEFR level such as B2.
- heutePresent
- The end date of a current role.
- AnlagenAttachments
- Certificates and references sent with the application.
- ZeugnisseCertificates / references
- Includes employer references (Arbeitszeugnisse). Send the relevant ones you have.
Before you send it
- The CV language matches the vacancy or the instructions.
- Every role has month/year dates, newest first.
- Achievements describe my contribution without invented numbers.
- Degree names are original, not translated into a German title.
- Language levels match my letter and what I can show in an interview.
- Photo, personal details and signature are deliberate and follow the employer’s instructions.
- I replaced every fictional detail with my own.
Applying in Austria instead? See the Austrian CV explained in English. Need a CV for a visa or recognition rather than a job? Read when offices ask for a CV.
Build your own German CV
The CV Builder opens with Germany as the application country. Upload your CV or start from an example, then review every detail before exporting.
Create my CVSources and example context
Sources checked . The official guidance supports the format advice; our translations and the fictional example show how to apply it. They do not establish hiring outcomes.