German CV (Lebenslauf): The Complete Guide
The German CV is structured, dated and signed. Learn the tabular layout, the photo rules and the details German recruiters look for.
What is a Lebenslauf?
The Lebenslauf is the German CV. Where the American resume is a marketing pitch, the German CV is a complete, chronological account of your education and career — precise, factual and formal. German recruiters expect structure, completeness and no unexplained gaps.
Most German applications use the tabellarischer Lebenslauf: a tabular format with dates on the left and content on the right.
The tabular structure
| Left column | Right column |
|---|---|
| 03/2021 – heute | Senior Software Engineer, Acme GmbH, Berlin |
| 2018 – 2021 | Software Engineer, Beta AG, Munich |
| 2015 – 2018 | B.Sc. Informatik, Technische Universität München |
Reverse chronological order, most recent first. Use the MM/YYYY date format — it is the German standard.
Personal details German employers expect
Unlike the US, a German CV traditionally includes personal information:
- Full name, address, phone, email
- Date and place of birth
- Nationality (and work permit status if relevant)
- A professional photo (Bewerbungsfoto) — still common and often expected
- Marital status (increasingly optional, but still seen)
Under the AGG (anti-discrimination law) all of these are optional, but omitting the photo and birth date can still cost you with traditional employers. Our German CV builder applies the German conventions for you.
A complete Lebenslauf, section by section
- Persönliche Daten — personal details.
- Berufserfahrung — professional experience with role, company, location and key tasks.
- Ausbildung — education, degrees and institutions.
- Kenntnisse — skills: languages (with CEFR levels), software, technical skills.
- Weiterbildung / Zertifikate — training and certifications.
- Ehrenamt / Engagement — volunteering (optional).
- Ort, Datum, Unterschrift — place, date and signature.
Photo, gaps and formalities
- Photo: a professional headshot, roughly 35×45 mm, neutral background. Avoid selfies and holiday photos.
- Gaps: explain any gap longer than a few months (parental leave, sabbatical, job search, further study). Unexplained gaps raise questions.
- Signature: sign and date at the bottom for written applications.
- Language: write in German for German companies. For international or English-speaking roles, a German company may accept an English CV — offer the appropriate language.
ATS in Germany
German employers increasingly use applicant tracking systems too. Keep headings standard, avoid complex tables that a parser cannot read, and use German job titles from the posting where possible.
Build your Lebenslauf free
Choose the German CV format, fill in your profile once and download a clean PDF with the tabular layout and German headings applied automatically.