A German Resume in English: The Lebenslauf Structure for Working in Germany

A German resume, or Lebenslauf, can be written in English if the job opening, team, or the company’s working language allows it. The key is to maintain the German structure of the document: concise, factual, in reverse chronological order, and without a promotional tone.

The purpose of this type of resume is simple: the recruiter should quickly understand who you are, what experience is relevant to the job opening, and whether you should be invited to a job interview in Germany.

What a German-Style Resume Should Look Like

For the German market, a Lebenslauf typically takes the form of a structured, factual document. It’s important to include clear dates, employer names, job titles, education, skills, and to avoid any unexplained gaps.

The ideal length is one page for an entry-level professional and up to two pages for a candidate with extensive experience. The design can be neat, but it shouldn’t interfere with readability: German recruiters tend to value a clear structure over complex graphics.

Page 1 of the German resume template in English

Page 2 of the German resume template in English

Basic Structure of a Lebenslauf in English

A convenient structure for a German CV looks like this:

Personal details
Professional profile or summary, if it’s really necessary
Work experience
Education
Skills
Languages
Certificates, projects, or volunteer work
Interests, if applicable
Date and signature, if you wish to follow the traditional German format

You can rearrange the sections to suit your situation. For example, it makes sense for a student or recent graduate to place “Education” above “Work Experience,” while a developer might want to add a separate section for “Projects” or “GitHub.”

1. Personal details

At a minimum, include your name, city or address, phone number, email, and links to your professional profiles. For international candidates, it’s also helpful to clearly indicate your country of residence and your phone number in the format with the country code.

What to include:

Full name - your first and last name as you would like them to appear in professional correspondence.
Location - city and country; a full address isn’t always necessary.
Phone - number with the international dialing code.
Email - a professional email address, preferably based on your first and last name.
LinkedIn or Xing—if your profile is complete and matches your resume.
GitHub, portfolio, or personal website—especially for IT, design, data, and product roles.
Nationality or work authorization—this is appropriate if it’s important for the employer to know whether you need a visa or a work permit.

Photos, date of birth, marital status, and citizenship are included more frequently in German CVs than in Anglo-Saxon resumes, but this does not mean that all of this information is required. The General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) protects candidates from discrimination during the application process, so it’s best to include sensitive personal information only after careful consideration and with a clear understanding of the job’s context.

Photos in a German Resume

In Germany, a photo is still often considered a standard part of a Bewerbung, although it is not mandatory. If you include a photo, it should look professional: a neutral background, good lighting, a clear facial expression, and attire appropriate for your industry.

If a photo might increase the risk of biased evaluation, or if you’re applying to an international company with stricter anti-bias practices, you can submit your resume without a photo.

2. Professional Profile

A brief profile isn’t required, but it’s helpful if you’re changing countries or industries, or if you want to quickly explain your area of expertise. Two or three sentences are sufficient.

A poor profile sounds generic: “motivated team player with excellent communication skills.” A good profile provides specifics: role, experience, tech stack, industry, languages, and the purpose of your application.

Example:

Product analyst with 4 years of experience in subscription products, SQL, Python, and dashboard automation. Based in Berlin, fluent in English, currently learning German at the B1 level.

3. Work Experience

List your work experience in reverse chronological order: start with your current or most recent position. For each role, include:

company name;
job title;
employment type, if relevant: full-time, part-time, internship, freelance, working student;
dates: month and year;
city and country or remote;
3–6 bullet points listing responsibilities and achievements.

Context is important to German employers: what exactly you did, who you worked with, what tools you used, and what the results were. Whenever possible, translate your responsibilities into measurable achievements, but don’t make up percentages just to impress.

Instead of:

Responsible for marketing campaigns.

Better:

Planned and launched email campaigns for B2B leads; increased the monthly volume of qualified leads by 18% over two quarters.

If exact metrics aren’t available, use verifiable facts: team size, client type, tools, process frequency, and whether the context is budget- or product-oriented.

Gaps in Your Resume

In Germany, a clear chronological structure is valued. It’s better not to hide gaps in your work history but to briefly explain them: relocation, parental leave, language course, caregiving, study break, travel, job search, or volunteering. This is especially important if the gap lasted several months and is visible in the dates.

4. Education

The “Education” section is also typically listed in reverse chronological order. For each program, include:

university, school, or training provider;
degree or qualification;
field of study;
dates: month and year;
city and country;
thesis topic, GPA, or relevant coursework, if it strengthens your application.

It’s best to describe foreign degrees in a way that makes their equivalence clear to a German employer. If a degree is difficult to compare, you can add an English explanation in parentheses.

5. Skills

Your “Skills” section should help with the selection process, not turn into a long list of everything you’ve ever used. It’s helpful to divide this section into groups:

Languages - English C1, German B1, Russian (native), and so on.
Tools - Excel, SAP, Figma, Jira, Salesforce, AutoCAD, Git.
Technical skills - JavaScript, SQL, Python, cloud platforms, testing frameworks.
Certifications - only relevant and current ones.
Driver’s license—if it’s important for the role.

For language proficiency, it’s best to use the clear CEFR levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. If you’re still learning German, state it as follows: German – B1, currently attending a B2 course.

6. Projects, Volunteering, and Certificates

This section is especially useful for entry-level candidates, students, those making a career change, and IT candidates. Include only information that is relevant to the job opening.

For the project, please specify:

Title;
your role;
tools or technologies;
results;
A link to your GitHub, portfolio, or demo, if applicable.

It’s worth including volunteer work if it demonstrates skills, responsibility, a German context, or fills a gap in your work history.

7. Hobbies and Interests

Hobbies are optional. They can be effective if they’re specific and relevant: marathon running, chess club, community translation, photography exhibitions. Overly general terms like “traveling,” “music,” or “reading” rarely add value.

Do not include interests that might seem questionable for a specific role or distract from your professional profile.

8. Date and signature

In the German format, the city, date, and signature are sometimes added at the end of the CV. This is not a mandatory legal requirement for a standard resume, but it is still a traditional element that is sometimes included.

If you want to sign the PDF, you can use the built-in tools in a PDF editor or services like Smallpdf. Before sending it, check that the file opens correctly and that the signature doesn’t disrupt the layout.

What language should you use for your resume: English or German?

Write your resume in the language of the job posting. If the job posting and workplace communication are in English, an English Lebenslauf is appropriate. If the job posting is in German and requires daily communication in German, it’s best to submit a German resume only if your proficiency is at a level you can demonstrate during the interview.

If you’re applying for an English-language role but are learning German, mention this in the “Languages” section. This approach is more honest than submitting a German resume with errors.

Related guide: Can I work in Germany without knowing German?

Checklist Before Submitting

Check your resume against this checklist:

the file is saved as a PDF;
The file name should look professional, for example, Firstname_Lastname_CV.pdf;
The dates on your resume, LinkedIn, and Xing do not contradict each other;
Each role includes the company, job title, dates, and country;
Experience tailored to the specific job opening;
No spelling errors;
Links to LinkedIn, Xing, GitHub, and your portfolio are clickable;
Languages and proficiency levels are listed;
A CV should be no longer than two pages;
A cover letter does not duplicate the resume; rather, it complements it.

About the cover letter: Guide to the German Cover Letter with an Example in English

Common Mistakes

Making your CV too “salesy” and vague instead of factual.
Leaving unexplained gaps in your work history.
Listing English or German without specifying a proficiency level.
Listing too many soft skills without providing examples.
Submitting a German resume if you are not prepared to conduct an interview in German.
Using the same CV for all job openings without adapting your key responsibilities.

Conclusion

A German resume in English should not be a translation of an “international CV,” but rather a Lebenslauf structured in a way that is understandable to a German employer. Keep the document short, verifiable, and relevant to the job opening: personal information, experience, education, skills, languages, projects, and a clear chronological order. Add anything else only if it helps the recruiter make a decision more quickly.