5 Mistakes People Make With German CV's

Hiya Reader -

Guten abend! We're back today with some more career advice intended to help you find work in Germany.

What are the most common mistakes that people make with their German CV's?

1) Too much personal information - I touched upon this in a previous newsletter. Adding details like your age, marital status, the number of children you have, and more lends to discrimination and could stop you from getting a job in Germany. Such details should never be added to your German CV.

2) Failing to customize their CV for job applications - Many people submit the same CV over and over again. Yet tweaking your CV will help you stand out against other candidates and increase your odds of getting contacted for an interview. Naturally weaving some key words or phrases from the job description into your CV will get you noticed by HR system algorithms, as well as by the keen eye of recruiters.

3) Having a CV full of errors - When you submit a CV full of spelling and grammatical errors, it looks careless and like you didn't make an effort to make sure your CV was error free. As basic as it sounds, this happens way more often than you think! Be sure to double or triple check your CV for errors - or even have a family or friend give it a quick review.

4) Listing out the same responsibilities over and over - If you've worked in similar jobs throughout your career, the job responsibilities tend to be the same and listing them out over and over again makes your CV feel repetitive and even boring. Instead focus more on accomplishments - the unique things you did at the job that helped the company somehow. Be sure to specific about the results your contribution brought about.

5) Submitting a CV that's multiple pages - German CV's tend to be 1-2 pages maximum. Sending a CV that reads like a novel could possibly annoy recruiters and get them to discard your application. Keep it short and to the point and really communicate the most important items about yourself, like education, skills, languages spoken, and key highlights from your career to date.

There are even more points I could add to this list! For more CV pointers, read my German CV guide or my other recent guide about whether or not you should add a photo to your CV.

If you have more feedback about this newsletter, hit reply and send me a message or say hi and start a discussion in our Facebook group.

💖 See you again soon!

Founder - The Berlin Life