In short
- A US-style resume sells. A German Lebenslauf documents a complete, dated history.
- For a German job ad at a German company, send a Lebenslauf. For an English ad at an international company, an English resume is usually fine.
- Whichever you send, add full month and year dates and adapt it to the job ad.
You moved to Germany with a polished one-page resume. You send it out, and the replies are slower than you expected. Often the experience is not the problem. The format is.
This article answers one question: what is the difference between a German CV and a US-style resume, and which one should you send? The German CV vs resume question comes down to a few concrete points. You get a side-by-side table, a before and after example, and a simple rule for deciding.
German CV vs resume at a glance
In Germany, the CV is called a Lebenslauf. It is usually a tabular document: your history in short entries, most recent first, each with clear dates. A US-style resume is a shorter, more persuasive summary built to sell you in a few seconds.
| Aspect | German Lebenslauf | US-style resume |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Usually 1 to 2 pages | Usually 1 page, 2 for senior roles |
| Photo | Optional, still common | Usually left out |
| Personal data | Contact details, often date of birth and nationality | Contact details only |
| Date format | Month and year, e.g. 03/2021 to 08/2024 | Often years only |
| Signature | Place, date and signature at the end, customary but optional | None |
| Order | Reverse chronological, complete timeline | Reverse chronological, selected roles |
| Tone | Factual and precise | Persuasive, achievement-led |
| Cover letter | Anschreiben, traditionally expected, now often optional | Cover letter, often optional |
| References | Arbeitszeugnisse and certificates attached | References given on request |
These are conventions, not law, and they are shifting. Many international employers and startups no longer expect a photo, a date of birth or a signature. At German companies, many recruiters are still used to seeing them.
A resume argues for you. A Lebenslauf records what you did.
What each difference means in practice
Length and completeness
A resume cuts hard to fit one page. A Lebenslauf keeps the whole timeline, including short roles. If there is a gap of several months, a short honest line explains it: parental leave, relocation, a course.
To a German recruiter, missing roles and missing dates can read as incomplete rather than concise. Incomplete invites questions you are not there to answer.
Photo and personal data
A photo on a Lebenslauf is optional. It is still common in Germany, so including a professional one is not unusual. Leaving it out is also normal and increasingly accepted, especially at international companies. For applications to US or UK employers, leave it out.
The same goes for date of birth, nationality and marital status. Older guides list them as standard. Today they are optional. If you are from outside the EU, a short line on your work permit status can be useful, because it answers a question a recruiter will have anyway.
Dates
This is the change most people miss. "Marketing Manager, 2021 to present" is fine on a resume. A Lebenslauf usually shows month and year: "03/2021 to present". Add month and year to every role and every degree.
Signature
Traditionally, a German Lebenslauf ends with the place, the date and your signature. It is a customary touch, not a requirement, and many online applications skip it. If you add one, use a clean scanned signature and keep the date current.
Tone
This is the hardest shift for anyone trained on US resumes. Compare these two lines. The example is illustrative, not taken from a real candidate.
| Version | Bullet |
|---|---|
| Resume tone | Dynamic, results-driven leader who transformed the sales organisation. |
| Lebenslauf tone | Led a team of eight in sales and raised the quarterly close rate from 18 to 27 percent within one year. |
The second line names what you did and what changed. In a German application, a precise fact usually carries more weight than an adjective.
In a German CV, precision reads as professionalism.
Anschreiben and Arbeitszeugnisse
A German application has traditionally been a set: Anschreiben (cover letter), Lebenslauf and supporting documents. The cover letter is often optional today, so read the ad. If it asks for one, write it in the language of the ad.
German employers usually give leaving employees a written reference, the Arbeitszeugnis. Applicants often attach these, along with degree certificates. If you worked outside Germany, you won't have Arbeitszeugnisse, and that is fine. Attach your degree certificates and, if you have them, reference letters from previous employers.
When an English-language resume is fine
You don't always need a German-format Lebenslauf. An English resume is usually fine when:
- the job ad is in English,
- the company is international and works in English,
- the ad asks for a "CV" or "resume" in English,
- the team is clearly English-speaking, as at many tech companies and startups.
Even then, a few German habits help. Add month and year to every role. Keep the timeline complete. Drop the sales adjectives. You end up with an English document that reads as complete to a German recruiter and still looks familiar to an international one.
Follow the ad: its language tells you which document it expects.
Which one should you send?
Use the job ad as your guide:
- German ad, German company: send a Lebenslauf in German, with full dates and a complete timeline. Photo and signature are your call.
- English ad, international company: send an English resume, with full dates added and a factual tone.
- Not sure: go with the language of the ad and the more complete format. A complete document rarely hurts. A thin one can.
Translating your resume word for word is not enough. Convert the structure first, then translate.
Adapt it to every job ad
Whichever format you send, it should not be one fixed file. Read the ad, find the must-have skills, and use the same words for them where they are true of you. A recruiter, and often an applicant tracking system before them, looks for those terms first.
This is where most of the time goes. TalentVP CV Tailoring does it with you: you paste the job ad and get a CV tailored to that job. It is grounded in your own CV, so it never invents numbers, employers or achievements. CV Tailoring is part of the paid plans.
A checklist before you send
- Every role and degree has month and year.
- The timeline is complete, with a short line for any longer gap.
- Each bullet states an action and a result, without sales adjectives.
- Photo, date of birth and signature are a deliberate choice, not leftovers.
- The language matches the job ad.
For the full format, section by section, read our German CV guide, which covers layout, photo, length and what to leave out.
