GERMANY · GUIDE · THE JOB SEARCH
How a German job application works
Send a German application in the shape you are used to and it can be put aside before anyone reads what you can actually do. That is not a judgement on you. German applications follow a strict format, and one that misses it looks unfinished. The format is the easy part to get right. This page shows you what goes in, where the jobs are posted, and the one thing worth checking before you apply anywhere.
Check one thing before you apply anywhere
Answer one question before anything else: is your profession regulated in Germany? Two minutes on the official checker tells you. For most jobs the answer is no. You apply, and the employer decides what your degree is worth to them. For a regulated one, an authority has to approve you before you may work under that job title at all. That answer decides whether you are job-hunting or starting a recognition procedure, so find out before you spend an evening on your CV.
Whether you may simply apply, or must first have your qualification recognised, depends on one thing: is the profession regulated in Germany? Regulated professions (doctors, nurses, teachers, and — under the Länder engineering acts — the protected title of Ingenieur, among others) require a formal decision before you may work under that title. Most other roles are unregulated: you apply directly, and your degree is judged by the employer, not by an authority. The federal Recognition Finder tells you which case yours is and which body decides. Source ↗
What actually goes in a Bewerbung
Three parts, always in this order. The Anschreiben is a one-page letter saying why you, and why this job. The Lebenslauf is your CV, laid out as a table rather than as a story. The Anlagen are your certificates and references. Leave that third part out and a German recruiter reads the whole application as unfinished, however good the first two are.
A Lebenslauf is organised into clear sections: practical experience, education, and special skills (languages, software, licences). Source ↗
Why their folder is thicker than yours
A German applicant attaches a reference from every job they have ever had, because the law gives them the right to one. Yours are probably a different shape, or you may have none at all. That is a gap in your paperwork and not a gap in you. Present the references you do have so that a German recruiter can read them. Never build anything that imitates a German Arbeitszeugnis.
German applicants attach references you probably do not have. By law every employee is entitled to a written reference (Zeugnis) when a job ends — either simple, stating the type and duration of the work, or, on request, qualified, also covering performance and conduct. It must be clearly worded, and may not carry hidden meanings. That is why a German application folder contains a stack of Arbeitszeugnisse and yours does not. Source ↗
The layout is the easy part to get right
It is a table. Most recent job first, two A4 pages at most, your personal details in a block at the top and clear sections underneath. None of that measures how good you are, which is why it is worth getting right to the letter. Nothing else on this page buys you as much for as little work.
The Lebenslauf is written in tabular form (dates in a left column, details on the right). Source ↗
Your grade needs a German number beside it
German recruiters read grades on a scale from 1.0 to 4.0, where 1.0 is the best. A grade from another country tells them nothing on its own. Convert yours once, as an estimate you can show the working for, and it goes straight onto the Lebenslauf.
Where the jobs are actually posted
Start with the Federal Employment Agency's own job board. It is free, it covers the whole country, and it carries the widest range of vacancies. Moving within the EU? EURES lists cross-border jobs on the European Commission's side. Both sit alongside the commercial boards and company career pages you already know about.
As an EU citizen you need neither a visa nor a residence permit to live and work in Germany — freedom of movement covers you. You register your address like everyone else, and your national ID card or passport is enough to prove to an employer that you are allowed to work. Source ↗
Where to search, and where to check
Three official doors: two job boards, and the government portal that tells you whether your profession is regulated.
We take no commission from any of these. They are simply where the listings are. Each link was opened and checked on the date below.
Where this guide stops
It explains what German employers expect to see on paper, and points you at the official doors. It is not career advice, immigration advice or legal advice, and nothing here changes anybody's hiring decision. What it can do is make sure your paperwork is never the reason you were passed over.
Check your CV against what German recruiters expect →
Applying for a job the German way. Employers expect a particular set of documents in a particular shape, and for a small number of protected jobs you need official approval before you can apply at all.
One piece of paperwork, recorded: what it is, where you deal with it, and what catches people out. Every answer comes from an official source, with the date we checked it. What each guide covers is listed on it — they are not all the same length.
What it answers
- When and how it turns up
- What to bring
- What catches people out
5 sourced answers sit behind this lock.
The Pass opens the field guide for the animals that carry the most dread — 13 field guides today, and more as each one clears our sourcing bar. Every line is answered from dated sources, never from memory.
The tools and guides on this page stay free and complete without it. This is depth, never the thing you need to get the job done.
See the Germany Pass →This is not legal, tax, immigration, or financial advice, and not an official recognition, filing, or application. For decisions with legal or financial consequences, consult a qualified professional. Sources checked 2026-07-08.