Curriculum vitae

Application

Whether you’re looking for an internship, a student job or an entry opportunity after completing your degree or doctoral degree, you will generally have to submit a written application before being invited to an interview.

A typical application includes a cover letter, your CV and copies of relevant certificates. Most employers prefer applications to be submitted by e-mail or via an online application portal rather than by post. Employers will usually specify which form your application should take in the job advertisement; if not you can contact them by phone to check. You should always take great care when compiling your application documents and make sure you adapt your application specifically for the company to which you are applying. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.

Cover letter

The cover letter is an important part of all written applications. It is designed to attract the employer’s interest to your application and to explain why you are qualified for and interested in a job at the company. Your cover letter should be reader-friendly, informative and authentic, and should be adapted specifically to the company and the position.

It is important to note that your application should include a letterhead which contains your address, e-mail address and telephone number, as well as the employer’s address. Remember to include the date and a subject line. You should also make sure you use the correct salutation and include your signature at the end of the letter. For online applications you can scan your signature and copy it into the document.

It is advisable to structure your cover letter like an essay with an introduction, body and conclusion.  It should be no longer than a page. An informative cover letter includes details of your motivation, relevant qualifications and experience, as well as your personal skills. If requested, you should also include your expected salary and earliest possible starting date, ideally after the body of the letter and before the conclusion. When writing your cover letter, make sure you describe your experience and skills as specifically as you can, with reference to the job description if possible, and include examples. Avoid generic statements, over-complex sentences, justifications for lacks of skills or gaps in your CV, contradictory statements about your CV, and spelling and grammatical errors.

Curriculum vitae

Your curriculum vitae (CV) should take the appropriate form, be informative, and present your key experience and skills. The following advice applies to German CVs; conventions may vary for other languages and countries. Your CV should include the following sections: a header with your personal details, the main body with your educational and professional history (school and university education, part-time jobs, etc.), additional information (e.g. volunteer work, professional training, language and IT skills). The date and your signature should be included at the end.

The individual sections of your CV should include important information about your knowledge and skills, therefore you should state, for example, your main tasks during an internship, your specialisation in your degree and, if applicable, doctoral degree, and the topic of your thesis.

The content is not the only important factor when employers judge your CV – its format is also very important. For this reason, you should take your time when writing it and apply the following basic principles.

• Your CV should be reader-friendly, which means it should be arranged clearly and consistently.
• Avoid too much running text and describe tasks, experience and skills in bullet points.
• You can highlight particularly relevant points by putting them in bold, for example.
• Make sure your spelling is correct, particularly for proper nouns such as the names of companies and institutions.
• Your CV can be longer than one page. Doctoral candidates and graduates should usually find that 2 pages are sufficient.
• Don’t forget to include the date and your signature at the end.

Certificates

Certificates are an important component of your application documents. Work references from previous employers are particularly important; for doctoral candidates and graduates these will usually be references from internships or part-time jobs. You should also include copies of university degrees in your application. You may also wish to include school leaving certificates, proof of professional training, language certificates or similar. When deciding which certificates to include, you should consider whether the qualifications are relevant for the employer. A certificate showing that your have completed a basic course in MS Word in 2005 is probably no longer relevant.

You should receive confirmation that your application has been received shortly after submitting it. If you have not received a response after around two weeks, it is advisable to contact the company to check whether your documents have been received and what the current status of your application is.

If you would like help compiling your application documents or have any questions about the application process, you can make use of the advice and support offered by the Career Service. Information on our services is available on the Career Service page.

Categories: Graduiertenzentrum