How to write a German Cover Letter?

Did you know that German language has surpassed French in becoming the most sought after language by the companies? It is crucial to send your application documents in German, if you are planning to work in a German company. Even if you are not comfortable or very fluent in Business German, it is advisable to send your CV and Cover Letter in German. 

Most of the companies conduct interview in German language and they do not expect proficiency, but the willingness to adapt to the working culture and improve the skill. In some job offers, it might be explicitly stated that they need a native speaker and in that cases, the chances of landing in that job might be difficult if you are an international.

Nevertheless, coming to a positive note, nothing is impossible if you train yourselves. In this article, we will give you some tips about how to write a good Cover Letter for German companies and the structure of the document. 

1. Page limit

The Cover Letter (Anschreiben/Motivationschreiben) must be limited to 1.5 to 2 pages. A one pager would be also fine in most of the cases, but if you have more to explain and if it is very relevant to the applied position, you can make it up to 1.5 pages.

2. Introduction

Start the letter by the reference from which you got the information about the job offer, followed by a short introduction about yourself, what are you studying currently or your profession. 

3. Education

In the second paragraph, explain your educational qualifications, work experiences (internships, part-time jobs, previous experiences) and what have you accomplished. If you have worked on topics mentioned in the job offer, then relate your experiences with those topics, tasks performed and the relevant skills obtained. Usually, the HR will be the first person who will read the cover letter. The HR will look only for relevant experiences, skills and most importantly, the software knowledge. Especially if you are applying for a tech job, the software skills play the most important role. 

4. Final paragraph

Mention your availability or start date, notice period if applicable and salary expectations. Explain as a summary, why you are the right candidate for the applied position. 

 Tips and tricks

– Do not elaborate more on experiences that are completely not relevant to the applied position

– Avoid repeating the topics, thesis title and so on which has already been mentioned in the CV

– Do not exceed 2 pages

– Try to be straightforward

– Do not use google translate to convert your Cover letter from English to German as the accuracy is not sufficient

– Try to get it translated or checked by a native speaker  

As MyHelpBuddy, our mission is to help international people in all the aspects of their journey in a different country. Our Buddies exclusively provide translation of CV and Cover Letter from English-German or German-English and also in other languages if needed. The Buddies in the platform are experienced professionals from top consulting and technology companies, professional German tutors and native speakers. If you need to translate your CV or Cover Letter, just share a request in MyHelpBuddy and get it done each starting from just 30 euros. Check out our platform here. 

If you are international living in Germany and need support in finding an accommodation, bureaucracy, interpreter to accompany you in visits, babysitter, relocation help, CV and Cover Letter translation, etc you can also share your request in MyHelpBuddy and find a Buddy to help you with your tasks.