How to apply as a language professional in a foreign company and the specific requirements for a German application: Part 2

If you hope to work in a foreign company or foreign country (e.g. as a translator, not freelancer) as a language professional, you’ll have to take into account the differences in the application process. This second part of the article previously posted shall provided you with detailed instructions outlining the documents you will need, as well as how they should look like when applying for a job at a German company.

Required documents

Germany, with the German people then being a natural extension of the country, is considered to be very bureaucratic. This quality also applies to the job application process. You may very well be required to provide more than just a CV and cover letter.

The documents you will need to prepare are:
- Cover letter / Letter of intent
- CV / Resume
- Copies of your high school diploma, university diploma or other certificates expressing your qualifications, such as continued education courses, etc.
- Copies of certificates of employment (no requirement)

Cover Letter

The cover letter comes first, and due to that, may be considered the most important part. When applying as a translator or language professional at a German company the cover letter (Anschreiben) or letter of motivation (Initiativschreiben) for an unsolicited application should always be written in German, or even better, also in the language that you intend to work with. The same goes for the CV.
It should state your specific interest in the position that you are applying for and why you are qualified. The letter should be straightforward and free of lots of diplomatic wording, meaning, stick to the facts. Most employers receive many applications a day and appreciate brevity.
Make a clear statement on why you are the right person for the position, but as I mentioned before, be human and don't lie. Avoid general platitudes like, “I‘ve always wanted to work for a German company, and if I get the chance to work in this position, it would be a dream come true.” Describe yourself as a person and state your personal and professional strenghts. Moreover, refer to former employment that is similiar to the job that you are applying for. Point out your experience!
Structure your cover letter focusing on the points mentioned above. It may sound stereotypical but order and structure is very important to Germans, so even a single-page cover letter must adhere to specific guidelines. Therefore, it should be of no surprise then that Germans even have an official standard for this, the DIN-Norm 5008. For instance, one very important part of the cover letter is the subject line. That is the place where a German lays his or her eyes upon first. It contains the purpose of the letter, referring specifically to the job offer. A typical cover letter often begins, "I hereby apply as ... " ("Hiermit bewerbe ich mich als ..").

Samples of German coverletters can be found here (in German):
http://www.bewerbung-tipps.com/vorlagen/anschreiben/100.html
More information regarding the cover letter (in German):
http://www.ulmato.de/anschreiben.asp
http://www.bewerbung-forum.de/anschreiben.html

CV
The curriculum vitae (CV, or in German - Lebenslauf) should not be considered of less importance than the cover letter. It shouldn't be any longer than 2-3 pages and a standard CV should have a passport-sized photo attached to the upper-righthand corner of the first page displaying the head and upper-torso of the applicant. A high-quality photo taken by a professional rather than a photo-booth gives you an advantage. Alternatively, you can paste the photo on an extra cover page. Some employers consider that to be more professional. As previosly stated, the CV should be written in two languages (and for applications to a German company, German is a must!), and should follow a specific structure.
A CV in should be organized in tabular form with different subcategories for work experience, education and language skills. Inside of those, information is to be placed in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent items listed first. (No need to include the day - month only will suffice.)
Besides the heading, a CV begins by offering personal data, such as name, address, etc. Unlike many other countries, you should also include your date and place of birth, marital status and number of children. Otherwise your CV is going to be considered incomplete. Lately, CVs also tend to include an objective. This statement refers to the goal of the application and is listed before the work experience.
Next you will need to state your professional experience, including the company name, sector, city and the position(s) that you held. In addtion, your achievements while serving various positions are of great interest to your future employer, so specify them here. As mentioned previously, work experience is one of the most important factors when applying for a job as a language professional. For translators, those experiences could be your major translation projects, while language coordinators or bilingual specialists might want to list not only the period of time working with a certain company, but more specific examples such as increases in language courses, or name of the bilingual product that they were responsible for. The more detailed, concrete, and convincing your experience, the better your chances will be for getting the job.
Even if expereince is considered the most influential piece of information, a CV must also include education. The education section opens with university/college and ends with secondary/high school studies. You sould include all titles/degrees (or their quivalent degree in Germany), university/school names, cities, dates of study, final grade average, and honours or experience studying abroad.
The next part of the CV concerns language skills. This not important, but obligatory. Of course the language associated with the job that you are applying for is listed here. If a language is not the primary language necessary for performing the job that you are applying for, all levels below intermediate can be considered irrelevant. Being able to consider yourself fluent in the necessary language(s) is generally a must, however an intermediate level of ability may suffice as long as you possess other valueable skills. Depending upon your abilities, it may help to separate written and verbal skills. While certainly not true in all cases, Germans are generally considered to be skeptical of character, so they likely won’t accept a statement of your ability solely on your word. But as mentioned already, whatever you do, don't lie about your language skills, because your employer will find out soon enough! All of this counts for your third, fourth, or even fifth language as well. However if the job requires proper German, you had better not state your level using such vague expressions as “fluent“. For German you should provide your official certificated level (e.g. B2, ZMP, KDS, GDS, ZD, DSH or any DaF certificate). While everything below ZMP won't work, GDS or DSH-3 is a big plus. However keep in mind that the DSH entrance level test for universities from your days as a student, or the KDS test you passed 10 years ago, are not very convincing.
The last part of the CV is the miscellaneous section, which includes supplementary information such as computer skills, meaning programs, applications, word processing, spreadsheets, database skills (note that the ability to use an internet browser is NOT a skill!), personal abilities, publications and other professional articles, hobbies, or extra-curricular activities and outside endeavours. The latter three are just as important as your professional information, since they give some impression about you as a person. (It is important to note that watching TV or chatting with friends may be some of your favorite activities, but an employer won‘t consider these to be hobbies.) As a language professional it may help if you spend your freetime in some kind of study or research group, or as part of a network supporting events and cultural exchange.
The last page of your CV should be dated and signed at the bottom. That may seem odd, but it is considered standard in Germany.
Aside from the formalities regarding the CV, I would also like to provide some additional tips:
Please keep in mind that you should always stick to the truth. Even if you have got some “holes” in your CV, perhaps a period of time where you did not work or go to school, you should honestly try to explain those. If you were a translator before applying for a permanent position you may have been working as a freelancer. This is not a disgrace, as it is typical within the industry nowadays, and a good reason for filling these “holes”. German employers are usually very straight and prefer applicants with a traditional career path. A CV that looks very colourful due to the high number of different jobs you had in the past and the adventurous activities that you have participated in throughout your life may deter an employer from hiring you. However gaining experience through travel in other countries in order to improve your language skills is a different case entirely, especially for the language industry.
The question then becomes, “How do you present your CV?”. Points that may seem to be negative or odd at first glance may likely be something not to be looked down upon at all. Pick the advantages of those points and introduce them as your special abilities.

Samples and more general information for German CVs can be found here (in German):
http://www.bewerbung-tipps.com/lebenslauf.php
http://www.ulmato.de/lebenslauf.asp
http://www.stepstone.de/Karriere-Bewerbungstipps/bewerbungstipps/der-optimale-lebenslauf-kommentierte-beispiele.cfm

University, High-School Diplomas, and other documentation

For German employees the attachements together with the CV are the basis for inviting you to a job interview. In Germany it is necessary to attach copies of all important certificates that prove your qualifications (copies, not originals). Such certificates include school and university diplomas, certificates of career training, or additional training courses. However you should always attach the certificate with the highest level of credibility (e.g. instead of your high school diploma, you would be better off attaching your university degree), and nothing older than 10 years is really necessary. If you have one, you should additionally attach a reference letter from your last employer. Attaching references from other employers is not common but also not out of the ordinary. (The 10 years rule doesn't apply here.) If you have been working as a freelancer for different companies before, you might want to add the best reference, or one from the most well-known company. However employers usually don't give priority to references, because they can be easily be “upgraded”. The most important documents for a language professional are language certifications. (As mentioned above, your ZMP, GDS or DSH certificate.) Make doubly sure that these are included.

Application Folder

All of the documents above should be, if you wish to be considered professional, bound in a application folder. Even though such a folder is not always necessary, the presentation of the application plays a significant role. You should take care that all documents are placed in the correct order of importance and that they can easily be accessed and read.

The most common layout for an application folder is probably this one found at the link below:
http://www.bewerbungsshop24.de/shop/out/oxbaseshop/html/0/dyn_images/2/square_1_p2.jpg

However I personally prefer something more simple, such as the one found here:
http://www.bewerbung-training.de/Vorstellungsgespraech_Vorbereitung_Fragen_Tipps/Images_partner/mcbuero/Mappe1.gif

Formating

As mentioned previously, the importance of the presentation of your application is not to be underestimated. Because of this, I recommend following the formatting tips below:
- Use an easy-to-read font (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial)
- Use paper of good quality (white, not colored) for the application folder
- Take care that your application is complete and up to date!
- All copies must be of of excellent quality. No re-use of old applications, no transparent film, no tacking.
- For the address, write clearly on the envelope.
If you by chance apply for a job with a German company in Japan, don't send any application in the standard Japanese format. From my experience in Japan I noticed that applicants tend to submit applications in the format that is typical for their country. For instance, the Japanese do have a standard form to fill out when applying for a job. A German employer is not only not used to it, making it difficult to easily grasp relevant information, but he may also view it negatively.

Additional components

Besides the typical documents listetd above, you might also want to include the following documentation in order to improve your application: cover page, introduction page, references, attachment list, and work samples. Work samples and references are particularly recommended when applying as a language professional. However you should take care to avoid your application becoming too long. No employer wants to read a novel when checking your application.

If you need more specific help with your application, feel free to ask us in the Forum. Our team of professional natives from all over the world can help you write the best application possible in your second language, as well as provide personalized advice. Show us your application and we’ll refine it for free! Also, if you need tips for a job interview with a foreign company, post your inquiry in the Forum and we will help you to prepare.

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