Lebenslauf for German-language customer support: structuring your CV

The structure of a Lebenslauf

The Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Germany's public employment service, sums up the convention in three rules. The CV is "tabellarisch", meaning it is set out as a table: dates on the left, roles and activities on the right. It does not exceed two A4 pages. And the stages appear in reverse chronological order, from the most recent to the earliest. Europass, the European Commission's CV template, follows the same order.

The Bundesagentur lists the following sections:

• personal details (Persönliche Angaben);
• practical experience (Praktische Erfahrung);
• schooling (Schulbildung);
• specific skills (Besondere Kenntnisse), which include languages and software;
• place, date and signature (Ort, Datum und Unterschrift).

The job ads for these roles do not specify a preferred CV format. Both the German Lebenslauf and Europass are suitable: both are set out as tables and start with the most recent experience.

The photo: an optional element

For a long time, a photo was the norm in Germany. Today the Bundesagentur writes: "Dies ist kein Muss mehr", in other words, it is no longer required. It adds that, in an online application, you may be asked to upload it separately. On another page, the same agency still lists the photo under personal details and notes that some employers expect anonymised CVs, without a photo.

The law does not regulate photos on CVs. The Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz (AGG), Germany's General Equal Treatment Act, aims to prevent discrimination on grounds of ethnic origin, sex, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual identity, and a photo reveals several of these characteristics. In 2010, the Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes, the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, piloted anonymised applications (no photo, no name) with companies and public bodies.

Europass, for its part, suggests adding a "professional photograph". The decision is yours. If you choose to include one, it should be professional: that is the term used by both the Bundesagentur and Europass.

German and English: your level on the European framework

The Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has six levels, from A1 to C2. The Europass self-assessment grid divides each language into five skills: listening, reading, spoken interaction, spoken production and writing. Your spoken and written levels may differ; if so, your CV should state both.

The Roadside Assistance job ads list "native German or C1 at least" and "fluent English" as mandatory. The framework code is the clearest way to show this, because it reads the same in any language.

German CVs often use set phrases rather than levels. Two are particularly common:

• Muttersprache means mother tongue. It is not a CEFR level, since the CEFR only runs from A1 to C2. If you grew up speaking German, "Deutsch: Muttersprache" is correct and meets the job ad's native German requirement.
• Verhandlungssicher (literally, "confident enough to negotiate") is not defined in any standard. Austria's public employment service (AMS) describes it as a very broad vocabulary, not far removed from a native speaker's, and the ability to follow highly complex professional topics without limitations. Mapped against the Europass grid, it sits at the top of the scale, between C1 ("I can express myself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions") and C2 ("I can take part effortlessly in any conversation or discussion"). This mapping comes from comparing the two sources; the AMS does not make it. If you use the term, add the level next to it: "Deutsch: C1 (verhandlungssicher)".

The same applies to English: "fließend" or "fluent" on their own say little. State the code and, if you have one, the certificate and the year you obtained it. The job ads do not mention a certificate requirement; the topic is covered in German language requirements for working in the Contact Center. How to word this line is explained in the tip Show your real German level.

From customer service experience to concrete examples

Europass recommends highlighting examples of skills that are relevant to the role and using action verbs ("managed", "developed", "increased"). In a customer support CV, what makes the difference is describing the work you actually did rather than simply the post you held.

Compare the two versions:

• Before: "Customer service. Complaint resolution."
• After: "Phone support in German for customers in [market]. Handling complaints from first contact to closure, logging every step in the CRM."

The second version states the language, the channel, the type of case and the tool: the same terms the job ad uses.

Include results only when you can substantiate them. If your company gave you metrics (calls per shift, customer ratings, resolution time), include them and make sure you know where they come from. If you have no data, do not estimate it: describe the effect instead. "I proposed a call script that the team adopted" is a concrete, verifiable result. The Situation, Action, Result structure helps you frame these statements and is explained in the tip Prepare concrete examples.

What the roles require, and where to show it on your CV

The list below includes only the requirements stated in the Roadside Assistance job ads:

• Native or C1 German and fluent English, both mandatory. They belong in the languages section, with the framework code, and in the summary at the top.
• Availability for shift work, mandatory. A Lebenslauf has no dedicated section for this, which is why it is often left out. State it in the summary at the top, in one line.
• Understanding of CRM systems. Name the systems you have actually used, under specific skills and in the description of the role in which you used them.
• Customer support experience. The Junior role does not require previous experience, although it gives preference to candidates who have it. The Middle role values two or more years of experience and the Senior role four or more, in both cases as a preference rather than a requirement.
• Familiarity with the automotive sector and experience with help desk and remote support tools are also valued. If you have them, state where you gained them.

How to build the summary at the top for each role is explained in the tip Tailor your CV to each role.

Mistakes to avoid

• Imprecise language level. Phrases such as "good German" or "advanced English" leave the assessment to the reader. Use the framework code.
• Stating only "Muttersprache" for German and leaving out English. English is also mandatory and should be listed with its level.
• Chronological order, oldest first. The Bundesagentur and Europass start with the most recent experience. A 2015 role at the top pushes your current one onto the second page.
• Three pages or more. The usual limit in Germany is two.
• Leaving out availability for shift work. It is a mandatory requirement and only becomes visible if you state it.
• Unsubstantiated metrics. A figure you cannot explain weakens your CV.
• Unexplained gaps. Europass recommends explaining long gaps in employment or education.

Frequently asked questions

• Den perfekten Lebenslauf erstellen, Bundesagentur für Arbeit, accessed on 26 October 2026 — arbeitsagentur.de/bildung/bewerbung/lebenslauf
• Bewerbung schreiben, Bundesagentur für Arbeit, accessed on 26 October 2026 — arbeitsagentur.de/…/bewerbung-schreiben
• Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz (AGG), § 1, Federal Ministry of Justice (gesetze-im-internet.de), accessed on 26 October 2026 — gesetze-im-internet.de/agg/__1.html
• Häufig gestellte Fragen und Antworten zu anonymisierten Bewerbungsverfahren, Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes, accessed on 26 October 2026 — antidiskriminierungsstelle.gov.de/…/faqs_anonymisierte_b…
• Create your Europass CV, Europass, European Commission, accessed on 26 October 2026 — europass.europa.eu/en/create-europass-cv
• Common European Framework of Reference for Language skills (self-assessment grid), Europass, European Commission, accessed on 26 October 2026 — europass.europa.eu/…/common-european-fram…
• How to self-assess your language skills?, Europass, European Commission, accessed on 26 October 2026 — europass.europa.eu/…/how-self-assess-your…
• Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, level descriptions, Council of Europe — coe.int/…/level-descriptions
• Gemeinsamer Europäischer Referenzrahmen (GER), Language Centre of the University of Bamberg, accessed on 26 October 2026 — uni-bamberg.de/…/gemeinsamer-europaei…
• Sprachkenntnisse im Lebenslauf, Arbeitsmarktservice Österreich (AMS), updated on 24 September 2025, accessed on 26 October 2026 — ams.at/…/sprachkenntnisse-leb…
• Official job ad for the Junior Contact Center Agent (Roadside Assistance) role, Volkswagen Group jobs portal, accessed on 26 October 2026 — jobs.volkswagen-group.com/…/1411740133
• Job ads on LinkedIn: Junior (linkedin.com/jobs/view/4437163513), Middle (linkedin.com/jobs/view/4440541534) and Senior (linkedin.com/jobs/view/4437159721)