Applying for a new job is always a challenge, even more so when you do it in a foreign country under conditions you might not be quite familiar with. Take, as a simple but drastic example, applications in Austria/Germany on the one hand and such in the UK/USA on the other. In the latter two countries, your cv/resume is part of a sales pitch and needs to say a lot about your experience and skills; in Austria/Germany, your cv/resume is a fairly simple list of previous jobs complemented by some personal data – frequently including age (or day of birth) and marital status.
To American eyes, Austrian resumes look boring – but they don’t need to contain any exciting information, because that can be found in the written references (a kind of employment certificate) you collect from every employer you ever worked for. An American/British application usually consists of a cover letter and the resume/cv plus, maybe, some references. An Austrian/German application includes a more or less substantial folder with cv/resume, copies of written references and potentially copies of the applicant’s university diploma and any other certificates he/she might have acquired. Anyone applying for a job with some public authority might also be asked for a birth certificate, and it is very common to include a current (passport) photo with the application.
When in Rome, do as the Romans … so if you want to make sure that your application is considered at all and not binned after the first short glance, you should adjust to the system common in the country of your choice.

Applications in Austria

If you are American/British, you are probably at a slight disadvantage from the start, because given the different system in your home country, in most cases you don’t have any written references. This does not necessarily cause problems, but you should at least explain to a potential new employer why you do not provide written references and not take it for granted that he/she knows that habits differ from country to country. If at all possible, try to get at least a written reference from your last employer – my experience is that American/British employers are quite prepared to do this if they know the reason why you want/need it. And don’t forget to translate that reference or get it translated – you cannot expect your potential Austrian employer to understand English well enough to cope with the original.
The written reference should include: your job title and the time you worked in this position or company, if you held more than one position there (e.g. 1.1.1999-31.7.2002, or June 1996- Dec. 1999). A detailed explanation of your tasks in this position and your responsibilities is expected as well as a verdict by the employer about your accomplishments and behaviour (e.g. “Throughout his time at Brown & Cie he distinguished himself with his diligence, professionalism, recognition of the importance of high standards, and his ability and willingness to take on responsibility.”) Usually a written reference covers about one page.
Given a lack of written references, you obviously have to use your cv/resume to provide some details about your previous jobs, education, skills, etc. as you would in the UK/USA. You probably know already, but just in case you have forgotten it: a cv/resume should preferably be no longer than two pages.
Of course, you have to write this cv/resume in German or get it translated. Bear in mind that an Austrian employer might not at all be familiar with the situation in the UK/USA, so you might have to provide a few explanations, for example about job titles or your college/university degree. I would suggest that you write down job titles as they were and then provide a German explanation for them.
Here in Austria employers usually expect a degree to relate in some way to at least the first job people take, i.e. if you want a job in marketing, you should preferably have a degree in business economics or something similar. I know that this rule does not at all apply in other countries – in the UK I have known marketing experts with a degree in geology or archaeology! Believe me: even with an honours degree in geology from a top university you would find it difficult to find a first job in marketing in Austria! So if you have a somewhat ‘odd’ degree (in relation to your current job or the job you are looking for) and haven’t been working long enough (at least five years) to make people consider this irrelevant, you should explain that the situation is different in the country you come from and provide some very good reasons for a potential employer to still consider you for a job which has nothing to do with your degree.
The rule of thumb says that in your cv/resume, you should provide most details about your most current job (maybe four or five bullet points) and that jobs you held a long time ago can be dealt with briefly. You may want to change this scheme slightly if in the (not too far away) past you held a job which involved the same skills, knowledge and abilities which the job requires you want to apply for. (In case you are invited for an interview, you should then be able to provide a very good explanation why you quit that particular job, given that you now want to return to something similar.)
Purists say that you should redesign your cv/resume for every new application, I don’t think this is really necessary. You might want to change the emphasis and highlight different points, but a well designed cv/resume should serve for more than one application. It is always useful if you don’t just provide information about your tasks in a particular job, but also about your accomplishments (how much profit did you generate? how much money did you help the company to save? how did you improve/speed up processes? how did you contribute to more customer satisfaction etc.).
Obviously your work experience is of most interest to a potential new employer, but depending on the job in question, you might also want to list skills and knowledge you acquired which are not necessarily related to previous jobs: language skills are obviously useful, also IT knowledge (which software packages can you use? are you familiar with IBM compatibles and/or Apple PCs? can you do online searches? etc.), the ability to touch type, a driving licence, etc.
Should you list hobbies and/or voluntary work you are/were involved in? To be honest, I do not dare to make a recommendation, because opinions differ. My suggestion would be: use your common sense. Listing a dozen hobbies might make a potential employer wonder how you find time for work. Since sports are usually associated with health and fitness, any sporty activity of yours might be worth mentioning, provided it is not too risky and dangerous (unless you apply for a job at Ferrari, don’t mention motor racing as your hobby!). Voluntary work might indicate your social competence and involvement.
What about memberships? If relevant, mention them. If you apply for a job in market research, it does look good if you are a full member of the market research society. Something prestigious like Lions or Rotary Club might also be worth mentioning – but please do not take it for granted that everyone knows what they are! This is even more true for any foreign clubs and organisations: In the USA, it is certainly worth mentioning your membership of Phi Beta Kappa, here, hardly anyone will know what this means.
A special word to all you females: I hate to say it, but there are still a large number of people in this country who believe that women should stay home, look after their household, hubby and raise the kids. You won’t gain anything if you alienate these people by stressing your membership in three women’s associations! (The boss and 90% of the people in the accounts department where you want to work might be female and true believers in male/female equality, but that boss might never get to see your cv/resume if the person who happens to be the HRM, bins it because he feels that the job should go to “a man who has a family to support”.

Applications in the UK/USA

If you read what I wrote above about the applications in Austria/Germany, you probably already grasped a few points about applications elsewhere. The main difference in the UK/USA is the fact that you do not submit any Arbeitszeugnisse ( but you provide the names of people who are willing to give a reference, be it in writing or on the phone) and that you have to provide a detailed cv/resume (preferably on no more than 2 pages) to make it clear what you have been doing thus far. This probably means that your standard cv (Americans call it resume) needs to be beefed up. Don’t just provide the name of the company you work(ed) for, your job title (with an adequate explanation for it in English) and the duration of the employment, explain your main tasks and achievements in a few bullet points. You can certainly use your Arbeitszeugnisse as a basis, but make your bullet points snappy and meaningful (e.g. ‘reorganised order processing, thus saving the company $ 15.000 per year’; ‘introduced a new warehouse system, speeding up deliveries by half a day’, etc.). Of course you have to submit your cv/resume as well as your cover letter in English!
The rule of thumb says that in your cv/resume, you should provide most details about your most current job (maybe four or five bullet points) and that jobs you held a long time ago can be dealt with briefly. You may want to change this scheme slightly if in the (not too far away) past you held a job which involved the same skills, knowledge and abilities which the job requires you want to apply for. (In case you are invited for an interview, you should then be able to provide a very good explanation why you quit that particular job, given that you now want to return to something similar.)
Purists say that you should redesign your cv/resume for every new application, I don’t think this is really necessary. You might want to change the emphasis and highlight different points, but a well designed cv/resume should serve for more than one application. It is necessary that you don’t just provide information about your tasks in a particular job, but also about your accomplishments (how much profit did you generate? how much money did you help the company to save? how did you improve/speed up processes? how did you contribute to more customer satisfaction? etc.).
Obviously your work experience is of most interest to a potential new employer, but depending on the job in question, you might also want to list skills and knowledge you acquired which are not necessarily related to previous jobs: language skills are obviously useful, also IT knowledge (which software packages can you use? are you familiar with IBM compatibles and/or Apple PCs? can you do online searches? etc.), the ability to touch type, a driving licence, etc.
Should you list hobbies and/or voluntary work you are/were involved in? There is no hard and fast rule, but my experience seems to indicate that most British/American cvs/resumes do not list hobbies, although they might mention voluntary work, especially if this helps to underline the applicant’s social and/or organisational skills.
What about memberships? If relevant, mention them. If you apply for a job in market research, it does look good if you are a full member of the market research society. Something prestigious like Lions or Rotary Club might also be worth mentioning – but please do not take it for granted that everyone knows what they are! This is even more true for any clubs and organisations you belonged to in your home country: to foreigners, they might be meaningless; if you cannot explain in few words what they are (and why membership might qualify you better for the job you apply to), don’t write them down.
In all likelihood, your potential new employer will ask for references. This means a list of people who are willing and able to say something meaningful (and, from your point of view, positive) about you. Obviously, from the employer’s point of view, former bosses make ideal candidates for this list. Quite frequently, potential employers also ask for someone at a more personal level who could/would be willing to say something about you as a person, your character, etc. Even if you do not include a list of references with your cv/resume and application letter, you should be prepared to provide it at short notice. So think carefully about it: who would be a suitable candidate? Who knows you well enough and would be willing to say something positive about you? Who is fluent enough in English to do that without embarrassing anyone? Talk to the people you want to use and make sure that they are willing to co-operate!

Regardless where you want to apply

Of course you need a cover letter (one page, no longer) and that has to be a sales pitch. Styles differ, but one word to US-Americans: blowing one’s own trumpet is a must in the USA, but Europeans are frequently put off by Americans being – in the opinion of these Europeans – loudmouthed, over-assertive, and pushy. Don’t say that you are the best marketing assistant who ever worked in the xwz-industry and therefore the only possible choice for the vacancy to be filled – making it clear that you are a really good marketing assistant keen on getting even better is more convincing. On the other hand: if you are a European applying for a job in the USA, you might want to paint your achievements in somewhat more glowing colours than you usually would do.
There is one mistake most people make in their cover letters and I want to explain it by quoting a German proverb: ‘Der Esel nennt sich immer zuerst’ (only an ass mentions himself first). How does a standard cover letter start: I want to apply … because I read …. and I think … that my aspirations ….
Dear friends, an HRM is there to find the right applicant to satisfy the needs of a certain department in his/her company, this is what he/she gets paid for. What you want is second rate. So you should make it clear that you have understood a) this principle and b) the needs of the company and that you c) meet these needs. How about: ‘Dear ….. you are looking for a highly qualified salesperson with stamina and experience in the xwz-industry to develop the market in Slovenia; given my ten years in sales with ……. and fluent Slovenian, I am confident to meet your requirements and believe that ……… This may look like nothing grand, but it is a far better approach then the first one I mentioned above: you address the person directly (the other person matters), you (by picking buzzwords from the job ad) make it clear that you exactly understand what the company is looking for (no, this does not go without saying) and you indicate that you could satisfy the company’s needs. This is what matters. When you get a job interview, you can start talking about your needs, wishes, demands. But first you need to get a foot in the door.
One last word: Don’t lie in your application! Don’t belittle yourself (women are particularly bad in that sense and frequently put their candle under a bushel although Jesus said clearly that it should be set on a candlestick) but don’t exaggerate either (sometimes men tend to be a bit too boastful). It happened more than 15 years ago, but I still remember one very embarrassing moment in a job interview: My boss (in London that was) had called me in to test the ‘fluent’ German of an applicant. Now I can be a nice person, and I know that job interviews are stressful, so I spoke very slowly and asked what I considered a simple question: I got no reply. I tried a few more sentences but the candidate remained mute and did not say a single word in German. This was not the only reason why he was not considered for the job after this interview, but it certainly undermined his credibility. So if you make any claims in your applications, you should be able to live up to them.
And before I forget: never ever send any originals you do not want to lose! Only send copies – whoever wants to see the originals should invite you to a job interview!
To give all you expats an idea of what a suitable cv/resume might look like if you want to apply for a job in Austria, I have been asking some friends for help. The attached (anonymized) cv was actually developed with the help of a career counsellor – so you might well use it at as blueprint for your own one. If you cannot provide any written references for the jobs you held, you might want to provide some more detailed information.

Article Author: Brigitte Hilgner

Brigitte Hilgner is a native German who lived a long time in London and moved to Vienna a few years ago. She works as a translator and has a keen interest in languages and the associated cultures. Writing has always been a major part of her professional life, first as a market researcher and then as a translator, and it has turned into a hobby, too. Brigitte mainly turns her pen to observations of everyday life, but also to history (she is studying for an M.A.), culture, art and language. For reprints and usage permission of her articles and she can be contacted at brigitte.hilgner@aon.at