One CV, Six Countries: What Changes Between the UK, Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain and Portugal
Applying across Europe with a single English CV quietly costs you interviews. The differences are small, specific, and easy to get right once you know them.
A CV that works perfectly in London can read as incomplete in Zurich, presumptuous in Munich, and overlong in Paris. Nothing about your experience changed — only a set of local conventions that nobody writes down, because inside each country everybody already knows them.
If you're applying across European markets, these conventions are among the cheapest wins available. Here's what actually differs, country by country, and what stays the same everywhere.
The quick comparison
| UK / IE | Switzerland | Germany / Austria | France | Spain | Portugal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photo | No | Usually yes | Usually yes | Common, optional | Common | Common |
| Length | 2 pages | 2 pages + dossier | 1–2 pages | 1 page (2 if senior) | 1–2 pages | 1–2 pages |
| Date of birth | No | Common | Common | Common | Common | Common |
| Nationality / permit | No | Yes — expected | Sometimes | Sometimes | Sometimes | Sometimes |
| Cover letter | Often expected | Expected | Expected | Expected | Common | Common |
| Reference letters attached | No | Yes — central | Yes (Zeugnisse) | No | No | No |
| What it's called | CV / Résumé | CV / Dossier | Lebenslauf | CV | Currículum Vítae | Currículo / CV |
One caveat before the details
These are conventions, not laws, and they're shifting — larger international employers in every one of these countries increasingly run anonymised, UK/US-style processes. The rule of thumb: match the convention of the country where the *hiring team* sits, and when a posting states its own requirements, those always win.
United Kingdom & Ireland
The most stripped-down convention in Europe, and the one most influenced by anti-discrimination practice. Personal information that's routine on the continent is actively unwelcome here.
- No photo, no date of birth, no marital status, no nationality. Many employers will strip these or ask you to resubmit.
- Two pages is standard, one for early-career. Not one page — that's the US convention and it reads as thin here.
- "References available on request" is dead. Assumed. Don't spend the line.
- City and country only for your address; the full postal address is unnecessary.
- A short personal statement at the top is normal; a formal "Objective" section is dated.
Switzerland
The most demanding of the six, because the CV is only one component. Swiss employers expect a complete dossier — and an application missing pieces reads as careless rather than concise.
The dossier, not just the CV
CV, cover letter, and scanned copies of your work certificates (Arbeitszeugnisse / certificats de travail) and diplomas — often as one merged PDF. This is the single biggest difference from UK practice.
Nationality and permit status
State them. "Swiss citizen", "EU national — B permit", "C permit holder". Employers need to know whether hiring you involves a permit process, and omitting it creates doubt rather than neutrality.
Language region matters
Apply in the language of the posting. Zurich and Basel: German. Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchâtel: French. Ticino: Italian. International employers in all regions often recruit in English — follow the ad.
Photo is customary
A professional headshot is standard practice as part of the dossier.
About Arbeitszeugnisse
Swiss and German work certificates are written in a heavily coded register where mild-sounding phrasing carries specific meaning. If you have them, include them. If you're arriving from a country that doesn't issue them (the UK, the US), say so briefly rather than leaving an apparent omission — "Reference letters available; UK employers do not issue work certificates" closes the question.
Building the same CV in French, German, English or Italian shouldn't mean starting over. Our builder generates your CV in the language you need from the same underlying content.
Build a CV in your target languageGermany & Austria
Structured, thorough and conventional. The German Lebenslauf is expected to be complete and gap-free — unexplained holes in the timeline attract far more attention here than in the UK.
- Tabular, reverse-chronological, with clear date ranges (MM/YYYY). Complete: no unexplained gaps, and school-leaving qualification (Abitur or equivalent) usually included.
- A photo remains customary despite equal-treatment law (AGG) making it optional and some large employers moving to anonymous applications. When in doubt, include a professional one.
- The Anschreiben (cover letter) is genuinely expected and is read. It's a formal document, not a note.
- Attach your Zeugnisse — work references and diploma certificates — as a merged PDF, as in Switzerland.
- The traditional signature and date at the bottom of the Lebenslauf is declining but still seen; it never hurts.
Titles and formality
Academic titles carry real weight in German-speaking markets — if you hold a Dr., Dipl.-Ing. or equivalent, use it. And the formal register in the cover letter is not optional: "Sehr geehrte Frau …" and "Mit freundlichen Grüßen" are the expected frame, and English-style informality reads as sloppiness rather than warmth.
France
Concise and structured, with a strong preference for brevity. The French CV traditionally fits on one page unless you're genuinely senior, and the lettre de motivation carries real weight.
- One page for most candidates; two only with substantial senior experience.
- Photo is common and optional — neither including nor omitting it will cost you.
- Education is weighted heavily, and *where* you studied matters more than in the UK. Name the institution clearly; grandes écoles and recognised programmes carry specific signal.
- A short "Titre" at the top — essentially your target job title — is conventional and useful.
- Personal details (age, marital status, nationality) are commonly included, though increasingly optional.
Spain & Portugal
Broadly similar conventions, and both markets place real weight on languages — including which regional languages you speak.
- One to two pages, photo common, personal details (date of birth, nationality) commonly included.
- Languages are a headline section, not a footnote. In Spain, note Catalan, Basque or Galician where relevant; in Portugal, distinguish European and Brazilian Portuguese if it matters to the role.
- Use certified levels (CEFR A1–C2, or named certificates) rather than "fluent" and "basic", which are read differently by different people.
- Apply in the local language unless the posting is in English. A Spanish-language CV to a Spanish employer signals commitment to staying.
- In Spain, an identification number (DNI/NIE) is sometimes included; it's optional and safe to omit on a first application.
About Europass
The EU's Europass template is genuinely useful for public-sector, academic and EU-institution applications, and for having your qualifications understood across borders. In the private sector it's widely regarded as long, rigid and generic. Don't use it as your default private-sector CV unless a posting asks for it.
How to write the language levels
This is where multi-country applicants most often lose credibility, in both directions. "Fluent" means wildly different things to different people, and inflating a level is uniquely risky in Europe because the interview may simply switch language without warning.
| Level | What it actually means | Write it as |
|---|---|---|
| Native / near-native | You work in it without effort | "German — native" / "French — C2" |
| Professional working | You can run a meeting and write formally | "English — C1 (professional working proficiency)" |
| Conversational | Daily conversation, not complex negotiation | "Italian — B2" |
| Basic | Courtesy, simple exchanges | "Spanish — A2 (basic)" |
| Studied but unused | Don't claim a working level | Omit, or mark clearly as A1/A2 |
The safe rule
State the CEFR level and, if you have one, the certificate. Then be ready to have a five-minute conversation at that level on demand. Understating slightly costs almost nothing; overstating ends interviews in the first two minutes and is remembered.
What doesn't change anywhere
It's easy to over-focus on the local conventions and forget that they're the smaller part of the job. Everything below is universal across all six markets:
- Achievements with numbers beat lists of responsibilities
- The top third of page one decides whether the rest gets read
- Machine-readable structure — clean text, standard headings, real dates
- Tailoring to the specific posting rather than sending one document everywhere
- Honesty about dates, titles, qualifications and language levels
Local conventions get you read as a serious local candidate. Evidence gets you hired. You need both, in that order — but only one of them is hard.
The short version
- UK/Ireland: no photo, no personal details, two pages. Switzerland: full dossier with work certificates, plus permit status.
- Germany/Austria: complete gap-free Lebenslauf, photo customary, Anschreiben genuinely read, Zeugnisse attached.
- France: one page and a strong lettre de motivation. Spain/Portugal: languages as a headline section, local language preferred.
- Use CEFR levels for languages and never inflate them — the interview may switch language.
- Match the convention of the country where the hiring team sits; the posting's own instructions always win.
One profile, every market
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Frequently asked questions
Should I translate my CV or apply in English?
Apply in the language of the job posting. If the ad is in German, send a German CV — it signals both capability and intent to stay. Many international employers across Europe recruit in English even locally, and there the English CV is correct. When a company advertises in two languages, either is fine; match whichever one you're stronger in.
Do I need a photo on my CV in Europe?
It varies sharply by country. Customary in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; common but optional in France, Spain, Italy and Portugal; actively discouraged in the UK and Ireland. The practical answer is to maintain two versions — one with a photo, one without — and pick by market.
What is a Swiss application dossier?
A complete application package: CV, cover letter, and scanned copies of your work certificates (Arbeitszeugnisse / certificats de travail) and diplomas, usually merged into a single PDF. Submitting only a CV to a Swiss employer looks incomplete. If you come from a country that doesn't issue work certificates, say so in one line rather than leaving the gap unexplained.
How long should a CV be in Europe?
Two pages in the UK, Ireland, Switzerland and Germany; traditionally one page in France unless you're senior; one to two in Spain and Portugal. The US one-page convention doesn't apply in most of Europe and can make an experienced candidate look thin. Academic and research CVs are longer everywhere.
Is the Europass CV a good idea?
For public-sector, academic and EU-institution applications, yes — it's expected and it makes qualifications comparable across borders. For private-sector applications it's generally a poor choice: long, rigid, and visually identical to every other Europass CV in the pile. Use a normal CV unless the posting specifically asks for Europass.
How should I state my language levels?
Use the CEFR scale (A1–C2) and add a certificate where you have one. "Fluent" and "conversational" are interpreted very differently by different readers. Be conservative: overstating is uniquely risky in European hiring because interviewers frequently switch language without warning to check.