Why a generic prompt can go wrong
If you ask an AI tool to "improve" your CV, you may get marketing language and a personal summary. German CVs tend to be factual and chronological, so brief the tool for that.
What to ask for
- Replace subjective claims such as "passionate" and "dynamic" with facts you can back up.
- Flag missing dates, or a degree without its full name.
- Compare your skills with the words used in a specific job description.
What to keep private
Before you paste anything, remove your address, phone number and date of birth. You do not need to share them with an AI service to improve your wording.
A simple way to work
- Paste your CV, without personal details, and ask for a review of length, keywords and date format.
- Add a job description and ask the tool to compare it with your experience.
- Apply only the edits you agree with, and skip anything that misrepresents you.
- Add your personal details back before you apply.
German CV conventions the tool should respect
- Reverse chronological order: most recent first, with month and year for each role. Be ready to explain longer gaps.
- Contact details at the top: name, phone, email and city are enough to start with.
- Education: degree name, institution and dates. Add your final grade if it helps you. On the German scale, 1.0 is the best grade.
- Photo: optional. See our guide to CV photos.
Mistakes to check for
- Invented results: AI tools can make up figures such as "increased revenue by 40%". Check every number, because you will have to defend it in an interview.
- Changed job titles: keep your real title. You can add a German equivalent if it helps.
- Added summaries: delete a personal statement unless you want one.
- Flashy layouts: a plain, structured layout is the safer choice.