German Cover Letter (Anschreiben): Structure and an Example
German cover letter guide: what an Anschreiben is, when employers expect one, the one-page structure, an annotated example in English and common mistakes.
A German cover letter (Anschreiben) is a one-page letter that sits in front of your CV and tells one employer why you fit one job. It has a header with your contact details and the company's, a date, a subject line, a salutation, three or four short paragraphs and a signature. German recruiters read it to check two things fast: whether you understood the job, and whether you can write. Below is the structure, an annotated example in English, and the mistakes I correct most often.
I have coached more than 2,000 adults in Germany's publicly funded integration programmes since 2022, and the application block of that curriculum, CV, cover letter and the application folder, is where most people lose the most time. The rules here follow the Federal Employment Agency's application guides and Make it in Germany; the example and the judgement calls are mine.
When a German cover letter is still expected
The Federal Employment Agency describes the usual application as three parts: cover letter, CV and references, sent as one PDF by email or through the company's careers portal. Printed folders by post are rare now. Startups and some large companies have dropped the letter and ask for a CV only; the job ad tells you which. Three rules:
- The ad lists an Anschreiben or "vollständige Bewerbungsunterlagen" (complete documents): write it.
- The ad says CV only: do not add one, but put two sentences of fit into the email or the portal's free-text field.
- The ad is silent: write it. A good letter never hurt an application; a missing one has.
Write it in the language of the ad. For the CV side of the same application, see my guide to the German CV format.
The one-page structure
| Block | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Header | Your name, address, phone, email; the company's name, the contact person and address; place and date |
| Subject line | "Application for [job title], reference [number], [job portal or date of the ad]"; in German "Bewerbung als ..." |
| Salutation | "Sehr geehrte Frau Müller," or "Dear Ms Müller,"; a named person whenever the ad gives one |
| Opener | One or two sentences: the job, where you saw it, and the one reason you are the fit |
| Proof paragraph 1 | Your most relevant experience, with one result in numbers or facts |
| Proof paragraph 2 | A second skill or situation the ad asks for, shown with an example |
| Close | Start date, notice period if you are employed, salary expectation only if asked, and a request for an interview |
| Sign-off | "Mit freundlichen Grüßen" or "Kind regards", your name, a signature on a printed or PDF letter |
The Federal Employment Agency's writing advice fits in one line: active sentences, no "würde" and "könnte" (would and could), and a new letter for each job.
What German recruiters read first
In order: the subject line, to file you against the right job; the first sentence, to see whether you wrote this letter for them; the proof paragraphs, scanning for the words from their own ad; and the close, for your start date. A letter that opens with "I am writing to apply for" has spent its first sentence on nothing. A letter that repeats the CV has wasted the page. The letter's job is to connect three or four facts from the CV to three or four lines from the ad.
An annotated German cover letter example in English
Here is a letter for an English-language ad for a customer support team lead at a software company in Berlin. Comments in brackets explain each choice.
Subject: Application for Customer Support Team Lead, ref. 2026-114, LinkedIn
Dear Ms Weber,
Your ad asks for someone who can bring a support team of eight from email tickets to a chat-first setup. I led exactly that change at a logistics software company in Vilnius in 2024, and I would like to do it again with your team.
Why it works: One sentence names the ad's main requirement, one sentence names the matching experience. No "I am writing to".
In Vilnius I managed a team of six agents for three years. In 2024 we moved 70% of incoming volume to live chat within five months, and the median first response time fell from four hours to twelve minutes. I ran the rollout: tool selection, agent training, the new shift plan and the weekly review with product.
Why it works: The first proof paragraph gives the result in numbers the recruiter can picture, and lists the pieces of work behind it, in the order they would ask about them.
Your ad also lists German at B2 for internal communication. I passed the Goethe B2 exam in March 2026 and use German daily with suppliers. English is my working language, and my team in Vilnius worked in English, Lithuanian and Russian.
Why it works: The second proof paragraph answers the requirement candidates most often ignore: the language line. A date and a certificate beat "good German".
I can start on 1 February 2027; my current notice period is three months. I look forward to an interview.
Kind regards, Jonas Petrauskas
Why it works: The close gives the start date and the notice period, because German HR plans around both. No salary, because the ad did not ask. No "I would be delighted".
The whole letter runs under 250 words. If the ad had asked for a Gehaltsvorstellung, one line before the sign-off would do: "My salary expectation is 58,000 euros gross per year."
Mistakes I correct most often
- The same letter for every job. Recruiters can tell. Change the opener and both proof paragraphs each time.
- Retelling the CV. The CV lists; the letter connects. Pick three facts and tie each to a line in the ad.
- Conditional verbs. "I would be able to contribute" says nothing. "I led", "I built", "I reduced" say something.
- No named person. When the ad gives a name, use it. When it does not, "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren" is correct and plain.
- English for a German ad. Match the language. If your German is not at the level the job needs, that is useful information too; my guide to jobs in Germany for English speakers shows where English is enough.
- No start date. German HR asks for it in the first call anyway. Put it in the close.
- Unproofread German. One article error in the first line costs more than a weaker CV. Have a native speaker read it.
From letter to interview
The letter earns the call; the interview wins the job. Once the invitation arrives, my post on the job interview in Germany lists the questions German hiring managers ask and how to answer them. If your application is going out to German companies now and you want a second pair of eyes on the letter and the CV, that is part of my career coaching, in English, German, Lithuanian or Russian. Book a call and bring the job ad and your draft.
Questions and answers
Is a cover letter still required in Germany?
Often, yes. The Federal Employment Agency lists the cover letter, the CV and your references as the usual set, sent as one PDF by email or through a careers portal. Some companies and most startups skip it; the job ad tells you. When the ad lists the Anschreiben, write it.
How long should a German cover letter be?
One A4 page. That is the Federal Employment Agency's advice, and in my experience recruiters stop reading after the first page anyway. Four short paragraphs under a header, subject line and salutation fit comfortably.
Can I write the Anschreiben in English?
If the job ad is in English, yes. If the ad is in German, the company expects a German letter, and a letter in English signals that you cannot work in the language. Match the language of the ad, and have a native speaker proofread a German letter.
Should I mention salary in a German cover letter?
Only when the ad asks for it, which German ads often do with the word Gehaltsvorstellung. Then give a gross annual figure in the closing paragraph. If the ad does not ask, leave it out.
What is the difference between an Anschreiben and a Motivationsschreiben?
The Anschreiben is the one-page letter attached to a job application. A Motivationsschreiben is a longer, freer text that universities and some scholarship or trainee programmes request. For a job, you write the Anschreiben.
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