The Lebenslauf (CV) is the heart of your Swiss application dossier and the document a recruiter skims in seconds. A Swiss CV follows its own conventions that differ from the German ones: a photo is customary, details such as nationality and work permit belong in it, and language skills are often decisive. In this guide I show you, as the founder of Careerkit and a career coach in Zurich, how a CV is structured to Swiss standards, which sections belong in it, and what a template looks like that you can use right away.
What belongs in a Swiss Lebenslauf?
A Swiss CV is tabular, clearly structured, and usually two to three pages long. It lists your stations in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. The overview below shows the usual sections and their order.
Unlike in the US or the UK, where a photo is frowned upon, in Switzerland a professional application photo and some personal details belong in the CV. The University of Zurich Career Services describe this structure as the standard for the local job market.
Personal details and application photo
The head of the CV contains your contact details and some personal information that is customary in Switzerland. Keep this block short and factual; it serves for orientation, not self-presentation.
Which personal details belong in it
State your full name, address, phone number, and a serious email address, plus date of birth and nationality. If you do not hold Swiss citizenship, state your work permit, such as permit B, C, or L, because that is important information for employers. Details like marital status or children are optional and increasingly left out. A signature is not needed in a Swiss CV, unlike in Germany.
The application photo
The application photo is customary in Switzerland and should look professional: current, high quality, with a neutral background and a friendly, serious expression. A selfie or a holiday photo looks immediately out of place. Place the photo at the top right of the header. If you are unsure, invest once in a professional portrait that you can use for several applications.
