Covering letter
You may also want to write a covering letter to send with your Lebenslauf.
You can start your letter in a number of ways:
- Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren! – Dear Sir/Madam,
- Sehr geehrter Herr Hauser! – Dear Mr Hauser, (very formal)
- Sehr geehrte Frau Bauer! – Dear Ms Bauer, (very formal)
- Lieber Herr Weiss! – Dear Mr Weiss, (less formal, eg if you know the person already)
- Liebe Frau Schäfer! – Dear Mrs Schäfer, (less formal, eg if you know the person already)
And to end your letter, use the following phrases:
- Mit freundlichen Grüßen, – Yours faithfully/Yours sincerely,
- Mit freundlichem Gruß, – Yours faithfully/Yours sincerely,
Question
Take a look at this job advertisement and see whether you can write an appropriate letter to apply for it.
There's no one correct answer possible, but here's an example of a good covering letter that you could send with your CV when applying for a job.
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren!
Ich möchte mich um den Job an der Rezeption an Ihrem Hotel bewerben. Ich habe in einem Hotel in Berlin gearbeitet und ich habe viel dort gelernt.
Ich finde diese Arbeit sehr interessant und abwechslungsreich. Ich kann zu jeder Zeit arbeiten und ich bin sehr freundlich und höflich.
Ich lege meinen Lebenslauf bei und ich hoffe bald von Ihnen zu hören.
Vielen Dank im Voraus.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to apply for the job on the reception at your hotel. I worked in a hotel in Berlin and I learned a lot. I find this work very interesting and varied. I can work at any time and I am very friendly and polite.
I am including my CV and I hope to hear from you soon.
Many thanks in advance.
Yours faithfully,
Did you know?
All women in the German-speaking countries are known as Frau whether they or married or not. So Frau can be translated as Miss, Mrs or Ms.
The old-fashioned term for an unmarried woman was Fräulein, but this word is no longer used, as it has the literal meaning of a 'little woman', which many women find insulting.
Germans are generally more formal than British people. They prefer to address colleagues with a form of address like Herr or Frau with a surname than use first names in a work setting.
