German CV Date Format: How to Write Dates (2026)

It looks like the smallest detail on the whole page. Is it 03/2021, March 2021, 3.2021 or 2021? Yet in a German CV the dates are the spine: the layout is a table, the dates run down the left side, and a reader's eye follows them from top to bottom looking for gaps and jumps. A messy date column makes the whole document look careless, and that's a shame if the content is strong.

Here's the honest picture. German sources agree on the big idea (month and year, newest first, one consistent style) and differ on small things such as how to write "present," whether to sign and date the CV, and even whether to use numbers or month names. We show each source below so you can see where they match, and we label what is just our suggestion.

What German sources say about CV dates

So the shared ground is month and year. The slash version (mm/yyyy) appears in three of the sources, so it's the safest default. Two details are worth a flag. Flensburg's numeric example uses two-digit years (05/01 to 04/04), which we'd avoid because it's easy to misread. And Princeton's dot style (9.2011) is a perfectly German habit, but it isn't the format the German universities themselves use in their examples.

Our suggestion: one format that works everywhere

• Write mm/yyyy – mm/yyyy with an en dash. This follows the Hohenheim and LMU examples. It also sidesteps the day-month trap: 03/04/2021 could be 3 April or 4 March, but 03/2021 has only one reading. (That reasoning is ours, not a source's.)
• Use "to date" in an English CV and "heute" or "seit" in a German one for a role you still hold. Hohenheim uses "to date"; Princeton uses "heute."
• Use a single date for one-off items, like a certificate (08/2022), and just the year for awards, as Hohenheim shows.
• Keep full dates for personal data only. Hohenheim's sample shows the birth date as DD.MM.YYYY, the German day-first order, while every other date is mm/yyyy.

How to lay out the dates

The layout matters as much as the format. Make it in Germany says the CV typically has the format of a table, and IHK Pfalz, TU Ilmenau and Flensburg all describe dates on the left with the details on the right.

Here is a template you can paste into Word or Google Docs. Use a two-column table with no visible borders, dates in the narrow left column.

And a filled version of the same idea, with a made-up applicant:

If you're still studying, say so instead of leaving a blank. Hohenheim suggests marking studies as ongoing or giving an expected graduation date, and IHK Pfalz says to give the expected completion date for unfinished school. For example: "10/2024 – expected 09/2027."

Order: newest first, with one catch

Make it in Germany, Hohenheim, TU Ilmenau and IHK Pfalz all describe the most recent entry first. IHK Pfalz explains why: it is quicker to scan. The same page also says the opposite order (most recent last) is acceptable, so you'll sometimes see older German CVs that way. For an application to a German employer today, newest first is the safer choice, and it's what the other sources show.

What about gaps in the dates?

This is where the date column gets personal. Sources differ in tone, so here's what each says:

• Flensburg: the timeline should have no breaks; every period from your education and work history should be accounted for.
• IHK Pfalz: briefly state the reason for a gap, and keep everything accurate, since false information can cause trouble later, up to dismissal.
• Karrierebibel (a commercial German career-advice site, so treat it as opinion): fill and explain gaps, since blank spaces invite suspicion. It calls breaks of more than about two months notable and sees them as critical from roughly three to four months.
• Hohenheim: old or short-lived part-time jobs that aren't study-related can be left out, so you don't have to list every small job.

A line like "03/2023 – 08/2023  |  Career break: caring for a family member" is better than a silent hole. (The wording is our example.) Be truthful, keep it to one short line, and be ready to explain it in an interview.

Date mistakes to avoid

• Mixing formats. 03/2021 on one line and "Mar 2021" on the next. Every source above asks for consistency.
• Years only. IHK says month and year is usually enough, and years alone hide gaps and short stints. Save years-only for awards.
• Missing end dates. Write "to date" or "heute" for a current role. A dangling start date looks like a typo.
• Using US month/day order. A full date in a German CV is day first: DD.MM.YYYY.
• Putting dates on the right. The German layout puts them in the left column.
• Wrong signature date. If you sign the CV (see below), the date should be current.

The date at the bottom: do you sign and date the CV?

Sources disagree, so it depends on who you're applying to. LMU, TU Ilmenau, IHK Pfalz and Flensburg all say to sign the CV and add a date at the end (Flensburg adds the place, and IHK says the date must be current). Hohenheim says a signature is not needed, and that date and place are unnecessary on the CV. LMU's separate advice for international applications doesn't mention a signature at all. If the employer is traditional or the ad shows the German format, adding a short line like "Berlin, 30.10.2026" plus a signature is the safer route. If the ad asks for a modern one-page CV, follow its lead. The day-first format for this date is our suggestion, matching the German convention.

Related guides

Dates are one piece of the layout. For the rest, see our guide to the German CV photo, the Europass CV format and the resume format by country hub.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• University of Hohenheim Career Center: CV checklist and structure
• LMU Munich Career Service: Application tips for students
• IHK Pfalz: Tipps zum Lebenslauf
• TU Ilmenau: CV checklist (2025)
• Europa-Universität Flensburg Career Center: Checklist for your CV
• Princeton German Department: How to write a German CV
• Make it in Germany: Applying for a job
• Karrierebibel: Lücken im Lebenslauf (commercial career-advice site)