Get Active in Our Amazing Community of Over 464,000 Peers!

Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Case Partners to connect and practice with!
Meeting Board
Consulting Q&A
Case Partner
Premium Membership

English CV in Germany

Consulting Resume CV CV screening Lebenslauf
New answer on Oct 30, 2020
6 Answers
1.5 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Aug 23, 2020

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding the application for consulting in Germany exclusively.

I polished up my CV with a lot of tips I found in the forum as well as specific sites, like "igotanoffer.com" and so on. I am quite satisfied with the result and also received a good amount of invitations for interviews from 2 MBBs, some Tier 2s, and others.
However, two Big4s and some consultancies I was really interested in gave me an instant rejection.

So I am wondering, do you think it might be a problem that my CV and cover letter are in English although I am applying in Germany?

I am German and would have no problem with writing a cover letter/ Anschreiben in German, but I just really like an English CV so much better than the classic German CV, which is my I write my cover letter in English also for consistency.

Any thoughts or experiences? Would you recommend sticking always with the German language when the job description is in German?

Best regards

(edited)

I want to be notified about updates regarding this question via email

Overview of answers

Upvotes
  • Upvotes
  • Date ascending
  • Date descending
Best answer
Sidi
Expert
 replied on Aug 23, 2020
McKinsey Senior EM & BCG Consultant | Interviewer at McK & BCG for 7 years | Coached 350+ candidates secure MBB offers

Hi,

language should not be a problem. An MBB profile is fundamentally different from a Big 4 profile, so to me it makes sense that they did not invite you if you were successful in MBB. It would just be a waste of resources for Big4 to invite MBB-type candidates, since these candidates would usually appeal to a wide array of strategy/boutique firms which will offer much more attractive terms to the candidate. I for example also was rejected from all small consulting firm I applied to, but every large strategy firm invited me. I did not understand it at the time, but later on I became aware of the reasons.

Moreover, in the current situations, many firms have capped their intake, and this is highly individual and changes from month to month at the moment.

Cheers, Sidi

Was this answer helpful?
10
Book a coaching
Clara
Expert
Content Creator
 replied on Aug 24, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

I don´t think it´s an issue with the language. Could be either of how attractive it looks (since the bar is very high in these companies) or that the channel is not the good one.

Do you have contacts in any of them who can refer?

Cheers,

Clara

Was this answer helpful?
6
Book a coaching
Ian
Expert
Content Creator
 replied on Aug 23, 2020
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Honestly, knowing the German workplace culture, I think this could be a reason you were dinged. Especially considering the job description was in German, you should have submitted a German CV.

Furthermore, you should have checked beforehand! Either through their website where they may have provided guidance, or with HR. It doesn't hurt to check as every firm is different!

Was this answer helpful?
6
Book a coaching
Anonymous replied on Aug 23, 2020

Dear A,

If you are applying to these firm in different countries than it's ok to have CV and Cover letter in English. If it's only Germany offices, then I would recommend you to make it in German.

Best,
​André

Was this answer helpful?
6
Antonello
Expert
Content Creator
 replied on Aug 31, 2020
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi, I confirm it is not a problem to submit an application with CV and CL in English

Best,
Antonello

Was this answer helpful?
2
Book a coaching
Gaurav
Expert
Content Creator
 replied on Oct 30, 2020
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360° coach(Ex-McKinsey+Certified Coach+Active recruiter)

Hi there,

As you are the German speaker it is only a plus if your CV is in English.

It seems that they rejected you not because of the language of your CL and CV. But if the job description was in German, then you had to put German CV and CL.

All the best,

GB

Was this answer helpful?
0
Book a coaching

Related Articles

Consulting Resume

Free CV Templates & Tips

CV Interview Questions

How to Answer Based on Your Resume

The best way to ace your resume for a career in consulting.

Get to know the best advices

Related Cases

Expert case by Francesco

BCG 1st Round Case – Water Flows [NEW]

Style:
Candidate-led (usual style)
Topics:
Growth strategy, Market analysis, Valuation Growth strategy, Market analysis
Rating:
4.3
Our client is a German-owned water provider company based in the southwest of the United States. As the biggest water provider in the region, they serve the majority of the southwest region.Profit growth has slowed down considerably in recent years, and the company is finding it difficult to co ... Our client is a German-owned water provider company based in the southwest of the United States. As the biggest water provider in the region, they serve the majority of the southwest re ... (Open whole case)
7.9k
Times solved
4.3
< 100 Ratings
Intermediate
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco

Bain 1st Round Case – AirService [NEW]

Style:
Candidate-led (usual style)
Topics:
Operations strategy, Profitability analysis Operations strategy, Profitability analysis
Rating:
5.0
Our client today is AirService – a service provider for a number of airlines and airports. Their management recently realized a decrease in profits that is linked to increasing costs.Accordingly, they have engaged our firm to help address this issue. How would you approach this problem? Our client today is AirService – a service provider for a number of airlines and airports. Their management recently realized a decrease in profits that is linked to increasing costs.Accordingly, they have engaged our firm to help address this issue. How would you approach this problem? (Open whole case)
7.8k
Times solved
5.0
< 100 Ratings
Intermediate
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco

MBB 1st Round Case - Hazella Light

Style:
Candidate-led (usual style)
Topics:
Growth strategy, Market analysis, Market sizing, New product, Pricing, Profitability analysis, Sustainability Growth strategy, Market analysis
Rating:
5.0
Our client is an Italian multinational manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products. One of their most popular products is Hazella, a hazelnut spread.Despite its worldwide popularity, Hazella is considered to be high in calories by some customers. For this reason, our client has deve ... Our client is an Italian multinational manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products. One of their most popular products is Hazella, a hazelnut spread.Despite its worldwide po ... (Open whole case)
5.0k
Times solved
5.0
< 100 Ratings
Advanced
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco

McKinsey 1st Round Case - Party Burger

Style:
Interviewer-led (McKinsey style)
Topics:
Capacity change, Growth strategy, Operations strategy, Profitability analysis Capacity change, Growth strategy
Rating:
4.5
Our client is Party Burger, a restaurant chain in the US serving premium burgers and salads for lunch. They rely on the quality of their products to attract customers, and they are usually fully booked. However, reviews have pointed out that the service offered could be improved. Our client is conce ... Our client is Party Burger, a restaurant chain in the US serving premium burgers and salads for lunch. They rely on the quality of their products to attract customers, and they are usually f ... (Open whole case)
4.9k
Times solved
4.5
< 100 Ratings
Intermediate
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco

BCG Final Round Case - Sugar to Indonesia

Style:
Candidate-led (usual style)
Topics:
Competitive response, Growth strategy, Market analysis, Operations strategy Competitive response, Growth strategy
Rating:
4.0
Our client is an Indian sugar producer exporting solely to Indonesia. Indonesia imports 5m tons of raw sugar per year.To make raw sugar, our client processes sugarcane at a cost of $25 per ton and they have a capacity of 1.5m tons per year. The only competitor that has lower production costs is from ... Our client is an Indian sugar producer exporting solely to Indonesia. Indonesia imports 5m tons of raw sugar per year.To make raw sugar, our client processes sugarcane at a cost of $25 per t ... (Open whole case)
3.0k
Times solved
4.0
< 100 Ratings
Advanced
Difficulty

Similar Questions

Bcg first round

2 answers

Resume Suggestion/ Application Tips

3 answers

I thought I had a great CV as I have a breath of experience, however I just got rejected by mckinsey without interview. I am set to apply for bain's deadline on the 26th however unsure what's wrong with it?

7 answers
Sidi gave the best answer
Show information

Sidi

McKinsey Senior EM & BCG Consultant | Interviewer at McK & BCG for 7 years | Coached 350+ candidates secure MBB offers
429
Meetings
6,379
Q&A Upvotes
78
Awards
5.0
134 Reviews
Book a coaching
Visit the profile of Sidi

Related Articles

Consulting Resume

Free CV Templates & Tips

CV Interview Questions

How to Answer Based on Your Resume

The best way to ace your resume for a career in consulting.

Get to know the best advices

Similar Questions

Bcg first round

2 answers

Resume Suggestion/ Application Tips

3 answers

I thought I had a great CV as I have a breath of experience, however I just got rejected by mckinsey without interview. I am set to apply for bain's deadline on the 26th however unsure what's wrong with it?

7 answers
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or fellow student?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 = Not likely
10 = Very likely
Submit feedback
You are a true consultant! Thank you for consulting us on how to make PrepLounge even better!
Close Close and keep on prepping
Cookie and Privacy Settings
This website uses cookies to enable essential functions like the user login and sessions. ... (Read more) We also use cookies and third-party tools to improve your surfing experience on preplounge.com. You can choose to activate only essential cookies or all cookies. You can always change your preference in the cookie and privacy settings. This link can also be found in the footer of the site. If you need more information, please visit our privacy policy.
Data processing in the USA: By clicking on "I accept", you also consent, in accordance with article 49 paragraph 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR, to your data being processed in the USA. The USA is not considered to have adequate data protection legislation. If you need more information please view the individual settings.
Questions or Feedback?
Select category
  • Select category
  • Case Interview Preparation
  • Coaching
  • Technical Problems
  • Other
Your name
Your email address
Cancel