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Country Guide Known as “Lebenslauf”

Austrian CV Format: How to Write an Austrian CV (2026)

Job seekers targeting Austria quickly learn that the Austrian CV format is its own craft. Getting the length, photo rule, date format, and section order right is what turns an average application into a professional one.

Length is a key signal in Austria: 1–2 pages; 2 pages is fully accepted for experienced professionals, 1 for graduates..

Austrian recruiters expect a complete, gap-free chronological record.. The photo rule is Expected in most applications. A professional headshot is traditional and widely expected in Austria, especially in German-speaking regions and for corporate roles..

It is not legally required, but most Austrian recruiters expect one.. Dates follow Day.Month.Year (DD.MM.YYYY, e.g. 05.03.2026) or written as “März 2026”. Month-year precision is acceptable for work experience.. These are the details recruiters notice first, so they anchor this guide.

Personal details follow a clear local standard: Name, phone (with +43 from abroad), professional email, full address, and often nationality and date of birth..

Never include your Sozialversicherungsnummer (Austrian social security number), bank details, religion, or political affiliation.. Section order matters too: Contact details → Personal profile or objective → Work experience (reverse-chronological, gap-free) → Education and training → Skills (technical + languages) → Certifications → References (“References available on request” is standard)..

Recent graduates may put Education before Work experience.. Each section below explains the reasoning behind the rule, not just the rule itself.

This guide covers the Austrian CV format end to end, with example content for software engineer at every career level. Use it to write a cv that passes the first screening.

Use This CV Example Build Your CV Free

Austrian CV Format at a Glance

Document type
CV: “CV” or Lebenslauf is the standard term in Austria. The tabular (tabularischer) CV format is the norm, closely following the German convention. Applications are made in German for most local roles and in English for tech and international companies.
Typical length
1–2 pages; 2 pages is fully accepted for experienced professionals, 1 for graduates. Austrian recruiters expect a complete, gap-free chronological record.
Photo
Expected in most applications. A professional headshot is traditional and widely expected in Austria, especially in German-speaking regions and for corporate roles. It is not legally required, but most Austrian recruiters expect one.
Date format
Day.Month.Year (DD.MM.YYYY, e.g. 05.03.2026) or written as “März 2026”. Month-year precision is acceptable for work experience.
Paper size
A4.
Personal details
Name, phone (with +43 from abroad), professional email, full address, and often nationality and date of birth. Never include your Sozialversicherungsnummer (Austrian social security number), bank details, religion, or political affiliation.
Section order
Contact details → Personal profile or objective → Work experience (reverse-chronological, gap-free) → Education and training → Skills (technical + languages) → Certifications → References (“References available on request” is standard). Recent graduates may put Education before Work experience.
ATS friendliness
Moderate; large Austrian companies (Erste Group, Raiffeisen, OMV, voestalpine, Red Bull, plus Google and Microsoft Vienna offices) screen with ATS. Keep a clean single-column layout with standard headings, export as PDF, and avoid tables and graphics.

Austrian CV Examples

Real Austrian CVs written to these conventions across three experience levels. Switch tabs to review each, then load it straight into the builder to make it your own.

A

Anna Huber

Software Engineer (Graduate)

Entry Level [email protected] Vienna, Austria

Professional Summary

Entry Level software engineer (graduate) with experience at Erste Group (Vienna) and Red Bull (Salzburg) in Vienna, Austria. Skilled in Kotlin, Java and Spring Boot, with a focus on reliability and clean architecture. Following the standard Austrian CV format.

Work Experience

Software Engineer (Graduate)
07/2025 – Present

Erste Group (Vienna) · Vienna, Austria

  • Ship customer-facing features in the payments using Kotlin, Java and Spring Boot, following team code review and CI/CD practice.
  • Reduced API response time by 22% by introducing response caching in a payments endpoint.
  • Fixed 40+ production issues across two quarters, maintaining a 99.9% service uptime record.
  • Pair with senior engineers on system design and observability, contributing to the team's on-call rota.
Software Engineering Intern
01/2025 – 06/2025

Red Bull (Salzburg) · Vienna, Austria

  • Built a reporting dashboard in React and Python that cut weekly report generation from 3 hours to 20 minutes.
  • Wrote 60+ unit and integration tests, raising feature coverage on the module to 92%.
  • Presented the project to 150+ staff at the local office; offer extended.

Education

BSc Computer Science
2021 – 2025

TU Wien · Vienna

Focused on computer science fundamentals, distributed systems, and software engineering.

Skills

TypeScript & JavaScript (Experienced) React & Node.js (Experienced) Python (Skillful) SQL (PostgreSQL) (Skillful) AWS (S3, Lambda) (Skillful) Git & CI/CD (GitHub Actions) (Experienced)

Certifications & Links

  • AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials
  • GitHub portfolio with 25+ public repositories
  • LinkedIn profile linked in the header
Use This Example

How to Write an Austrian CV: Step-by-Step

1

Open With Contact Details, Photo, and a Short Personal Profile

Start with your name, full address, phone (use +43 from abroad), a professional email address, and LinkedIn URL.

In Austria, include a professional headshot and, traditionally, your nationality and date of birth.

Never include your Sozialversicherungsnummer (Austrian social security number), bank details, religion, or political affiliation.

Follow with a 2–4 line personal profile:

who you are, your specialism, and what you bring.

Example

"Software Engineer with 4 years' experience building banking platforms in Vienna. Skilled in Java, Kotlin, and AWS, with a focus on reliability and regulatory compliance. Seeking a full-time role in an Austrian product or banking team."

Entry Level

Keep the profile to 2–3 lines: your degree, internships, and core languages.

Mid Level

Lead with years of experience, your stack, and the systems or products you have shipped.

Senior Level

Summarise scope: systems owned, team size led, architecture decisions, and business impact.

2

List Work Experience Reverse-Chronological With No Gaps

List roles most recent first with job title, company, city, and dates in DD.MM.YYYY or month-year format.

Write 3–5 achievement-led bullets per role;

"reduced payment processing latency by 35% by introducing caching" beats "responsible for backend development".

Austrian recruiters expect a gap-free chronological record, so explain any gap in one honest line.

Quantify impact in every bullet.

Example

"Software Engineer. Erste Group, Vienna, 03/2022 – Present. Migrated a settlement service to Kubernetes, cutting deployment time from 45 to 9 minutes and improving incident resolution by 30%."

Entry Level

Detail internships, thesis projects, and open-source contributions with measurable outcomes.

Mid Level

Quantify features shipped, systems owned, and uptime or latency improvements.

Senior Level

Highlight architecture decisions, team leadership, mentoring, and business impact in revenue or efficiency.

3

Place Education With Austrian Institutions Prominently

Austrian employers recognise TU Wien, the University of Vienna, JKU Linz, TU Graz, and the FH Fachhochschulen (universities of applied sciences).

List your degree, institution, dates, and grades where strong.

Recent graduates place education before work experience;

experienced engineers keep it after.

Mention certifications (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) in a separate line.

Example

"MSc Computer Science, TU Wien, 2018–2020. Thesis: 'Secure multi-party computation for banking analytics' (Grade: 1.3/5.0 Austrian system)."

Entry Level

Lead with your degree, grades, and thesis or capstone project.

Mid Level

Add professional certifications and continued education alongside the degree.

Senior Level

Keep education brief; lead with certifications and leadership training.

4

Show Key Skills and German Language Assets

Use a short skills section with 6–10 competencies mirroring the job description:

languages (Java, Kotlin, Go, Python, TypeScript), frameworks (React, Spring), and platforms (AWS, GCP, Kubernetes).

Austrian employers value German fluency (state your CEFR level) alongside English, especially outside international tech firms.

Banking roles value compliance and security knowledge.

Example

"Java · Kotlin · Go · Python · React · Spring Boot · AWS (S3, Lambda, ECS) · Kubernetes · Terraform · CI/CD (GitHub Actions) · SQL (PostgreSQL) · German (native) · English (C1)."

Entry Level

List languages and frameworks from coursework and internships honestly.

Mid Level

Add depth: cloud certifications, distributed systems, observability, and testing practice.

Senior Level

Focus on architecture, scaling, security, and leadership skills (system design, incident command, mentoring).

5

Close With References and a Clear Work-Permit Line

Austrian convention is to write "References available on request" (Referenzen auf Anfrage);

never list referee contact details on the CV.

If you are not an EU/EEA citizen, state your work permission clearly:

"Red-White-Red Card holder" or "EU Blue Card holder".

Austria runs the Red-White-Red Card points-based work permit scheme, and being upfront about your status saves everyone time.

Example

"References available on request. Right to work: EU Blue Card holder (sponsorship current)."

Entry Level

Use your university careers office and a thesis supervisor or internship mentor as referees.

Mid Level

Prefer two professional referees: a current engineering manager and a senior colleague.

Senior Level

List a director of engineering and a peer tech lead who can verify leadership outcomes.

6

Use German or English, A4, and a Signed Tabular Layout

German is standard for local roles;

English is standard for tech and international companies.

Austrian convention adds a handwritten signature and date at the end of the CV, and the tabular (tabularischer) layout is the norm.

Use A4, a clean 10–11pt font, and 2.54cm margins.

Save as a PDF named Nachname_Vorname_CV.pdf.

Use a single column with standard headings;

large Austrian companies run ATS.

Proofread carefully.

Example

"Save as Huber_Anna_CV.pdf and mention relevant keywords from the job description."

Entry Level

Have your university careers office review the CV before applying.

Mid Level

Check every date and certification is exact; gaps read as hiding something.

Senior Level

Verify all certifications and permits have current dates; keep it to two pages.

What Makes the Austrian Cv Different

To stand out in Austria, match the local conventions exactly.

The cv here follows 1–2 pages;

2 pages is fully accepted for experienced professionals, 1 for graduates.

Austrian recruiters expect a complete, gap-free chronological record., treats the photo as Expected in most applications.

A professional headshot is traditional and widely expected in Austria, especially in German-speaking regions and for corporate roles.

It is not legally required, but most Austrian recruiters expect one., and formats dates as Day.Month.Year (DD.MM.YYYY, e.g.

05.03.2026) or written as “März 2026”.

Month-year precision is acceptable for work experience..

Write every experience bullet with numbers.

Austrian recruiters compare candidates on measurable outcomes:

latency reduced, revenue grown, costs cut.

Each bullet should start with a strong action verb and end with a quantified result.

Finally, tailor the document to the specific job ad.

Identify the top three requirements and mirror them in your summary, skills, and experience bullets.

Generic CVs are screened out quickly in this market.

Vienna software engineer salaries in 2026 run roughly €39k–€57k for juniors, €57k–€67k for mid-level, and €68k–€95k+ for senior roles (WhatIsTheSalary, 2026), and Vienna hosts the TU Wien, major banks, and Google and Microsoft engineering offices.

Key Skills Valued in Austria

Technical Skills

Programming languages relevant to the roleCloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)Container orchestration (Kubernetes, Docker)CI/CD and IaC (GitHub Actions, Terraform)Databases and data pipelines (PostgreSQL, Kafka)Observability (Prometheus, Grafana)

Soft Skills

Clear written and verbal communicationTeam collaboration and code reviewProblem-solving under pressureTime management and delivery focusStakeholder communicationContinuous learning

Keywords and Terminology for Austrian Cvs

Using the right keywords is the only way to pass an ATS screen and reach a human recruiter.

Extract them from the job description and mirror the exact wording:

job title, required skills, and tools.

Job-ad keywords (mirror the wording exactly)Languages and frameworks the team usesPlatforms and tools (cloud, CI/CD, databases)Practice terms (agile, testing, observability)Local qualification and certification terms

How Experience Is Presented in a Austrian Cv

Experience is the core of the document, written reverse-chronologically with the most recent role first.

Each role shows the job title, company, city, and dates, followed by achievement-led bullets with numbers.

Entry Level

Focus on internships, projects, and transferable skills; show reliability and a fast learning curve.

Mid Level

Show ownership: features shipped, systems run, and improvements measured in numbers.

Senior Level

Show scale: teams led, architectures owned, budgets or revenue impact, and mentoring outcomes.

Tailoring Your Cv to Austrian Employers

Tailoring means adjusting the lens, not rewriting your history.

Identify the top three priorities in the job ad and make sure they appear in your summary and your first skills.

Match the ad's language exactly.

Common Austrian Cv Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid these errors that regularly get applications rejected in Austria:

1. Getting the length wrong: 1–2 pages; 2 pages is fully accepted for experienced professionals, 1 for graduates. Austrian recruiters expect a complete, gap-free chronological record. is the local standard.

2. Ignoring the photo rule: Expected in most applications. A professional headshot is traditional and widely expected in Austria, especially in German-speaking regions and for corporate roles. It is not legally required, but most Austrian recruiters expect one.

3. Using the wrong date format: use Day.Month.Year (DD.MM.YYYY, e.g. 05.03.2026) or written as “März 2026”. Month-year precision is acceptable for work experience. consistently.

4. Including personal details that local practice excludes: Name, phone (with +43 from abroad), professional email, full address, and often nationality and date of birth. Never include your Sozialversicherungsnummer (Austrian social security number), bank details, religion, or political affiliation.

5. Listing duties instead of achievements; quantified results win every time.

Austria Job Market and Salary Outlook

The Austria job market in 2026 remains active for software engineers, with demand concentrated in the major cities.

Understanding the typical salary brackets for your level helps you calibrate your examples and negotiate with confidence.

LevelTypical annual salary (EUR, gross)Typical CV length
Entry Level€39,000–€57,0001 page
Mid Level€57,000–€67,0001–2 pages
Senior Level€68,000–€95,000+2 pages

Source: WhatIsTheSalary Austrian software engineer salary data, 2026 (approximate gross ranges, see sources)

Key Tips for Writing an Austrian CV

  • Tip 1: Save as a clean, selectable PDF named FirstName_LastName_Role_Cv.pdf.
  • Tip 2: Use a professional email address; never a personal-sounding handle.
  • Tip 3: Include the correct international dialling code on your phone number.
  • Tip 4: Keep the length to the local standard: 1–2 pages; 2 pages is fully accepted for experienced professionals, 1 for graduates. Austrian recruiters expect a complete, gap-free chronological record..
  • Tip 5: Mirror the job ad's keywords verbatim for ATS screens.
  • Tip 6: Have a careers service or a trusted colleague proofread before sending.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a photo on my Austrian CV?

Yes, in most cases. A professional headshot is traditional and widely expected in Austrian applications, especially in German-speaking regions and for corporate roles. It is not legally required, but most Austrian recruiters expect one.

Should I include my date of birth and nationality on an Austrian CV?

Yes, it is traditional. Austrian CVs commonly include date of birth and nationality, following the German-speaking convention. You may omit them, but most Austrian recruiters expect them, so including them is the conventional choice.

How long should an Austrian CV be?

One to two pages: two pages for experienced professionals, one for graduates. Austrian recruiters expect a complete, gap-free chronological record, so every line must earn its place.

Can international applicants work in Austria and how do I show it on my CV?

EU/EEA citizens work freely in Austria. Non-EU applicants usually need a Red-White-Red Card or EU Blue Card, sponsored by the employer. Show your status clearly on the CV, for example "EU Blue Card holder", so employers can screen eligibility early.

What does a software engineer CV look like in Austria?

A 1–2 page, single-column tabular CV with a professional photo: contact details plus nationality, a short personal profile, gap-free work experience reverse-chronological with quantified achievements, education (TU Wien, University of Vienna, JKU), a keyword-matched skills section, and "References available on request".

Vienna tech salaries run roughly €39k–€57k at entry, €57k–€67k mid, and €68k–€95k+ for senior roles, so tailor your examples to the level you are applying for.

Conventions verified for 2026 and based on well-established Austrian recruitment practice.

Sources

Facts on this page are checked against the following authoritative sources.

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