European hiring is not one system. It’s 30+ countries with different conventions, languages, and expectations. A CV that works perfectly for Siemens in Munich will confuse a recruiter at Spotify in Stockholm. And a UK-formatted resume for HSBC in London would raise eyebrows at Unilever’s Rotterdam office.
If you’re applying to Europe’s biggest employers, you need to understand the specific expectations at each company and in each country. This guide breaks down what the continent’s top employers actually want, from photo policies to page counts to language requirements.
The European CV vs. The American Resume
Before getting into company specifics, you need to understand the baseline difference. In most of continental Europe, the term is “CV” (curriculum vitae), and it’s typically longer and more detailed than a US resume. In the UK and Ireland, “CV” is also the standard term, but the format is closer to a two-page resume.
Key differences from North American resumes:
- Photos: Expected in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and much of Southern Europe. Actively discouraged in the UK, Ireland, and Scandinavia.
- Personal details: Date of birth and nationality are standard in many European countries. They’re left off in the UK and Scandinavia.
- Length: Two pages is standard in the UK. Two to three pages is normal in Germany and France. One page is rare anywhere in Europe for experienced professionals.
- Language: Applications may need to be in the local language, English, or both, depending on the company and country.
For broader context on European job market entry, see our European market guide.
SAP (Germany)
What They Use
SAP uses their own SuccessFactors platform for recruitment, which makes sense since they built it. If you’re applying to SAP, you’re applying through one of the most capable ATS systems on the market.
SuccessFactors parses resumes reliably, but it still works best with clean formatting. No headers, no footers, no graphics. Standard PDF or Word documents.
What They Want to See
SAP is headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, and employs over 100,000 people globally. Their hiring covers software engineering, consulting, sales, support, and corporate functions.
For engineering roles:
- Programming languages (ABAP is still valued for core SAP work; Java, JavaScript, Python for cloud products)
- Cloud platform experience (SAP BTP, AWS, Azure)
- Experience with SAP products (S/4HANA, Business One, Analytics Cloud)
- Open source contributions or technical community involvement
For consulting and customer-facing roles:
- Industry expertise (manufacturing, retail, utilities, public sector)
- SAP implementation project experience with scope and outcomes
- Certification in relevant SAP modules
- Language skills (German is valuable for DACH-region roles; English is the corporate language)
CV Format (Germany)
German CVs follow a specific convention. Include a professional photo (head and shoulders, professional attire, neutral background) in the top right corner. Include your date of birth and nationality. Two to three pages is standard.
The structure follows a strict order: personal details, work experience (reverse chronological), education, certifications, language skills and interests. Germans value completeness. Gaps in your timeline will be questioned, so account for every period.
SAP’s international offices (especially the US, UK and Singapore offices) follow local conventions. For the German headquarters and DACH-region offices, follow German CV norms.
Siemens (Germany)
What They Use
Siemens uses their own careers portal built on SAP SuccessFactors. The application process is standardized across their global operations, but local offices may add additional requirements.
What They Want to See
Siemens operates across energy, healthcare (Siemens Healthineers), industrial automation and infrastructure. They employ over 300,000 people worldwide.
For engineering and manufacturing roles:
- Technical certifications relevant to your discipline
- Project experience with scale (budget, team size, timeline)
- Safety and compliance experience
- Industry 4.0, IoT and digital twin experience (Siemens is heavily invested in these areas)
For healthcare (Siemens Healthineers):
- Medical device industry experience
- Regulatory knowledge (CE marking, FDA if applicable)
- Clinical application experience
For corporate and IT roles:
- ERP experience (SAP, naturally)
- Data analytics and business intelligence skills
- Change management experience (Siemens has undergone major restructuring)
CV Format
Same German conventions as SAP for the DACH offices: photo, personal details, two to three pages, complete timeline.
Siemens has a strong presence in the UK, where no photo is expected and two pages is the norm. In Spain, France and other European offices, follow local conventions.
One specific Siemens expectation: they value international experience. If you’ve worked across borders, completed international assignments, or speak multiple languages, make these prominent on your CV.
HSBC (United Kingdom)
What They Use
HSBC uses Oracle Taleo for their recruitment. Taleo is one of the older enterprise ATS platforms, and its parsing can be inconsistent with complex formatting. Keep your CV simple.
Applying through HSBC’s careers portal, you’ll upload your CV and fill in additional fields. Taleo sometimes pre-populates fields from your CV, but the accuracy varies. Review everything before submitting.
What They Want to See
HSBC is headquartered in London and is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations. European hiring focuses on global banking, commercial banking, wealth management and technology.
For banking and finance roles:
- Regulatory knowledge (FCA, PRA, MiFID II, Basel III/IV)
- AML/KYC experience
- CFA, ACCA, or CIMA designations
- Client portfolio size and revenue generated
For technology roles:
- Cloud and infrastructure experience
- Cybersecurity skills (HSBC invests heavily in security)
- Programming languages and development frameworks
- Financial services technology experience
For graduate programs: HSBC runs competitive graduate programs across their business lines. They want a strong academic record (2:1 or above from a UK university, or equivalent), extracurricular leadership and commercial awareness.
CV Format (UK)
No photo. No date of birth. No nationality or marital status. Two pages maximum.
Start with a professional profile (3-4 lines), followed by work experience, education and skills. The UK format is clean and concise. British recruiters dislike padding.
HSBC’s Asian operations (Hong Kong, Singapore) may have different expectations. For European roles, follow UK conventions regardless of which European office you’re targeting.
Unilever (Netherlands/United Kingdom)
What They Use
Unilever uses Workday for their global recruitment. Their careers portal is modern and handles resume uploads well. Workday’s parsing is among the best, but standard formatting rules still apply.
Unilever is notable for their progressive hiring approach. For their Future Leaders Programme (graduate scheme), they use AI-powered screening that includes gamified assessments and video interviews before resumes are even reviewed.
What They Want to See
Unilever is dual-headquartered in London and Rotterdam. They’re one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies, with brands across food, beauty, personal care and home care.
For marketing and brand management:
- Brand management experience with specific brands and markets
- Campaign results with metrics (market share gains, sales lift, ROI)
- Digital marketing capabilities
- Consumer insights and research experience
For supply chain and operations:
- Manufacturing or logistics experience at scale
- Sustainability initiatives (Unilever is a global leader in sustainability commitments)
- Continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma)
- Safety metrics
For R&D and science roles:
- Publication record and patents
- Regulatory knowledge (EU cosmetics regulation, food safety)
- Laboratory and formulation experience
- Technical project management
For the Future Leaders Programme:
- Strong academic record
- Leadership experience outside of academics
- Cross-cultural experience or language skills
- Demonstrated interest in consumer goods or sustainability
CV Format
For the London office, follow UK conventions (no photo, two pages). For the Rotterdam office, Dutch conventions apply: a photo is optional (not expected, but not unusual), two pages and English is the default language for international roles.
Unilever values diversity and explicitly asks candidates not to include age, gender, or nationality. Their application system is designed to reduce bias.
Spotify (Sweden)
What They Use
Spotify uses Greenhouse as their ATS. Greenhouse is one of the most popular modern ATS platforms and handles various resume formats well. It’s particularly good at parsing clean, structured documents.
Spotify’s hiring process is distinctive. They emphasize culture fit (“band mentality”), technical skills and values alignment. The resume is just the starting point.
What They Want to See
Spotify is headquartered in Stockholm with major offices in London, New York and other cities. They hire primarily in technology, product, data science, content, and business functions.
For engineering roles:
- Programming languages and technical stack (be specific)
- Scale of systems you’ve built or maintained (users, transactions, uptime)
- Open source contributions
- Audio, streaming, or media technology experience (valued, not required)
For product roles:
- Product metrics you’ve influenced (user growth, engagement, retention)
- Data-driven decision-making examples
- Cross-functional collaboration experience
- Mobile product experience
For data science and analytics:
- Tools and languages (Python, SQL, Spark, TensorFlow)
- A/B testing and experimentation experience
- Machine learning models deployed to production
- Business impact of your analytical work
For business and operations roles:
- Music industry or entertainment experience (valued, not required)
- Partnership development and management
- Market expansion experience
- Commercial metrics
CV Format (Sweden/International)
No photo. No date of birth. No personal details beyond name, email, phone and LinkedIn. Swedish companies follow Scandinavian norms, which are closer to US resume conventions than German CV conventions.
Two pages maximum. Spotify values brevity and clarity. Their internal culture emphasizes directness, and they expect the same from applications.
English is the working language at Spotify. All applications should be in English unless a specific role requires local language skills.
Spotify’s recruiters have noted publicly that they look for candidates who can articulate the impact of their work, not just the tasks. Every bullet point should answer “so what?”
Cross-Company Patterns in Europe
Photo Policies by Country
Include a photo: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Portugal Photo optional: Netherlands, Denmark, Finland Don’t include a photo: UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway
When a company is multinational and the role is international, default to no photo unless the office is in a country where photos are expected.
Language Requirements
English-only applications accepted: Spotify, HSBC (UK), Unilever (international roles), SAP (global roles) Local language expected: SAP (DACH roles in German), Siemens (local roles in local language), French offices of any company
If a job posting is written in English, apply in English. If it’s written in the local language, apply in that language. If you’re bilingual, mention it prominently on your CV.
CV Length by Country
One page: Almost never expected in Europe for experienced professionals Two pages: UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, Netherlands Two to three pages: Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Italy
ATS Platforms
- SAP SuccessFactors: SAP, Siemens
- Workday: Unilever, some Deloitte/PwC European offices
- Oracle Taleo: HSBC, EY
- Greenhouse: Spotify, many European tech companies
All of these systems work best with clean formatting. Single column, standard fonts, no graphics, no tables.
Tailoring for European Applications
Research the specific company and country before applying. A single CV format won’t work across Europe. At minimum, you’ll need:
- A UK-format CV (no photo, two pages, concise)
- A German-format Lebenslauf (photo, personal details, thorough)
- A Scandinavian-format CV (no photo, brief, English)
1Template’s resume builder supports multiple CV formats, letting you switch between regional styles while keeping your content consistent.
Final Thoughts
European hiring is fragmented by design. Each country has its own expectations and each company layers its own requirements on top. The candidates who succeed are the ones who research each target employer, match the local format, and demonstrate results clearly.
Don’t assume that what works at home works in Europe. Don’t assume that what works in London works in Munich. Adapt your CV to the company and the country, and you’ll stand out from the applicants who sent the same generic document everywhere.
