Job Offers

At the GFZ, we focus on your qualifications, not personal details. Your CV does not require photos, age, or gender, your skills matter most.

1. Tailor It to the Job: Customise your CV for each position, emphasizing the skills and experience relevant to the specific role. Write the full date of your experience e.g. 05/202-06/2013.
2. Clear Structure: Divide your CV in sections like "Experience," "Education," and "Skills" to organise information. Keep it clean and easy to read.
3. Quantify Achievements: Highlight your accomplishments with numbers where possible, e.g., "XXYY" or "managed a team of 5."
4. Use Action Verbs: Start bullet points with strong verbs like "developed," "led," or "designed" to showcase what you have achieved.
5. Keep It Concise: Stick to 1-2 pages and avoid long paragraphs. Focus on relevant details and eliminate unnecessary information.
6. Highlight Key Skills: Create a skills section where you list technical and soft skills that match the job description.
7. Include Keywords: Use keywords from the job description to make your CV more likely to pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS).
8. Professional Formatting: Ensure uniform formatting with consistent fonts, bullet points, and spacing.

Make sure your CV reflects your qualifications, but also tells a compelling story about your professional journey!

Read the job ad carefully, if it mentions that English language skills are necessary, then you can send your CV in English because your skills will be used for working purposes. If the job ad does not mention English as a preferable skill and is only available in German, it's likely that the application should be submitted in German. Remember, your skills and experience are valuable. Even if you're unsure about the language requirements, submitting an application gives you the opportunity to showcase your qualifications and potentially discuss language flexibility.

In most cases, job ads will specify that you need to submit a CV and cover letter. However, some hiring managers may also request additional documents, such as a list of publications or letters of recommendation. If you don’t have all the required documents ready at the time of application, reach out to the hiring manager to ask if it’s possible to apply and submit the missing materials later. Make sure to assure them that you will provide the documents as soon as possible.

If you don't receive a response, don’t hesitate to apply anyway! Sometimes hiring managers are flexible adding to the fact that your experience and qualifications are what matter most.

Anabin is a German database used to assess the equivalency of foreign degrees with German academic qualifications, helping universities and employers determine recognition within the German system. The Anabin certification is an important criterion for determining pay level within the TVöD, Germany’s collective agreement for public sector employees. At the GFZ we use Anabin to verify degrees only after a hiring decision. Note that Anabin does not list all foreign degrees; if a degree is not found, the candidate must request the evaluation from the ZAB (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen).

What information do we collect?

By deciding to apply for this position, you are submitting not only your personal data but also information about your educational and professional background.

You have been asked to upload your resume and any other relevant documents via the application form. Your documents will then be processed automatically, and the data will be stored in the applicant database. Your attachments will be processed using text recognition software, and the recognised content will be stored in your data record. Your original documents will be converted to PDFs and stored in your data record. Your original files will be deleted.

General Information

You are entirely responsible for the content of the texts you submit. Please make sure that any attachments you submit are free of malware. 

Personal data you send us should not include sensitive or irrelevant information, such as details about your health, ethnic background, beliefs, union membership, sexual orientation, or defamatory content, or any data unrelated to your application. 

The only exception is information that might be relevant to the application process, such as a reference to a recognised severe disability.

The information you provide to us must be accurate and must not infringe the rights of third parties, violate public law regulations, or breach public decency ("unacceptable content"). Please also be aware that you indemnify us against all claims arising from such unacceptable content you have supplied to us.

Who processes your data?

Recipients within the organisation: GFZ Human Resources Department, internal selection committee (evaluators)

Processor: PERBILITY GmbH (Concludis), including its subcontractors. A data processing agreement (DPA) has been established with the service provider.

The applicant portal is hosted on servers managed by Hetzner Online GmbH in Gunzenhausen.

Third parties: The selection process may involve external consultants, which could lead to data being transferred to third countries. Personal data will only be shared with relevant individuals for assessing suitability and will be deleted after the process is complete, in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

For what purpose and on what legal basis is my personal data processed?

Your personal data will be processed for the purpose of conducting the selection process based on Art. 6 (1) b, Art. 88 GDPR in conjunction with § 26 BbgDSG. 

What are your rights as a data subject?

Every data subject has the right to:

a.Right of access by the data subject in accordance with Art. 15 GDPR 

b.Rectification pursuant to Art. 16 GDPR 

c.Erasure in accordance with Art. 17 GDPR

d.Restriction of processing in accordance with Art. 18 GDPR and

e.Data portability in accordance with Art. 20 GDPR.

f.Right to object 

These rights originate from Articles 15 to 20 GDPR.

The restrictions under Sections 34 and 35 of the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) relate to the right of access and the right to erasure.

Additionally, you have the right to file a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority (Art. 13(2)(d) in conjunction with Art. 14(2)(d) GDPR, Art. 77 GDPR in conjunction with Section 19 BDSG).

You have the right to access information about your data and to correct it. If you wish to change or delete your data or your CV, please contact recruiting[at]gfz.de.

Application data will be deleted from the system automatically no later than six months after the completion of the application process.

Data security

We take precautions to protect your data and prevent external misuse. Measures such as encryption (SSL encryption), firewalls, hacker defence programmes, and manual security precautions are implemented. SSL encryption is active when the key symbol at the bottom of your browser is closed and when the address begins with "https://". Please note that our website uses JavaScript™ technology.

Service disruptions, discontinuation or modification of the service, or deletion of data

We do not guarantee that the service will be available at certain times. We do not rule out disruptions, interruptions, or potential failures of the online service. The servers are regularly and carefully backed up. However, if data is transmitted in any form, we recommend that you keep backup copies. We reserve the right to modify, expand, restrict, or entirely discontinue this service at any time. Therefore, we accept no liability for deleted data or data loss.

Data Protection Officer

For enquiries regarding data protection, please contact the GFZ/Rifs data protection officer:

Eva Grübel-Hoffmann

Email: datenschutz[at]gfz.de 

Cost of the applicant portal

The applicant portal is free for applicants.