Work & employment
Arbeitszeugnis
An Arbeitszeugnis is a written employment reference every employee in Germany, including working students and interns, is legally entitled to when leaving. A qualified Zeugnis grades performance and conduct in standardized, polite-sounding code that German recruiters know how to decode.
The Arbeitszeugnis is a formal reference letter the employer must issue at the end of any employment relationship. There are two kinds: the simple Zeugnis confirms role and duration, while the qualified Zeugnis (qualifiziertes Arbeitszeugnis) additionally evaluates performance and behavior. Always request the qualified version; you have a legal right to it.
German Zeugnis language is a coded system. Because the law requires references to be benevolent, criticism hides in shades of praise: 'stets zur vollsten Zufriedenheit' (always to our fullest satisfaction) means very good, while plain 'zur Zufriedenheit' (to our satisfaction) signals mediocre. Recruiters read these formulas precisely, so a careless Zeugnis can quietly hurt applications.
What it means for working students
Request a qualified Arbeitszeugnis at the end of every working student job and internship; German recruiters expect to see them, and they accumulate into a credible track record before graduation. Check the grade formulas before accepting the document, and ask for corrections if the wording sounds lukewarm. If you leave on good terms, asking your manager directly usually produces a better Zeugnis than the HR template.