Arbeitszeugnis: What It Is, How to Read the Coded Language, and What to Do If Yours Is Bad

An Arbeitszeugnis is a written employment reference that employers in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria are legally required to provide when you leave a job. Unlike a UK or US reference, it is a formal document you keep and submit with future applications — and it is written in a standardised coded language where apparently positive phrases carry precise, graded meanings. "Sie erledigte alle Aufgaben zu unserer Zufriedenheit" reads as satisfactory to an outsider, but to a Swiss or German HR reader it means a grade of roughly 4 out of 6 — below average. Understanding the code is essential, because a reference that looks positive can be quietly damaging.

This guide explains what the document must contain, how the grading language works phrase by phrase, and what you can do if yours is worse than it should be.

What Is an Arbeitszeugnis?

An Arbeitszeugnis (literally "work certificate") is a formal, signed document issued by your employer describing your role, responsibilities, performance, and conduct. In Switzerland it is governed by Article 330a of the Swiss Code of Obligations, which gives every employee the right to request one at any time. Germany has an equivalent right under §109 of the Gewerbeordnung.

Three features make it unlike an Anglo-American reference:

• It belongs to you. You receive the original and keep it. Future employers do not contact your former employer directly — they read the certificate you provide.
• It is legally required. Your employer cannot refuse to issue one, and cannot refuse on the basis that the working relationship ended badly.
• It must be simultaneously truthful and benevolent. Swiss and German law require the certificate to be accurate but also not to obstruct the employee's future career. This tension is precisely why the coded language exists — employers must convey a negative assessment without writing anything explicitly negative.

What Are the Types of Arbeitszeugnis?

Always request the qualifiziertes full reference. A simple certificate with no performance assessment is itself a signal — Swiss and German recruiters read its absence as an indication that the full version would have been unfavourable.

The Zwischenzeugnis is genuinely useful and underused. If your manager is leaving, request one before they go — a reference written by someone who worked with you closely is worth considerably more than one written later by a successor who did not. The same logic applies to asking for a reference in any market: ask while the person still remembers your work in detail.

What Must an Arbeitszeugnis Contain?

A complete full reference follows a fixed structure, and deviations from it are themselves meaningful:

1. Heading and personal details — your full name, date of birth, and dates of employment
2. Company introduction — a brief description of the employer
3. Role and responsibilities — your position and a detailed list of duties, usually the longest section
4. Performance assessment — Leistungsbeurteilung: expertise, motivation, working method, and results
5. Conduct assessment — Verhaltensbeurteilung: behaviour towards superiors, colleagues, and where relevant clients
6. Reason for leaving — and whether the departure was at your initiative
7. Closing formula — Schlussformel: thanks, regret at the departure, and good wishes for the future
8. Date and signature — signed by someone senior to you, on company letterhead

Missing sections carry meaning. A reference with no closing formula, or one that omits the conduct assessment entirely, signals a problem to any experienced reader even though nothing negative has been written.

How Does the Arbeitszeugnis Grading Code Work?

The coded language maps onto the German school grading scale, where 1 is excellent and 6 is inadequate. The key is a formula built from three variable components: an intensity adverb, a satisfaction noun, and a time qualifier.

The base sentence is: "Er/Sie erledigte die übertragenen Aufgaben [X] zu unserer [Y] Zufriedenheit." — "He/She carried out the assigned tasks to our [Y] satisfaction [X]."

The distinction between grade 1 and grade 4 is two words. Note particularly that "stets zu unserer Zufriedenheit" — which translates as "always to our satisfaction" and sounds genuinely positive in English — is a below-average grade. This trips up non-native speakers constantly.

The superlative vollsten is grammatically irregular in standard German — "fullest" from an absolute adjective. Its presence is deliberate and unmistakable to a native reader. Its absence is equally so.

Common Coded Phrases and What They Actually Mean

What a strong closing formula looks like

The Schlussformel should contain three elements: thanks for the work, regret at the departure, and good wishes for the future. A complete example:

If any of the three elements is missing — particularly the regret — that is a deliberate signal. A closing formula that thanks you but does not regret your departure is read as lukewarm.

What Can You Do If Your Arbeitszeugnis Is Bad?

You have more recourse than most people realise, and Swiss and German employees exercise it routinely. Requesting a correction is not considered unusual or confrontational.

1. Get it assessed

If you do not read German at a native level, have the certificate assessed by someone who does, or by a specialist service. Non-native speakers regularly accept grade 4 references believing them to be positive.

2. Request a correction

Write to HR setting out the specific phrases you want amended and why. Focus on factual inaccuracies and on missing standard elements — an absent closing formula, an omitted conduct assessment, or duties that are described incompletely. These are the easiest to argue.

A reference must be truthful, so you cannot demand a grade you did not earn. But you can require that the certificate be complete, that it follow the standard structure, and that it not contain deliberately damaging phrasing where your performance did not warrant it.

3. Escalate if necessary

In Switzerland, disputes over an Arbeitszeugnis can be taken to the labour court (Arbeitsgericht), and proceedings in employment matters are generally free or low-cost. In Germany, the Arbeitsgericht handles the equivalent claims. Courts in both jurisdictions have established extensive case law on what phrasing is permissible, and employers generally prefer to amend than litigate.

Time limits apply and vary by canton and by jurisdiction, so act promptly rather than months later.

4. Address it directly in applications

If a weak reference cannot be corrected, do not leave a recruiter to interpret it unaided. A brief, factual line in your cover letter — explaining a difficult restructure, a change of manager, or a role that was not a good fit — is better than silence. Silence invites the worst interpretation.

Arbeitszeugnis for International Applicants

If you are applying for roles in Switzerland or Germany from the UK, US, or elsewhere, you almost certainly do not have Arbeitszeugnisse — and Swiss and German recruiters do expect to see them.

What to do instead:

• Request written references from previous employers before you apply, in the Arbeitszeugnis structure if they will agree to it — duties, performance, conduct, closing. Many UK employers will decline and provide only a factual confirmation of dates, which is normal and worth knowing in advance.
• Explain the difference in your cover letter. One sentence: reference practice in the UK differs, and formal employment certificates are not issued, so you have provided written references instead. This prevents the absence being read as concealment.
• Include named referees with full contact details on your CV — standard practice in Switzerland and a partial substitute.
• Attach any letters of recommendation you do have, even informal ones from managers, as part of the application dossier.

See our guide to the Swiss CV format for how the certificate fits into the complete application dossier, our guide to applying for jobs in Switzerland as a foreigner for the wider process, and the Swiss work permit guide for the permit categories. If Germany is your target market instead, start with finding a job in Germany as a foreigner.

Frequently Asked Questions