Glossary, November 2026 edition

Arbeitszeugnis decoder: what German job reference phrases really mean

A German Arbeitszeugnis is written to sound kind at every grade. "Zu unserer vollen Zufriedenheit" reads like a compliment in English and is a 3 on the German school scale. This glossary puts each standard phrase next to a literal English translation and the reading a German Recruiter takes from it. It also shows which of the famous "secret codes" from the internet hold up and which are folklore.

Short answer: look for the satisfaction sentence first. "Stets zu unserer vollsten Zufriedenheit" is the top grade, "stets zu unserer vollen Zufriedenheit" is good, and "zu unserer vollen Zufriedenheit" without "stets" is average. Then check the conduct sentence, the closing sentence and what's missing. Da liegt der Hund begraben, as Germans say: that's where the dog is buried, meaning the real story sits in the omissions.

Last checked on 14th November 2026. Reviewed every quarter, next review planned for February 2027. Compiled by Andreas Schulz, MoreThanCareer.de: 17 years in recruitment, 14 of them in pharma and CRO environments at Bayer, ICON and Syneos Health. General information on how references are read, not legal advice.

On this page

• The legal frame in eight points
• The performance scale
• The conduct sentence
• The closing sentence
• How the exit is worded
• Words that quietly downgrade
• Secret codes: fact or folklore?
• What a pharma Hiring Manager checks
• Austria and Switzerland
• Download, embed and cite

The legal frame in eight points

• Every employee in Germany can ask for a written reference when the job ends. A simple one covers the type and length of the work. A qualified one, which you have to ask for, adds performance and conduct (§ 109 GewO).
• The text must be clear and comprehensible and may not carry wording designed to say something other than what it says (§ 109 (2) GewO). Courts add a second duty: the reference must be benevolent, within the limits of the truth (BAG, 18th November 2014, 9 AZR 584/13).
• "Zur vollen Zufriedenheit" marks the average. If you want a better grade, you have to show the facts that justify it. If the employer goes below average, the employer has to justify that (BAG, 18th November 2014, 9 AZR 584/13).
• A table of school grades doesn't fulfil the claim. A qualified reference has to be written as running text, because a grid of marks hides what matters (BAG, 27th April 2021, 9 AZR 262/20).
• An interim reference (Zwischenzeugnis) binds the employer. The final reference can only grade you lower if the facts changed after the interim one was issued (BAG, 16th October 2007, 9 AZR 248/07).
• There is no right to the closing sentence with thanks and good wishes (BAG, 25th January 2022, 9 AZR 146/21). Removing one after you asked for justified corrections is a reprisal and not allowed (BAG, 6th June 2023, 9 AZR 272/22).
• Since 1st January 2025 the reference may be issued electronically if you consent. That means the strict electronic form with a qualified electronic signature, a plain PDF by email doesn't count (Article 36 of the Fourth Bureaucracy Relief Act (BEG IV), in force since 1st January 2025).
• A settlement clause saying the employer issues the reference from your draft, deviating only for an important reason, can be enforced by a penalty payment. The employer still can't be forced to sign anything untrue (BAG, 7th May 2026, 8 AZB 25/25).

Deadlines: the claim falls under the regular three-year limitation period, counted from the end of the year you left. Many employment contracts and collective agreements set much shorter exclusion periods, so check yours before you wait (Bergische IHK, Arbeitszeugnis (May 2023)).

The performance scale

The overall performance grade usually sits in one sentence near the end of the performance section. The core wording comes from the scale German chambers of commerce publish for employers (IHK München, Merkblatt Das Arbeitszeugnis). Read it word by word, because "stets" and the superlative "vollsten" each move you a full grade.

Equivalents of "stets" are "immer", "jederzeit" and "durchgehend". The Federal Labour Court names "stets", "immer" and "durchgehend" as the words that lift "vollen Zufriedenheit" to a good grade (BAG, 18th November 2014, 9 AZR 584/13). The court also quoted an estimate from the literature that 86.6% of references grade performance as good or very good, and still put the burden on the employee who wants more than average.

The conduct sentence

Conduct is graded on the same six steps. Two things count beyond the adjective: who is named, and in which order. The usual order puts superiors first, then colleagues, then direct reports and customers (IHK NRW, Ratgeber Ausbildungszeugnis).

The closing sentence

The closing sentence has three parts that can each be present, missing or intensified: regret at your departure, thanks for your work and wishes for your future. Readers compare it with the grade above it. A very good grade under a cold closing makes them wonder which of the two is true.

How the exit is worded

The sentence about the end of the employment usually comes just before the closing. The wording below is how Recruiters in Germany commonly read it. None of it is set by law.

Words that quietly downgrade

These are open, visible weaknesses in the text, not hidden codes. They matter most in the activity description and in the individual assessments of expertise, working style and results, which should carry the same strength as the final grade.

Secret codes: fact or folklore?

Online lists claim that harmless-sounding sentences hide alcohol problems, harassment or illness. The lists mostly copy each other. I haven't found a study that shows German employers use them systematically, and § 109 (2) GewO prohibits wording with a hidden purpose. The Federal Labour Court judges a sentence by how an objective reader would understand it, and it rejected the claim that "kennengelernt" (got to know) is a code (BAG, 15th November 2011, 9 AZR 386/10).

That doesn't make the sentences harmless. Plenty of readers have seen the lists, so a phrase like the ones below can cost you a raised eyebrow in an interview. If one sits in your reference, ask for a neutral replacement. It's an easy request for an employer to grant.

What a pharma Hiring Manager checks

I read Arbeitszeugnisse for 14 years on the hiring side of pharma. The satisfaction sentence takes seconds. The activity description takes longer, because that's where scope shows. If you ran submissions, sat in inspections, led a team and held a budget, and the reference lists general project support, that reads as a quiet demotion, whatever the grade says. A strong pharma reference names:

• the GxP areas you worked in (GMP, GCP, GDP or GVP) and the processes you owned within them;
• any statutory appointment with its legal basis, for example Sachkundige Person under §§ 14 and 15 AMG or Stufenplanbeauftragter under § 63a AMG, explained in the statutory roles chart;
• inspections and audits you prepared or hosted, and by which authority;
• study phases, indications and countries, or products and markets on the commercial side;
• the validated systems you worked in, by name;
• headcount and budget, with numbers;
• projects with a result a reader can check.

Missing items are fair to ask for. The employer has to describe the activity completely enough that a reader can picture it (BAG, 27th April 2021, 9 AZR 262/20).

Austria and Switzerland

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Change log

• 14th November 2026: first edition. Includes the Federal Labour Court decision of 7th May 2026 on references drafted by the employee (8 AZB 25/25) and the electronic form allowed since 1st January 2025.

Frequently asked questions

What does "zur vollen Zufriedenheit" mean in a German Arbeitszeugnis?

It translates as "to our full satisfaction" and sounds like strong praise. In German reference language it is a satisfactory grade, a 3 on the school scale. The Federal Labour Court treats it as the average (18 November 2014, 9 AZR 584/13). A good grade needs "stets" (always) in front of it, and the top grade reads "stets zu unserer vollsten Zufriedenheit".

Does my employer have to thank me and wish me well at the end of the Arbeitszeugnis?

No. The Federal Labour Court has ruled twice that employees have no legal claim to a closing sentence with thanks, regret and good wishes (11 December 2012, 9 AZR 227/11, confirmed on 25 January 2022, 9 AZR 146/21). An employer who removes an existing closing sentence because you asked for justified corrections breaches § 612a BGB, though (6 June 2023, 9 AZR 272/22).

Are secret codes in German job references legal?

No. § 109 (2) GewO says a reference must be clear and comprehensible and must not contain wording meant to say something other than what the text says. The graded satisfaction scale is open convention, so it is allowed. Many of the lurid "secret codes" found online have no source, and the Federal Labour Court reads a reference the way an objective reader would, not the way a list on the internet does.

This page explains how references are commonly read and what German courts have decided. It is not legal advice. If your employer refuses a correction and you want to go to court, talk to an employment lawyer. MoreThanCareer.de has no commercial relationship with any organisation cited here.