False Friends - Taschen Guide

used for all kinds of qualifications after various lengths of study and/or work experience. If you studied for several years at a university, though, it is safe to call your final qualification a ‚degree‘ . ↓
Do not say you went to school at the ‚gymnasium‘. That is the hall in which you do sports activities and exercise (Sporthalle). You can choose between ‚secondary school‘ and ‚high school‘ to refer to Gymnasium . ↓ ↓ ↓
    lmportant
    Did you know that ‚bachelor‘ also means Junggeselle? Say ‚He's got a bachelor in Chemistry‘ or ‚He did his bachelor's in architecture two years ago‘. If you say ‚He's a bachelor‘, you might need to explain whether you mean he has this qualification, or that he is unmarried.
    Example 2: CV containing false friends
Employment
    01/2009 – date
Expanded company into Austria – overtook WeWillDesign . Now Managing Director of three companies
12/2008
Built second company Olidesign , specializing in floors
01/2005
Grounded and led own decorating company Außen.Innen with German state's existence grounding money
01/2003 – 12/2005
Apprenticeship as decorator
Is s/he or isn't s/he?
    The information in this CV is confusing (irritierend) not: ‚irritating‘).
Let us start with the oldest piece of information: ‚decorator‘. Does this person mean ‚decorator‘ as in Maler/ Tapezierer or perhaps ‚interior designer‘ ( Dekorateur )? ↓
The next thing we see is that this person founded (not ‚grounded‘ – aus dem Verkehr ziehen) his own company. ↓
Leiten is sometimes ‚to lead‘ but in this context it is better to write ‚managed (my) own company‘ . ↓
The Existenzgründer support is better explained as a state grant given to people to set up their own businesses. Existenz in this case is not ‚existence‘ but ‚one's own company‘ . ↓ ↓
Bilden is a verb you see often, but it is better translated as ‚ to form‘ . You can build a factory (Fabrik ) but you form (or found ) a company. ↓
Does the company Olidesign specialize in floors (Böden) or hallways (Flure) ? ↓
Lastly, ‚to overtake‘ means überholen. It is better to say ‚ took over WeWillDesign‘, or better still: ‚ acquired‘ . ↓ ↓
    lmportant
    If you really want to get the job you are applying for, ask someone with excellent English – someone who knows you well – to check your CV before you send it. As the English saying goes: better safe than sorry (Vorsicht ist besser als Nachsicht).
    The interview
    Has an interviewer ever tested your English during a German interview? Or have you attended an interview that was held entirely in English? Some people love to demonstrate their knowledge of a foreign language and have no trouble speaking with confidence. Nevertheless, look out for false friends!
    Some typical questions
    Here are just a few of the types of question you will be confronted with in interviews. What is wrong with the answers?
Why would you like to work for us?
Even before I absolved my study I wanted to work in the financial branch. ↓
Your concern has such a great reputation all over the world and that is why I am so interested. ↓ ↓
The marketing ideas that you create are genial and I want to be a part of that. Yours is a very representative company. ↓ ↓
What experience could you contribute to this job?
First and foremost my experience in great, successful companies: I am calm even when there is a lot of hectic in the office. I can stay focused under pressure. ↓
My biggest hobby is cars. I've spent my whole life with them and I have several Oldtimers at home. You won't find anyone as passionate about them as me – and I can use this momentum to achieve a lot at work. ↓ ↓ ↓
Because we have a family business, I have always spent weekends and holidays working there. Over the years I have learned a lot about loan accounting, sales, advertising and personal. ↓ ↓
What do you do in your spare time?
I am doing a part-time study in translation. The next exam is in two weeks, so I am spending most of my evenings learning at the moment. ↓
I enjoy reading in my free time. I like all kinds of different lecture. ↓
I make a lot of sport. In the winter I go skiing, and in the summer I like wandering in the mountains. ↓ ↓
    What's wrong?
    Did you work out which statements are not correct? Here they are, one after the other. Notice the differences and try to memorize them for future use.
    This was said:
But this was