Job Application Form only asks for CV

Question

I am about to apply to a job online. But the file upload section made me curious. It says (translated from german):

You'll make our lives easier - and , privately - increase your changes of getting a fast and concrete response if you attach your CV. Thats not a must but we'd be glad. If you want to show as any other documents you can upload them, too.

The company is small (i read 11 - 50 employees) and in business only since less than a year. They advertise themselves as a startup.

I can imagine they'll ask for other documents when they like my CV. But i would like to attach at least some certificates to back up my CV.

Which of these should i attach? Why/Why not?

• Certificate of completed apprenticeship with excellent grades, very relevant for the position
• A levels certificate (german Abitur)
• letters of recommendatations from my previous employers, also highly related to the position

Answer 1

The reason why they want the CV, is that many of the online applications ask you to cut and paste much of the information on the CV into the application boxes. But the CV is generally easier to digest by a human, so it helps to have the CV when conducting interviews.

If they don't think that the facts presented in the CV qualify you for moving to the next round, they are not likely to check that you have certificates to prove those facts. So the certificates are not required at this early stage.

If you do make the subsequent stages they may ask for those certificates, so it is good that you know where they are.

Unless that recommendation letter from person X is by itself able to jump you to the front of the line, it isn't needed at this initial stage. If I did have a recommendation that awesome, I would make sure that it was obvious in the CV and cover letter.

I always include a cover letter, if they allow it. This allows you to state your case as to why you should be hired.