Writing an Anschreiben that survives agency screening
Agencies forwarding candidates to German IT employers cut weak cover letters fast. These are the passages that usually fail.
An Anschreiben is not a restatement of your CV. It should answer why this employer, why this role family, and why your recent work is relevant now.
Agency screeners often paste your letter into a shared note for the client. Generic praise of the company website wastes that space. Name a product, a market, or a technical constraint you can speak to.
Opening with ‘I am writing to apply’ is still common in Germany and is not automatically wrong. What fails is the next sentence: vague enthusiasm with no role evidence.
Close with availability and notice period when known. German hiring managers plan around Kündigungsfrist; leaving that out creates an extra email cycle.
Keep the letter under one page. If you need a second page, the Lebenslauf is usually where the detail belongs.