oll.in — distribution drafts

Title: A Swiss job-application checklist for newcomers (what's different from an international CV)

Moving here and getting silence on applications that worked back home? It's usually not your experience — it's that a Swiss "Bewerbungsdossier" has its own conventions. Here's the checklist I wish I'd had:

1. The photo. A professional headshot is still expected on most Swiss CVs (top-right, roughly 3.5×4.5cm). Neutral background, business dress. This alone trips up a lot of newcomers coming from UK/US "no photo" norms.
2. The permit line. State your work-authorisation status plainly (permit B / C / L, or EU/EFTA citizen). Recruiters look for it early — leaving it out creates doubt.
3. The Motivationsschreiben. A tailored cover letter is not optional here; it's read. One page, addressed to the role, concrete about why this employer.
4. The Arbeitszeugnis. Swiss reference letters use coded language. If you have foreign references, translate + attach them; if you've worked here, understand what your Zeugnis actually says.
5. Structure. A "tabellarischer Lebenslauf" — reverse-chronological, tabular, typically 1–2 pages, complete dates. Photo, contact, then experience, education, languages (with levels), skills.
6. Language. Match the posting's language (DE/FR/IT or EN) and state your real levels honestly (A2/B1/C1…). Don't inflate them — it surfaces in the interview.

Hope that saves someone the months it took me to figure out. Happy to answer questions in the thread.

(Full disclosure: I got frustrated enough with this that I built a small tool, oll.in, that turns your existing CV + a job posting into a Swiss-format dossier and only writes what's actually in your CV — no invented experience. Pay-once, not a subscription. Not for everyone; the checklist above stands on its own regardless.)

A few things that are genuinely different from most other countries and quietly cost people interviews: (1) a professional photo is still expected on the CV; (2) put your permit status (B/C/L or EU/EFTA) near the top; (3) a tailored Motivationsschreiben is read, not skimmed — one page, specific to the employer; (4) match the posting's language and list real language levels. Structure is the tabular reverse-chronological "Lebenslauf," 1–2 pages. If you've got a solid CV already, the work is mostly re-formatting + a genuine cover letter, not starting over. Happy to look at a specific posting if you paste the (anonymised) requirements.

Realistic version: your experience travels fine, but the application format doesn't. Expect to add a photo, state your permit/authorisation, write a real one-page cover letter per role, and match the language of the posting. Give yourself a longer runway than in the US — hiring here is more deliberate, and there are two seasonal waves (roughly January and late summer). One honest warning: don't let any AI tool pad your CV with skills or titles you don't have — recruiters here notice, and it's the fastest way to a "no." Keep it truthful and Swiss-formatted and you'll do fine.

Title: I built a small tool that turns your CV + a job posting into a Swiss-format dossier — would love honest feedback

After helping a few friends reformat international CVs into Swiss ones for the hundredth time, I made oll.in. You paste your existing CV and a job posting; it produces a Swiss-format CV + a tailored cover letter, and — the part I actually care about — it only uses what's in your CV. It won't invent a certification or a job you didn't have; every line traces back to something you gave it. Pay-once (no subscription), and there's a headshot add-on. It's early and I'm building it in public from Zürich — I'd genuinely like to hear what's wrong with it, what's missing, or where the format's off. Not trying to replace a human career coach; just trying to make the boring reformatting honest and fast. Mods, happy to remove if this isn't the place.

In the US and UK, putting a photo on your CV is a mistake. In Switzerland, leaving it off is the mistake. Same document, opposite rule. Most of the "why am I getting no replies?" cases I see from newcomers come down to a handful of these format inversions — not the quality of their experience. Building in public from Zürich; sharing them one at a time.

"Nobody reads cover letters." True in a lot of places — not here. In Switzerland the Motivationsschreiben is genuinely read, and a generic one hurts you. One page, addressed to the actual role, concrete about why this employer. It's the single highest-leverage hour in a Swiss application, and it's the thing people skip.

The thing that worries me about AI-written applications isn't the writing — it's the inventing. Ask a chatbot to "make my CV stronger" and it will happily add a certification you don't have. Recruiters notice, and it's an instant no. The bar I set for what I'm building: it can only use what's actually in your CV. If it's not there, it doesn't appear. Honesty isn't a feature here — it's the whole point.

You apply for a job a handful of times, then you stop. So why is every application tool a monthly subscription you forget to cancel? I decided mine would be pay-once — you pay for the application you're doing, not for a month of a thing you'll use twice. Small decision, but it's the one I'm most sure about.

I've been sharing the Swiss-CV format quirks that trip up newcomers. The tool behind the posts is now live: oll.in — paste your CV + a job posting, get a Swiss-format dossier that only says what's true about you, pay-once, with a headshot add-on. It's early and built in public from Zürich. If you or someone you know is job-hunting in Switzerland, I'd love for you to try it and tell me what's wrong with it. Link in the comments.

[On screen: "Your CV" → a clean US-style CV, no photo] "In most of the world, this is a great CV." [Swipe → the same CV with a headshot top-right, permit line, tabular layout] "In Switzerland, it's incomplete. Photo, top-right. Your permit status, near the top. Tabular layout, complete dates." [End card] "Same experience. Swiss format. That's usually the whole difference." (caption: no invented experience — just reformatted honestly. oll.in, built in public from Zürich.)

[Text: "Nobody reads cover letters"] "In Switzerland? They do." [Text: "Motivationsschreiben"] "One page. Addressed to the actual role. Concrete about why this employer — not 'I'm a hard worker.'" [End card] "Skip it and you're the easy no. It's the most-skipped, highest-leverage page in a Swiss application." (caption: the boring page that actually matters.)

[Text: "make my CV stronger" typed into a chatbot] "Watch what it does." [Highlight a line: 'AWS Certified' — with a red 'you never said this'] "It invented a certification. Recruiters catch this — instant no." [End card] "The bar should be simple: if it's not in your CV, it's not in your application. Ever." (caption: honest by design. oll.in.)

Subject: A free Swiss-CV checklist for your international students

Hi [name],

I'm a builder based in Zürich. A recurring thing I see with international graduates is that their applications are strong but not in the Swiss format — no photo, missing permit line, no proper Motivationsschreiben — and they get silence they don't deserve.

I've put together a plain, one-page Swiss-application checklist (photo, permit, Motivationsschreiben, Zeugnis, structure, language levels) that I'd be glad to share with your students, free — as a handout, or as a short workshop if that's more useful. No cost and no catch; I'm building a related tool and the best thing I can do right now is be genuinely helpful to people entering the Swiss market.

Would a checklist or a 30-minute session be useful this term? Happy to tailor it to your students.

Best,
Sam