„Verhalten gegenüber Vorgesetzten sowie gegenüber unseren externen Partnern stets vorbildlich“
What this German phrase in your Swiss Arbeitszeugnis (employment reference letter) really says about you – and which grade it hides.
Literal translation vs. real meaning
Literal translation (what DeepL tells you)
“...conduct towards superiors as well as towards our external partners... always exemplary...”
What Swiss HR actually reads
Omitting colleagues downgrades an otherwise good assessment to a grade 4.0 on the Swiss 1-6 scale due to team issues.
Hidden rating
Good (grade 5.0)
German rating: Gut (Note 5.0)
What it means in detail
Although the behavior towards management and clients is praised as exemplary, omitting conduct towards team members is a major red flag. In Swiss reference coding, this eloquent silence ('beredtes Schweigen') indicates that the employee was unacceptable or highly disruptive within the team. As a result, the practical value of the reference drops significantly despite the positive adjectives used for other groups.
How to fix it
To upgrade the reference to a top grade (6.0), the employee can ask to strengthen the clause by including colleagues and adding terms like "stets" or "jederzeit hervorragend".
Suggested wording (German, for your HR department)
Zur Aufwertung auf die Bestnote (6.0) kann die Formulierung verstärkt werden, z.B. durch Einfügen von „stets“ oder „jederzeit hervorragend“.
One good phrase ≠ a good certificate
Swiss employers often hide weaknesses elsewhere – in the conduct section, in the closing statement or through omissions (“telling silence”). Check whether the rest of your letter keeps up.
Check your whole certificate freeTelling silence & social conduct
Verwaltungsgericht ZH VB.2019.00365 vom 9. Mai 2020, E. 2.4
The Administrative Court of the Canton of Zurich describes the practice of “telling silence” (beredtes Schweigen): if a quality that would normally be mentioned is left out, the reader concludes that it is missing. Leaving out one group of people when describing conduct (e.g. superiors) is generally read as a hint at negative behaviour.
Read the full decision (German)„Darunter gehört, wenn etwa bei der Verhaltensbeurteilung nur das Verhalten zu Mitarbeitern und Kunden erwähnt wird, nicht aber jenes zu Vorgesetzten.“
Unofficial translation: “This includes, for example, a conduct assessment that mentions behaviour towards co-workers and customers, but not towards superiors.”
Related phrases
- Verhalten gegenüber Arbeitskollegen und externen Partnern war stets vorbildlichGood (Grade 5.0)5.0
- Verhalten gegenüber Vorgesetzten war stets vorbildlichGood (grade 5.0)5.0
- Verhalten gegenüber Vorgesetzten, Kollegen und externen Partnern war stets einwandfreiSatisfactory (grade 4.5)4.5
- Ihr Verhalten gegenüber Vorgesetzten und Kollegen war stets vorbildlichGood (grade 5.0)5.0
Decode your entire reference letter
Upload your Arbeitszeugnis and get your overall Swiss grade, the number of issues found and a short legal assessment – explained in English.
Check your whole certificate freeRead this entry in German: Bedeutung von „Verhalten gegenüber Vorgesetzten sowie gegenüber unseren externen Partnern stets vorbildlich“