Had to send an application to Germany. I made a decision to include catalogues of previous work. They're impressive, glossy, show a track record, etc. Normally I don't send this kind of thing, hoping the proposal speaks for itself but because I was sending the application to Germany, I decided to include them.
I have been told - and have the stereotype that I'm playing to - that Germans are especially obsessed with rank and status. Of course this idea fits well with my own ideas of German culture and latent Nazism.
I guess if I really think about it, most cultures (maybe all?) are obsessed by rank and status. It's just manifest differently across different cultures.