Getting a job in Germany

I was made redundant about three weeks ago from my job in Stuttgart and have since sent out numerous applications to companies all over Germany. What amazes me is the lack of any kind of response from the majority of them.

I even had a couple of interviews over a week ago and have heard nothing back since. I know that there is high unemployment but surely it wouldn't hurt to just send a quick update every so often. I have been on the other side, recruiting people, and always sent out updates to applicants even though I often had over 50 CV's. It’s just polite!

Has anyone else had a similar experience or should I maybe start thinking about changing my application style?!

Am afraid thats just the way it works here. We recruit on a regular basis and due to our internal systems (and slow HR dept in Berlin) people regularly wait between 1-2 weeks to hear if they are being invited for 2nd interview / receiving an offer

However, we definitely let people know if we are saying no even though they may have to wait for a wee while

I agree it seems normal for things to take a bit longer!

What sort of work are you looking for?

So I guess it's best to assume no news is good news.


Something in the area of organisation, planning, office/project management, or any other admin type position. I also have lots of experience in IT support and customer service. I worked in a small market research company doing a bit of everything so I'm a good all-rounder really. It does seem to confuse potential German employers that I can't sum my profession up in one word. They tend to just keep asking "so what exactly do you do?".

Have you considered looking at temping agencies? That is quite often a good way to get your foot in the door.

Ben,

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I was made redundant just over 2 months ago, (Although don't get to actually leave until the end of this month) & I experienced exactly the same bad manners & lack of responses. In the end I've actually found my new job in a slightly unusual way - I had an idea for how another company I've done a bit of work with over the last few years could expand very effectively into a new market, which I then wrote into a business plan & presented to their Board of Directors. I've just accepted their offer & am due to sign contracts tomorrow.

I couldn't tell you how many CV's I sent out without ever hearing back - and some of them were for ad's where the job description was identical to my CV, which made no sense to me. The only ones where I got any feedback or was invited to interview were ones through agencies, as they actively chase for feedback.

Are you remembering to send a CV in the 'German' format instead of the UK one? This means including scanned copies of qualifications & references, and having a photo on the CV. A lot of German employers won't consider applications without this stuff as they consider them to be 'incomplete'.

Good luck, I hope you sort something soon.

It is actually classed as an official document here, so don't fold it either!

The advice mentioned above is correct. Do not fold it! When I was unemployed I applied many companies and some took 3 months to send the rejection letter!

Yes thats very german. You will need to pigeon-hole yourself at least on paper, before presenting yourself to any potential german employers.

Experience in customer service - hmm, not that much of a priority in this country it has to be said. Dont think the demand will be that hot!

Good luck though!

Agree that agencies are the way to go. Chasing newspaper ads is very inefficient. They generate massive responses and the chances are your application will simply be drowned out or filtered out in the flood.

True regardint the CV format - application folder with all the trimmings. But there is also the so called Kurzbewerbung, which is more or less like the standard application found in the UK: covering letter with a short CV. Unless they specifcally ask for the full works "ausführliche Bewerbungsunterlagen" or similar, you may be able to initially send the short version.

Thanks for the advice. I have tried quite a few temping agencies (DIS, Adecco, Manpower, AFG, etc) and had a couple of interviews with them. They were pretty positive about my prospects and I thought I'd have a job within a couple of days but that was on the 30th March. I called a couple of times to chase and they just say it's normal and not a bad sign that it is taking so long.

Regarding the full applications, I also tend to avoid them unless specifically requested. I usually apply via email. I figure that if a company isn't advanced enough to accept email applications, then I probably wouldn't want to work for them anyway. It seems like a huge waste of a company’s time and money to have to send back all the failed applications by post.

Regarding customer services in Germany, they do seem to have a lot of people employed in helpdesk support, and customer care, etc. I think they're just not very good at it

A lot don't anymore. Many applicants now include a stamp and even a return envelope in with the application to make sure they get the Bewerbungsmappe back. Or they call in and collect it themselves if this is possible.

I can understand if an employer receives 1000s of applications for one job - it would be too costly for them to reply to each and every applicant.

On a related note, have you tried this site for jobs (which is a search site for other job sites)?

http://www.jobworld.de/evita/

I used it once in 1998, but must have sent out 50+ emails with CVs, got a few replies and one job offer back.

I have been looking as well a job n Germany for few months and I experienced the same !!
And finally the job I get was my first interview and I had to wait 4 months to get an answer !!!

But I never get an answer before 3 weeks after the interview !!

Hello
had exactly the same experience. One puts a whole package together mails it and never hear anything back. I have experienced that email application never get a reply either.
Totally agree with you that an acknowledgement would be polite.

I would agree that sending out these laborious german "volle Bewerbungsunterlagen" - these lengthy folders with all sorts of certificates and testimonials in them is mostly a waste of time and money. And any employer who asks for these is simply too bureaucratic and snail like to be worth bothering with. OK, if youre one of these german stodgy old beamte types (whether public sector or private sector - "beamte" types can be found in both - Ive come across plenty) - then it might be worth it, looking for a "job for life" with one employer, with Betriebsrat, "Tarife", and all that stodgy old stuff, but for dynamic, "out of the box" thinking anglo-saxons its not the right way to further your career.

When I came to Germany I checked out the Arbeitsamt first of all, went to their "ZEIT" vermittlung, rather than the mainstream departments. This was because I wanted and needed to find a job within my first week of arriving in the country. Didnt have time for lengthy "Bewerbungen" and "Bewerbungsmappen". I thought the ZEIT agency department of the Arbeitsamt would be a better solution.

Well what happened was the Vermittler filled out a form with details of a job in the IT department of a big insurance company (in Köln). I thought this meant all I had to do was ring the number and they would arrange a time for me to come for interview, either that day, or at the latest maybe the next day. But when I rang, the bureaucratic and extremely formal personnel manageress who answered said I must send a written application with "ausführliche Bewerbungsunterlagen" !! I couldnt believe it. Needless to say I didnt bother, didnt have time to waste and no interest in such a pointness longwinded approach anyway.

Instead I went down the road to the first big (private temping agency I found (ADIA) walked in and introduced myself. And found myself sent on my first assignment with them the very next morning. In the IT department of a big insurance company (no it wasnt actually the same one).

One thing thats always surprised me is now ill-informed germans are about private recruitment consultants. Eg they think you have to pay them a fee, and so avoid them! They tend to stick to the staid old stodgy avenues of newspaper ads and Arbeitsamt. All the better for us brits!

The employment market seems to be hotting up, my wife's company has lot a good people over the last year or two (130 in a company of only 800) and they can't keep up with the hiring. Problem is their is fewer graduates and they have no interest in working a company they never heard of, they prefer the big well known German names.

With over 5 million unemployed here in Germany the companies do not have time to answer everyone. I know it's bad manners but that's Germany. In addition it costs money to send replies.

On another note, I personally have received applications from job seekers who were by no means qualified for the position advertised.

Do any of you have words of wisdom or stories to tell about making job applications in English? How about for jobs that state 'und verfügen über gute Englischkenntnisse' usw. as primary skills. All the jobs I'd apply for would be with international companies who would do their work in English but very few state which language(s) they'd accept applications in. This seems to indicate they expect German style applications, in German.

Also many state "Bei Interesse an dieser Position mit hervorragenden Perspektiven in einem spannenden Umfeld freuen wir uns auf Ihre Bewerbung per e-Mail!" or something similar. Does this mean implicitly the short form of application? Or is it better to play it safe and send them the whole bundle as above?

Just call them and ask.

Chances are they want the German version and that even if they encourage applications via email they expect you to attach references and write a nice cover letter.

Plus: Calling and asking a totally valid question is a good way to make and get a first impression.

Well yes, with 12% unemployment rate in this country... good luck... dammit...

Have you tried NAAFI?you could work for the centeral support office,or there are plenty of english speaking jobs on camp for non military persons(like me ) not sure if ur interested jus thought id try...