Ways to find SMEs to work for as a graduate

In Summer 2008 I should be graduating with a Management Degree from a good English uni, and I have good German skills (I would hesitate to say fluent). The normal route for someone with my degree would be to work for a large multinational investment bank, where the system is well set up to recruit graduates.

However, I'm looking to work for a progressive and interesting small firm, preferably in Germany, but there doesn't seem to be a good system in place to find such a place. Now I know pages on this site link to Monster.de and the sorts, but they usually just highlight the job title and salary, something that doesn't interest me greatly. I'd sooner work in a firm where we're doing something interesting and worthwhile, whilst my ideas are taken on board and credited.

Now searching for such jobs in England is hard enough, but does anyone know of good routes to take in Germany? How will my degree be received (very likely to be a 2:1)? I would hope that a smaller firm would be more accepting of not having a piece of paper that says "fluent German" because in reality my conversational German is good enough in most situations.

If anyone has any advice I'd greatly appreciate it.

Joe

I had a similar thought a few years ago. What I was told by Germans was to do at least one internship with an SME in order to build relationships and get good references. For these firms, fluent German is pretty much a absolute prerequisite- otherwise how will you communicate your ideas? Keep in mind a lot of these firms are family-owned and won't need any advice on running their company. Instead, they will be looking for people with a technical background. Perhaps there is a British Chamber of Commerce in the larger German cities that can provide you with the names of some companies you can research and contact, try some trade publications or trade associations, or the venture capital publications. On problem you might run into is that your course of study was designed with large enterprises in mind, not startups or SMEs, so that's a possible drawback. Your idea may be easier to realize in the UK. At any rate, good luck.

Try using Xing.com. It's the German networking site and you can search using their "haves" and "wants" fields. Bear in mind, that most SME's outsource their recruitment, so it might be a good idea for you to go through some recruitment agencies here. Otherwise, you could perhaps approach the offices responsible for foreign students at the local universities here.

As for the language skills, conversational German will be enough. I personally would just say fluent because the Germans know that "Anglo-Saxons" exaggerate on their CV's and they're starting to do it themselves. I know many people who had French at school and can't speak a word of it anymore who maintain they can on their CV's. In fact, I've found more "English-speaking" Germans in the smaller companies here than in the large, multi-nationals.

Yes the course is geard towards larger MNEs, however we do quite a few entrepreneurship modules and we're constantly told that at least in the UK SMEs are screaming out for good graduate employees, who aren't usually attraced to SME jobs.

I'm not entirely convinced a family run firm would have the kind of culture I'm looking for, as they are run by nepotism by default.

The outsourcing of recruitment mentioned in the other post bothers me, I know it's also the way in the UK. I'm sure there's all manner of great firms to work for but as soon as they use a recruitment agency the jobs sound a dime a dozen..

Thanks both for the advice.

It's good that you are considering things like company culture- a lot of applicants don't do this. Maybe some of us should think about starting our own firm.

Yeah it's interesting, we have a careers department here at uni and they can't provide any sort of sound advice for my issue.

I can't help but feel the small firms are missing out by not advertising themselves to people such as myself. My main ambition is to one day have my own firm so that's why if I can't realise that dream just now then I'd like to work for a small firm and see how day-to-day operations work.

It's going slightly off topic but there is a website that allows US firms to post videos, for example, showing their premises and staff, which is really quite a draw for people who want to work in a small firm.

If I'm looking for such a website that provides this in Germany (and Europe) and can't find it, then I'm inclined to say it doesn't exist. Surely there's some employers who would end up recruiting better suited people if they could show what the daily life in the firm is like?

JY, sounds like you have some good ideas. I have been none too impressed with the careers departments of the universities I have attended, so it might be a general problem for them, regardless of location.
Small fims may not want to incur the costs of advertising themselves to potential employees (including management time) if they outweigh the benefts. Large firms know they'll be hiring people every year, so they can justify the expense and create economies-of-scale to handle it. For most small firms, hiring is sporadic, and often done via word-of-mouth, e.g., a current employee knows someone from a previous company that can fill a position. Germany is generally a buyer's market anyway when it comes to most professions. At any rate, offering internships is a manner of recruiting as well as filling in some temporary labor gaps.

"whilst my ideas are taken on board and credited."
It just is not like that here!
The difference in working culture between the UK and Germany
is immense.
New ideas are NOT welcome from junior employees -
hierarchy rules!
Forget UK/US pragmatism - here it is rules, rules, rules.
You might have a chance with multinationals, but the famous "Mittelstand"
is made up of autocratically run outfits making a return on capital
that is a joke by Anglo-Saxon standards.
And the idea that a young Brit. might have a valuable contribution to make...
It's just not the way they think here.
Wait until much of manufacturing industry goes east - then it might change,
but little sign yet.

I see the point you're making but I think it's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. I wouldn't want to go to work at a firm that doesn't accept me ideas any more than a firm who doesn't want to hear them.

Which brings me round to my initial post where I asked if there was such an agency that "married" people up to firms - companies who don't want Yay-sayers seeking people who want to change things.

It might seem idealistic to most firms but then those aren't the sort of firms who are having recruitment issues. The firms who struggle to get the person they want is because people get matched up to them based on job position/title and salary, which isn't the main thrust of many small firms at all.