It's well documented that Germany is suffering from a shortage of workers across a wide range of jobs and industries.
But despite labour shortages in sectors ranging from tech and IT to healthcare and hospitality, people looking for a job in Germany are quickly made painfully aware that it's a tough market out there. Many large employers in the country have recently put freezes on hiring, and others have even announced layoffs.
As the German economy has failed to climb out of a slump month after month for years, more recently unemployment figures have slowly began ticking upward.
Meanwhile job-seekers, especially non-German job-seekers, complain that decent opportunities are hard to come by and getting an interview is even harder.
So what exactly can you do as a foreigner in Germany to improve your odds of finding and securing a good job? In a recent survey, we asked our readers about their experiences of job-hunting in the country.
Asked how they found their last job, responses were varied: readers cited Indeed, LinkedIn, recruiters, personal connections and even in-person visits to businesses.
Some sentiments were shared by nearly all of our respondents, namely that job-hunting is very difficult right now, especially for non-German speakers, but that there are opportunities out there if you're thorough, focused and persistent in your search.
Not what you know, but who you know
Reading through the responses to the survey, it quickly becomes clear that foreign workers in Germany are struggling less with a lack of open roles, and more with a complex web of invisible obstacles that combine to filter out foreigners, regardless of their qualifications.
One respondent, a research assistant based in Berlin, who identified himself as John Doe said that nepotism is a particular problem: “I believe the hiring process here is more focussed on who you know than on your actual technical skills and credentials."
"I’ve seen people in management positions in technology who…aren’t from the field and only got hired because they knew someone," he added.
READ ALSO: Five hard truths foreign job seekers in Germany need to know
Lisa Quatmann, a senior engineering manager from the US, saw a similar problem in the German startup scene.
"Most of the startups I interviewed with were all run by white German men who went to university together and had no real work experience, let alone founder experience,” she said.
It’s a language thing
Mastery of German, even for English-speaking or multinational workplaces, remains the single most frequently cited challenge.
“Even international companies who use English every day ask for good German skills,” said Komal Vaghamshi, who added that he's job hunting in Germany on a Chancenkarte.
Sourav Dey, a software product manager in Berlin, referred to it as “the language filter.”
Roshni Dlomen from Mumbai added that part of the problem is the number of employers who are unwilling to invest in foreign employees.
"Managers don’t have patience for 'work-in-progress' employees. They want someone already fluent in German and with relevant work experience," he said.
And when employers are willing to take on foreign staff, it seems these relationships are more likely to become exploitative.
Victorina Francis Walter, who comes from Mumbai and works in hospitality at Frankfurt airport, described poor working conditions for herself and her non-German colleagues.
“We are pushed to work overtime and...some of my Asian colleagues are threatened with job loss if they don’t work extra days. German and European colleagues are not treated in this way, regardless of whether the managers are Germans or immigrants,” she told The Local.
In addition to the language barrier are bureaucratic barriers. Even in sectors facing acute labour shortages, many foreign job seekers in Germany need to have foreign qualifications recognised in the country.
"As I’m in education, which is a highly regulated sector in Germany. Getting my diplomas recognized took a while," said Cansu from Turkey, who lives in Leipzig.
The secrets of success
Respondents to our survey did offer some cause for hope, however, agreeing on a range of measures that can improve foreign jobseekers' chances of finding gainful employment.
Do tap into your network
Multiple respondents talked about the importance of networking in person wherever possible.
“Network network network!” said Lisa Quatmann. “Not just on LinkedIn. Show up at meetups and conferences, volunteer, speak, coach, meet people, tell them what you're looking for and keep in touch...Hiring managers tend to interview referrals first, so try to be one of them."
"Many lasting, meaningful jobs come through honest networking," agreed Stephen Nock, an American coach and teamwork facilitator who has been living in Berlin since 2017.
He added that "weak ties", or "people you know but not super well, can often be the most valuable relationships.”
REVEALED: The jobs and skills growing in demand across Germany
Taking advantage of online networking services can also be helpful. The most useful tools mentioned by respondents to our survey include: LinkedIn, Xing, Indeed, Stepstone, and meinestadt.de.
Respondents also noted the importance of moving quickly when good opportunities appear.
Stefano Piccinelli, a hiring manager based in Düsseldorf, said he receives more than 70 applications for every position advertised.
"I have time to go through the first 20, usually those which arrive in the first week," Piccinelli said.
Sarah in Stuttgart, who works in HR, adds that however much you network and however fast you move, you still have to produce an appropriate CV.
“The CV should be meaningful and suitable for the offered position, as recruiters take a special look at that,” she said.
Speaking of CVs, when applying to German companies, it may be help to adopt a German CV format, including a photo.
Be clear about what you want to do
While it’s vital to try and take advantage of a wide variety of potential opportunities, respondents agreed on the importance of being goal orientated.
"Know what you want to do. Really narrowing your goals helps...even if it’s more frustrating to search for fewer jobs," said Kelly, a project manager from Sweden.
READ ALSO: German unemployment hovers under 3 million as economy stagnates
Victorina Francis Walter advises applicants to do their own “deep research” rather than relying on what other people say, however well-intentioned. “Most people don’t know what they’re talking about,” she added.
She and Roshni Dlomen both encouraged applicants to drop CVs off in person where possible.
Harini, who lives in Siegen, also said he found his last job by making a direct approach.
It takes patience and persistence
“Don’t lose hope,” said Minna from Finland, who lives in northern Germany, “even when the process lasts a long time.”
Patience is particularly important because of how difficult it can be for newcomers in Germany to learn how to strike the right balance between "standing out" and "fitting in", Stephen Nock explained.
“For many expats, including myself and the job-seeking clients I coach, the hardest part is balancing how to stand out while still 'fitting in.' You want to get noticed in the stack of applications, but you also want to be seen as a fit, possibly in a German company. It’s not always clear how much German is required or whether they're open to transferable skillsets, and navigating those grey areas can be tricky.”
Thank you so much to everyone who completed our survey. Although we weren't able to use all the responses, we read them all and they helped inform our article. If you have a specific question about applying for residency that you can't find an answer to in our previous articles, feel free to drop us a line at news@thelocal.de.
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