Three Myths About Getting a Job in Germany
Busting the common myths I get asked about landing a job in Germany
Ever since I moved to Germany with a job, my friends, relatives and acquaintances on LinkedIn alike, ask me how they can land a job in Germany.
Based on over two-dozen conversations, I have seen three major myths emerge regarding getting a job in Germany:
Myth 1: You need to know German
Nothing could be farther than the truth than this statement. German language proficiency is not a requirement to get a job in Germany.
This requirement is generally confused with the student visa requirement. For certain courses (bachelors or masters), a certain level of German language proficiency is mandatory since some parts of the course may be purely in German.
Cities like Berlin are extremely cosmopolitan. Even daily activities would not call for German language skills (booking a ticket, buying groceries, etc.) English is generally spoken in the workplace and outside.
There are, of course, some exceptions. Niche professions like that of a Lawyer, a Doctor or a Nurse would require a certain level of German language proficiency. A basic German skill may be expected if you are in business consulting as well. But owing to the broad range of professions out there, these German-requiring jobs are far too few to eliminate Germany from your list of dream destinations.
If you are coming to Germany on a high-skill visa (Blue Card), it might also interest you to know that if you learn German to an intermediate level (B1), you get your permanent residence in 21 months, as opposed to 33 months otherwise. Talk about some serious time-saving!
Myth 2: You have to have a German Degree
This is yet another misconception I hear from a lot of people. My friends ask me if it is a German Degree is required for getting a job in Germany. But this is not true either. Of course, if you have studied in Germany, the German job market is open to you for job search right after the degree.
But this does not mean that if you don’t have one, there is no way to get in. Germany has a Blue Card Visa category where the requirement for German Language Knowledge is exempted. This is a high-skill labour visa, and since these skill sets are scarce in Germany, in order to attract such talent from abroad, the imposition of knowing German language is no longer there. If you work in IT, Technology or Research, rest assured, you belong to this category (however, there are some minimum wage conditions that you need to fulfill).
Myth 3: Jobs in Germany are given based purely on Hard Skills
When I refer my friends to jobs in my company, they often get back to me asking why they got rejected after the first round.
“I have such deep and diverse experience. How can they ever say no to a candidate like me?” they ask me.
The workplace setup in Germany (and many parts of EU) is very different from those workplaces that have a very Asian or American work setup. It is very important for German companies to understand how you think, and whether you’re a good team player. They also gauge your culture fit with the company. Do you have the same work ethics? Does your thought process align with the company’s vision? Do you understand the company’s mission?
All these matter quite a bit, and I have seen candidates with very strong hard skills get rejected because they were not a good culture fit. Hence, just having the hard skills is not enough anymore. You will also be expected to show your soft-skills (self management, crisis management, team dynamics, etc.)
Conclusion
It is true that getting a job outside of your home country could be quite a challenge, but if you understand what your dream country’s job market is like, and what they are looking for, this could not be as big a challenge anymore.
This is also the case with Germany. There are many pre-conceived notions about getting a job in Germany. I hope I was able to bust the most common ones.
I wish you all the best with your job search in Germany!