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Working in Germany: Why you should apply for a job in November

Career coach Chris Pyak explains why employers aren't getting into holiday mode just yet - in fact, they're more likely to hire you between now and Christmas. Here's why

Published: 4 November 2019 12:59 CET
Working in Germany: Why you should apply for a job in November
A job applicant meets with two career recruiters. Photo: depositphotos/fizkes

“I love the fourth quarter,” Nelly Bogilova told me when I interviewed her for the Immigrant Spirit Podcast last week: “Clients hire fast and you see results quickly.” Nelly is a headhunter and recruits talent for companies in the Pharma industry.

My own coaching clients experience shows the same thing: They get managers on the phone, discuss real life business problems and move forward in their job hunt.

READ ALSO: How to reach out to German employers on LinkedIn or Xing

I experienced this for several years now: Between September and December, companies hire faster than in the rest of the year. And now I have the data to complete my personal experience and the stories that my coaching clients share.

Thanks to Textkernel B.V. I was able to compare more than 1.5 million job ads in Germany in the last twelve months – and then narrow it down to a little over 90,000 English language job ads in Germany. 

On average, an English job ad for a full-time position that requires a university degree is online for 35 to 44 days. But in the last quarter of the year, job ads disappear already after 12 days.

Graph courtesy of Chris Pyak.

Twelve short days from advertising a new job, to gathering enough good candidates to make a decision. That’s great for the employer – but also for you, the candidate. After all, you want to do a great job and put your skills to good use.

I believe that companies hire so fast in the last quarter, because managers want to start the new year with a complete team – and avoid budget cuts. 

How do you take advantage of that fact?

You could simply choose to apply with your standard CVs. But that is what everybody else does. You would still be competing with German candidates. And as you might have experienced by now: Anyone who is in any way “different” really struggles with German HR. 

There is a much better way to stand out as a job candidate. I used this way to get over 100 international professionals in jobs in Germany. It takes a little bit more time to explain than I have in this column.

That’s why The Local Germany and I would like to invite you to the Expats Career Webinar. Find out how to get job interviews fast, by ignoring HR.

ABOUT CHRIS PYAK

Chris Pyak is the Author of “How To Win Jobs & Influence Germans“. The managing director of Immigrant Spirit GmbH has worked in four different cultures and lived in five different countries.

Chris returned to Germany in 2011. His mission: Bring the Immigrant Spirit to his home country. Chris introduces international professionals to employers in Germany.

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WORKING IN GERMANY

Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Bavaria is no doubt a beautiful state with a strong economy, but can be a hard place for non-German speakers to integrate. The Local takes a look at job opportunities in Germany’s southeastern 'Free State.'

Published: 7 February 2024 10:54 CET
Updated: 10 February 2024 08:20 CET
Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions. 

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds. 

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local. 

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with. 

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