Secure a job as Software Engineer in Germany – Step by Step

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In this article, I am portraying my personal experience in the current(2021) IT job market in Germany. I will try to answer some questions that are repeatedly asked by my students, ex-colleagues, friends from Bangladesh and India. I hope that it will help you to secure a job as Software Engineer in Germany. Though I answered them separately, I believe that it will be a good idea to write a step by step guide.

In the first section of the article, I will try to explain and answer the common questions and after that, I will write the steps that you can follow to secure a job as Software Engineer. If you follow the steps, I can assure you that you will get at least a primary interview call. Then, your technical ability, charismatic speech, experience related to the job requirement and a little bit of luck will help you to secure a job as a software engineer in Germany.

Q&A

Can a foreigner get a job in Germany?

Answer: Yes. The newly implemented law has expanded the list of those that are now considered qualified professionals for moving to Germany for work. Under the new law, in addition to those with a tertiary education degree, non-EU nationals holding a vocational training qualification or university degree, are also considered as qualified professionals, and as such are eligible to seek work in Germany.

Is it true that Germany has a lack of software engineers?

Answer: Straight Answer is Yes. According to a study by Bitcom, Germany’s leading digital association, the number of vacancies rose by 51% within just a year. And there is no end in sight to overcome this tech talent shortage any time soon. Those figures resulted from the study on the job market for IT specialists that was carried out by the digital association Bitkom. 83% of the survey stated that they experienced a shortage of tech talents on the job market, compared to 67% two years ago. In addition, 65% expect the situation to worsen in the coming years.

Is it absolutely necessary to speak German to secure a job as a software engineer?

Answer: No and Yes. Most of the IT companies in Germany has employees from all over the world and the primary language is English. Companies like Trivago, HelloFresh, Auto1 and Zalando all prove that it is possible to run the whole organization in English. If you know the basic level of German, it will be really helpful to adapt to the culture, speak with your colleagues and maintain day to day life in the city. For an entry-level Software Engineering position, My personal feeling is that you don’t need the German language, fluent English is enough. You must need a very good command in German if you apply for Technical Lead/Head of Engineering or other high-level positions where you need to consult with CEOs/managers.

Is it easy to secure a job as a software engineer in Germany?

Answer: Yes, if you have very good technical skills, experiences and good connection. No, If you only have one/two university projects, no solid technical experience. However, in Germany, actually having qualifications isn’t sufficient. You also need to have your qualifications officially recognized before they can be used as proof of skills. As educational systems vary, and the quality and depth of degrees also vary. So a degree in Computer Science and Engineering earned in Bangladesh may not have the same weight as one achieved in Munich. In the interview, the employers only discuss the educational background if it is really a shout out.

I have already applied to a couple of companies but why don’t I get any response?

Answer: In harsh reality, Something is missing. You have an excellent education and an impressive list of achievements in your local company but you have failed to showcase them. I scanned hundreds of resumes/CVs each year, 80% of candidates were rejected in the first phase due to poor presentation of their skills in the resume/CV. The game rule here is very simple but it is a hard game to play. You need to convince your employer by showcasing your entire career in two pages. If an employer finds a spelling mistake in your CV/Email/Cover letter, then many employers don’t even bother to send you a rejection letter.

Can you tell me about the average salary in Germany?

Answer: No. It is very to hard say the average figure as it depends on company, city, your experience, company-provided benefits etc. Think about the salary at the last stage of the interview. At that time, use payscale or glassdoor.

Which is the best city in Germany for a job as Software Engineer in Germany?

Answer: Berlin(Popular for startups), Frankfurt(Banking and Finance), Munich(Most HQs in Germany), Hamburg(Port city, lot of cool companies), Stuttgart, Düsseldorf. For Mobile app developers, Munich and Hamburg are two pieces of heaven.


Step by step guide to secure a job as Software Engineer

Step 1: Build your professional profile

Create a detailed profile in Xing and Linked In. Add all of your projects and try to finish some assessment tests on Linked In. After updating your profile, you should have around 50+ profile views monthly. Update Open to work and position for the employer and the recruiters.

Step 2: Create a generic CV/resume

Create a resume/CV not more than two pages. If you have less than three years of experience consider making it one/one and a half-page maximum. If you have more than five years of experience, please don’t try to write everything about your career. You know best – what is the most valuable achievement you want to discuss with your next employers. Use German format and don’t use fancy resume/CV builders that are available online. Multi-columns fancy resume/CV is hard to skim, pathetic to gather data by OCR(OCR based data collection for applicants is a trend) and not efficient for applying multiple companies at the same time. Please don’t use the same resume/CV for all applications. The generic resume should be updated based on company needs and other factors.

Step 3: Create a generic cover letter

Create one/two pages cover letter.

Step 4: Find a job to apply

The most popular job search sites are stepstone.de, glassdoor.de, indeed.de, LinkedIn and Xing.

Step 5: Build a professional connection

After finding a job to apply for, try to find any recruiter of that specific company in LinkedIn/Xing or contact HR and ask for help. As a foreigner sending a request to an unknown person won’t give them a good impression unless you add any professional text message. When you find a proper channel to apply for the job, consider doing a good research on that company.

Step 6: Improve and update generic cover letter and resume/CV

Based on the job requirement, you must update your generic cover letter and resume/CV. It is very easy to spot a generic cover letter/resume. You will lose 50% of the game, the moment you send a generic cover letter/resume. Emphasise the skills and experiences that are mentioned in the job requirements in your resume/CV.

Step 7: Apply and learn

Apply a handful of companies, applying 20 companies does not make any sense to me. If you invest time in the company research, connection building and skill improvement before applying, you will get a positive response. In the meantime, start learning German, follow social group, attend virtual developer meet up and enhance your skills.

Have faith in you 🔥. It may take one month to one year ⏳. All the best 🙏.

Don’t hesitate to Contact with me if you have any questions ☮︎

Planning to apply for iOS job? Check out this article to uplift your resume! Happy job hunting!



✍️ Written by Ishtiak Ahmed

👉 Follow me on XLinkedIn



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