I was rejected 4 times by 4 different employers in the last round when I was applying for jobs in Germany.
Yes, unlike India where you are almost sure that you will get a job offer when you are done with the last HR round, in Germany you can’t be sure.
So, preparing yourself for each round and giving your 100% is a must if you want to crack the German job market.
Here are the main 5 rounds that are usually found in a German job interview process:
1. CV screening
CV screening is the very initial step of an interview process in Germany.
You submit your job application with a CV, a Cover letter, and additional documents (if any).
This is then either reviewed by the recruiter manually or most of the time by an ATS (Application Tracking System).
In either case, it is very important to optimize your CV and cover letter to meet the requirements of the job description.
You can also use tools to scan your CV for ATS compatibility and get insights into improvement areas before applying for a job.
If your CV and the cover letter stand out and pass the initial check, you will get an email from the recruiter with details of the next step.
The initial screening usually takes anywhere between a few days to a couple of weeks.
2. Get to know round
Once your CV is selected for the next round, you will be invited for a Get-to-know round which is usually a 30-minute 1:1 call with the recruiter or the HR/Hiring manager of the company.
This round is all about getting to know the candidate and for you as a candidate, it is all about getting to know the Company, its culture, the projects, and so on.
Make sure that you prepare well for this round.
Your preparation can begin by researching about the company, its mission, vision, projects, and other business aspects.
Aligning your experience and career goals with the company goals and vision is key to crack this round.
If you are unsure about the process and would like to get help from an expert HR from Germany, we have a Job search support service that can help you prepare for the entire interview process.
3. Technical round
As the name suggests, the technical round is the one where the employer will evaluate your technical capabilities.
If you are applying for a software developer role, you might be presented with a take-home challenge or a live coding challenge.
If it is a take-home challenge, there is usually another follow-up round where you will be required to explain the code to the interviewer.
On the other hand, If it is a live coding challenge, make sure to speak out your thought process and ask questions.
The interviewer is usually not looking for a solution that works.
The most important skill that is evaluated here is your thought process and how you approach a problem.
It is always better to do some coding challenges and brush up on your basic programming knowledge before the interview.
4. Culture fit round
This is a completely new round that I didn’t know about when I was in India.
The main idea behind this round is to identify any cultural mismatches.
It is very important, especially for German employers that there is a strong culture fit for any candidate they hire.
Again, to crack this step, you should research more about the company, its values, goals, culture, and other information available online.
Make sure that your answers align with the culture of the company
Also, If your values do not align with the values and culture of the company, it is fine to withdraw your application and move on.
5. Final HR round
This is usually the final round where the HR of the company discusses the final offer with the candidate.
You don’t need to prepare much for this round but it is usually a good practice to learn about negotiation.
This round will be more about the salary negotiation and benefits that the company is willing to offer.
If your salary expectation matches the offer, everything should be fine.
If your expectations were higher than what the company offered, you can always negotiate up to a certain extent.
Again, if you want to have a 1-1 session with an HR from Germany and understand the negotiation techniques for your next interview, you can opt for the Job search support service here.
In Summary
The German interview process takes anywhere between a couple of weeks to a month or even longer.
So, it is important that you understand the different rounds of an interview process and prepare yourself accordingly.
Once you start interviewing with different companies, you will gain experience and eventually have the confidence to crack the German job market.
Good luck with your job search 🙂
Whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways we can help you with your job search in Germany
1. The GIC Community: We built an active discord community of thousands of professionals who are searching for a job in Germany or moved to Germany and are helping others to make their move. Join the community and learn from others.
2. The GIC+ Membership: This premium membership grants you additional privileges to speed up your job search in Germany. Some of the benefits of joining the premium tier include weekly meet-ups, access to visa-sponsored jobs, access to the job search planner tool, and more.
3. The Job Search Support Service: We have partnered with Senior HRs and Recruiters from Germany who will help you customize your profile to meet the requirements of the German job market. This is different from what is offered by the traditional international job consultancies.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is for general informational purposes only. We strongly advise readers to conduct their due diligence or consult with a professional legal or immigration consultant before taking any action based on the content of this post. "Germany Is Calling" or the author of this post does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or applicability of the information provided.