Sometimes readers share their story with me. Jaesook wrote me a few back to explain how he got his first job in Germany.
“Dear Chris,
I would like to express my thanks for your information through webinar and through your book.
For a year, I have been looking for a job in Oberfranken.I speak German in B2 level, I know some people in Germany, I know the culture to a certain degree,
I am in Computer Science area, so I thought I could get a job pretty easily.
But it took longer than I expected..I read your suggestions on the web, from youtube, bought your book, and tried the methods suggested by you.
I was invited for job interviews a few times, but did not work out.
Not because your suggestion was not suitable, but because my qualification was somewhat special. Because of my PhD, and work experience in Research institute, I was turned down by many companies in Oberfranken. (For private reason, I was looking for a job here.)
Nevertheless, with the help of my acquaintance, I got a job in Hochschule XXX. It turned out to be a perfect match for me!
They did not have any job opening. My acquaintance working in IHK just send my CV to all the companies/organizations. The next day, I got an invitation to an interview. They were interested in me, I was interested in them. After mutual agreement, they made a job announcement, and I officially applied for the position.
It was an interesting experience. Opportunities come from unexpected spots. I started last December, and am very very happy with the role, although it is “befristet”. My employer said that they intend to keep me. 🙂
I really appreciate your help and information. It really helped me to learn about Germans and the working culture.
(Knowing a culture as a guest/tourist, and knowing a culture at work (with decision-making )is really different.)
I believe your book is a great help, even after geting a job, to understand german colleagues.
By the way, your advice of sending some people an email to ask who the hiring manager is did not work*. (Well, true, I tried only once, somehow.)
The person said that it was confidential. Nevertheless, many of your advice helped me in general.
I wish you a long-lasting success and health!
JS Cheong“
*Reaching to directly to managers is a process that needs a lot of finetuning. That's why I offer my Expats Job Offer Guarantee.