Step 6: Apply for a job in Germany

In Germany, the specifications and recommendations for job applications are relatively formalised: they include a letter of application – also known as cover letter, a CV (complete!, in tabular form) certificates from studies, internships, long-term part-time or secondary employment; and, at the start of your career, also your last school certificate. In contrast to many other countries, a professional photo of the applicant is usual and desired in Germany. You can find good information relating to applying for a job on the Website of the "Arbeitsagentur". https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/en

This cannot be answered generally but depends on the respective employee and the job position. Time and again, it becomes clear that employees attach great importance to practical experience – also during your studies. In addition, sufficient knowledge of the German language, in general at least B2, is important in order to be able to take part in company life that goes beyond the purely professional dimension of your specialisation.

In the vast majority of cases, it is recommended to write your CV in German and, if necessary, to get support for this (e.g. at the Career Service, the Employment Agency, Chatgpt etc.). But naturally, when it comes to job applications, there are always exceptions: when in doubt, you can inquire at the Human Resource Department of the respective company. With regard to job advertisements in English, an application in English is often expected.

How a “good application photo” for an employee looks like depends not only on the personal preferences but also on the branch of industry and the position you are applying to. To get an impression of the style of the respective company, you should take a look at their homepage. And no – please do not try to take your own photo; for this task, a professional studio is required. If a friend of yours can take great photos, you may give this a try first. Sometimes, you may look more relaxed than in a professional studio setting. No selfies, of course!  But it always advisable to get a third opinion. Here are some more tips for your application photo: Please do smile! A friendly smile can open doors for you. Opt for a monochrome background without distracting details. And passport photos are not allowed: they look far too serious, even sinister at times and are not a good option for your applications in Germany.

In the letter of application, your motivation for applying to this particular position and employee should be made clear. The qualifications you have should be presented with regard to the position; please do not “re-narrate” your CV. Applying means “selling yourself”; it is often helpful to consider what you can offer the employee and what “image” of yourself you would like to convey to the employee before you apply.

The letter of application should be sent to the person specified in the job advertisement. In case no name has been stated, it is recommendable to inquire at the company as to who the contact partner is.

More and more often, companies expect an application online or per email, but also here, there are exceptions to the rule. When in doubt: inquire.

The complete set of documents (including cover letter, CV, certificates, etc.) should be sent in one! PDF that is no larger than 4 MB. Here, there are also exceptions, e.g. when an employee would like a sample of your work.

The most important proofs should be available in copy; in this case, the instructions, “heed the size of data“, apply. Sometimes less is more. In other words, make a good choice. But do include your graduation certificates as well as recommendation letters and proof of special qualifications which might be interesting for the job you are applying for.

Yes, because the future employee can gather information from references about you as an employer.

From your documents, the employee must be able to gather which qualifications you have; therefore, they should be translated. For degrees from abroad that you want to have recognised in Germany, all relevant documents must be translated.

Yes. However, you should allow the employee some time, and if you receive a receipt confirmation stating something such as, “We ask you to refrain from contacting us“, then you should adhere to this.

Here, it also depends on the position and branch of industry, and, again, you should inform yourself in advance by looking at the company´s website. Normally, shirt, tie and jacket for men and blouse and blazer for women are a good choice. Don´t overdo it, you should feel comfortable in your clothing.

Important!!!! For example, coming too late to a job interview is often regarded as lacking respect – no matter how good the reason is for being late.

With an unsolicited application, ideally you contact an employee per telephone or email even though a (suitable) job vacancy has not been advertised. When you do this, it is important to consider why you would like to work for that employee and what knowledge and qualifications could be interesting to that employee. It is good to make this clear at first contact in order to arouse the employee’s interest in you.

This could be a very good idea – but, please, never establish contact unprepared! Before surprising people in their office, please do make sure to research the company in detail and search for vacancies on their website. In case you have somebody´s contact details, it might be a good idea to send them email first expressing your interest in a specific position or asking for a short meeting.

About the process and possible forms/exercises, you can well-inform yourself at the above homepage. For the employee, the entire day, including breaks, is relevant to receive an impression of you. The most important aspect is, however, not to think that you must or can pretend to be someone other than yourself. Remain authentic.

Many applicants when thinking about qualifications only think about their studies and forget their other experiences from secondary jobs and engagement inside and outside of the university as well as their special language skills and intercultural competencies, all of which could be very valuable to the employee. Often this information is the essential “piece in the mosaic” that distinguishes you from the other candidates.