Top 10 Hacks to find a job in Germany | CV - Cover letter - Interview
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I have some helpful tips to help you beat the competition and get ahead of the game in the German job market!
As a European HR consultant, I worked in recruiting for a period of time and during my experience with hiring new employees I managed to gather some really useful tips and tricks to land your dream job in Germany! Plus I was lucky enough to get some valuable insight from other HR professionals from top companies all around Germany.
In this blogpost I will reveal Top 10 best kept secrets of working in Germany and a detailed step-by-step guide to finding a job in Germany. I will cover the most popular job application questions, such as:
Also included in the blog:
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Writing a good CV is winning half the game. So before you rush to apply for work in Germany, you need to make sure that your CV is competitive, up-to-date and communicates your value to the company well! Research shows that your CV can make or break your chances of getting a job in Germany so it’s very important that you invest a proper amount of time to polishing up your CV. It's imperative that you strike a healthy balance: don’t skimp on the important details but don’t turn it into your award-winning autobiographical novel!
Here are the answers to some FAQ’s about CV writing in Germany:
Those are just the very basics of CV writing. If you want your CV to be successful in Germany, it needs to be very high quality.
Luckily for you, I know some CV writing tips for German market!
Check out this useful checklist for German CV requirements:
Use this CV example used to apply for work in a German company showing the precise resume structure in Germany:
Download your FREE Resume Example and Resume Template at the bottom of the page.
I think this goes without saying: details are very important! Germans are very detail-oriented and will notice immediately if you haven’t put enough work into your job application. If you are smart, you will invest time into polishing the key details of your CV because they are what will separate you from other job applicants also looking for a job in Germany.
The best pro tip for a successful CV in Germany: get your photo done professionally!
Example of a professional photo: Example of an unprofessional photo:
Your CV picture should be located on the top of the first page, either on the left or right side. Get a professional CV photo, stay away from old photos or bad quality shots that your friends took – they just won’t do! You might want to invest in a high quality resume photo to help you shine and look your best - a person that German companies would want to employ! Head to your local photo center or try a photo booth.
Some important details in a good resume picture are:
These key details will help you achieve an overall well put-together look and put a confident face to the name on your resume.
Other important details when applying for a job in Germany are:
For practical CV Templates and more tips about the CV format in Germany, check out this article: Thelocal.do/jobs
We all want to look presentable and, most of all, employable to our future boss. While we may spend a lot of time improving our resumes and photos, few of us may think to clean up some social media disasters that may pop up when your employer decides to Google you or look you up on social media. This is a standard procedure to recruiting as it helps the company quickly discard some bad apples that may bring a bad image to the company.
Here is a handy-dandy cheat sheet to help you make a good impression on your German employer:
If you have followed all 3 previous steps - hurray! You are now ready to start looking for a job in Germany! But we have compiled a helpful list of German websites that list job vacancies for English speakers in Germany looking for work that doesn't require German language.
Here are the Top 10 best sources to find work in Germany:
There are many more sources of work in Germany out there! Try googling “work in Germany” or “jobs in Germany” for more results!
Your cover letter should be written with confidence and determination - it's your selling pitch to the employer! Present yourself in the best light possible, focus on your best qualities and skills and skip unnecessary details that don’t help you get the job. This point is key: reveal only the information that is relevant to the job you are applying to, including academic, professional, volunteering and extracurricular activities (like clubs you are a part of or conferences you attended)!
IMPORTANT: German cover letters are formal, they should not be written in a casual style!
Here are the answers to some FAQ’s about cover letters in Germany:
Here is a helpful guide to how to write the best motivational letter for work in Germany:
Top 5 worst mistakes to make in your cover letter:
Here is an example cover letter:
Download your FREE Cover Letter Example and Cover Letter Template at the bottom of the page.
Contacting the employer to submit your job application is a crucial step. You spent a lot of time preparing for this moment: your resume is superb, your cover letter is polished and you are feeling confident! Before you send off your application, it is wise to give it a second look!
What do you need to include in your job application?
5 important things to consider before you send your job application:
Having trouble writing a job application? No worries!
Here is a sample job application text you are welcome to use:
Dear Sir/Madam (name of HR manager),
I am writing to you in regards to the job application for the (position) at your company (company) in (location).You will find my CV and cover letter attached. I have also included some relevant documents for you: (name documents).Please feel free to contact me if you are any questions regarding my application or experience. I would be very happy to provide you with all the necessary additional information and documents.
I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
Kind regards,
(Your name and last name)
(Address)
(Phone number)
This catchy introduction is sure to save your job application from the trash!
Interviews can be stressful and nerve-wrecking, but if you landed one, you can be sure that your resume and cover letter impressed the company. So there is definitely something to be confident about!
Whether it’s a real live interview or an online interview over skype, there are some key things to remember:
Top 3 things that are crucial for a live interview:
P.S. if you are doing an interview through Skype – remember to look at the camera, not yourself and don't forget to wear pants!
Here are the smart steps to take after completing your job interview:
If you have secured a job – congratulations! But before you jump into working, you need to learn the intricacies of German business communication in order to be able to communicate effectively within the company and build lasting relationships with your boss and collegues. Every culture is different and the German business culture has specific phrases, body language and norms that make their communication unique. Master them and you will avoid many uncomfortable situations!
Here are my Top 10 tips for effective business communication in a German company:
While working in Germany with only English knowledge is possible, it will only get you so far. Most German companies expect their foreign employees to learn German eventually. Research shows that not knowing the local language can drastically limit your work opportunities within the company, such as:
Luckily for you, learning German is not as far-fetched and difficult as it may seem!
coLanguage offers you the amazing opportunity to improve your chances of working permanently in Germany. We will guide you each step of the way during the job application process and help you make the most of our resources in order to boost your attractiveness to your future boss! Best of all - we will customize your German lessons to fit YOUR learning needs and YOUR profession for the best learning results!
Here is what coLanguage is ready to help you with:
coLanguage is a well-established multinational company with offices in Munich, Germany. We have close knowledge of the German work environment and we would love to coach you! We guarantee success in conquering the German labour market through our innovative teaching methods, such as:
Learn how to get noticed and get a raise: Start learning German with coLanguage!
Unlike in other platforms, all our teachers are manually verified by our professional team. Trust in the experiences of our students.
My name is Noemie, I am 27 years old, and I live in Europe. I am Belgian and French, and I am bilingual in English and French,Yo puedo hablar en espanol and ‘Wǒ zhèngzài xuéxí zhōngwén’ and я учу русский язык.
I love trying to understand the world and its mysteries through history, culture, philosophy, politics, arts and above all through traveling. Indeed, traveling is my job as I am a documentary photographer, this is why I know how crucial it is to acquire the ability to speak English. It is a gateway to deepening our self-understanding, to widening our professional horizons, and a bridge towards understanding people from all around the world.
My teaching adventure started three years ago when I decided to tour the world seeking for new adventures and new horizons to deepen my understanding of this world. Since then, I have been a TEFL certified English teacher both online and in real life. I've had the chance to teach children and adults from all around the world, in Russia, China, Vietnam and France.
This experience helped me developed my capacity to teach English to all, whether you are Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Italian, French, … language isn’t a barrier for me. Cultural exchange is my passion and if need be I will get to learn the key sentences in your language to ease the communication during our classes. I will adapt my teaching style to your learning style.
I will use what works for you to improve your comprehension skills, writing skills and pronunciation too, whether it is reading books, articles, poems and studying them, or engaging in conversation, working from a textbook, watching movies, exploring new sets of vocabularies, or practicing tongue twisters. I will tailor the class according to your level and your learning style and will provide you with the material to do so.
I used to be an actress working in Paris, so I know a lot about charisma and creating presence. With me, you will gain confidence in your oral expression, just like an actor.
Remember that I used to be where you are, trying to learn a new language, so I totally understand how overwhelming it can be. I also have plenty of tips to help you develop your learning process in your daily life.
As a learner of many languages, and a theatre studies graduate,
I have been exposed to various learning techniques, leading me to develop my own approach to education which doesn’t only makes me an English teacher but also a coach.
I believe that the secret of a good class lies in the complicity between the teacher and the student which is why a friendly environment, a set of good activities and a good laugh is my unique recipe for learning English.
My job is accomplished when you are able to speak English—it doesn’t matter how many mistakes you make: as long as you have the motivation, the rest will follow.
I’m here to help you!
If you are interested, send me a message and let’s start the journey!
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Noemie is an energetic and sunny person. She is an experienced teacher who is used to working with people from different cultures. Highly recommended!!!
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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German was my key to the world of possibilities and that's why I want to support you on your language path. German was my main focus in my bachelor's degree in Interpreting and Translation and then I completed my master's degree in intercultural German Studies and German as a Foreign Language. My additional education as an Intercultural Trainer and my practical experience from several international language institutes add value to my German lessons that you can benefit from: Only your focus decides - preparation for a language exam or studies, help with various documents and written works or your wish to improve your German in a communicative way. I would very much like to get to know you in a free trial lesson, so that we can discuss your wishes and requirements and prepare the lessons so that they bring you closer to your goal. And all of this from an intercultural perspective and with my personal experience, because I know your own perspective as well as the challenges that language learning brings with it. I'm looking forward to meeting you!
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Veronika is a very well prepared young teacher, friendly and professional. Her teaching method adapted perfectly to my needs and requirements. Through conversation lessons she helped me gain confidence in my spoken German. I highly recommend her for new starters as well as for students who already have some basic knowledge of German.
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Hallo :) I'm a German language teacher with a Bachelor and Master degree in German and with many years of teaching experience.
I was born and lived in Switzerland for many years and grew up in a bilingual family, because of that I speak German, Swiss German, Croatian and English :)
- ABOUT THE CLASS -
I offer German language lessons for A1, A2, B1, B2 level and they include everything you need: grammar, speaking, listening audio, reading, writing and for some fun: games and role plays :)
This is ideal for students who want actively participate and speak more, learn new words and exercise the grammar.
All learning materials and exercises are included and will be provided during the lesson.
The learning material is from various books: Schritte International, Menschen, Sicher im Alltag und Beruf, Begegnungen, ....
If you wish to have only conversational lessons, I can arrange this also for you (only available for B1 and B2 level).
* IMPORTANT: coLanguage shows only my general availability, if you want to book a lesson, please sent me a message with your availability and language level, and I will contact you as soon as possible with more informations :)
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she is very flexible about rescheduling the classes. she gives a lot of exercises that fit my level and make sure to correct me if I miss pronouncing some words or have difficulty to read them.
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He was well prepared and has good teaching skills. He recognised my weak points and spontaneously focus that areas. Overall I found him good as a teacher.
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Learning a foreign language is a beautiful and awe-inspiring journey which is not strange to me.
Growing in Europe and living in Canada has shaped my thinking abilities to see beyond the surface of individual’s potential to study. It remodeled my senses in a special way to be able to respond with tact and compassion to the needs of my students. In the same time it taught me the value of persistence and creativity. These abilities have helped me to master the art of teaching. Every student makes me a better friend, family member and a person.
So far, I've helped different age groups to converse freely, to read, understand and love both English and Bulgarian. Beside that, my students not just improve their grades at school. Some of them became English teachers themselves.
No two students are exactly alike. That's why I mostly use personalized learning method. It builds a learning experience that addresses the unique abilities of each student.
Another method of teaching that I use is Learning by experiment. In that way students learn by doing. I create experiences for them to see the concepts in action. I found out that students tend to remember better when they see and then discuss what they learn from what they saw.
Beside these methods you will enjoy Modeling, Mistakes, Feedback and one of my top methods: Lesson Objective Transparency. When I clearly state my lesson goals and write it on the board, then you will feel relax because you will know what you are working towards.
Please, be assured you won’t regret giving me the opportunity to help you!
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Didi is a very friendly and experienced teacher. She makes her lesson very interesting and easy to follow. She loves teaching and supports her students during their learning path.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Hello everyone and a big warm welcome to all the fellow language learners,
My name is Katerina, I’m a native Russian speaker and a foreign language teacher from St Petersburg, Russia. I’ve always been addicted to learning foreign languages, be it English, German, Spanish, Turkish or Arabic, so turning my passion into my job was just a matter of time. I have a Master’s degree in linguistics which taught me to understand the way the mechanism of a language works and thus to help my students see the logics behind the grammar rules. Being a constant language learner enables me to see the process from both sides and to predict the difficulties my students might face. The fact that I’m not a native speaker of English or German means I’ve been through exactly the same language-learning journey you’re about to take, and thanks to my personal experience as a student, I can make this road smooth for you.
I've had students of all ages, from pre-school kids to senior generation, and I feel comfortable working with both beginners and those who are eager to take their learning process to a new level. In my classes I encourage you to talk in the language we’re studying as much as possible, putting every single bit of knowledge into practice right away. If you’re a Russian-learner, I’d be glad to prove it to you that you can absolutely nail my mother-tongue - and yes, you’ll be able to make a small talk in Russian by the end of the first class even if you’re an absolute beginner! We’ll be focusing on the topics that are most relevant to your goals, while discovering the language and getting to know more about the culture of people who speak it.
I offer a short free trial class, for us to give each other a smile and discuss our teaching pattern, in order to ajust it to your goals and make our lessons the bee's knees :) See you soon!
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Katerina is a very flexible teacher makes the effort of adapting the contents of the lessons to my needs
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The best way to learn a new language is through natural interaction. And I believe that you learn most effectively when you feel at ease and when you are having fun!
You will see that each class is individually adapted to your personal learning style and that you can improve at your optimal level because you will always be challenged but never overwhelmed.
I am an enthusiastic language learner myself and know the importance of a fun and knowledgeable teacher. Because I enjoyed learning with great teachers so much, I'm committed to being that for you in every class as well.
With this German class, you will get
• a very competent, patient, and fun tutor with years of experience
• a very supportive environment
• as many opportunities as possible to actually speak German, reflect on it, and improve
• efficient tools and homework
• heaps of video material as well as many exercises to help you practice all aspects of the German language
• and you will see how manageable the German grammar actually is!
Of course, you can adjust the classes to whatever you consider to be most relevant for you!
If you like my approach and want to improve your German, write me a message or book a lesson with me! I would love to help you with your German
You can start right away at any level!
I am professionally certified by the Goethe Institut with the highest mark possible. Through all these years of teaching in different formats and different countries, I have collected a huge amount of experience, and feedback and improved my lessons. I never stop learning and adapting my teaching methods to nowadays strategies and advanced thinking
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I really enjoy my German classes with Iris! She understood exactly what I would like to work on, and has helped me improve my writing skills fast. I have no doubt, that with her help I will soon be able to pass the language exam I want to take!
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I am an enthusiastic and devoted Native English speaker with excellent communication skills and I would love to help you improve your conversational English
I have a Bachelors degree in Information Design and Marketing. I am also a certified TEFL teacher. I have 15 years experience teaching students at University level and more recently I started teaching English on-line to all age groups. As part of my community service, I do volunteer English teaching to underprivileged students in Myanmar which I find hugely rewarding.
My classes focus on conversational English, in other words - we talk and read a lot, we make mistakes and correct them, we focus on pronunciation and correct sentence construction and have fun while learning and practising your English. My number one priority is always to focus on addressing your specific needs and problem areas.
Learning to speak a new language is more than just acquiring new words and the sentences, it is also about getting the confidence to use it. This confidence will come from using the language in a friendly, safe and non-judgemental environment - and that is what I offer you.
I believe I am very friendly, easy to get along with, and extremely patient.
Teaching English to me is a passion and not a job. I am super excited to share this learning journey with you.
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Pieter is a South African English teacher with loads of experience. He has taught different age groups and even teaches English to people who cannot afford it on his free time. He counts with different learning materials for different ages and purposes and seems eager to accommodate courses according to the student's needs.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Hallo :) I'm a German language teacher with a Bachelor and Master degree in German and with many years of teaching experience.
I was born and lived in Switzerland for many years and grew up in a bilingual family, because of that I speak German, Swiss German, Croatian and English :)
- ABOUT THE CLASS -
I offer German language lessons for A1, A2, B1, B2 level and they include everything you need: grammar, speaking, listening audio, reading, writing and for some fun: games and role plays :)
This is ideal for students who want actively participate and speak more, learn new words and exercise the grammar.
All learning materials and exercises are included and will be provided during the lesson.
The learning material is from various books: Schritte International, Menschen, Sicher im Alltag und Beruf, Begegnungen, ....
If you wish to have only conversational lessons, I can arrange this also for you (only available for B1 and B2 level).
* IMPORTANT: coLanguage shows only my general availability, if you want to book a lesson, please sent me a message with your availability and language level, and I will contact you as soon as possible with more informations :)
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Mihaela is punctual and organised. She has a friendly attitude and plans the lessons well with relevant materials.
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Hello,
my name is Nina, I'm from Austria and I also lived for one year and a half in Canada. I worked there as a German Teacher for adults, so I speak German, English and French.
I also teach English for beginners and advanced beginners.
My teaching methodes are totally based on the level of my student. If somebody is already advanced, I focus on communication and pronunciation. We will arrange on a topic and talk and discuss in the lesson about it.
If my student is a beginner, I'm gonna start with the basics of the German language. (the articles, the verb "to be", the pronouns...)
The learning material is all made by myself, because I'm a German teacher, so that means, I already got lots of working sheets for many topics. I send these to my student via e-mail or put it directly on the coLanguage homepage.
I'm available from Monday to Thursday between 5pm and 08:00 pm. For the weekend it's the best to just send me a request.
Of course is a free trial lesson (it's about 20 minutes) possible.
I'm happy to teach you :-)
See you soon! Nina
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Today Nina helped me to fill out a couple of papers. Thank you Nina for your help and patience :)
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Always a sheer pleasure to learn from Fiorina: full of positive energy, well prepared, full of resources... and with a smile!
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Hallo :) I'm a German language teacher with a Bachelor and Master degree in German and with many years of teaching experience.
I was born and lived in Switzerland for many years and grew up in a bilingual family, because of that I speak German, Swiss German, Croatian and English :)
- ABOUT THE CLASS -
I offer German language lessons for A1, A2, B1, B2 level and they include everything you need: grammar, speaking, listening audio, reading, writing and for some fun: games and role plays :)
This is ideal for students who want actively participate and speak more, learn new words and exercise the grammar.
All learning materials and exercises are included and will be provided during the lesson.
The learning material is from various books: Schritte International, Menschen, Sicher im Alltag und Beruf, Begegnungen, ....
If you wish to have only conversational lessons, I can arrange this also for you (only available for B1 and B2 level).
* IMPORTANT: coLanguage shows only my general availability, if you want to book a lesson, please sent me a message with your availability and language level, and I will contact you as soon as possible with more informations :)
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Mihaela has helped me along with improving my german language skills over the past nine months with great success. She has a clear structured approach but constantly adapts the lessons to your needs and interests to keep you motivated. During the lessons, she consistently adds vocabulary to the discussion, meaning that you are always learning more without the feeling of being overwhelmed with information. She is also very flexible with bookings. I can positively recommend learning german with Mihaela.
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Thanks to many years of experience, I offer you professional language instruction via Skype.
I am a native speaker (bilingual German and English) and have been working with Skype for over 9 years. The courses are optimally tailored to your language level and job description. Arrange a trial lesson.
Proficient handling of everyday German, leading to various certificates (Goethe Certificates, DaF etc.), specific courses for the professional field (hotel, tourism, law, medicine - FACHSPRACHENPRÜFUNG MEDIZIN, technology, business.....).
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I'm learning German with Belinda (currently B1) and I am trying to do a final push, so i can finally start speaking. Classes are very well prepared and structured. The book/ books used in the class have exercises that actually make your brain work and are not always easy to do ( this is for people who had experience with easy and boring grammar materials). We play dialogues, we have conversations through which the teacher understands where I am with my level and is trying to make adjustments to the program. And there's a lot of homework (when you ask for it) !!! : )
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I have 3 years of teaching experience and a 120 hours of advanced practical TEFL and TESOL. I am a dedicated teacher who cares about her students. I am an amazing listener, attentive, and very passionate. I enjoy traveling, for it allows me to meet new people of different cultures and backgrounds. Teaching has always been a passion of mine, for I get to make an impact in people's lives as much as they make an impact in mine. I cannot wait to make your English learning journey enjoyable and impactful.
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Paradise is a southafrican teacher with particular experience with younger students. She has a lot of fun learning materials that ensure an interactive lesson and seems to have great confidence in front of the camera.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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