5 myths about the German job market

1. Myth: Completing as many job applications as possible each day should be your top priority.

Reality: ❇️ Focus on quality over quantity! While it IS a “numbers game”, it needs to be quality numbers. If you apply to 50 jobs in a day just to make sure they get done, you could easily find 50 rejections within a week. You need to have a high volume of researched and personalized job applications to hiring managers. That way you aren’t subject to scanning systems. See the difference?

(By the way: according to Indeed, did you see that job offers for HR positions are down -35.3% this year? Why do you think that is? Hint: More AI, more automation, less personal application reviews needed.) Oh, and that was the highest of any decrease in job types this past year.

2. Myth: It’s hard to find a job if you’re over 40.

Reality: ❇️ Actually, in Germany, experience is relatively highly valued compared to other countries. For example, in America people usually put their education above experience on their CV. Age discrimination is not allowed, so companies need to be careful about considering that anyway. Plenty of leadership and other role types will prefer someone who is more seasoned. You could be already 30 these days coming out of school!

3. Myth: Recruiters know all the requirements of every job in a company.

Reality: ❇️ Not possible! Think about the day to day of a recruiter. Your job is to source and interview candidates from a guideline that you receive from your manager. Depending on how big your company is, there are plenty of jobs that the recruiter never interacts with. That’s why you should read job descriptions with the understanding that it was made from the knowledge of the hiring manager, not the recruiter. All the more reason to reach out directly to the person who understands the tasks of the role that you will be doing from day 1! You might not really even talk to the recruiter after the interview process.

4. Myth: All the open roles are posted on LinkedIn.

Reality: ❇️ Many roles are only posted on the company website. I made a YouTube video showing you an example of this. Ultimately, it costs money to advertise a bunch of roles on a third party site like LinkedIn. Before you leave a company behind in your search because you could not find a suitable opening on the job boards, check their website!

5. Myth: Cover letters should focus on your top skills and experience.

Reality: ❇️ Contrary to popular belief, the cover letter should be about the employer and/or manager including their problems, challenges, goals, and what generally keeps them up at night! Put yourself on the other side of the table: How does it feel to read something where the other person is simply talking about themselves and their greatest achievements. You tune it out after a few sentences. Now, imagine someone comes along and writes directly to you and your biggest worries. That person catches your attention.

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” ― Theodore Roosevelt

Let me know if I missed one!