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WORK ETIQUETTES IN GERMANY
If you are planning to work in Germany, it is very important that you should know about professional life of Germany and work etiquette is one of them. Work etiquette in Germany is similar to many countries, but there are some points to keep in mind when trying to make a good impression. There are no hard and fast rules, work culture varies office to office. But in general it's good to be formal when it comes to professional life in Germany.
PUNCTUALITY
Punctuality is very important in Germany, if you are even five or ten minutes late in for a meeting it will be considered rude, even if you are five minutes late call ahead and explain your situation. You are suggested to be five or ten minutes early for important appointments. Germans are extremely punctual, therefore, managing time, calendars, schedules, and agendas must be respected. Also, projects and meetings are carefully scheduled and organization carts are very detailed.
GREETINGS
A short and firm handshake is most common in Germany, note that you will have to shake everyone in a room before a meeting (just a wave is unprofessional.) If you are leaving early from the meeting, shake everyone's hand again starting with the most senior person and working down. Also never shake hands with one hand still in the pocket. Eye contact should be maintained, but eye contact should be friendly and honest, it should not be an uncomfortable stare down.
Also first name is only used to address family and close friends, so always address people at your work place with their last name.
DRESS CODE
Generally, work place dress is conservative and professional in Germany, this varies with different cities and industries. Many start-ups, newsrooms and some environmental firms sometimes use more casual dress codes. Other business and banks stick to a conservative wardrobe. Banking cities like Frankfurt are bit more conservative than Berlin with a big creative scene.
Also, women should not wear a heavy make and too much jewelry or accessories. Both men and women should not remove the jacket or any other article of clothing in a meeting.
BODY LANGUAGE
You should maintain eye contact, when addressing your German colleagues, especially during initial instruction. You should not put your hands in your pocket while speaking. Your posture should be professional in a meeting and you should not put hand on your face while a meeting is going on.
SLOW AND STEADY
Work flow will go with steady pace. Projects are expected to be completed on time and accurately. However, more priority is given to accuracy than speed. You should do the work properly even if takes time, work slowly but try not making mistakes. If you need to change the deadline, notify coworkers early and explain the situation.
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PROS OF LIVING IN GERMANY
Germany is a marvelous country, with great landscapes, organized cities and high standard of living. Almost 100,000 people from the UK and another 100,000 Americans have chosen to live there, the country is attracting people from all over the world.
Many cities like Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich are hotspot for the people coming live in Germany, these cities are known for their lively nightlife and excellent shops, and they also have fantastic opportunities for employment. The easy-going lifestyle in Germany makes it a great place to live.
TRANSPORTATION
The public transport networks are well-developed in Germany. The other benefit of higher taxation for Germans is a good transport system. The autobahns are well-maintained and offer easy routes through the country. Public transport is cleaner and more punctual than the vast majority of the other places. The prices might be higher, but you can always look for special deals or some different discounts.
LOW COST OF LIVING
Overall cost of living in Germany is relatively low, depending on location. Accommodation is relatively low depending on where you choose to live, rent is lower than in most western countries and the quality of housing is excellent. Germany’s VAT (Value Added Tax) is 19% and is less than many other EU countries like France (20%), Spain (21%), Italy (22%), Portugal (23%), and Greece (24%).
SAFETY AND SECURITY
In 2019, among 163 nations, Germany was ranked as 22nd most peaceful country in the world by The Global Peace Index. Germany is considered to be very safe country to for travelling and living. The crime rates are low.
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Germans do work very hard and during working hours they are really focused on their work, but they also respect free time. People here don't late in the evenings or even during weekends. They usually finish at four and then they dedicate the rest of their day to their families and hobbies. That's why the work-life balance here in Germany is better than in many other countries.
EASE OF GETTING A JOB
Germany has a very healthy economy, because of a good economy it is much easier to get a job in Germany than in almost any other western country. Unemployment level is very low as (5%) now, and is also very low since 1990. Only 10% of graduate's work in unrelated to what they studied.
Germany is highly developed country. Country is very clean and looks very orderly. Country has a great infrastructure. Living in Germany also means living in the heart of Europe. It will only take you a couple of hours to travel to France, Italy, Austria, Netherlands, Denmark. Everything is accessible by car, train, or plane, so you can definitely have a lot of options for travelling and exploring new countries if you are an expat in Germany.
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THE GERMAN RESUME FORMAT
A good structured CV (Lebenslauf) is probably one of the most important steps in finding a job in Germany. You will have to consider some factors such as cultural preferences and professional standards. What a German recruiter looks for in a job application is very different from recruiters of other countries. A resume is the first thing that will represent you in front of the employer or recruiter, so knowing how to write a resume for Germany is very important if you are planning or moving to Germany or want to work within the German market.
Tips for writing a German CV
- Resume should not be lengthy and should be maximum of two pages.
- Be sure to include a photo on your CV. German recruiters value professionalism, make sure your photo is professional, high-quality and work appropriate.
- It should be updated and should be ready when needed.
- When you will list your experience and skills, list it in bullet points and don't use paragraphs.
- The font of the CV should be appealing and appropriate, avoid paragraphs, too many bold or underlined sections.
- Always re-check your CV before forwarding it, so that you can correct errors and typos.
- If you are applying for an English speaking job, then it's good to write your resume in English. Since you are applying jobs in Germany, there are chances that you may have to present your resume in German language.
Structure of contents in CV
PERSONAL DETAILS
This should be the very first section on your CV, here you will write all your personal and contact details, which includes:
- First and last name
- Date of birth
- Nationality
- Marital status
- Address
- Phone number
- Passport-size photo
EDUCATION
The second section of your resume includes your secondary and higher education. It should be in chronological order mentioning the most recent qualification first. Include name of your academic degrees, university name, location and duration of your studies. Many also include specific modules of study that is relevant to the position.
WORK EXPERIENCE
The third section of resume includes all your past work experience and should be listed in reverse chronological order, starting with most recent. Each previous role should be mentioned in details, including job title, company name, duration of your work, location and your key responsibilities. If you have any internship or voluntary experience, you can add it in this section. It is common in Germany to add these details, as long as they are relevant to the vacancy.
SKILLS
This is the final section of your resume where you can list any other skills or achievements that are relevant to the role, such as computer skills, programming skills, language skills and certification. You can also add additional qualification in your resume which includes awards, scholarships and trainings.
Conclusion:
German recruiters and employers value well-organized and appropriate resume that is clear and direct about your past experiences and skills. Remember, your aim is to show the hiring manager that you are suitable for the position on offer.
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Advantages of working as IT and Software in Germany
If you are skilled with IT and Software and looking for the best opportunity, then Germany is the best place for you. Germany is hungry for skilled expats. Skilled IT workers are required in almost every company in any sector. Germany is the economic powerhouse of the EU, that means there are a lot of opportunity that will go with your skill and having such high skills as IT and tech you don’t have worry about finding a job in Germany.
Top Tech Hubs in Germany
BERLIN
The Silicon Allee campus is a hotspot of tech and is technology hub of Berlin. There are a lot of opportunities, and they are always looking for highly skilled engineers. While working here you can further develop your skills and really make an impact building on your base and can work for coming companies.Berlin is a business capital of the EU, with successful companies like Airbnb, Facebook and successful startup like N26.
MUNICH
If you are into application development, drones and Artificial intelligence, Munich is a great destination for you. Munich has the major successful German corporations, like Allianz and BMW, but has also some great international companies for engineers, such as IBM, Google, Microsoft. So, Munich is also a great option for IT professionals.
STUTTGART
If you are from automobiles field Stuttgart is a really good option for you. As Stuttgart has various luxury car brands like Porsche and Daimler.
HAMBURG
This city also has many successful companies like Google, Facebook, Airbnb so it is highly possible that you will find an appropriate job for yourself. It also gives internship opportunity with some good companies like Dropbox, Twitter, and Microsoft.Also a new digital campus called Hammer-Brooklyn has been constructed in the city, where central digital transformation, international companies, organizations and start-ups from variety of fields will come together to cooperate, experiment, learn.
IT Engineers salaries in Germany
According to a report of Stepstone Gehaltsreport 2020, people of IT and Software in Germany earns an average of EUR 60,500. These numbers vary with education, experience and specialization, as well as on bonuses, commissions and other benefits that some companies offer. Salaries can also vary with different regions of the country. You can get higher salaries in the southern parts of Germany.
Salaries of IT professionals based on different industries:
- Consumer goods: EUR 71,400
- Banking: EUR 71,000
- Automotive: EUR 69,400
- Medical & Pharmaceuticals: EUR 67,900
- Financial service providers: EUR 67,900
- Metal industry: EUR 67,500
Internet speed
As a IT professional you will need a good internet speed, and if you are in Germany you don't have to worry about internet speed. Germany has doubled its average internet speed from 27 Mbps in 2015 to 55 Mbps in 2020, which is far better than some countries like US with 18-55 Mbps depending on the states and India with 13 Mbps. So you don't have to worry about the internet connection and can smoothly work with great internet speed.
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FIVE BEST CITIES IN GERMANY TO WORK
Germany is a developed nation with significant technological advancement and job opportunities. Germany has the fourth highest GDP in the world, that means it has one of the most powerful economies. Also the unemployment rate in Germany in very less it is around 5%. Many cities in Germany has number of high-tech companies and because of fast-growing industrialization has number of available jobs. So, here are some cities that offers diverse job opportunity with higher salaries and many benefits.
BERLIN
It is considered an excellent place for job seekers, as it is home to globally recognized companies which are amongst the biggest employers in the globe, so the number of expats coming to the city has been ever-growing. The city is leader in energy and environmental technology, ICT, media and innovative technology are the strongest employment sectors in Berlin. There are wide ranges of salaries, high enough to build a safe and bright future, despite the fact that living cost is higher in Berlin it is one of the best places to work in.
Top employers in Berlin:
- SAP
- Siemens
- Amazon
- HubSpot
- Deutsche Bank
FRANKFURT
It is the fifth biggest German city with around 720,000 residents. Frankfurt is a global leading financial center. European Central Bank, German Federal Bank and many other big financial bodies are located in this city. The Airport of Frankfurt is also one the biggest employers in this region. It also has very low percentage rate of unemployment. Because of variety of modern industries and finances, cost of living in the city is automatically higher.
Top employers in Frankfurt:
- Procter & Gamble
- Deloitte
- Accenture
- PwC
- Deutsche Bank
MUNICH
It has a strong international profile in the industrial sector, particularly in Engineering, innovative technology and health industries. According to a statistic of 2013, over 750,000 people of Munich were employed, mostly in trade, communication, science, transportation, government and entertainment, and also some of them were employed in manufacturing industry.
Top employers in Munich:
- PUMA
- Microsoft
- Airbus
- BMW
- Intel Corporation
STUTTGART
It is one of the strongest commercial metropolitan areas in Germany. High-tech and engineering industries are most widespread in this region with many big companies like Daimler, Porsche, Bosch, etc. It has wide range of job opportunity, so you will certainly find something which suits your expertise. The city is oriented towards high-tech industries and a great environment, where you will definitely want to work in.
Top employers in Stuttgart:
- IBM
- Robert Bosch
- Deloitte
- Capgemini
- Amazon
- Mercedes-Benz
- Porsche
HAMBURG
Some of the top maritime, aerospace, media and technology companies are located in Hamburg. Seaports plays a big role in the economic sector of the company, but there are other sectors like service sector, including trade, tourism, education, and health are the strongest sections of the economy in Hamburg whereas the agricultural section generates less revenue.
Top employers in Hamburg:
- Deloitte
- PwC
- Accenture
- IBM
