Working in Germany: Why you should apply for a job in November
Career coach Chris Pyak explains why employers aren't getting into holiday mode just yet - in fact, they're more likely to hire you between now and Christmas. Here's why
"I love the fourth quarter," Nelly Bogilova told me when I interviewed her for the Immigrant Spirit Podcast last week: “Clients hire fast and you see results quickly.” Nelly is a headhunter and recruits talent for companies in the Pharma industry.
My own coaching clients experience shows the same thing: They get managers on the phone, discuss real life business problems and move forward in their job hunt.
READ ALSO: How to reach out to German employers on LinkedIn or Xing
I experienced this for several years now: Between September and December, companies hire faster than in the rest of the year. And now I have the data to complete my personal experience and the stories that my coaching clients share.
Thanks to Textkernel B.V. I was able to compare more than 1.5 million job ads in Germany in the last twelve months – and then narrow it down to a little over 90,000 English language job ads in Germany.
On average, an English job ad for a full-time position that requires a university degree is online for 35 to 44 days. But in the last quarter of the year, job ads disappear already after 12 days.
Graph courtesy of Chris Pyak.
Twelve short days from advertising a new job, to gathering enough good candidates to make a decision. That’s great for the employer – but also for you, the candidate. After all, you want to do a great job and put your skills to good use.
I believe that companies hire so fast in the last quarter, because managers want to start the new year with a complete team – and avoid budget cuts.
How do you take advantage of that fact?
You could simply choose to apply with your standard CVs. But that is what everybody else does. You would still be competing with German candidates. And as you might have experienced by now: Anyone who is in any way “different” really struggles with German HR. 
There is a much better way to stand out as a job candidate. I used this way to get over 100 international professionals in jobs in Germany. It takes a little bit more time to explain than I have in this column.
That’s why The Local Germany and I would like to invite you to the Expats Career Webinar. Find out how to get job interviews fast, by ignoring HR.
ABOUT CHRIS PYAK
Chris Pyak is the Author of “How To Win Jobs & Influence Germans“. The managing director of Immigrant Spirit GmbH has worked in four different cultures and lived in five different countries.
Chris returned to Germany in 2011. His mission: Bring the Immigrant Spirit to his home country. Chris introduces international professionals to employers in Germany.
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"I love the fourth quarter," Nelly Bogilova told me when I interviewed her for the Immigrant Spirit Podcast last week: “Clients hire fast and you see results quickly.” Nelly is a headhunter and recruits talent for companies in the Pharma industry.
My own coaching clients experience shows the same thing: They get managers on the phone, discuss real life business problems and move forward in their job hunt.
READ ALSO: How to reach out to German employers on LinkedIn or Xing
I experienced this for several years now: Between September and December, companies hire faster than in the rest of the year. And now I have the data to complete my personal experience and the stories that my coaching clients share.
Thanks to Textkernel B.V. I was able to compare more than 1.5 million job ads in Germany in the last twelve months – and then narrow it down to a little over 90,000 English language job ads in Germany.
On average, an English job ad for a full-time position that requires a university degree is online for 35 to 44 days. But in the last quarter of the year, job ads disappear already after 12 days.
Graph courtesy of Chris Pyak.
Twelve short days from advertising a new job, to gathering enough good candidates to make a decision. That’s great for the employer – but also for you, the candidate. After all, you want to do a great job and put your skills to good use.
I believe that companies hire so fast in the last quarter, because managers want to start the new year with a complete team – and avoid budget cuts.
How do you take advantage of that fact?
You could simply choose to apply with your standard CVs. But that is what everybody else does. You would still be competing with German candidates. And as you might have experienced by now: Anyone who is in any way “different” really struggles with German HR.
There is a much better way to stand out as a job candidate. I used this way to get over 100 international professionals in jobs in Germany. It takes a little bit more time to explain than I have in this column.
That’s why The Local Germany and I would like to invite you to the Expats Career Webinar. Find out how to get job interviews fast, by ignoring HR.
ABOUT CHRIS PYAK
Chris Pyak is the Author of “How To Win Jobs & Influence Germans“. The managing director of Immigrant Spirit GmbH has worked in four different cultures and lived in five different countries.
Chris returned to Germany in 2011. His mission: Bring the Immigrant Spirit to his home country. Chris introduces international professionals to employers in Germany.
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