I would like to share the interview process in Germany. So far I have attended several interviews and also cleared a few interviews in the first attempt. I hope that my experience gives you a clear idea about the Germany interview process and also helps you to clear an interview to get a job easily.
Application phase
It is not so easy to get an interview call within a few applications. So it is necessary to constantly apply for jobs. Do not give up. You will get an interview call one day.
If you haven’t received any interview calls for a few weeks, you should look at the mistakes you have done. Sometimes it is necessary to update your cover letter and resume in the (totally) new format.
Preparation for the interview
It is really necessary to prepare well for the interview (technical as well as HR) while applying for a job. Do not wait till you get an interview call. Sometimes you may get an interview directly without any prior appointment.
I have received an interview call directly for an internship and I got selected. I will write it in detail in another post.
Interview phase
Be ready to grab an opportunity to get a job once you get an interview call. Sometimes it is not so easy to get more interview calls. So prepare well in advance and perform well in the interview.
Even though you have performed well in the interview, you may get rejections. Do not worry about that but apply for the other vacancies.
I have gained different experiences in several interview phases in Germany.
- HR telephonic interview
- Technical telephonic interview
- HR & technical telephonic interview
- Technical personal interview
- HR & Technical personal interview
HR telephonic interview
HR will call you for an interview with or without an appointment. They will introduce themselves and their company and they will ask you to introduce yourself. There will not be too many technical discussions. HR will mostly discuss what you have mentioned in your resume.
This type of interview happens mostly in the consultancy companies.
Technical telephonic interview
Someone from the (technical) department will call you for an interview with or without a prior appointment.
It happened to me. I have received an interview call without an appointment and was recruited directly for an internship without a direct (face to face) interview.
HR & technical telephonic interview
HR & technical telephonic interview happens in some companies. In this type of interview, you have to explain more about your technical skills in detail. There are also possibilities that HR tests your skill in between by asking some questions.
Since this is a telephonic interview, you don’t see their reactions and also they don’t see yours. So it will be sometimes difficult.
Technical personal interview
In this type of interview, there will be one or more persons from the (technical) department. They will introduce them and also ask you to introduce yourself.
This interview will be mostly technical and they want to know your past experience and also your skills. Sometimes it will be too deep and you may have to do some works in the system or write some programs (but not always).
HR & Technical personal interview
In this type of interview, normally one HR will be there with one or two (sometimes three) persons from the (technical) department.
HR will generally start the discussion and explain about them. HR will also briefly explain about the company. After that, the other persons will introduce them.
At last, the interviewer will ask us to introduce ourselves. This is an important part of the interview. I will explain how I have successfully done my interviews in a separate post.
Result & Improvement Phase
Unfortunately, a single application does not lead to a new job except for a few persons. If you have received a rejection for a few applications, you should analyze what’s wrong and improve it before applying for the other job vacancies.
I’m pretty sure that we will make some mistakes while applying for jobs. So learn from the mistake and improve yourself. Also, update the resume and cover letter whenever it is necessary.
I have updated my resume and cover letter very often before landing in a good job. I will share that experience in a separate post.
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