How to Get a Job in Germany as a Software Engineer

Are you looking for a job in Germany as a software engineer? In this blog post, I will share with you the steps on how to land a job in Germany as an IT professional.

This blog post will focus on the following points:

• Why to work in Germany ?
• Visa options for IT professionals.
• How to Structure Your CV?
• Where to apply for jobs in Germany ?

Why to work in Germany ?

Believe it or not, when I first applied for my current position, it was based in Amsterdam and not in Germany. Because of the pandemic, the company closed down its Amsterdam office and offered me the same position at their HQ in Germany. Because I wanted out from my home country, I accepted the job and here I am crossing my fourth year in Germany!

Every country has its pros and cons, and it is up to each and every person to decide whether the pros outweigh the cons to justify giving the country a chance.

As for Germany, there are many compelling reasons why I and other people chose to work here:

• Strong Economy: Germany boasts one of the strongest economies in Europe and is known for its stability, even during times of global economic uncertainty. This stability provides a secure foundation for employment and career growth.

• High Quality Job Opportunities: Germany offers a wide range of job opportunities in different fields and industries, including engineering, IT, automotive, healthcare and much more. There are no publicly available stats on how many software engineers are needed in Germany, but after some research, it is estimated that there are over 100,000 open IT positions in Germany.

• Competitive Salaries and Benefits: Companies in Germany usually offer competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits packages, including health insurance, pension plans, and generous vacation allowances. A lot of the companies that I know are also offering their employees "self-determined vacations". This means that, in agreement with your manager, you can take more holidays than the contractual number.

Visa options for IT professionals

Germany is in need more than ever for qualified skilled workers. That's why, the german government has been working to make it easier for highly skilled and qualified individuals to make it into the German market.

If you want to work in Germany, there are five different types of Visas that you can apply for:

• Blue Card
• Work with a contract
• Work with qualification that is partially recognized
• Job seeker (academic)
• Job seeker (Vocational training)

I will be focusing here on how to get the Blue Card as a Software Engineer/IT Professional in the following scenarios:

• You have a recognized university degree in the field of IT/Software Engineering.
• You do not have a degree, but you have more than 3 years of work experience in the IT/Software Engineering field.

The Blue card is a great visa option to opt for if you are eligible. With the Blue card, you can get the German Permanent Residence only after 21 months if you have a B1 certification in the German Language.

But first, how do you know that your university degree is recognized in Germany? You can check the anabin website for all the information you need about your university degree.

I have a recognized university degree in the field of IT/Software Engineering

Well that is great ! You are one step closer to obtaining your Blue Card Visa for Germany👏🏻 Next, you need to prove that you have a job offer from a company in Germany. As an IT Professional/Software engineer, it is sufficient to get a job offer with a minimum gross salary (before tax) of 41,041.80 Euros (as of 2024).

I do not have a university degree, but I have 3 years of work experience in the field

No Worries! You are still eligible to apply for the Blue Card visa in this case. You need to get a proof that you are working for at least 3 years as an IT Professional/Software Engineer. Usually you can get this proof from your former employer(s). Next, you also need to prove that you have a job offer from a company in Germany with a minimum gross salary(before tax) of 41,041.80 Euros (as of 2024).

Now that the most two important requirements have been met, it is now time to collect some other documents:

• Filled online application form (This can usually be found on the German Embassy's website in your country)
• Passport (Make sure it is at least valid for 6 months)
• Biometric passport photo
• University degree (If you have one. If not, then you should bring the proof that you have 3 years of work experience in the field)
• Job offer that states your salary. Please ask your employer to complete this form

You have all the above documents ready ? That is great ! Next, go ahead and book an appointment at your local German Embassy. Make sure to take all the above documents with you to the appointment. You are also expected to pay a fee for the visa application, which is usually mentioned on your local German Embassy's website.

And from here, you just have to wait ! Usually the visa process, depending on your country, takes between 2 and 6 weeks.

If you want a more comprehensive guide on which visa type is best for you and how to apply for one, then I highly recommend to check the Visa Navigator official website.

As of June 1, 2024, there will be a new score system in germany to apply for a visa called ChancenKarte. Please check all the information on the official website.

How to Structure Your CV?

My CV structure was pretty much standard. I started with some general information about myself like my name, phone number, location as well as a profile picture of myself.

Following that I wrote a small description about my work experience and my main career highlights. This can be anything from explaining what you do in a couple of sentences to mentioning something you did at your previous jobs that you feel it was impactful.

Then comes the main part where I mentioned my previous and current work experiences. My recommendation here would be to start with your current or most recent job first. If you feel that any of your previous roles does not add any value to the position you are applying to, then it might be better to remove it completely from the CV.

Where to apply for jobs in Germany ?

As mentioned earlier, Germany is currently facing a shortage of skilled workers. This means that you have high chances of landing a job in Germany as a software engineer!

One website which I can recommend based on feedback from people I know is Make it in Germany.It is the official government website that has all the information you need, and even helps you find IT jobs in Germany.

When I applied for my current job, I was using Linkedin. You can simply go to the jobs tab in your Linkedin app/website and start searching for the job title you want. Don't forget to put Germany as the country of the search. One thing which can also help is to reach out pro-actively to recruiters on Linkedin, and expressing your interest in a job opportunity you found at their company. Referrals are also a huge thing. If you know someone that works at a company you want to apply for, then it might be worth it to reach out to that person on Linkedin and ask them for a referral.

One other way is to visit the careers page of the company you are interested in, and then apply directly on their job portal.

Other tools that I found useful were XING, Stepstone and Indeed.

I hope this blog post brought you some insightful and helpful tips to land a job in Germany as a software engineer. Good luck on your Job Search !