How did you first see the job advertisement of the company that was hiring?

What kind of a company was it? Automotive company like Daimler Chrysler, BMW or VW or a tech company like Infineon, Siemens, SAP?

Was it a middle, big or international company?

Was it originally a US company? In Germany there are a lot of US companies.

How was your german level at first? If you had no german knowledge at first, did it initially cause much trouble?

As far as I could test, the recruitment site of BMW (currently the no.1 employer Deutschlands) contains no English version! Applications are accepted only in German. In this case what are your opinions about the usability of English? Are the businesses going international or local?

And most importantly, exactly in which area could you manage to secure a job? Did your first job included Pure Web Application programming with Visual Basic, C++ or Java, or pure performance application programming with Java, C++?

And these days the hottest area seems to be the "embedded programming" Does any of you work in such an area? If so, what do you think of the Open Source Code Movement in Embedded Programming and Real Time Operating Systems area? I ask this question because I see a lot of ads requiring "Embedded Linux" knowledge in the RTOS area.

Is there a unique area that you could recommend for the first-timers in Germany? (e.g. in which area should one concentrate himself to take an advantage in job market in Germany during the first attempts of finding a job here?)



Thanks,

How did you first see the job advertisement of the company that was hiring?

- just visiting the job sections of several companies. Job search engines are useful too.

What kind of a company was it? Automotive company like Daimler Chrysler, BMW or VW or a tech company like Infineon, Siemens, SAP?

- I think that finding a job in these companies is REALLY hard, specially if you don´t have "special" skills AND experience.

Was it a middle, big or international company?

- well, it depends of your skills. In my case they have been german middle/small companies.

Was it originally a US company? In Germany there are a lot of US companies.

- Well, it does not matter, if you have the skills and experience they are looking for.

How was your german level at first? If you had no german knowledge at first, did it initially cause much trouble?

- It was bad, but almost 4-5 ago that was not a major problem. Right now it is a BIG problem, specially ´cause the most of the jobs are now costumer-oriented.

As far as I could test, the recruitment site of BMW (currently the no.1 employer Deutschlands) contains no English version! Applications are accepted only in German. In this case what are your opinions about the usability of English? Are the businesses going international or local?

- Again, many companies like BMW and so are "dream" companies for many people. Getting a job there is not easy at all unless your skills fit PERFECTLY in what they are requiring.

And most importantly, exactly in which area could you manage to secure a job? Did your first job included Pure Web Application programming with Visual Basic, C++ or Java, or pure performance application programming with Java, C++?

- Some years ago, generic IT-skills (java, VB, ASP, etc) were enough. Right now you need to have "special" skills AND experience.

And these days the hottest area seems to be the "embedded programming" Does any of you work in such an area? If so, what do you think of the Open Source Code Movement in Embedded Programming and Real Time Operating Systems area? I ask this question because I see a lot of ads requiring "Embedded Linux" knowledge in the RTOS area.

- Yeah, embedded systems, SAP, testing (QA) in automobile field are hot, but without experience in these fields is almost impossible to get a job in them.

Is there a unique area that you could recommend for the first-timers in Germany? (e.g. in which area should one concentrate himself to take an advantage in job market in Germany during the first attempts of finding a job here?)

- uhmm, it depends of your background. Embedded systems require normally a good knowledge of hardware. If you have it, but you don´t have any experience, well, try to do a project yourself and publish it in internet, then put it as refence in your CV, maybe it could help. SAP, well, you could take training and get some certifications, but the course prizes scare me! (€3000 per module), but I suppose it´s worth.


Thanks,

- You´re welcome, good luck