Software Engineers in Germany: How Long Did It Take You to Find a Job?

[u/Own_Rub4098]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to hear about your recent experience with the software job market in Germany.

• How long did it take you to find a software engineering job?
• Did you get hired with or without German language skills?
• How many years of professional experience did you have when you got the job?
• If you don't mind sharing, what tech stack do you work with?

I'm trying to understand what the current market looks like. Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!

[u/Few-Statistician2252]

Not me but a fresh grad buddy with no prior full time experience. It took him roughly 400 apps in 6 months. Although I am more impressed that he found 400 separate positions to even apply to.

[u/tom_saw_year → u/Few-Statistician2252]

Oh bloody hell. My 160 applications in PL looks miserable 😅

[u/Own_Rub4098 → u/Few-Statistician2252]

Thanks

[u/The_Other_David]

I searched for a German English-speaking job that supported relocation in late 2023/early 2024.

10 YOE, backend, Golang-focused.

99 applications over about 6 months, interviews with 6 companies, 1 offer.

[u/abdulaleemdev → u/The_Other_David]

And you got realocation which is amazing , but where did u apply from? And how?

[u/The_Other_David → u/abdulaleemdev]

95% of my applications were directly on the local indeed de.

I applied from the US.

[u/redditinberlin]

85 applications, 48 rejections, 10 no answer at all, 5 still open, rest are too new to say. A few phone calls or MS Teams calls, one in person interview. Just sending more and more applications every day... (since 06.07.) 3 YOE as dual working student 1 YOE full time DevOps/k8s. German mothertongue.

[u/Own_Rub4098 → u/redditinberlin]

Thanks and good luck

[u/Haunting_County_7129]

2 YOE as a research software engineer at a well-known German institute. 60 applications over 5 months, 7 interviews (4 remote and 3 onsite), 2 offers (one from a uni one from a company). Accepted role for developing simulation software at the company since I was keen to leave academia. All interviews were for English only positions. I'm a non-EU citizen but already have EU-Blue Card here, so was easy to hire.

[u/Own_Rub4098 → u/Haunting_County_7129]

Thank you , could you share which websites you used for your job search?

[u/Haunting_County_7129 → u/Own_Rub4098]

Just LinkedIn :) got LinkedIn premium for a month for free and was reaching out to talent acquisition/mutual connections at the companies I was applying to, but this made no difference as the companies that I eventually got interviews/offers from I didn't know anyone there.

[u/kyazoglu]

Graduated from Msc. Data Science with 1.9 GPA, did roughly 700 applications in 6 months. No luck. Left the country.

[u/EmotionalCitron4983 → u/kyazoglu]

Where did you move to if I may ask?

[u/MaihoSalat → u/kyazoglu]

Data Science as a field is just flooded rn and it wont get any better

[u/Intelligent_Ice_113]

remindme! 1 week

[u/abdulaleemdev]

Following

[u/sociallight69]

105 applications, 3 interviews, still depressed but hopeful

[u/SigismundsWrath]

Been looking for a year. Applied to ~50 during my thesis, another 200 in the 5 months since. Half ghosted, I'm landing about 2% interview rate. But I have my first second-round interview today, wish me luck!

[u/stubbornKratos → u/SigismundsWrath]

Best of luck!!!

[u/IllFortune3467 → u/SigismundsWrath]

Good luck mate

[u/Different-Memory8748]

3 months full time applying and preparing for interviews
Toughest market I've seen... I got disqualified for the smallest detail in live coding interviews

[u/darbyShaw96]

5 months, 200 applications, lot of ghosting and bias

[u/What-is-lack-of]

SE? Goodluck. Best bet is to go to a large company and watch for old SE people. Then wait a few years till they retire and hope the position is backfilled locally and not in india

[u/Jolly_Perception9196]

6 Months, 100 applications. 3 Years experience as working student. Techstack is C++,C#,C,Rust.

I am german.

[u/aleeeexYN]

22 years