Are you looking to have a great career in the IT sector in one of the finest cities in the world? Do you have it in you to make to the historical yet modern city of Berlin? Are you looking to improve your standard of living?
If your answer is yes, there is something very important for you. Doesn’t matter what’s your reason to leave your loving country and to settle in a completely alien atmosphere, but when you get the opportunity of working in an international city of Berlin’s caliber, you wouldn’t want to miss the plane.
Why Berlin?
It is a question worth to discuss before you book your ticket to Berlin. One of the biggest reasons of opting Berlin over other foreign cities is it welcomes foreigners with broad arms. People of Berlin are known for being very nice to the outsiders. The city especially shows tremendous hospitality to tech guys from other countries. You won’t feel completely alien in the historical German capital even if you don’t know the German language.
Another huge benefit of having a job in Berlin is a great standard of living without spending a lot of money. You can have a wonderful living experience by spending 800 to 900 Euros per month, that’s roughly 64,000 to 74,000 INR per month. Comparing with other major cities of the world, having a comfortable living here at Berlin is reasonably economical. If you want to have a separate analysis of average monthly expenditure, an average accommodation at Berlin will cost you 400 to 500 Euros, that’s around 32,000 to 40,000 INR. If you know the art of cooking, that’s great, but if you can’t, eating at restaurants will cost you almost similar 400 to 500 Euros. If you are ready to cook, you can save about 150 to 200 Euros every month!
Another reason for working in the IT sector in Germany is the German language isn’t compulsory for foreign workers, especially you don’t need to learn the German language to work here as a techie. A large number of people from countries like Canada, Chile, Bulgaria, Greece, Australia, and Italy etc. are working in the IT field, and comfortably interacting in English. Yes, you should learn German to have a comfortable social life in Berlin, but it is not a necessity at most of the workplaces.
How to Successfully Apply for an IT Job in Berlin?
- Be Sure about Your Choice:
One of the biggest questions is, why would you want to settle specifically in Berlin? Doesn’t matter, how good is the German capital, how friendly and helpful are the people of Germany, especially Berlin, how affordable and comfortable is the lifestyle here, if the voice in your head isn’t yours, you are never going to have the feel-good factor with you. Be hundred per cent sure about your choice of living in Berlin. After all, leaving your home country isn’t the easiest of the decision to make.
- Experience Does Matter:
There is nothing like you can’t get a decent tech job in Berlin, but if you have the experience of 3 to 4 years working with an IT setup, it will surely separate you from others. Most of the foreign IT companies are looking for a mix of skills and experience. No one is asking you to show a decade of experience, but if you have successfully worked for more than a couple of years with an IT company, it will keep you in good space.
- Do Proper Research:
You are going to leave your home country; you are going to be away from your loved ones, so be completely informed about every aspect of working in Berlin. Everything from application to getting selected must be clear in your mind. Take as much as time you want, do proper research, get completely satisfied, and then apply for a job.
- Don’t Get Trapped:
There are hundreds of fake agents looking for people like you. Don’t get trapped in attractive offers through messages, calls, or emails. Apply through legitimate sources and websites. You can visit stackoverflow.com/jobs and angel.co/jobs for proper research, analysis, number of jobs, salary etc.
Don’t even think about contacting third-party companies or agents or get ready to be disbursements.
- Give Priority to Visa Sponsored Jobs:
Look for visa sponsored jobs. It is one of the most important aspects of working abroad. Always give priority to jobs sponsoring for the visa. Stackoverflow.com and angel.com are a couple of websites where you get the separate information on jobs with visa sponsorship and jobs without it.
- Be Confident about Your Skills:
You need to be very confident about your knowledge, talent and skills. If you have a specific salary in your mind, be ready to ask for it. You don’t need to be settled at the salary that is short of your expectations. You aren’t the only one looking for a job. The concerned IT companies are also searching for talented and skilled IT guys. Always keep it in mind and look for a satisfied salary.
- Keep Every Document Ready:
Before applying, make sure all of your documents are ready. Be honest, don’t give improper or fake details in your documents and resume. Try to make your resume as informative and innovative as possible. An informative resume is completely different than a lengthy one. Try to recheck your resume and other necessary documents at least ten times before finally applying for the job.
- The Job Interview:
This is the most important and definitive part of your efforts of being settled in Berlin. You need to expect lengthy and tough job interviews. Keep one thing in mind; no company is going to hire you only after a couple of interviews. They will check and analyze your skills through numerous examinations and interviews.
If you are applying through stackoverflow.com, most probably you will have to clear very important first round by solving a set of codes. You will get the links of the coding problem(s) on a platform named Codility. Once you open the link(s), you will have to solve given problems in a specific amount of time.
You will have to wait for a couple of weeks to know if you have successfully cleared the first round. After clearing the first round, you will proceed to the HR round where you will have to answer some basic questions like Why Germany, Why Berlin, Why this Specific Company etc. Keep one thing in mind; they are expert and experienced officials; you can’t be over smart in front of them, so try to make sure you give completely honest answers. Simple answers can be “looking for a better life”, “want to learn new things by working with international workers and clients”, “want to experience diverse cultures” etc.
The second round is usually easy. After clearing the second round, you will have to face the third round, most probably, a video call interview via platforms like Google Hangouts. The interviewer will ask you some specific questions about IT sector programming languages, your working experience, your expertise, work ethics, how to handle different situations while working etc. You also have to optimize specific codes in the third round of interview.
Usually, the waiting time between the third and next rounds is 5 to 8 days. If you have successfully cleared the third round, you should be ready for some tough questions in the next three rounds, the combined duration of which is a little more than one hour. In the fourth round, the interviewer can ask some more detailed questions related to your resume, work experience, and other related documents. The fifth round is again about a programming language like Java, Python, DART Alpha, D&D Beyond, Visual C++, and PHP etc. You will have to solve some tough and advanced questions in this round.
The sixth and last round is the toughest of all. This is usually very tough like a rapid fire round. A plethora of back to back questions will be thrown at, and you have to be very quick and specific about your answers. Even a little hesitation can convert your whole effort into a waste.
Usually, after clearing the sixth round, the chances of getting selected are very high. You might have to face another HR round where you will have to face typical HR questions related to work ethics, conflicts at workplace etc.
If you can impress the probable leader in HR round, you are flying to Berlin. Now, the most important part, the salary negotiation. Usually, the salary packages for tech guys with 3 to 4 years’ experience is 45,000 to 60,000 Euros. Don’t settle at less than 40,000 Euros. 42% of your salary will go to government taxes and health insurance, and you will get a hike of average 500 Euros every 2 to 4 months depending on the policies of different companies. You can visit salary.com for proper analysis of the salary.
Disclaimer
The blog is written to help the IT guys looking to get settled in Berlin. All the analysis, interview discussions and salary estimations are based on average job openings and profiles available on stackoverflow.com and angel.com. Don’t be completely dependent on these information and details. Do proper research for specific jobs and companies. Good Luck for Your Future Endeavors.
