# Face to Face Interview in Berlin



## nfs99

Hi Everyone,

I am a Software Professional based out of India, I have been invited by a German Firm to attend a face-to-face interview in Berlin by the end of this month, this is after a couple of skype and telephonic rounds. I have just applied for the business visa. I would like to know more about the face-to-face interview process in German IT firms. Any tips/points on the differences in face-to-face interviews between India and Germany would be invaluable.


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## liju84

Hi Nfs99 ,

Congrats on getting the interview call. If possible Can you let me know your experience skill set and German language knowledge? I am also a software developer and trying out for jobs in Germany.i have sent many applications but haven't got an interview.i wanted to understand where I am going wrong or whether my skill set is not in demand.would appreciate your help in this regard.


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## Nishantde

nfs99 said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I am a Software Professional based out of India, I have been invited by a German Firm to attend a face-to-face interview in Berlin by the end of this month, this is after a couple of skype and telephonic rounds. I have just applied for the business visa. I would like to know more about the face-to-face interview process in German IT firms. Any tips/points on the differences in face-to-face interviews between India and Germany would be invaluable.


Congrats...I am also looking for a job in Germany. Can you let me know which technology you are working on? Also about the interviews which happened before the Face to face round.
On you question about face to face interview, I had given one when I was in germany. Be well dressed, formals... be ready for some question in German.. just to test your German skills... nothing much.... If you have been invited i hope half of the Job is done... all the best


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## nfs99

liju84 said:


> Hi Nfs99 ,
> 
> Congrats on getting the interview call. If possible Can you let me know your experience skill set and German language knowledge? I am also a software developer and trying out for jobs in Germany.i have sent many applications but haven't got an interview.i wanted to understand where I am going wrong or whether my skill set is not in demand.would appreciate your help in this regard.





Nishantde said:


> Congrats...I am also looking for a job in Germany. Can you let me know which technology you are working on? Also about the interviews which happened before the Face to face round.
> On you question about face to face interview, I had given one when I was in germany. Be well dressed, formals... be ready for some question in German.. just to test your German skills... nothing much.... If you have been invited i hope half of the Job is done... all the best



Thanks liju84 and Nishantde,

I have had a couple of skype and telephonic rounds before this invite. My skills are mainly web - 7+ years exp in LAMP Stack (PHP/MySQL) and my german knowledge is next to nothing, is it a must? I would like to learn german, but if it is a deal-breaker, then unfortunately i don't have any knowledge.


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## liju84

nfs99 said:


> Thanks liju84 and Nishantde,
> 
> I have had a couple of skype and telephonic rounds before this invite. My skills are mainly web - 7+ years exp in LAMP Stack (PHP/MySQL) and my german knowledge is next to nothing, is it a must? I would like to learn german, but if it is a deal-breaker, then unfortunately i don't have any knowledge.


Thanks nfs for the reply. Since they have invited you looks like language might not be needed. Hope you have not mentioned that you know German...

You applied using stepstone or any other site?


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## nfs99

I was pretty clear in stating my language knowledge. I just hope that it should not be a blocker. 

For job search I used LinkedIn - most of the jobs listed in stepstone had a strong German language requirement, for which as you can understand, I don't qualify.


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## Nishantde

Oh dont worry.... mostly IT jobs they dont require German language skills... Do show your willingness about the learning the language if asked... all the best.


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## cooldash87

nfs99 said:


> I was pretty clear in stating my language knowledge. I just hope that it should not be a blocker.
> 
> For job search I used LinkedIn - most of the jobs listed in stepstone had a strong German language requirement, for which as you can understand, I don't qualify.


It should not be a blocker at work for sure. But you would need to learn the basic's anyways to socialize with the locals.


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## nfs99

Thanks a lot,

I just got my visa stamped today, will be travelling by the end of this month. Lets hope for the best. 

Just wanted to know what can be expected as an ideal salary for a Developer with 7+ y.exp in PHP in Berlin? I have seen that salaries for PHP Devs especially in Berlin are on the lower side.


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## cooldash87

thats always a tricky question. 

But what you can do is say that its negotiable based on how the organization values the role and the benefits it has to offer. You could have an expectation but if the organization has better benefits it can be negotiated. 

If you have tried looking up Glassdoor and other sites, you can mention those figures with reference to those sites.

All the best for the Interview :thumb:


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## nfs99

Yeah, even I was in the same plan. 

In terms of benefits, as far as I have heard in other organizations, most of them tend to provide (1) free relocation and (2) free German classes. Is there anything else that you can expect apart from this, are they any tax saving options, like the ones we get in India?


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## cooldash87

Ziltch !! Dont expect PF, LIC stocks will help you save Tax 

The taxation in Germany is completely different than India.

Benefits: Yes 

- Companies usually pay half of your Medical Insurance
- Companies usually give 1 months accommodation.
- Some companies give you a free return ticket to visit India per year.
- You get taxed lower if you are married, more lower if you have a child.
- For 1st and 2nd child you get 184 Euro's per month as benefit from Govt.
- Child's health insurance is free 
- Cost of education is relatively less if you send your child to state governed schools. But these have German has their first language. International schools are quite expensive ! (See if you can negotiate child's education fees for International School)

You can Google to learn more


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## nfs99

Thanks for the options.. And yes I know no HRA, no Conveyance, no Car Maintenance..


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## sonnesanne79

Hi NFS 99

face-to-face interviews are kind of hard in Germany. Mostly there are two or more interview partners and they are very well prepared. but no worries, the Germans are friendly and open minded, so if you have skills on the professional level, they will oversee some language difficulties


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## sonnesanne79

p.s.: but I am sure you won't have problems with that  SonneSanne


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## nfs99

Jaaa! Nailed it !!


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