Many immigrants in Germany work below their skill level. In 2012 this affected a good one in five foreign skilled workers with a vocational qualification (22.5 per cent). Employers often find it hard to assess foreign qualifications and career stages. This is exactly where the steps come in.
Source: IAB Aktueller Bericht 13/2015: Formale Überqualifizierung von Ausländern
Get your qualification recognised
In a German study, immigrants who received full recognition of their qualification were, three years later, 24.5 percentage points more likely to be employed and earned 19.8 per cent more per hour than comparable people who had not applied. This was also true in occupations where recognition is not compulsory at all.
Employers respond to this: in an experiment with HR decision-makers, a recognised qualification clearly reduced the disadvantage faced by foreign applicants. It did not disappear completely.
Please note: One study with data up to 2014. People who apply often already have good prerequisites. For all immigrants, the effect would probably be smaller.
Check the federal government's Recognition Finder to see which body is responsible for your occupation. As soon as you have the decision, state the German reference occupation in your CV directly next to your qualification.
Sources: Brücker, Glitz, Lerche, Romiti 2021, Journal of Labor Economics; Damelang, Ebensperger, Stumpf 2020, Social Forces
Gain experience in Germany
A large experiment in Canada sent out around 13,000 CVs. Applications with a foreign name and work experience from abroad received 5 per cent callbacks. When the same experience appeared on the CV as Canadian experience, the figure was 11 per cent, so a good twice as many. For people who had worked in the country for four to six years, an additional Canadian degree made no further difference.
- English name, education and experience in Canada 16 %
- Foreign name, experience in Canada 11 %
- Foreign name, education and experience abroad 5 %
Field experiment in Canada, 2008 (Oreopoulos 2011).
Please note: There is no comparable study for Germany. Experience in the country offsets the disadvantage of foreign experience, but not the disadvantage due to the name.
An internship, a working student job, a project or volunteering in Germany is often worth more than another course. Put this experience near the top of your CV.
Source: Oreopoulos 2011, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
Prepare your documents for Germany
German employers expect a CV without gaps, a cover letter and usually references (Zeugnisse). For positions abroad they often lack a point of reference. Give them one.
- Translate your qualification. State the German reference occupation and the status of recognition directly next to your qualification.
- Explain your career stages. For foreign employers, say in half a sentence what the company does and how big it is.
- Prove your language skills. State your German level with a certificate, for example B2 or C1.
- Have it proofread. In one experiment, five spelling mistakes reduced the chance of an invitation by 18.5 percentage points.
- Include references, but do not rely on them. They are customary in Germany. That they offset discrimination is not reliably proven.
- Decide on a photo consciously. An application photo is customary in Germany, but not compulsory.
Have your CV read by someone who knows the German job market. If that person understands every stage without having to ask, it is ready.
Sources: Sterkens et al. 2023, PLOS ONE; Koopmans, Veit, Yemane 2019, Ethnic and Racial Studies
Choose your employers carefully
Discrimination at the invitation stage can be measured in all the countries studied, but it is not equally strong everywhere. Public employers and larger companies discriminate less than small private businesses. In a German study, applications with a German name had a 24 per cent advantage at small firms and a 14 per cent advantage on average across all firms.
- Public sector
- Universities and research
- Larger companies with fixed selection procedures
- Small businesses and shops
- Through a personal recommendation
- With an internship or trial day as a way in
Please note: Larger employers use standardised procedures more often. Which part of this has the effect has not been studied separately.
Combine both: targeted applications to large and public employers, and with small businesses, the route via people who can recommend you.
Sources: Zschirnt & Ruedin 2016, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies; Kaas & Manger 2012, German Economic Review
Language: an investment that takes patience
Vocational language courses pay off, but later than many hope. During the course, participants work less often because they are learning. Two years after the start they were still 5.9 percentage points behind in employment, level after about three years and 2 percentage points ahead after four years. Women benefited considerably more.
- After 2 years −5,9
- After 3 years ±0
- After 4 years +2
- After 4 years, women only +11,3
Percentage points. Participants 2017/18, official evaluation 2025 (Baderschneider et al.).
On the phone, the accent counts
In a German field experiment, calls with a Turkish name had no disadvantage, but calls with an audible accent did. A meta-analysis shows that this is not due to comprehensibility. It is related to the status that listeners attribute to an accent.
Please note: The course results apply on average. For older participants and those required to attend by the Jobcenter, the effect was smaller. How large the accent disadvantage on the phone is in Germany is not precisely known.
Plan the course as an investment over several years, not as a quick route to a job. Make first contact in writing where possible and prepare two or three opening sentences for phone calls.
Sources: Baderschneider et al. 2025, Evaluation der Berufssprachkurse (IZA Research Report 149); Schmaus & Kristen 2022, International Migration Review; Spence et al. 2024, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Plan for more applications and do not take rejections personally
Three independent meta-analyses reach the same result: applicants from minority groups have to send more applications to be invited equally often. In German-speaking countries it is about 30 to 40 per cent more. Better grades increase the chances for everyone, but they do not close the gap.
This is a finding about employers, not about you. Knowing this, you will not read a rejection as a verdict on your own qualifications.
Expect more applications from the start and plan your week accordingly. In coaching we decide together how many there should be and where the effort is worthwhile.
Sources: Zschirnt & Ruedin 2016, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies; Quillian et al. 2019, Sociological Science; Koopmans, Veit, Yemane 2019, Ethnic and Racial Studies
What helps less than you might think
With good grades, your background does not matter.Better grades increase the chances for everyone. The gap remains.A language course gets you a job straight away.At first, participants work less often. The benefit comes after years.Recognition is only worthwhile in regulated professions.Clear benefits also showed up where it is not compulsory.An accent only hurts because people do not understand you well.Comprehensibility does not explain the disadvantage.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to get my foreign qualification recognised?
For some occupations yes, for example in medicine. For many others recognition is not compulsory, but according to research it is still worthwhile. The Recognition Finder shows which body is responsible for your occupation.
Where can I get help with recognition?
The portal “Anerkennung in Deutschland” (Recognition in Germany) of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) has an advice centre search and a hotline. Afterwards, in coaching, we help you present your recognised qualification correctly in your CV.
Should I include an application photo?
A photo is customary in Germany, but not compulsory. You decide for yourself whether to include one. If you do, use a recent, professional photo.
How many applications should I plan for?
In German-speaking countries, applicants from minority groups need on average about 30 to 40 per cent more applications for the same number of invitations. Plan for this from the start, and a rejection will hit you less hard.
Can I do the coaching in English?
Yes. Our coaches support you in German, English, Spanish or French, online. More about coaching in English
Is the coaching free of charge?
With an approved AVGS voucher, you pay nothing. We clarify in the intro call whether a voucher could be an option for you. More about the AVGS voucher