If soft information is missing, the “hard” facts are often not enough.
Career Counselor Heiko Mill.
3.179. Requests:
I am sending this email to request a consultation. I am from Egypt, I am 28 years old and have been living in Germany for three years. In Egypt, I studied about eleven semesters for my Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (General Grade: Good) and then worked in Cairo for 1.5 years as a site manager in the turnkey construction field. 2.5 years ago, I was studying civil engineering at a German university with the aim of obtaining a master’s degree.
Since then, I have been trying to find a job as a civil engineer or as a student worker, but unfortunately I have not succeeded so far. I am attaching my papers and I hope you have time to take a look.
Reply:
The “hard facts” arising from the filing are largely straightforward. It’s great, the BA took too long by our standards, but at least it’s recognized here. The short professional experience is not documented, but we don’t know if degrees are common in Egypt – and if so, what should be there. It was certainly true that you started a postgraduate course here in Germany – only someone with a deep knowledge of the country can definitely judge your education at home on their own. You should not expect knowledge of the professional system in Egypt here.
In Germany, people tend to make a decision against the applicant when they are in doubt
From the point of view of the German job market, you are a young man shaped by a foreign culture, still a student and out of touch with German working life. You may be well suited to the German working world, but that may not be the case. In Germany, there is a tendency to take a decision against the applicant “in case of doubt”.
F: The candidate must demonstrate or at least provide evidence that they are suitable. However, the company you are writing to with the application does not have to prove that you are not suitable.
You are currently unable to provide the ‘proof’ you are asked to provide that you are suitable. It just depends on your general situation. If I go to Egypt or Brazil despite my massive experience, I will have a similar problem there.
There is no work while studying
What also matters when weighing hard facts: As long as you’re still studying, you won’t get a job with a bachelor’s degree. On the other hand, it may relate to conflict of interest or time between job and study; Then no one will hire you for a bachelor’s position when you are in the process of earning a master’s degree (it is possible that a bachelor’s position will not be enough for you; you are either not satisfied or you will quit).
So I assume that based on the established facts, your situation will improve significantly once you have a master’s degree in your pocket (preferably with a good grade).
Gaps in the CV
However, I also see various serious gaps in the area of ”soft information”, which raises many questions for applicants rather than providing answers. I am not a specialist in hiring non-EU citizens, but look at the following information gaps in your records:
- what nationality you hold, and the long-term professional goal you are striving to achieve (for example, “permanent residence in Germany with proof of professional presence and German citizenship required”); You don’t know from your CV in which country you obtained your bachelor’s degree (maybe Egypt) and – above all – when you are expected to complete your German master’s degree.
- Do you need and do you have a work permit?
In my view, what you urgently need is to watch the German labor market – a foreign and unfamiliar market for you. You are still a student, so almost ‘everything’s allowed’ in this regard, there are no reservations about whether a particular job you do in conjunction with your studies would be reasonable for you or would be a good fit for your qualifications. Just think of working “on a construction site” here right now, no matter what the job is. Even jobs outside the industry may be suitable to facilitate your entry into the German labor market, which is difficult for foreigners, after completing a master’s degree.
Nobody here has anything against your origins, I’m pretty sure. But the average personnel decision maker (i.e. when applying for jobs) knows nothing about the quality of a bachelor’s degree in Egypt, nor about the possibility that a man of your own ancestry will fit into working life here without any problems or better.
You have a huge advantage: I asked, took the initiative, worked to find a solution. Stay on that line. And if you don’t get what you want with my advice, keep trying and find new contacts. There is no standard solution for cases like yours, stay tuned! Here they say every beginning is hard – and they are absolutely right. I wish you happiness and success!