Finding the right recruitment channel

By conducting personnel requirement planning on a regular basis, you will have the necessary foresight to identify key preliminary considerations in your search for candidates. Find out what kind of staff you need, what skills they should have, and what the advantages of employing qualified professionals from abroad are.

Planning allows you to create the conditions for having the right staff at the right time in your company – enabling you to take further action. Approach your planning process in a strategic manner and implement it regularly. A good way to analyse the staff situation in your company is to visit the website of KOFA (available in German), a centre of excellence for securing skilled labour.

If you consciously decide to recruit applicants from abroad when identifying your needs, you should take the following aspects into account:

• It is generally more cost-intensive and it takes longer to search for suitable candidates abroad. However, you will have a greater chance of recruiting a professional who matches your role requirements closely. After all, international teams open up new perspectives.
• If your company engages in export, it may be particularly beneficial to recruit qualified professionals from your target markets: staff from abroad may well have specific cultural or language skills that they can contribute to your company.

To help determine which countries to target, you might want to ask yourself the following questions:

• Does it make sense strategically for your company to build or expand networks in this particular country?
• What is the situation on the specific labour market there at present?
• Does your company already have links to this country?
• Does your company already employ people from this country, who might be able to help by providing specific knowledge or establishing contacts?
• Are the qualifications that can be acquired in this country recognised in Germany or comparable to German qualifications?
• Does the skilled worker from this country need a residence permit to work in Germany?
• For more information on deciding which countries to target and on recruiting qualified professionals from abroad, visit KOFA, the centre of excellence for securing skilled labour.

To prepare the job advertisement, draw up the job profile as precisely as possible, stating key professional and personal requirements.

• Be sure to explain all of the required qualifications in detail, and bear in mind that international applicants may not necessarily have the same background knowledge as candidates who grew up in Germany. Refrain from using specific abbreviations and paraphrases.
• Mention that your company can assist with the recognition of qualifications from abroad.
• Specify the level of German language skills required, and state which language is used as the corporate language.
• Write the job advertisement in English or in the national language of your future qualified professional. This will enable you to reach out to candidates who are not yet proficient in German. Besides demonstrating that you are a cosmopolitan company, you will also enhance your company's image abroad.
• If possible, you should also state a specific salary and mention any other benefits offered by your company, such as a relocation service, language learning support, or assistance in finding accommodation. The more you offer, the more appealing you will be appealing to skilled workers.
• Describe what you are looking for as specifically as possible, while making yourself attractive to applicants at the same time. In addition, state the languages in which you accept applications.

For more tips on how to write job advertisements, visit the KOFA website.

Customer Center of the Federal Employment Agency

The Customer Center of the Federal Employment Agency (BA) acts as the first point of contact, providing employers with information on the following aspects:

The possibilities and legal requirements for employing a qualified professional from abroad (entry and visa process, recognition);
Recruitment opportunities;
Special challenges when hiring a qualified professional from abroad (e.g. finding accommodation, dealing with authorities, language support);
Establishing a welcoming culture in the company.
 

EURES

The EURES job mobility portal supports employers in their search for skilled workers in other European countries. Among other things, job offers can be posted here and candidate profiles can be searched for. Further information can be found on the EURES website.
 

Regional initiatives and projects

Several employers' associations, Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and Chambers of Skilled Crafts help SMEs in particular to recruit qualified professionals from abroad, or even implement their own projects to recruit skilled workers. Many of the Welcome Centers also provide support when it comes to recruiting and integrating qualified professionals from abroad. It is also worth contacting the German Chamber of Commerce Abroad (AHK) in the country you have targeted for recruiting qualified professionals.
 

Recruitment agencies

You might want to think about contacting private recruitment agencies to help you find qualified professionals from abroad. Making use of this option will reduce your search efforts, but it comes at a cost.

Tip: Receive support – why not look around in your region to see which partners could assist you in recruiting qualified professionals from abroad and benefit from their experience?