Recruitment process
Would you like to recruit skilled workers from abroad? We explain step by step how the process works and what you need to bear in mind when recruiting abroad.
We show you step by step how to find a skilled worker abroad: From country selection to publishing a job advertisement.
Step 1: Examine your personnel requirements
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 (External link) (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.
Step 2: Decide which countries to target
Which countries do you wish to recruit staff from? Selecting the right target countries can facilitate the search for personnel. Country-specific customs in the recruitment process as well as peculiarities in approaching potential candidates should also be taken into account during the country selection.
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.
Step 3: Write your job advertisement
Once you have decided which group to target, you can write and adapt your job advertisement. Remember: the more specific you are, the better it is – not only for the applicants, but also for yourself!
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 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 (External link) website.
Step 4: Publishing your job advertisement
The placement of the job advertisement needs to be well thought out. To do this, ask yourself the following questions:
- What are the best channels to reach my target group?
- How do I make myself known abroad?
- What other recruitment options are out there?
You can find instructions on how to post a job advert on the ‘Make it in Germany’ job board under the section ‘Publishing your job advertisement’.
Step 5: Further support
Do you need more support in the recruitment process? Please find multiple points of contact down below.
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 (External link) .
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. In the “Recognise placement agencies” section, you can find out what you need to bear in mind.
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?
International Apprentices in Hospitality and Gastronomy
It's really about attracting new generations. And you have to train far more people than can later be employed long-term, because there is always natural turnover.
My name is Denny Amrhein and I run a family-owned hotel here. We are the fifth generation. I've been managing it for almost 20 years, I am also the owner and I still enjoy my work every day. We have about 85 employees across the two locations, and now more apprentices than ever, currently 23. And of those 23, seven come from non-EU countries. We are in the fortunate position of not having a shortage of skilled staff.
We also receive many applications directly from local schools. And we complement that with apprentices from third countries, because it's simply a good mix. It's truly enriching.
My name is Gautam, I am 25 years old, I am from Nepal and I am training as a specialist in restaurant and event catering. At work I have to speak German and I enjoy doing it, because when I speak German with guests I can learn something new. It was hard at first, yes.
I am Pascaline. I am from Togo and I am doing my training at Fuchsbräu. For me, cooking is something special. It can be a bit tiring, but I have learned a lot, I have met many people. I feel very comfortable here.
I am Ariatou and I am a cook. I work with my cousin at Fuchsbräu. Cooking, for me, is my life. I forget my problems, everything. I am in the kitchen, I cook for someone. Then someone eats and says: "Your food was good, delicious. Thanks, Ari!" It's that simple!
Starting out when new people arrive is naturally difficult, because the language is not fully mastered yet. But after six months, they relax enough to work really well together. They watch the work and just by observing, they copy immediately what we show them. Perfect.
At some point we noticed they did not speak enough German. So I quickly said: we need an internal German course, which we organize ourselves, and I knew the teacher. The motivation is high. They know that the course helps them work better, collaborate better, and improve the workplace atmosphere.
Week by week it was noticeable how they improved in grammar, pronunciation and also in how they communicate with each other.
My team is very helpful and when I don't understand something, they all help me and are very friendly. I also wanted to work professionally, and that is my goal: to gain as much experience as possible.
A future in my home country? No, I don't have one. But here in Germany I do have a future: I can work, I can earn money. Here I can do everything. The path of bringing in apprentices from third countries is really good. And we will surely continue doing it.
New apprentices are already being considered for next year, also relatives and acquaintances of current apprentices. It really is a good path for us, and we see that they are all very loyal and will probably stay after training. This way we secure our skilled staff for the coming years.
I can only recommend to our colleagues to try it too, to be open to the possibility of attracting apprentices from third countries. And here in Bavaria there is the ZSEF, which is really very helpful, offering a lot of support, and with the accelerated procedure for skilled worker immigration everything is completed within a reasonable timeframe. You just have to try it. That's what I would really advise everyone. You can only gain. What do you lose if you don't try?
Video: Recruiting and integrating international hospitality trainees
Information on the web
- BA: Federal Employment Agency Information on admission to the labour market
- Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände (BDA) HR Tech: How AI & Co. are changing HR work
- KOFA: Centre of excellence for securing a supply of qualified professionals Recruitment procedure - judicious recruitment of qualified professionals (available in German)
Do you have any questions?
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