As Germany tries to fill critical gaps in its skilled workforce, officials are recognizing more foreign professional degrees. Nurses, doctors and other health care professionals had the highest rates of approval.
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Last year, Germany recognized 36,400 professional degrees issued to individuals abroad — 20% more than in 2017, according to the latest government data published on Wednesday.
Nearly two-thirds of the foreign professionals who requested recognition of their qualifications and saw their applications approved were in the health care sector, according to the Federal Statistics Office (Destatis).
Within those, 7,200 medical degrees for doctors were either fully or partially approved, as well as 10,400 qualifications for nursing and other health care officials.
The other most-recognized professions included engineers and teachers.
Syria topped the list of countries whose degrees and qualifications were approved, with Germany recognizing some 4,800 applications last year.
Bosnia and Herzegovina came in second with 3,000 approved qualifications, followed by Serbia with 2,100 and Poland with 2,000.
A shortage of skilled labor
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The number of applications with degrees from the Philippines more than doubled last year, up from 744 applications in 2017 to 1,605 in 2018.
Last year also saw a rise in the number of applications from abroad, according to the Education Ministry, with 5,958 people outside of Germany applying to get their degrees recognized, as opposed to 3,597 applicants in 2017.
Over 50% of the applications were submitted by women.
German Education Minister Anja Karliczek praised the rise in the number of recognized degrees, saying that the approval procedure helps both businesses and skilled workers.
"At the same time, it facilitates the rapid integration of immigrants into qualified employment and thereby strengthens Germany as a business hub," Karliczek said in a statement.
When a foreign-issued degree or professional certificate is recognized, that enables the person to pursue a career in a regulated profession in Germany.
A few simple tips & tricks to improve any German job application
In Germany, talent recruiters complain of the same things over and over. Here are a few tips to help you make it to the next step in the application process. Though many sound obvious, don't underestimate them.
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DO: Only apply for realistic jobs
Read the job description and make sure it is a match. If you are just leaving school don't apply to be company CEO. But at the same time don't sell yourself short. Companies are often overwhelmed with applications and initially spend at most five minutes with each candidate. If they don't quickly see a match, your application will end up in the "No" pile.
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DON'T: Send incomplete application packages
Make sure you include everything that is requested in the job announcement. Always have all of your paperwork ready to send that way you won't go crazy searching for a lost piece of paper. You will most likely need a cover letter, CV, letters of reference, and pdf copies of school leaving certificates, university diplomas and other documents proving qualifications.
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DO: Try and stick to conventions
Though creativity is often a good quality, there are some German conventions that you have to think about like including your birthdate, marital status — and most controversially — a headshot with your application. Photos have a long tradition in German CVs. It is no longer a requirement, but most HR professionals like to see one, if only to help them organize all applicants in their heads.
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DON'T: Send your application to anonymous
Don't address your application "To whom it may concern" or "Dear Sir, dear Madame." Take the time to research the company and at least find the name of the human resources boss. It shows initiative and interest. Use the company's website or networking sites like LinkedIn or XING to find who you are looking for. Also make sure to add the company address to your letter.
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DO: Use spell check
This is something that recruiters cannot stress enough — use spell check! It is easy, free and takes no time at all. Some personnel departments see simple spelling errors as an automatic deal breaker. Others are a bit more understanding, but it makes a really bad impression, especially when other applicants have taken this extra (simple) step to assure quality.
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DON'T: Do it alone
Ask others for help or advice, especially if you are not from Germany or a native speaker. Have them proofread what you are sending and be open for their ideas. Even if your CV is in English, your cover letter should probably be in German. Employers will most likely guess you had help, but they will also know you care enough to hand in the best application possible.
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DO: Keep it authentic
Lying on applications is a bad idea. Be yourself and be creative. The German job market is taking a less formal approach to how workers look. Tattoos, piercings and shorts used to be unacceptable is many work environments. Now even some police officers can show their tattoos while on official business. These welcome changes have a lot to do with digitization and a lack of qualified workers.
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DON'T: Be inconsistent
Keep the format of your resume and letter of introduction consistent. This means font, spacing, headings, everything. These are the things recruiters see first and leave an impression. The content must also be consistent: dates, places, etc. all need to match up without major gaps. In general it's better to send more than too little. At the same time do not overwhelm HR with a 30-page pdf.
This is an important life lesson, still many people ignore it when they post drunken photos or link to inappropriate material. Just imagine a future boss seeing what you post. Additionally, your networking profiles should be up-to-date and reflect a positive image and show that you are an appropriate candidate with the relevant experience for jobs you are looking for.
