Lessons from Getting Rejected by an Employer & Let's Meet for a Beer
Guten abend Reader -
What a hawt weekend! 🔥 Quiet Berliners spent much of it outside by a lake while the party-minded people went to a rave. In the news, German bureaucracy and the growing momentum of the far-right deter a lot of foreigners from either coming to or staying in Germany. Meanwhile, the Berlin city government is having a tough time changing a racist street name.
We cover all of this and more in our July 9, 2023 edition of The Berlin Life newsletter:
Community News
News from The Berlin Life:
- We updated two of our Berlin Life guides - How Much Does It Cost To Move To Germany? Use Our Calculator! & Berlin Life Hacks.
- Get caught up on last week's newsletter - Germany's Inflation Remains High, Unemployment Went Up, but It's Not All Bad, Right!?
- Who's up for a real-life meetup over beers at one of Berlin's lovely beer gardens? Meet fellow Berliners who are looking for a job and perhaps meet new professional connections. Let's plan for Thursday, July 20 @ 7:00 pm. If you want to attend, indicate your interest here and I'll send out a separate email.
I want to attend your event and drink beers and meet people |
An Embarrassing Rejection From An Employer
🤦 When I got rejected for being too honest.
I'm one of those types who tend to be way too honest and share too much information. Years back, I was working for a Berlin-based company in what can only be described as a very toxic and dysfunctional environment. As I was deeply unhappy, I started to look for a new job and went on various interviews.
I made it really far into the process with one company, to the final stage where I was doing some workshops with a team. I felt it was going pretty well and talked about some of the challenges I had at work. I described the lack of professionalism I perceived in some of my colleagues and how their normalized behavior contributed to me not being successful at my job. Like people refusing to work when they didn't get their way in a team meeting or yelling at others for doing something "wrong". I also told them about how some colleagues lacked the basic knowledge and skills to do their job and I didn't understand how they were even working in their roles.
Rest assured, I was telling the truth! Most of those colleagues were later fired and when more professional and seasoned people were brought in to replace them, the atmosphere at work changed overnight and work became fun. While that later validated that the problems in the company were real, it didn't help me land the job.
When the reviews for my interview came in, they described me as unprofessional and someone who talked poorly about her colleagues. They said I came across as extremely negative and flatly rejected me for the role. For sure, there was no way I was unable to mask my unhappiness, as I certainly don't have a poker face. At the time, I felt that I should always be honest when sharing my impressions about situations. The rejection stung, but sometimes you need a humbling experience to learn and grow.
I learned the hard way that job interviews are pretty performative and it's (almost) always best to provide generic, high-level answers. When I changed my approach, almost all interviews resulted in a job offer and when it didn't, I always got feedback that I was a positive and warm individual. I hate not being honest, but I learned you have to be selective about the times when you get real.
🤩 If you like stories like these and want to hear even more, consider signing up for a premium membership. You won't regret signing up, trust me.
💀 Do you have an embarrassing moment to share from one of your job interviews? Share your story and we'll include it in one of our future newsletters.
Companies Hiring
🇩🇪 German companies hiring right now.
- Tiktok (Berlin)
- Piano (Berlin)
- Publicis Groupe (Berlin)
- MakerVerse (Berlin)
- Lightspeed (Berlin
- scoref4more (Berlin)
- Enter (Berlin)
- MatterLabs (Berlin)
Startup News
🚀 German startups that received funding recently could be good places to look for jobs.
- Disrupting the food industry: 10 promising German foodtech startups you should keep an eye on
- Germany's Q.Big 3D raises €2 million to aid the launch of its Queen 1 large-format printer
- Levelling up on infrastructure inspections, Kassel-based Twinsity gets a €2.5 million from EIC
- Germany's ChargeX charges up for European expansion with €11.5 million in the tank
- Germany’s flexible car subscription platform FINN receives €25M facility for its debt-financed fleet
News in Germany
🗞️ Immigration and other general news in Germany.
- Germany's slow bureaucracy impedes hiring of migrant workers
- Rise of Germany's far right may deter skilled workers
- What you need to know: German budget changes to Elterngeld in 2024
- German town threatens legal action over fast-track LNG
- New GDR escape tunnel discovered in Berlin
- Summer in Berlin: The ultimate guide
- Ravers dance through Berlin despite the heat
- How queer-friendly Berlin sets itself apart
- Berlin court rules for racist street name to be changed
Useful Resources
😎 Good stuff from the Berlin Life - aka how we can help you.
- Career Coaching - Get help creating a standout job application that will get you interviews in Germany. Work with us to learn how to ace German job interviews.
- CV/Cover Letter Quick Review - A budget-friendly alternative to career coaching, have your job application reviewed by an experienced career coach.
- Mentor Hour - Book an hour with Cheryl to get general advice about moving to Germany and finding work.
- Become a Member - Get a discount on our services, access to a monthly Q&A with the founder, a curated list of job postings, and more.
- Join our Slack space or Facebook group to start chatting with locals and others from abroad waiting to move to Germany.
- Add yourself to our LinkedIn connect and exchange list to network with other community members.
Wish you a great week ahead!
Take care,
Founder - The Berlin Life