r/cscareerquestionsEU

I am 22 f working at a US based mnc about to complete 1yr of experience.(I am from a non eu country). I completed my bachelors in AI and DS then was hired as sde-1 and my work is webdev (angular and springboot).
I need to move abroad due to some personal reasons and it is not an option anymore but a necessity for me due to safety reasons. I decided that the best way to do it is masters in germany as it is less expensive and opens up opportunities. I am already learning the language and since I have future plans for PR I will be learning german till c1 or atleast b2 until I complete my masters.
I have time to start over and dive into a new tech stack before I go and start my masters.
Which of the below is the better option to choose.

1. Webdev / App dev
2. Devops
3. Security
4. Robotics
5. Embedded systems
6. AI / ML / DS
7. IOT / Smart sensors
8. Design / HCI / UI UX

I am aware that the job market is bad. I would have chosen AI as my bachelors was in it too but I see alot of people going for that course and I am worried about competition and whether there are even as many jobs as the number of people.
(not to boast but i also have very good logical skills and tend to pick up things very fast so hoping to have a slightly above average profile)

Would appreciate if hiring managers or people from their respective fields gave advice.

Hello everyone, I'm an engineer with 10+ years of experience based in Germany. I was laid off from my job, then six months later I joined a startup where I was laid off after less than two months, as it is a misfit. Now I don't know what to put on my CV. If I extend my tenure with the first and never mention the last one, I am concerned about employers contacting them and asking how long did I stay. And if I mention the last one it will be short.

Also I already sent my CV with the last employer mentioned, with an extended tenure, so I am a bit confused about changing it and even sending it to different ones..

How would you handle such situation, and how often does companies do background checks (even casually) in Germany?

Hello everyone,

I’m from Turkey and studied in Turkey. I am an Electrical and Electronics Engineer, and I’ve dedicated years—both before and during university—to honing my software skills. I consider myself highly proficient in microprocessors and embedded systems. Alongside hardware, I have developed a strong expertise in cybersecurity and focused my university electives on software development and AI.

I have professional experience working with 2-3 companies during and after my studies. My home is essentially a functioning electronics lab, as I’m constantly building and experimenting. Despite this background, I have been applying for roles in the Netherlands for about a year now (specifically in Cybersecurity, Embedded Software, and Electronics) but haven't received any positive feedback or offers.

I am currently working toward my OSCP certification to further bolster my security credentials.

I’m reaching out to see if anyone has insights into the Dutch market for my profile. Am I missing a specific requirement? Is the market currently too tight for international applicants? I would appreciate any help or advice on how to land an interview.

Hello, I'm 9 months into my first job, as full stack using Vue with TS/JS and Ruby on Rails for backend. I like the stack and the place I work but my salary is really low (19k, am based in the south of Spain).

While I think I'm learning a lot and thats the more important thing in the moment, I'm worried about my low salary and getting pin holed into a non popular stack, what do you think should I do in my situation?

• Keep at it for 1-2 years more? I could get a signifcant raise in 2027 but nothing is set in stone
• Wait till 1 year mark and aggresevly look for something else? How should I prepare?

Hi everyone! I’m about to finish my tailoring school and I’m job searching outside my country (Italy), expecially France Does anybody have advice? I’ve been searching on fashion jobs France and LinkedIn without much luck

I recruited in Data & Analytics, Cloud and Software in Germany for years. Placed international candidates, built markets from scratch, sat across the table from C-level hiring managers at billion dollar companies. I now see the other side as a financial advisor working with professionals building their lives here.

I see the same mistakes repeated constantly. Here is what actually matters and what kills applications before anyone reads them.

What gets you filtered out in 3 seconds

• Wrong CV format. German recruiters expect a specific structure. Photo top right, personal details including date of birth and nationality, clean chronological layout, no graphics or coloured sidebars. An Anglo-American or Indian CV format gets mentally filed as "doesn't know how things work here" before the content is read.
• No photo. It is not by law prohibited to ask specifically for it, but it is expected. Its absence looks like an oversight not a choice.
• No languages section. This is the first thing recruiters check for international candidates. If it is not visible immediately you are already behind.
• Listing everything in your skills section. A wall of 40 technologies signals nothing. Recruiters want to know your top 5 to 8 and how strong you are in each.
• Anime avatars, cartoon pictures or creative CV designs. Germany is conservative. Save the creativity for your portfolio.

What actually gets you interviews

• Keywords matching the exact language of the job description. ATS systems match strings literally. If the posting says Kubernetes and your CV says container orchestration you may not pass the filter even if you are the better candidate.
• Quantified bullet points. Not "improved system performance" but "reduced query processing time by 60% across 200,000 records." German recruiters respond to specifics.
• German work experience on your CV. Even a Werkstudent role changes how your profile reads. It signals you understand the environment.
• Applying directly on company websites and combining every application with a LinkedIn message to the hiring manager. The candidates getting interviews right now are not relying on job boards alone.
• A tailored Anschreiben for traditional German companies especially in manufacturing, finance and engineering. Yes they still read them.

What most people get wrong about the market right now

The market is tough but it is not closed. The candidates struggling most are the ones who arrived with a strong profile and submitted it the wrong way. The candidates getting hired adapted to how Germany actually works rather than how they assumed it works.

Your German level matters more than you think even for English language roles. Hiring managers factor it in even when they are not supposed to. B2 is the real threshold. Below that you are competing for a subset of roles. Above it the market opens significantly.

Happy to answer any specific questions about your profile, your target role or how the market works for your background. That is what I do.