Hi ,

Happy Sunday!

Whenever I conduct an interview, I try to turn it into a dialogue as quickly as possible. When you have been doing this long enough, you realize you do not always need a whiteboard to evaluate technical expertise. You can gauge a developer's depth simply by talking to them about seemingly random technical topics.

Right now, my absolute favorite "random" topic to bring up is the usage of AI tools like Codex, Claude, or Copilot.

The way a candidate answers this question tells me immediately if I am talking to a Junior, Mid-level, Senior, or Senior+ developer. The focus shifts entirely from "can you solve FizzBuzz" to how you evaluate risk, architecture, and team dynamics.

Here is what I see in these conversations and what your answer signals about your experience level.

Junior: Blind Trust When I talk to junior developers, they often fall into the bucket of "AI makes everything better!"

They are thrilled that an LLM can spit out a complete React component in seconds. The red flag here is uncritical enthusiasm. When I ask them how they verify the generated code or what security risks they consider, they usually can't answer in any meaningful way.

=> They are using AI to increase their output, but they lack the foundational knowledge to catch the AI's mistakes.

Mid-Level: The Skeptic Mid-level developers have usually been burned by AI at least once. They asked it to solve a complex problem, it hallucinated a non-existent API, and they wasted three hours debugging it.

Because of this, they often fall into the bucket of "I tried it once, and it is useless." They dismiss it entirely because it is not perfect.

=> They have enough experience to spot bad code, but they are lacking the adaptability to change their workflow. Refusing to use a tool because it requires supervision is a missed opportunity for growth.

Senior: The Pragmatist This is where the conversation gets interesting. A true senior developer sits firmly in the bucket of "I use it daily, and here are its exact limits."

In a dialogue, a senior will tell me: "I use Copilot to generate boilerplate for my unit tests, but I turn it off when writing domain-specific business logic because it just lacks the context of our monolith."

=> They understand that AI is just another tool. They know exactly when it saves time and when it introduces unacceptable risk. This is the exact critical thinking I want to see.

Senior+ / Staff: The Strategist When I talk to Staff or Principal engineers, the conversation naturally elevates beyond their personal IDE.

They do not just talk about how they use AI. They talk about how the team should use it. They bring up concerns about pushing proprietary code into cloud models. They suggest adding new steps to the PR review process to catch AI-generated bugs.

=> They are looking at the overall impact. They are thinking about architectural integrity, legal compliance, and team productivity as a whole.

The Takeaway In your next technical interview, try to move away from treating it like an exam. Treat it like a conversation with a future colleague.

When the topic of AI comes up, do not just say "it is cool." Talk about a time it failed you, what you learned from it, and how you adjusted your workflow. That is how you prove your seniority without writing a single line of code.

If you have an interview coming up and want to practice this exact type of technical dialogue, we can do a mock session together.
We will just talk tech and see where you naturally land.

Have a great start to your week,

Cheers
Andre

On the importance of 'Arbeitszeugnisse'!

I have been going through a lot of CVs over the last few weeks. During this time, I had a chat with an internal HR specialist about "Arbeitszeugnisse" (work reference letters).

Quick reality check directly from that HR conversation:
For this specialist, and many others in the industry, these letters are actually not checked out as often as you might think.
Why? Because German labor law dictates they must be written in a "benevolent" tone. Employers legally cannot write anything that sabotages your future career.

=> So if you only have less than 1 minute per CV you are not going to read through some potentially meaningful work reference letter!

Therefore, to an HR person, the biggest signal that something is wrong isn't usually a mediocre grade. The massive red flags are:

• Missing documents: Not having an Arbeitszeugnis for a past role in Germany.

• Story discrepancies: For example, you claimed in the interview that you quit, but the specific legal phrasing at the end of the letter clearly shows you were fired.

That being said, because employers are forced to be positive, they have developed a hidden grading system over decades.
What looks like a glowing compliment to you can actually signal a Grade 4 (adequate/below average) to an experienced recruiter - and some do care about this.

Here is how you decode what your German boss actually wrote about you.

The Satisfaction Scale

Recruiters look for specific phrases that map directly to the German school grading system (1 to 5). The difference comes down to individual words, specifically "stets" (always) and "vollsten" (utmost).

• Grade 1 (Very good): "... stets zu unserer vollsten Zufriedenheit" (always to our utmost satisfaction). Outstanding and consistent.

• Grade 2 (Good): "... zu unserer vollsten Zufriedenheit" (to our utmost satisfaction). The "stets" is missing, meaning your performance was good, but not consistent.

• Grade 3 (Satisfactory): "... stets zu unserer Zufriedenheit" (always to our satisfaction). The "vollsten" is missing. This is average. It sounds much better than it is.

• Grade 4 (Adequate): "... zu unserer Zufriedenheit" (to our satisfaction). Without "always" or "utmost", this is barely acceptable.

Hidden Downgrades

Beyond the standard scale, HR uses specific phrases that sound completely harmless but act as massive warning signs.

• "Er/Sie hat sich stets bemüht..." (He/She always endeavored...): The word "bemüht" is the killer here. In everyday life, trying hard is a good thing. In reference letter language, it means you tried your best but completely failed.

• The wrong order of conduct: The standard order for evaluating behavior is: supervisors, colleagues, and clients. If your letter says your conduct toward "colleagues and supervisors" was good, HR reads that you got along great with the team but had a problem with authority.

• "Gesellig" (Sociable): If they mention you contributed to a "pleasant" or "sociable" working atmosphere instead of praising your technical skills, it means there was nothing technical worth praising. In some older HR circles, "gesellig" can even hint at excessive drinking at company events! (which would probably be a + for some of my former employers :'D)

Last but NOT Least

The ending of the reference is often the very first thing experienced recruiters read. A perfect Grade 1 ending must contain three things: regret that you are leaving, thanks for your work, and wishes for your continued success.

If the employer deliberately leaves out the regret or the thanks, they are sending an unmistakable signal: we are relieved this person is gone, and the collaboration was not worth thanking them for.

ROI and Retention

In last weeks newsletter post, we talked about how HR evaluates your CV based on four questions: ROI, Speed, Retention, and Culture.

The Arbeitszeugnis is one more indicator for "Retention and Culture".
It tells them if you left your last job on good terms, if you fit into the team hierarchy, and if you are an integration risk.

=> But again: Many HR people do not care about them that much!

What you can do right now

If you are leaving a German company, you will usually get a draft of your reference to review. This is your chance to shape it!

HR departments rarely know the difference between React, Terraform, and Kubernetes. Offer to draft the technical section of the reference yourself. Detail your exact tech stack and the business value of the projects you built (written in the third person, of course). Most HR departments will gladly copy-paste your technical paragraph because it saves them work.

If you need help with your Arbeitszeugnisse or have any sort of question, don't hesitate to ask!

 

Cheers
Andre

Stop designing your CV for Tech Leads (at least for now)

I spent last week at a job convention, and if there is one thing I brought back, it is this: developers and recruiters live in two completely different worlds.

I talked to dozens of Internal Recruiters and HR professionals, and their perspective on what makes a "good" CV might surprise you.
As a developer, you likely focus on the tech stack and your complex personal projects.
But: the technical person only sees your CV if HR decides to forward it.

In most companies, the tech lead acts as a Veto (if even that). HR is the one who actually opens the door.

The HR Perspective: Quality vs. Quantity

Recruiters are measured on metrics you might not be considering. While they need a high volume of applicants, they are ultimately judged on quality. It is in their absolute best interest to pass along "promising" candidates, but many developers make it unbelievably difficult for them to identify that promise.

When you spend weeks on a personal project, you see a technical masterpiece.
=> HR often sees a "hobby project."

They aren't looking for your ability to code in a vacuum; they are looking for a professional who can deliver value within a business structure.

The 4 Questions HR is Actually Asking

Whenever an HR person looks at your CV, they are mentally checking these four boxes:

1. ROI: Will our company benefit from this person financially (directly or indirectly)?

2. Speed: How fast can they ramp up? (Long onboarding = lost money).

3. Retention: Is this person going to leave in less than two years?

4. Culture: Are they a risky personality, or will they actually match the team?

If your descriptions are vague or "too technical" without showing business impact, you are creating doubt.
Doubt is the fastest way to get your application moved to the "Maybe" pile.

=> And the "Maybe" pile in our current market is basically the "No" pile.

New Services: Removing Doubt and Aligning Incentives

Speaking of removing doubt, I am practicing what I preach. I am currently redesigning my services at codingcareer.de (check it out as it evolves!) to better serve you.

I have decided to remove all subscription models. Subscriptions can sometimes feel like the coach is incentivized to keep you around longer rather than helping you get hired as fast as possible.

I don't work like that, so I am replacing them with Bundles.

I am also introducing a "Pay-on-Hire" model for those who need it:

• Pay a part now: Get started immediately even if you are low on funds.

• Pay the rest when you get hired: You only pay the big chunk once you actually have the job.

This ensures our incentives are perfectly aligned: I am fully invested in you getting that signature on the dotted line. :)

The "Perfect (German) CV" Project

Because the gap between "Tech CVs" and "Recruiter expectations" is so wide, I am also launching an Open Source "Perfect (German) CV" template.

It is designed to help you hone your CV so that an average HR person thinks to themselves, "Wow! My tech lead has to see this one!"

Stay tuned for more updates on this. I will be sharing the repository soon so we can build a standard that actually gets developers hired. :)

See you in the next one,

Andre

There is still hope so don't give up!

This week I stumbled upon an interesting post by someone on LinkedIn who recently got hired in Germany (Amine Barchid).

He initially thought finding a tech job in Berlin would take him 2 weeks, but it ultimately took him 4 months. Honestly, in the current market, that ain't half bad!

Application Analysis

Let's have a look at the numbers a little bit: He applied to 47 companies, got callbacks from 8, and offers from 2.

This means he sent around 2-3 applications per week.
=> Normally, I recommend sending out 1 to 2 a day.

He received a callback for around 17% of his applications, which I would currently rate as above average for a junior to mid-level developer. The good thing is he ended up getting offers from 25% of the companies he received a callback from.

This is also something I see all the time:
Getting an interview is the hard part => getting the offer should be easier

Interviewing is a Practiceable Skill

Back in the day, most developers were able to get offers even if they underperformed in interviews.
They would also get plenty of interviews and were therefore able to practice in those interviews.
This is not the case anymore.

As we all know, the tech market has changed dramatically in these last few years, and the trend is not going upward as of now.

The good thing is: It is still possible to get interviews.

And the top 10% of applicants are still getting offers left and right.
So the important takeaway is that you need to get into that top 10% as well.

What Advice Does Amine Offer?

The lesson that stuck with me: job descriptions are wish lists, not requirements.

Whenever you find a job and you think to yourself that your current CV does not match: => Do not give up.

You still have plenty of options:

• Adjust or tailor your CV specifically to that company.

• Explain in your cover letter why you think you are still a great fit.

• Just call or contact them directly and ask if they think you should still apply.

If you are currently looking for a role, keep pushing. The market is tough, but consistency and a targeted strategy still win in the end.

And if you need help doing that, feel free to reach out :)

Don't overapply

(I have reached out to @JustJonComic on Reddit, and he kindly allowed me to use this comic :) Feel free to check out his other stuff on Insta)

When you are looking for a new job, it's easy to overdo it. I've been there myself. I would apply in spurts and just throw out dozens of applications to random companies.

I would send an English CV to a German job posting. I would not include any cover letters, and I at best glanced over the job descriptions.

And yet, I would still get phone calls from HR people regularly (the market truly was different only a few years back). In many of these calls, I'd be grasping at straws to remember which company I was even talking to.

I also heard from a client recently that his official job advisor (from the "Arbeitsamt") recommended that he write at least 10 applications a day! While that might work in certain fields, in this market, it is setting applicants up for failure.

Slow and steady wins the race

So, if you are currently struggling with this: applying for jobs should become your new hobby, but not your new full-time job.

You should send out 1 to 3 applications every day. Take your time, see if you are a good match, consider the job description, and put yourself in the HR person's shoes: Would they hire you for this position? What makes you a good match?

You should try your best to make sure the HR person sees how you are suitable as soon as possible. Most HR people spend minimal time with the average CV as they get flooded by inadequate applications. Make sure yours isn't one of those!

Easy Apply sucks

LinkedIn has a feature most of us have used before: It allows you to apply with only one click in some cases. JustJonComic has a very fitting comic that sums up my feelings as seen in the top image.

LinkedIn Easy Apply is also part of why HR people are flooded with applications that:

• Do not match the job description at all.

• Are from people who are not eligible for the position in the first place (e.g. visa or working permit issues).

• Get sorted out by ATS immediately due to missing key skills or experience.

=> There is an upside to this, though.
The little text claiming "Over 100 people applied to this position!" next to a job is pretty meaningless, as over 90% of these applications get filtered out anyway.

Due Diligence

You only need to write a couple of applications a day, so make sure you do your due diligence.

German job positions should be applied to with a German CV and cover letter. Read up a bit on the job description itself. What could be the reason they are opening up this position?

I once wowed my interviewer when I asked if they opened up the job due to the BFSG. I had checked their website and saw they met the criteria for needing to implement it but hadn't done so yet. => This was not explicitly mentioned in the job description, so this little extra step immediately advanced me to the next round.

Don't overdo the customization

That being said, I was told by multiple HR people that they sometimes get eerily "perfect" applications, only to realize in the first round that the person must have used an AI tool to perfectly match the job description.

Don't do that.

Instead, you should prepare a couple of CV and cover letter variations and use the best match for a given job. For example, as a full-stack developer, you might want one variation for a primarily backend job and one for a primarily frontend one.

The perfect accompanying tool

Last week, I introduced you to COMMIT, and I am still actively improving it every day.

Thanks for all the feedback so far! It's helping tremendously.

You can use the goal-setting feature of COMMIT to set a daily goal for how many applications you want to send out (I still recommend 1 to 3).

In the dashboard, you can see how many you actually sent.

That's it!

If you have any questions or need help with your current interview process, feel free to reach out. :)

 

Cheers
Andre

Hi ,

Happy Sunday!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned I was working on a tool to help streamline the job hunt. Today, I’m putting the tools in your hands.

The Alpha version of COMMIT (Career Optimization & Material Management Interview Toolkit) is officially live.

It is 100% free, and it’s designed to make the application process more data-driven for applicants. Here is what you can do with it right now:

1. Stop Guessing, Start Tracking

The biggest mistake I see is "spray and pray" applications with no record-keeping. In some cases people also report having accidentally applied to the same company twice!

COMMIT lets you track your pipeline and set a daily goal.

My recommendation: Aim for 1-2 high-quality applications per day with a proper customized Cover Letter. It sounds low, but consistency beats a weekend "binge" of 50 low-effort clicks every time.

 

2. The ATS Stress-Test

Most HR departments use Automated Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter candidates before a human even sees your name.
I’ve built a simple parser into COMMIT. You upload your CV, paste a job description into the application modal, and get a matching score.

Note: This is an Alpha feature. If the parser struggles with your CV, it’s a strong signal that an actual corporate ATS will struggle too. Use it as a diagnostic tool.
Also some of the keywords are tracked incorrectly. I am still working on that :) 
I am sure it can be a bit useful already though.

 

Why am I building this?

I am still doing my regular consulting and coaching, but I wanted to build something that scales beyond 1:1 sessions.

COMMIT is my way of giving you the "intelligence gathering" tools that usually stay hidden behind recruiter dashboards.

Get Started Now

You can jump into the Alpha right here.

I need your help: This is a work-in-progress. If you find a bug, have a feature request, or if the parser loses its mind on your CV, hit reply and let me know. Your feedback directly shapes what I build next.

Need more hands-on help?

If the tool shows you have a high match but you’re still nervous about the actual interview process, I’m still here for 1-on-1 coaching. We can prep for those System Design or do Live Coding rounds together. -> Book a coaching session here

Good luck with the hunt this week,

 

Andre from CodingCareer

Hi ,

Happy Sunday!

I have had a few interesting discussions this week regarding the current state of the market, and I wanted to bundle my thoughts for you here.

We often focus so much on getting the interview that we forget to strategize what happens during the process.

Here are three observations from this week on certificates, recruiters, and technical rounds.

 

 

1. Don't be a "Papiertiger"

In Germany, we have a specific word for things that look threatening or impressive on paper but are actually harmless in reality: Papiertiger (Paper Tiger).

I see a lot of developers collecting certificates like Pokémon cards.

"I just got my basic Python certification!"

Unless you are aiming for a massive corporate enterprise that relies heavily on automated keyword scanning, these certificates rarely open doors.

If you have an education budget ("Weiterbildungsbudget") from your current employer, don't waste it on a syntax course or a generic cloud certificate just to have another logo on your CV.

Value beats certificates every time.

Instead, try to solve a business problem. Go to your Product Owner, ask what boring task they do manually, and use your education budget to learn the tools needed to automate it. That is a story you can sell in your next interview. A certificate just proves you can study; a project proves you can build.

2. Recruiters are not your career counselors

I get asked often: "Should I apply for myself or use a recruiter?"

My answer is: Use a recruiter, but stop treating them like a CV forwarder.

My very first job was placed by a recruiter. I was young, I trusted them blindly, and I ended up in a toxic "Bruchbude" (dump) where I was miserable. The recruiter got their commission and ghosted me.

The Lesson: You cannot outsource your due diligence.

However, a good recruiter is a massive asset if you use them for intelligence gathering. Don't just ask about the interview date. Ask them:

• "What is your honest feedback on my CV?"

• "How much competition is in the pipeline?"

• "What is the real budget for this role?"

Use them to negotiate harder than you would be comfortable doing yourself.

3. The Technical Gauntlet

What does a technical round look like in Germany right now?

It varies wildly, but you need to be mentally prepped for one of these four formats:

1. Async Coding: usually LeetCode style in an online IDE.

2. The "Homework": A take-home task (24-76 hours).

3. PR Review: You get a messy Pull Request and have to review it (I love this format as it tests communication).

4. System Design: "Build a bit.ly clone." Standard for Senior+ roles.

Pro tip: Always ask the recruiter exactly which format to expect. Going into a System Design interview when you prepped for LeetCode is a recipe for disaster.

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[WIP] Building in Public

Quick update on the free web app I am building to help devs with their applications:

I've switched the stack multiple times (form Tanstack Start to Hono + React SPA) and now I've settled on React SPA with Convex for the backend / db integration. I must say convex is a pretty interesting project!

Anyhow the prototype is coming along well! I am currently still fixing some major issues like mobile responsiveness.

I plan to send out the first early-access link to this newsletter list in about 1-2 weeks.

Need help right now?

If you have an interview coming up and don't want to leave it to chance, I offer specific coaching sessions where we practice these exact technical rounds.

-> Book a session here

Have a great start to your week,

Andre from CodingCareer

Welcome to the CodingCareer Newsletter (and a bit about German hiring culture)

Welcome !

Thank you for joining the CodingCareer newsletter!

If you are anything like me, your inbox is full of some random tech newsletters you never unsubscribed from.

I am actively trying not to add onto that pile (too much :D). I will post weekly on Sundays (though knowing me, I expect that I will more often than not end up posting every other week).

My goal is to give you a realistic look at the German tech market. I want to cover the interview psychology and the specific cultural quirks that often trip up developers.

To kick things off, I want to share one observation that surprises most of the developers I work with.

The barrier to entry is rarely your code

If you are a non-EU developer struggling to get offers here, your instinct might be to study for another technical certificate (AWS, Azure, etc).

As a German myself, I can tell you that our market is extremely risk-averse. Hiring managers often aren’t worried about your technical stack. They are worried about "integration risk".

• Will the team dynamic suffer?
• Will there be communication friction?
• Will you feel comfortable challenging authority (which is expected here)?

Reddit agrees

If you frequent any of the German subreddits for developers, you will notice that it is filled with non-EU developers asking for help. And the most upvoted answer is almost always: ’learn German first'.

By showing that you are studying the German language (even if it it is not required in the actual job) you show that you are dealing with German culture and this significantly lowers your integration risk.

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[WIP] Building a new tool to help!:

I am currently building a free web app specifically designed to support developers with their job applications in Germany.

It is still a work in progress, but I plan to have a prototype ready to share with you in about 1-2 weeks. You will be the first to know when it drops.

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