I see this mistake in job interviews time and time again. As a hiring manager, I have a clear expectation of what I need to hear to assess an applicant properly. What to do and what not to do: ❌ What not to do Me: “how did you tackle this situation?” Applicant: “well, I had situation…

“Franziska, how did you manage to get into Google and SAP?” is a question that I get asked from time to time. The fact of the matter is it boiled down to 2 ingredients. Let me explain: Getting into Google In 2018, I was very unhappy in the job I had back then…

Corporates not hiring people who worked at startups because “they don’t understand corp”. Startups not looking at applications from people at corporates, as they are “used to different standards”. What is up with all that putting people into boxes? Potential reason A: fear Hiring managers fear that their new hire won’t thrive in the…

An analysis of the numbers of the Federal Agency for Employment for the years 2018 to 2022. How to read the data The four categories of IT employment Germany’s IT positions are segmented into four key categories by the Federal Agency for Employment: a) General informatics: encompassing a broad spectrum of IT expertise. b) IT systems analysts, salespeople and consultants: focused…

“I’m an IT girl, in an IT world, life in Technik, it’s fantastic, I can code with flair, write code everywhere, imagination, work is my creation”. Is life fantastic for women in IT in Germany? Let’s get down to brass tax and look at the numbers. Women make up 17.6%…

When the market exploded in 2021 it got very difficult for SMEs, startups and “more traditional” organizations to find technical staff. It appeared that FAANG and well-funded startups outbid one another. Developers could name their price essentially. But what many tend to forget is that salary is important, yet it…

Onboarding one manager is no small feat. Onboarding several managers at the same time is an endeavor! I am currently in the process of designing the program for exactly such an occurrence. What are the principles and practices I leverage? The academy approach For any kind of onboarding, be that for managers or…

2023 is a good year in terms of opportunities for me. I’ve just started contributing to Golem.de, a leading German IT news portal. “Franziska, how did you get this opportunity to write for a major outlet?” This is a question I was recently asked several times. There is no magic…

How one teacher destroyed my belief in myself In 10th grade I had this German teacher. Let’s call him “Herr Müller”. Herr Müller was known for his eccentricity — he used unusual methods in his delivery of what he deemed to be sacrosanct German literature and its interpretation. While I did agree with his unusual approaches, Herr Müller…