IT Jobs in Germany, Sweden and The Netherlands

Recruitment Specialists across Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Ireland and mainland Europe.

Sigmar International is an international technology and digital recruitment specialist, supplying contract and permanent IT, technology and digital professionals across all aspects of the IT, Fintech and Digital sectors. We predominantly recruit across Europe, with a particular focus on the German, Dutch & Scandinavian markets. We work with a wide range of clients, ranging from start-ups to global blue-chips.

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What To Expect in a Developer Interview

Interviews are the gateway to landing your dream job, but for most people interviews are a stressful and uncomfortable endeavour. You finally have your chance to impress a prospective employer and secure that golden opportunity, but unnerving thoughts and doubts begin to make you nervous. Nerves are to be expected, but if you let them overcome you, they could dampen your chances of securing the job that you may well have the skills and expertise for. What is the best way to ease your apprehension? Being prepared. Having an understanding of the overall interview process, the types of questions asked and what is expected of you will not only enable you to be more prepared, but it will serve to quieten some of them unsettling anxieties. So, what should you expect from a ‘typical’ developer interview? Every company has their own way of doing things and the procedure may differ slightly depending on the role that you are, but a lot of companies follow a similar process. The interview process tends to comprise of one or two phone interviews, followed by up to four on-site face-to-face interviews. The initial phone interviews are used to simply screen candidates to assess whether they are worth meeting in person. The first of the two phone interviews (or first half of the interview, if there is only one) will ask primarily behavioural questions. Behavioural questions are not designed to challenge you; they’re used to get you talking and to make you feel comfortable. Big open-ended questions are often asked such as “talk me through your CV” or “tell me about a challenging project you worked on”. The questions are designed to help HR professionals get a feel for you, the type of person you are and whether you’re a good fit with the company. Some light technical questions may also be posed asking you about your relevant coding knowledge, database expertise and so on. Following the initial phone screenings, you may be invited in-house for a series of face-to-face interviews with the appropriate members of the team. Large companies such as Facebook, Microsoft and Google hold four face-to-face interviews lasting approximately forty-five minutes each. These interviews primarily focus on your technical abilities with only one focusing on your behavioural traits and/or culture fit with the respective company. The technical interviews are a means of evaluating your problem-solving skills. The interviewer wants to see if you can translate your thought-process into reasonably correct, well-structured code. You will be asked a coding/algorithm question and be expected to write, test and optimize code often using a whiteboard, with some companies offering a laptop instead. Having a foundation in data structures and algorithms is really important. These are fundamental concepts, like binary search trees and breadth-first search. You will also be asked to develop an optimal algorithm for your code. It’s important to note that your code and algorithm does not need to be flawless. It is your approach and methodology that is being evaluated. Once the technical side of the interviews are complete, you will be given time to ask questions that you may have regarding the role or company or whatever may be on your mind. This is what a ‘typical’ developer interview process is like. However, every company is different. A great resource to discover the interview process for the position that you are applying for is Glassdoor. Here you can read what other applicants experienced with sections offering advice and types of questions asked.

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6 Common CV Mistakes For Developers

The software development industry is booming with a wide array of multinational companies actively seeking qualified and skilled developers. However, due to the highly technical and specific nature of these job roles, it can be difficult to find the right candidate for the job. So, what is the best way to help HR professionals and recruiters match you with a vacant position? A well written CV that accurately showcases your skills and expertise. You have the right skills for the job, but does the recruiter or HR professional know you do? Avoid these common pitfalls when crafting your CV. 1. Listing all your work experience Recruiters and HR professionals read countless CVs, having multiple pages of irrelevant content will only work against you. Try not to write an exhaustive list of every project that you have worked on; prioritise it. Only include the projects and work experience that are relevant to the position that you are applying for. Your CV should always be tailored to the role that you are applying for. 2. Not including your ‘tech stack’ in your work experience Your tech skills and knowledge are the most important aspect of your CV. Include a list of all the languages and tools that you used during your employment in each role. If you aren’t sure how to include them while keeping the CV clean and concise, try writing a list at the footer of each role. ‘JavaScript Developer’ – Google January 2018 – January 2019 ‘JAVASCRIPT, HTML5, CSS3, JQUERY, ANGULAR.JS, SASS, LESS, PHP, NODE.JS’. 3. Description of work experience is too complex It’s attractive to describe your work experience in highly technical terms; however, you must remember that IT recruiters may not necessarily have the same in-depth knowledge you do. A generic example would be “Developed XYZ feature in XXX framework with technique A, B, C…”. Over complicating the description of your work experience may only serve to confuse the reader rendering it harder to match your skills with a vacant position. 4. Description of work experience is too general By contrast, it’s also not advised to describe your work experience in ambiguous terms. For example, “Developed a website using AngularJS5”. This statement asks more questions than it answers. Did you develop the website alone, how big is the website, what features does it have etc.? Make sure you accurately describe your part in the project and the scale of it. 5. Only list skills you are technically strong in It’s inviting to showcase all your technical skills to make yourself appear more experienced and educated. However, you should only list skills that you are technically strong in. Include databases, APIs, languages and any other tools you feel you have mastered and frequently use. Embellishing your knowledge of a language or a tool is not recommended, you will get caught out. 6. Poor Formatting and Mistakes Your CV is the critical ‘first impression’ to your prospective employer. A poorly formatted CV guarantees a bad first impression. The golden rule here is to keep your CV clean, concise and easy to read. Avoid using elaborate formatting and colours. Keep it simple. Recruiters and HR professionals are interested in the content of your CV, not the colours. Lastly, proofread your CV ensuring there are no grammatical or spelling errors; they're highly unprofessional.

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Leading Change in the New Era of Work (Video)

Simon Mitchell of Sigmar International chats to Johannes Scharlach, Director of Platform Engineering at Frontier Car Group (now OLX Autos) and Fatos Hoti, Engineering Manager at Klara to discuss “Leading Change in the New Era of Work” chatting about: Integration from startup into a mature company How to build trust in an integration process Leading cultural changes in an organisation Drop everything process when everybody's remote How to align a team against a goal in a new environment? How to communicate that you're dropping everything and that the team is switching focus, starting now?

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Working From Home Hub

Visit our Working from Home Hub for lots of content for remote workers and managers such as: blogs, video content, training modules, podcasts and other resources to support people now working from home. The hub has lots of great info and supports for: Working form home, Manageing staff remotely, Wellness at Home Talent Summit Series on working in this new normal Access to free online courses to upskill Netflix recommendations Check it out at https://www.workingfromhomehub.com

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Berlin's Start-up Scene

“Poor but sexy”, the infamous Berlin tagline coined by ex-mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit. The city has come a long way in the past decade transforming its reputation to become the “Silicon Valley” of Europe. Berlin’s start-up scene is growing at an incredible rate showing no signs of slowing down. Berlin solidified itself as the champion of Germany’s start-up scene in 2017. Venture capitalists invested a total of €4.3 billion into German start-ups with 58% of the investment going to start-ups in Berlin. A total of 233 rounds of financing raised €2.67 billion for Berlin start-ups, putting it just behind London and on par with Paris. 8 out of the 10 most desirable start-ups in Germany are located in Berlin with an estimated 30% of the nation’s start-ups setting up in the city. Berlin has clearly established itself as the prime start-up location in Europe. This can be attributed to a number of influencing factors: International Talent Pool Berlin boasts a highly diverse population with approximately 20% of the city’s residents coming from overseas. This multinational, highly educated workforce breeds creativity and innovation. Infrastructure The city operates a very efficient and affordable public transportation network that is fully integrated. It’s quick and easy to get to anywhere in the city or further afield thanks to the city’s expansive train network and two international airports. Office space is reasonably priced compared to other EU cities facilitating the rise of numerous co-working spaces enabling start-ups to get off the ground. Investment Climate Berlin is home to numerous start-up incubators and centres that help turn innovative ideas into reality. Furthermore, venture capital funding has been increasing year on year providing financial support to start-ups throughout the city. Vibrant City Berlin has a special, non-conformist culture that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The city is steeped in rich history and has since grown to become one of the most unique urban areas in the world. The city’s vast party spectrum has something for everyone from industrial techno temples to up-market cocktail bars and beer gardens. The result, Berlin attracts all walks of life, each bringing their own skills, creativity and resources to the capital. Rent Prices Rent prices in Berlin are much cheaper compared to its EU counterparts such as Paris and London. This lower cost of living has attracted multinationals from around the world to start-up businesses while enticing highly skilled workers to relocate. Success Stories Berlin start-up scene has an impressive track record producing some remarkable “unicorns” in recent years: N26 The German Direct Bank, founded in 2013, has scaled to become a recognised name in the finance game valued at an astounding €2.7 billion as of 2018. Zalando This e-commerce company, founded in 2008, now employs over 15,000 people, operating in 17 countries posting healthy revenues of €5 billion as of 2018. HelloFresh The number one meal-kit company in the world, founded in 2011 went public in 2017 with a sizeable IPO valuation of €2.7 billion. Delivery Hero The online food-delivery service, founded in 2011, now operates in 40+ countries and was valued at €4.5 billion during its IPO in 2017.

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Talent Market in Berlin

Berlin’s start-up and tech scene is booming with the city being dubbed the “Silicon Valley of Europe”. Start-ups in the capital bagged an incredible €2.67 billion in funding from a total of 233 financing rounds in 2018 putting the city on par with Paris and London. 8 out of the 10 most desirable start-ups in Germany are located in Berlin with an estimated 30% of the nation’s start-ups setting up in the city. Large multinationals such as N26, Zalando, Delivery Hero, Autogroup 1 and HelloFresh are all headquartered in this tech haven. This incredible shift from “poor but sexy” to the “Silicon Valley of Europe” has caused a serious strain on the supply of talent. Companies based in Berlin are now locked in a ‘talent war’ as demand for talent is quickly outstripping supply. According to LinkedIn data, there is 32,000 listed developers in Berlin, an increase of 15% from this time a year ago. Approximately, 50,000 internationals relocate to Berlin annually and as the tech scene continues to flourish, this figure continues to increase. This continual influx of talent does serve to mitigate some of the talent supply issues, however the volume of talent entering Berlin is not enough to meet the ever-growing demand. It is estimated that a new start-up is founded every twenty minutes in the capital. Furthermore, companies are struggling to retain talent in a candidate driven market. The locus of power now resides with the employee, who can now afford to pick and choose between employers. This reality is reflected in the volatile attrition rates of developers in the city. Approximately 30% of all developers have switched jobs within the last twelve months with the average tenure of a Berlin-based developer being just 1.4 years. Highly desirable companies to work for are even struggling to retain talent as salaries and remuneration packages continue to inflate. These worrying statistics convey a prevailing issue amongst employers - how to retain top talent. The generous salary and remuneration packages don’t seem to be enough to keep developers in house. Companies need to discover what their employees really value about their jobs aside from their pay and benefits. According to a LinkedIn survey of Berlin based developers, the most important value-proposition for this group is work-life balance. Developers want to have the time to enjoy their lives outside of their careers in a way that suits their lifestyle. This includes items like flexible working and remote working options. In a city as vibrant as Berlin, this carries more weight as there is plenty to do outside the office. The second most important value-proposition for developers is challenging work. Developers actively seek to challenge their intellect and skillset on a daily basis. This is one of the reasons why ground level start-ups can be so attractive to developers compared to large multinationals. The third highest ranking item on the list is company culture. A company’s culture can really help them stand out of the crowd, culture is a unique selling point that is very hard to replicate. It is important to not only have a positive culture that inspires and motivates employees, but to communicate and advertise it through various social media platforms and websites like TrustPilot and Glassdoor. Berlin is on its way to establishing itself as start-up and tech powerhouse that rivals nearly any city around the globe. Without a doubt, attracting and retaining top talent will be the key to maintaining this trajectory. As demand for talent continues to outstrip supply, retention becomes ever-more important to companies looking to facilitate their growth.

Leading Change in the New Era of Work (Video)

Simon Mitchell of Sigmar International chats to Johannes Scharlach, Director of Platform Engineering at Frontier Car Group (now OLX Autos) and Fatos Hoti, Engineering Manager at Klara to discuss “Leading Change in the New Era of Work” chatting about: Integration from startup into a mature company How to build trust in an integration process Leading cultural changes in an organisation Drop everything process when everybody's remote How to align a team against a goal in a new environment? How to communicate that you're dropping everything and that the team is switching focus, starting now?

Working From Home Hub

Visit our Working from Home Hub for lots of content for remote workers and managers such as: blogs, video content, training modules, podcasts and other resources to support people now working from home. The hub has lots of great info and supports for: Working form home, Manageing staff remotely, Wellness at Home Talent Summit Series on working in this new normal Access to free online courses to upskill Netflix recommendations Check it out at https://www.workingfromhomehub.com

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Recruitment Specialists across Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Ireland and mainland Europe.

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RELOCATING TO GERMANY