Bewerbung · Guide

Job interview in Germany: 12 common questions and how to answer them

Checked on 12 October 2026

You sent your CV, and now the phone rings: "Wir möchten Sie zum Vorstellungsgespräch einladen." Good news. But for many of us, this is the scary part. The language is new, the style is different from India, Pakistan or Nepal, and nobody tells you the rules.

This guide shows the questions that come up again and again, a simple way to answer them, and a few rights you have that most people never hear about.

Before the interview: 4 things to do

1. Read the job ad again. Mark every task and skill they ask for. Most questions will be about these points.

2. Look at the company website. What do they sell or do? Where are they? Make-it-in-Germany, the official government portal, gives the same tip: know the company before you go.

3. Check normal pay for the job. The Arbeitsagentur has a free tool called Entgeltatlas. It shows average pay by job and region. Then you have a real number when they ask about salary.

4. Plan your way there. Be on time. In Germany, five minutes early is "on time". Switch your phone off before you go in.

The 12 questions and how to answer

1. "Erzählen Sie etwas über sich." (Tell us about yourself.)

This is not about your family or hobbies. Talk about work. Keep it to one minute: what you do now, what you did before, and why this job fits. Example: "I have worked in a restaurant kitchen for three years, first as a helper, now on the grill. I want a job with fixed shifts, and your ad says you need someone for the grill station."

2. "Warum haben Sie sich bei uns beworben?" (Why did you apply here?)

Name one or two real reasons: the type of work, the location, the shift times, something from their website. "I need money" is honest, but it is not a good answer.

3. "Warum sind Sie der Richtige für die Stelle?" (Why are you right for this job?)

Take two tasks from the job ad and give an example for each. Facts beat big words. "I can lift heavy boxes" is weaker than "In my last job I loaded about 200 parcels per shift."

4. "Was sind Ihre Stärken?" (What are your strengths?)

Pick two strengths that matter for this job, and give a short example for each. Reliable, fast, calm under stress, good with customers — all fine, if you can show it.

5. "Was sind Ihre Schwächen?" (What are your weaknesses?)

Name a real but small weakness and say what you do about it. For many of us the honest answer is language: "My German is at B1. I take a course twice a week and I learn kitchen words every day."

6. "Warum wollen Sie Ihre jetzige Stelle verlassen?" (Why are you leaving?)

Never speak badly about your old boss, even if it was terrible. Say what you are looking for, not what you are running from. "I want more hours" or "I want to learn something new" works.

7. "Was wissen Sie über unser Unternehmen?" (What do you know about us?)

This is where your 10 minutes on their website pay off. Two or three facts are enough.

8. "Wo sehen Sie sich in fünf Jahren?" (Where do you see yourself in five years?)

Show you want to stay and grow. "I would like to stay in this field, finish my B2, and maybe lead a small team."

9. "Was sind Ihre Gehaltsvorstellungen?" (What salary do you expect?)

Give a number, not "whatever you pay". Use the Entgeltatlas number as a guide. Say it as gross: per year for office jobs, often per hour for kitchen, warehouse or cleaning jobs. The Arbeitsagentur's own application guide gives the same advice. Remember: from January 2027 the legal minimum is €14.60 per hour.

10. "Haben Sie Fragen an uns?" (Do you have questions?)

Always say yes. Good questions: "What does the first week look like?", "What are the shift times?", "Who will train me?", "Why is this job open?" This shows real interest.

11. "Wann können Sie anfangen?" (When can you start?)

Know your notice period before you go. If you have a job now, check your contract. Our notice period calculator shows your last working day.

12. Questions about your visa or work permit

The employer may ask if you are allowed to work. This is a fair question. Bring a copy of your residence permit and know what it says about work (for example, a limit on hours for students).

Questions they are not allowed to ask

Some questions are generally not allowed in Germany because they can lead to discrimination. Examples:

There are exceptions when the question is directly linked to the job — for example, a church employer may ask about religion, or a driving job may ask about traffic offences.

The "right to lie"

German courts accept that you may give a false answer to a question that is not allowed. The Federal Labour Court (BAG, 6 Feb 2003, 2 AZR 621/01) said this has no negative effect for the applicant. But careful: a false answer to an allowed question — for example about your skills or certificates — can later cost you the job.

Travel costs: you may get them back

If the company invites you to the interview, it generally has to pay your necessary costs — travel, and if needed a night in a hotel and food — even if you do not get the job. The invitation counts as a promise to pay. The company can say "no costs paid", but it has to say this clearly and early, for example in the job ad or the invitation. So read the invitation, keep your tickets, and ask politely afterwards.

After the interview

Say thank you and ask when you will hear back. If nothing comes after the time they said, one short polite email is fine. And if you get a "no", ask what you could do better — many employers answer.

Still need a CV or cover letter? Make them for free with our CV maker and cover letter generator. Want to practise speaking? Try the job interview dialogue in Deutsch lernen.

Sources

This page is general information, not legal advice. For your own case, ask a lawyer for labour law, a trade union or a free advice centre.