In German-speaking job interviews, I always feel very insecure
"In my own language, I know who I am. In German interviews, I am never quite sure whether I am doing it right."
In your own language and your own professional world, you know how to behave. You know what is expected, what is appropriate and how you come across. In a German-speaking interview, that certainty is gone. You wonder whether you are too direct or too reserved, whether your German is good enough, whether you are answering the way they want to hear it.
This is a common experience for experienced professionals who interview in a second language or in a new country. The insecurity is often not about your competence. It comes from having to play by rules that nobody has explained to you, in a language that is not your first, in front of people who judge you quickly.
Even worse: When you feel insecure, you tend to hold back, and a careful candidate can look less capable than they are.
The reasons are different for everyone, so the right kind of help is too. Sometimes it is about knowing the rules, sometimes about language, sometimes about how you see yourself in this new setting.
Feeling insecure in an interview in a second language or a new country is common, and it does not mean that you are not qualified. Several things can come together. The rules of the game may be unclear: how direct to be, how much to talk about yourself, how formal the conversation should be. Your German may be good for work but feel less secure under pressure. And you may compare yourself with native speakers, or with the person you are in your own language.
Earlier experiences can also play a role. If you have been rejected before, or have had the feeling of not being taken seriously, you may expect the same again, and this expectation can shape how you act in the next interview.
These different reasons can produce a similar result: a lasting feeling of being unsure, even when you are well prepared.
This depends on the role, the company and the interviewer. For some roles, especially those with a lot of customer contact or writing, your German level is an important criterion, and interviewers will pay attention to it. For many other roles, interviewers care more about whether you communicate clearly and whether you can do the job.
In general, clear and understandable German with a few mistakes is usually more convincing than perfect but memorised sentences. An accent by itself rarely matters if you can be understood easily. If you are unsure, it can help to ask the company about the language requirements of the role before the interview.
It is also helpful to separate two things: the language level you really have, and the worry you have about it. Often the worry is bigger than the real difficulty.
Feeling more secure usually starts with reducing what is unclear. Find out how the interview will go: who will be there, how long it takes and what kind of questions are common in your field. Learn the basic expectations about structure and tone in German-speaking interviews, so that fewer things come as a surprise.
Then give yourself a stable base. Prepare three to five key messages about your experience, each with one example. Prepare a few phrases in German for unclear moments, such as asking for clarification or taking a moment to think. Practise with a mock interview, ideally with someone who gives you honest feedback.
Finally, collect evidence of what already works. Write down situations in which you spoke well and felt secure, in German or in your own language, and what was different in them. This helps you to see that you can already do what you fear you cannot.
For international professionals interviewing in Germany, Austria or Switzerland, it is useful to separate three questions:
- Do I know what is expected of me in this interview?
- Do I have the German words and phrases to handle unclear moments?
- Can I trust that I am good enough as I am, even when I make a mistake?
Each question points to a different kind of help. Interview training offers information, structure and practice for the situation itself. Language training builds the vocabulary and phrases you need to feel safer in German. Coaching looks at what makes you feel unsure, such as comparison with others, high expectations of yourself or earlier experiences of not being taken seriously, and helps you to build more trust in yourself.
Often several of these play a role. The six questions on this page help you see which one to start with.
The following six questions show you where to look.
Let's find out what could help you in this situation
How would your problem change if you knew exactly what is expected of you in a German-speaking interview, including the unwritten rules?
How would your problem change if you had a clear routine for the first five minutes of the interview, practised many times?
How would your problem change if you could understand interviewers easily, even when they speak fast, in dialect or with an unfamiliar accent?
How would your problem change if you believed that you are allowed to ask questions and to say when you are unsure?
How would your problem change if you saw yourself as an experienced professional who speaks German as a second language, and not as someone who is defined by speaking German as a second language?
How would your problem change if earlier rejections or doubts from others did not affect how you see yourself now?
What your responses tell you
Take a moment to look at what came up. Which of these ideas feels most familiar? Do you already see a first step you could try, perhaps something small, in your next preparation or conversation?
For some people, one or two of these ideas are enough to change how they prepare. For others, the same patterns return, especially when the pressure is high. If that sounds like you, it may help to look at the situation with someone alongside you. This is what the next section is about.
Finding a Solution That Holds Up Even Under Pressure
You may already have tried the usual remedies: learning more about the German working culture, improving your German, practising interviews, reading about confidence. They help, and they are worth doing. Language training gives you the words you need. Interview training gives you rules and routine. But neither changes the feeling of not being sure whether you are doing it right, and that feeling often stays even when you know the rules.
Systemic coaching starts one step earlier. We look at what exactly your insecurity is about: which situations, which moments and which thoughts. We look at what you expect of yourself, and at how you imagine others see you. And we look at where you already feel secure, in which situations, with which people, and what is different there. From there we work towards a stable footing that fits you and your professional reality, not a technique you have to remember in the moment.
Signs that it is working:
- You know what you can rely on in an interview, such as your key messages, your experience and a few phrases.
- Insecurity may still appear, but you can name it, and it does not steer your answers.
- If you are unsure about a question or a rule, you ask, and it feels natural.
- You leave an interview with a clear picture of how it went, not only with doubts.
- All of this still holds when the atmosphere is cool or the stakes are high.
About me
I am a solution-oriented, certified management coach, a business transformation consultant and manager, and a native German speaker. My background is in international management, leadership and organisational transformation.
Over many years, I have worked with professionals and leaders in complex international environments. There, expertise alone is rarely enough: people also need to communicate their experience, position themselves clearly and navigate different expectations and ways of working. My own international experience spans Europe, Africa, North and South America, and today I combine coaching with training in Business German.
If you feel insecure in German-speaking interviews, I will not simply tell you to 'be more confident'. Insecurity is a reasonable reaction when the rules are unclear, the language is not your first and a lot depends on the outcome. An interview will always contain things you cannot control, so the question is not how to remove every uncertainty. It is what you can stand on when the situation feels uncertain. I help people feel secure, even when the situation itself feels insecure. As a native German speaker and Business German trainer, I know how interviews work in German-speaking countries, and where international professionals are often unsure. Together we look at what exactly makes you feel unsteady, at the situations in which you already feel secure, and at what would help you stand on firmer ground.
I offer a free chemistry call to personally connect, share how I work with clients, and see if my coaching approach aligns with your goals.
It's the perfect opportunity to decide if we're a good match for your interview preparation.