How do you attract foreign specialists in the field of electrical engineering?

Now that we know how foreign skilled workers can get their certificates recognised in Germany and adapt their qualifications if necessary, the next question arises: How do companies in Germany attract skilled workers from abroad? While the shortage of skilled labour may seem so simple, employers sometimes have to do more than just check applicants - they first have to recruit or find the candidates.

What does employer branding mean?

The word „branding“ is omnipresent in marketing - the idea behind it is to make your own brand known and thus make it more attractive. The same applies to employer branding: if a company has a high demand for skilled labour, which may even lead to a high fluctuation rate so that new skilled workers have to be constantly recruited, employer branding is a crucial step in attracting a sufficient number of electricians.

In other words, the company should present itself as attractive - especially for foreign skilled workers. It is not enough to appear attractive from a German perspective. Foreign skilled workers with a different background judge local employers according to different criteria. It should not only be a question of recruiting foreign skilled workers - rather, the aim should be to reach precisely those skilled workers who can integrate into the company and provide high-quality work.

How does an employer branding process work?

Firstly, your own company should clearly define its values: What is important to the company in relation to its customers and what does it expect from its employees? These values must be clearly communicated and presented in the context of the quality assurance of the work - externally for new specialists and internally for existing employees.

The company should also point out career development opportunities. It is nice to offer a job - but it only becomes really attractive if the person concerned can pursue their own career according to their own ideas.

An international working environment should also be emphasised. If skilled workers from different countries are employed, this is a clear plus point. The diversity of the countries from which the employees come and the life in the company that results from this mix should be actively communicated.

After all, the company needs its own online presence - not a loveless website, but a whole cosmos of presentations. The website should be kept up to date and linked to various social media.

How can foreign skilled workers be recruited in a targeted manner?

Digital networks, social media and the internet as a whole offer unprecedented opportunities for marketing today. This also applies to marketing, which is referred to as the recruitment of new skilled labour - the same rules apply. The only thing that has changed is the direction of marketing: instead of selling a product, work in one's own company is offered as a desirable product.

The following measures are important for concrete implementation: The Online presence must be professionally designed and reflect the seriousness of the company with regard to quality. The Website should provide relevant information for new employees - opportunities in the company, clearly formulated job advertisements, support services for integration into the German labour market and German life. The next step is to Increase reach - by linking to the places on the Internet where potential employees are located: LinkedIn, Facebook and specialised portals. This is also where the Job advertisements discontinued with a link to the informative website.

How can social networks support the recruitment of skilled labour?

LinkedIn and Facebook are popular platforms that jobseekers use to find out about all the opportunities and find new jobs. As these platforms are generalist, you can expect a lot of traffic on the profiles and pages that is not made up of potential employees.

It is therefore essential to use specialised platforms in addition to such platforms - especially specialist portals and online job boards. These specialise in finding skilled workers, advertise accordingly and make their websites attractive. Experienced specialists in particular can be found here, and in addition to your own job advert, you can also write directly to employees looking for a job.

How does an applicant management system support the recruiting process?

An applicant management system can be used for a larger search for several specialists. It makes the selection of candidates and the entire recruitment process simpler and clearer - managing applicants, communicating and monitoring progress.

In order to speed up the selection process - which is particularly important given the distance between the company and the applicant's place of residence abroad - online means should be used for pre-selection: Online tests, interviews conducted online. There are also international online networks through which communities of potential candidates can be found and approached directly. Targeted adverts on social networks and popular portals also increase the reach of job advertisements.

Why is it worth working with specialised recruitment agencies?

When searching for skilled workers from abroad, specialised recruitment agencies can offer even more advantages than when recruiting skilled workers at home. Finding electricians from abroad is a somewhat more extensive endeavour than a domestic search. Specialised agencies offer four main advantages:

Valuable advice and further expertise: Especially when dealing with the different qualifications and requirements, they can concretise the needs and thus formulate requirements that correspond to those of the company and are compatible with the training abroad.

Extensive networks and contacts: This means they can easily draw on a large pool of suitable candidates to recruit the right electricians for their own company.

Complex legal situation: Legal certainty is particularly important with regard to the legal situation associated with the recruitment of foreign labour. This also includes the application for residence permits and the recognition of qualifications.

Carrying out screenings: They use their experience to pre-select applicants - they check their background and, above all, their qualifications.

Finally, the agencies also help to integrate the foreign skilled workers into their own company - by providing support in overcoming cultural hurdles so that the new employees can familiarise themselves smoothly with the company. There are a whole range of agencies that specialise in recruiting skilled workers from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania and other Eastern European countries and are particularly good at helping with application-related, legal and cultural issues.

You can read more about the recognition of foreign qualifications in our article Professional recognition for electricians from abroad.

Frequently asked questions about recruiting foreign electricians