B is a Marketing Manager from the Philippines. He’s applying for a Chancenkarte and expects to get it in December (it’s September as I write this).
B’s Question:
I’m not even getting interviews. Maybe it’s my A2 German, or maybe because I’m not yet in Germany and it will take 60–90 days for me to join due to the visa. Should I start applying once I arrive, or even now while I’m still in the Philippines?
Many people wanting to move to Germany are wrestling with this dilemma, so here is my definitive answer.
A tale of two clients
P is already in Berlin and has a Chancenkarte. It’s valid for six months. He’s already been here for three, and he can barely focus on his job search. First he had to find a temporary apartment, then get an Anmeldung. Then he had to find a longer term apartment, and when he did, there was something wrong with the walls, so he had to move yet again. On top of that, his money is in a blocked account, and to get it released he needs even more paperwork.
By the time he found me, half his Chancenkarte was already gone. I’m doing everything I can to help him turn it around — and I still believe I’m his best chance to land a role here. But I do wish he had found me earlier. The Chancenkarte is short. You don’t want to lose 3 months before you even start your search.
G, on the other hand, is still in the Philippines. Before we worked together, he was like everyone else — sending out applications, getting zero interviews. Once we started, he positioned himself clearly. He learned how to apply, how to network, how to reach out for referrals, how to connect directly with hiring managers.
Now he’s getting interviews – four companies so far, and with two of them he even reached the final stage. Employers are telling him things like, “We really like your experience. We had to hire someone already in Germany, but we’d love to keep in touch.” One company even said, “We have an office in the Philippines. Would you be open to a role there?”
Does it suck to lose out because you’re not in Germany yet? Of course. But for G, this builds trust and confidence. He knows that when he moves — he’s in the process of getting his Chancenkarte now — he’s likely to land a job. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance he’ll get an offer around the same time his Chancenkarte is approved, so when he arrives in Berlin, he can simply switch it to a regular work permit.
If he had just flown to Germany without doing this work, he would be getting the same result — sitting in front of his computer, getting rejected. The only difference is he’d be in Berlin instead of Manila.
This is the less risky path. It doesn’t guarantee anything, but it massively reduces the risk.
And that’s the whole point: flying to Germany doesn’t magically get you interviews. If you don’t prepare for the biggest risk — the job search (not the German classes or visa paperwork) — you could end up just wasting your Chancenkarte.
1. The German language
Yes, German is a barrier. But it’s not something you can fix in less than a year — and honestly, even after two years, you’re unlikely to reach a level that makes you hireable.
Don’t delay your job search waiting until you reach A2 or B1. I even know people with C1 who still don’t feel ready to work in German.
My advice: learn just enough to handle paperwork or for your personal growth, but don’t fool yourself into thinking German will be the lever that gets you hired. It won’t.
2. Your location and visa
You’re worried employers see “60–90 days to join” as a problem. But guess what? The standard notice period in Germany is three months. Ninety days is normal.
Yes, location matters — but you can test it. Change your LinkedIn location to Berlin (or wherever you plan to move) and see if you can get the attention of recruiters and hiring managers. If you can’t generate interviews this way, then physically moving won’t change anything.
I know this can feel a bit disingenuous. But think of it this way — you’re a startup validating demand before spending all your resources building the product. With my clients, we bring this up proactively and explain the situation in the very first call. Once an employer decides they want you, your location and visa status stop being obstacles. They’ll move heaven and earth to bring you on board. The real bottleneck isn’t paperwork — it’s proving you’re the candidate worth fighting for.
3. Why being in Germany doesn’t magically fix things
I know many many people already here: they have the right to work, they’ve even worked for big-name German companies. And they still can’t land interviews.
This is the toughest job market we’ve seen in the last ten years. Moving here doesn’t give you an edge — it just puts you on the same starting line as everyone else.
Without learning to job search strategically, being here won’t make a difference.
4. What actually matters
It’s not enough to just “satisfy requirements.” Thousands of people satisfy requirements.
The ones who get interviews are the ones who:
- Stop relying on cold applications and start building a network.
- Articulate what makes them special.
- Show proof — not just words — that they can solve the company’s problems (for my clients, we do this via Proactive One-Pagers).
This is not product development (“I need more skills”). This is sales and marketing (“I need more people to know I exist and want me”).
5. What to do before you move to Germany
- Change your location. Put Berlin (or whatever city) on LinkedIn. You can explain later in a call. The point is to test: if you were here, could you get attention?
- Start now. If you can’t land interviews from abroad, you won’t suddenly land them just because you stepped off a plane at BER airport.
- Learn how to job search. Read Never Search Alone. Read Knock ’Em Dead. Or work with me. This is about learning sales and marketing for your career.
- Validate before you spend. If companies tell you, “We’d love to hire you, but we need someone already here,” that’s gold. It means the only barrier is location, and coming here is worth the risk.
6. The hard truth
This is hard, very hard. You’re trying to do something extraordinary in one of the toughest job markets we’ve seen in a decade.
Toto, we’re not in an employee’s market anymore.
But if you start now, learn how to stand out, and validate demand before moving, you massively increase your chances.
That’s how you avoid wasting your Chancenkarte.
