Prerequisites: I have a C1/C2 level in German and a Master’s degree in Applied Physics from a German research institution.
Later, I discovered that many Germans don’t rely on LinkedIn. They use XING, a professional networking platform popular in German-speaking countries, and they directly Google keywords like “Munich Optics Engineer.” University newsletters are shared with alumni, or alumni/classmates refer job openings to each other.
Actually, regardless of where I was looking for a job, I used LinkedIn to search for locations, see what job openings were available, and then directly submit my resume.
None of the people I proactively contacted or the referrals I received were successful. In the end, it was my own resume that was seen by a recruiter I’m still very grateful to.
Although I eventually ended up in court with the management of my former company, when this recruiter saw my CV, she noticed that my experience spanned the globe, from Asia and Europe to the United States, and that I could communicate with people from many different cultures.
The idea of working in Germany came to me during a conversation with a classmate from Georgia Tech.
He was a national cybersecurity competitor from Singapore, about to represent Singapore in a competition in Germany, so he asked me what fun things to do in Germany, since I had mentioned that I had studied there.
It was June 2025.
I was strongly tempted to quit my job and leave Taiwan.
A classmate asked me a question, and suddenly it occurred to me:
Ah, I could work in Germany.
So I searched for ways to get to Germany — why Germany?
Because I had a local degree, making it easier to find work there compared with other EU countries.
However, I almost lost my life trying to get that degree.
The local culture wasn’t right for me, and the healthcare system nearly killed me. When I needed medical support the most, I was unable to receive timely treatment, which caused my condition to deteriorate to the point where I almost became permanently disabled.
If I could do it again, I think I would resolutely drop out.
But to get closer to where I dreamed of living — Belgium, Spain, the United States — I wanted to start in Germany.
If I could keep this job, maybe I would stay.
But as it turns out, Germany had almost killed me nine years ago, and it nearly happened again nine years later.
Starting from the end of 2024, Hsinchu drove me to the brink of despair, making me long for Europe.
So I went through a series of interviews in the Netherlands and Germany, only getting about ten interview opportunities.
Then, when I got nervous, my German became a complete mess.
But! But! But! All the anxiety preparing for the interviews, and the shame and embarrassment afterward, were quickly forgotten, replaced by my desperate need for a job.
The focus shifted to improving my communication skills, figuring out what to say and what not to say initially, and quickly explaining my background and motivation in 30 seconds.
Then, no matter how embarrassed I felt, I had to reach out to potential referrals.
It was shameless, I know. But I later realized that this is how society works. Everyone does it.
I know it’s incredibly difficult to separate the overwhelming shame from the improvements I needed to make.
But I painstakingly wrote down the interview questions, where I didn’t know the answers, and how I should have phrased them.
I started all over again.
And the deadline was— now.
A wise person once advised me that the key isn’t getting an offer, but understanding market demand and what interview questions might be asked.
They even suggested recording yourself speaking to see how you performed.
This was like a grueling training regimen to overcome my mental demons.
I already struggled with just looking at myself in the mirror while dancing, let alone staring at my own face repeatedly, practicing again and again.
I’ve also spoken with many HR professionals. I’m straightforward about why they wouldn’t consider me.
Some said it was because my German wasn’t good enough. Some said it was because I didn’t have enough experience or seniority. Some said…
This feedback used to hurt me and make me feel ashamed.
But looking back now, it’s insignificant.
It simply meant the company wasn’t a good fit for me.
I gradually stopped doubting my abilities.
Then, when job hunting, you really feel like unattainable offers are dream jobs.
But once you actually get one, you realize whether the job was truly worth it.
In other words, you have to put yourself on the same level as the company, even compare yourself to them.
At the rocket center, my colleagues — or rather, my seniors — were all people who could automatically connect a circuit board the moment they picked it up.
Or whose eyes lit up at the sight of drones and all sorts of circuit technologies.
So, I felt my own abilities — in my own context and within that work environment — became insignificant.
I thought I was inadequate.
It wasn’t until I went to work in Germany and received feedback from my American colleagues that I realized:
I was the “new colleague everyone said learned very quickly.”
Therefore, regarding finding a job in Germany, I don’t think there’s a secret. Send out many resumes. Practice a lot. And remember: The world isn’t just Germany. Send out resumes to other countries too.
前提：我的德文有C1/C2，我有德國的研究所應用物理碩士學位。
後來我才發現，很多德國人是不用靠LinkedIn的。他們用XING，也會直接Google 搜尋像是「Munich Optics Engineer」這樣的關鍵字，大學電子報也會轉po給校友，或者校友/同學互相介紹職缺。
其實無論是找任何地方的工作，我都是用LinkedIn搜尋地點，看出現的職缺有什麼，然後直接投履歷。我主動聯繫的人們或refer都沒有成功，到最後是我自己投的履歷被一個至今我仍然很感激的Recruiter看到。
儘管最後和前公司的管理層走到法院，但這個Recruiter當初看見我的CV，她的意思是說，我的經歷遍歷全球，從亞洲、歐洲到美國，我可以和很多不同文化的人溝通。
去德國工作的念頭是有一次和Georgia Tech的同學聊天時冒出來的。他是新加坡Cybersecurity的國手，正要代表新加坡去德國比賽，所以他問我在德國哪裡好玩，因為我提過我在德國讀過書。
那是2025年的6月，當時我想離職、離開台灣的念頭很強烈。被同學這麼一問，我突然想到，啊，我可以去德國工作。
於是我搜尋了去德國的方式—為什麼是德國？
因為我有當地的學位，因此相較其他歐盟國家，我更容易找到在德國的工作。
但是，為了拿到當初的那個學位，我也差點喪命。當地文化並不適合我，醫療制度也差點讓我喪命。如果可以再來一次，我想我會毅然決然中輟。
但是為了去到更靠近我心目中想居住的地方—比利時、西班牙、美國—我想從德國開始。如果這份工作我做得下去，那麼也許我就留在那裡。
但事實證明，九年前的德國曾經讓我喪命，九年後的德國也差點讓我喪命。
從2024年的年底開始，新竹令我玉石俱焚到我想念起歐洲。於是我陸陸續續面試荷蘭、德國的工作，只拿到約莫十個面試機會。然後我一緊張起來，我的德文就講得亂七八糟。
但是！但是！但是！那些準備面試過程的心驚膽顫，以及面試後感到很丟臉羞恥的感覺，就迅速被我迫切需要工作的這個念頭丟掉了—重點轉換成要怎麼改進自己的表達能力、什麼可以說什麼先不說、用30秒迅速把自己的背景與動機交代清楚—然後無論覺得再怎麼不好意思，都要reach out to我覺得可能可以幫到我的內推人選。
很厚臉皮，我知道。但我也很後來才知道，這就是社會運作的模式。其實大家都這樣。
我知道，把那種被淹沒的羞恥感和現在需要做的改進切分開很不容易，但我就是血淋淋地寫下剛剛面試的題目是什麼，我哪裡不會，答案應該要怎麼說。從頭再說一次。而且期限就是—–現在。
有個高人曾經指點過我，說，重點不是拿到offer，重點是知道市場需求，面試會問什麼。甚至，可以自己錄影看自己講的怎麼樣。這簡直就是種種克服心魔的魔鬼訓練—我光是練跳舞看著鏡子裡的自己都已經很障礙了，更何況是一直看著自己的臉，再一次、再一次、再練一次。
我也跟很多HR講過話。我也會直說為什麼不會考慮我。
有人說因為我德文不夠好，有人說因爲我經歷年資不夠，有人說……。
這些feedback曾經讓我很受傷也很覺得丟臉，但現在回頭看，這些feedback對我來說不痛不癢，就只是那間公司不適合我而已。我漸漸不會質疑自己的能力了。
然後，在找工作的時候，真的會覺得，拿不到手的offer都是夢幻黃金職缺，但等真正到手了，我們才會知道，這個工作是不是真的值得我做。也就是，把自己拉到和公司等高的位置，甚至評比他們。
在火箭中心時，同事們，或者我只能說前輩們，每個都是一拿起電路板就自動知道怎麼接的人，或者對無人機、種種電路科技眼睛發光的人。所以我會把自己的工作能力—在我的、以及當時的工作環境下—變得很渺小，以為自己很不足。
一直到去了德國工作，我收到美國同事們給的feedback，我才知道，我是那個「一來大家就說她學得很快的新同事」。
於是，對於找到一份在德國的工作這件事，我覺得沒什麼秘訣—請多投履歷。多練習。然後，世界不是只有德國，也多投其他國家的履歷看看吧。