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The Reddit user shared that he holds a Master’s degree in German language and literature.
The user was told to try for roles in English-speaking teams. (Photo credits: X)
A man who studied the German language for years was left disappointed after being turned down for a job in Germany just because he wasn’t a native speaker. Despite holding a Master’s degree in German language and literature, he was told his skills were not enough. He took to Reddit to share the experience in a detailed post – “Got rejected by HR at an interview for being a non-native speaker.”
“I have a Master’s degree in German language and literature. My resume makes it very clear that I speak the language very well for a non-native speaker,” he shared.
The user mentioned that he had applied for a position at a major company in Germany. The job mostly involved writing technical reports in English and joining meetings in German. After taking an online IQ test, he was called in for an interview with the HR team.
“Within a minute, she said my German was not good enough, so I didn’t stand a chance,” he recalled.
When he asked what she meant, the HR suggested he could apply to a branch of the company in his home country or try for roles in their English-speaking teams.
“I kept pressing her on what she deemed “good enough” German for the role until she finally caved in and said native. Anything less wasn’t good enough. The entire thing played out in German,” the Redditor concluded.
Take a look at the post here:
The post received significant attention online and sparked a wide range of reactions from social media users.
One user commented, “Sounds like discrimination based on nationality. She knew what she was doing. You caught her.”
“If your German is good enough to argue with an HR personnel, it’s good enough for anything else,” another said.
Someone questioned the company’s logic saying, “That’s bullshit. As long as you’re fluent enough that it’s not a hindrance in the office, it shouldn’t be a problem that you aren’t a native speaker. Since you have a Master’s in German language and conducted the interview entirely in German, one would think you had proven proficiency,” someone said.
One person recalled going through something similar in Russian.
“I’m not native, but I lived in Russian-speaking countries for years and have a degree in it. I worked for the UN in Russian-speaking roles and had the certification of language proficiency. There was a job requiring U.S. citizenship / green card + security clearance. I passed all the proficiency tests with flying colours and even passed a preliminary speaking test with an underling,” the user wrote.
In the final interview, which was conducted entirely in Russian with a superior, the user only said, “It’s nice to meet you.” However, the interviewer immediately stopped them, stating, “No, stop. Just stop talking. This interview is terminated. You don’t speak Russian.”
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