The Job Interview in German: Experience, Salary and the Contract

A job interview is the one conversation where nearly everyone feels their German is not good enough. You are being judged, the stakes are high, and the questions come in an order you cannot control.

Here is what actually helps: Swiss interviews are quite predictable. There are four or five questions that come up almost every time, and you can prepare a real answer to each one. Not a perfect answer — a real one, in simple German.

Arbeit is one of the eleven official FIDE topics, and the interview is its centrepiece. Everything you learn here works twice: in the exam, and in the room where it counts.

Key phrases to know

• Erzählen Sie mir von Ihrer bisherigen Erfahrung. – Tell me about your previous experience.
• Ich habe drei Jahre als … gearbeitet. – I worked as a … for three years.
• Warum möchten Sie die Stelle wechseln? – Why do you want to change jobs?
• Ich suche neue Herausforderungen. – I'm looking for new challenges.
• Was sind Ihre Gehaltsvorstellungen? – What are your salary expectations?
• Ich bin bei der Summe flexibel. – I'm flexible on the amount.
• Ich habe noch Fragen zum Arbeitsvertrag. – I still have questions about the contract.
• Die Probezeit ist sehr lang. – The probation period is very long.
• Das wäre mir lieber. – I'd prefer that.
• Wie sieht es mit Home Office aus? – What about working from home?

How it sounds in practice

The interview. P is the HR manager (Personalleiter), B is the applicant (Bewerber).

P: Erzählen Sie mir von Ihrer bisherigen Erfahrung.
B: Ich habe drei Jahre als Sachbearbeiter gearbeitet.
P: Warum möchten Sie die Stelle wechseln?
B: Ich suche neue Herausforderungen und Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten.
P: Was sind Ihre Gehaltsvorstellungen?
B: Zwischen 5500 und 6000 Franken monatlich.
P: Das liegt etwas über unserem Budget.
B: Ich bin bei der Summe flexibel, mir ist die Position wichtiger.

Notice how short the applicant's answers are. One sentence each. That is not a weakness — in a Swiss interview it reads as clear and confident. Long, rambling answers are not rewarded here.

The experience answer is a simple formula: Ich habe … Jahre als … gearbeitet. Fill in your years and your job title and you are done. If your work was in another country, add in … at the end.

The "why are you leaving" answer is the one to prepare most carefully. Ich suche neue Herausforderungen und Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten — new challenges and development opportunities — is positive and says nothing bad about your last employer. Never criticise a former boss in a Swiss interview. It is heard as a warning about you, not about them.

And look at the last line, which is the smartest sentence in the dialogue: Ich bin bei der Summe flexibel, mir ist die Position wichtiger. The budget is too low, and instead of arguing or giving up, he stays in the conversation. That single sentence keeps the offer alive.

Negotiating the contract

Later, with the offer on the table. P is HR (Personalerin), B is the applicant.

B: Ich habe noch Fragen zum Arbeitsvertrag.
P: Welche genau?
B: Die Probezeit von 6 Monaten ist sehr lang.
P: Das ist bei uns Standard, aber wir können es auf 3 Monate reduzieren.
B: Das wäre mir lieber. Und wie sieht es mit Home Office aus?
P: 2 Tage pro Woche sind möglich.

Many candidates never ask anything about the contract, and simply sign. This applicant asks twice and improves two things — the probation period and home office days.

Das wäre mir lieber — "I'd prefer that" — is a small, polite way to accept an improvement without pushing further. And Wie sieht es mit … aus? is the natural German for "what's the situation with …?" Use it for anything: Wie sieht es mit den Ferientagen aus? Wie sieht es mit Weiterbildung aus?

Swiss culture note

You will be asked about salary, directly, and you are expected to name a figure or a range. Saying "whatever is usual" makes you look unprepared. Research what your role pays in your canton before the interview — salary calculators from the unions and the cantonal offices are free — and then give a range, as the applicant does here.

The Probezeit is the trial period. During it, notice on either side is very short, often seven days. Afterwards, notice periods become long by international standards — frequently one to three months. Both facts are worth knowing before you sign anything.

Two more things to check in a Swiss contract: the number of Ferientage (usually 20 to 25 days a year, depending on the contract) and whether there is a 13. Monatsgehalt — a thirteenth month's salary. It is common here, but it only exists if it is written into the contract.

Common mistake to avoid: arriving without questions of your own. In Switzerland an interview is a two-way conversation, and a candidate who asks nothing about the role, the team or the contract seems uninterested. Prepare two questions, even simple ones.

Try it yourself

Write your own answers to the three big questions, one sentence each, and say them out loud until they need no thinking:

• Ich habe … Jahre als … gearbeitet.
• Ich suche neue Herausforderungen und Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten.
• Zwischen … und … Franken monatlich.

Then practise the rescue line for when the number is too high for them: Ich bin bei der Summe flexibel, mir ist die Position wichtiger.

What's next

Once you have the job, the daily German begins. The next lesson is the weekly report to your boss — how to deliver bad numbers, explain a delay, and show that you already have a plan B.

This lesson is part of Module 9 (Arbeit) of the FIDE A1/A2 Exam Prep. The full book covers all 11 FIDE topics with dialogues, vocabulary, and cultural notes. It's available here and as an interactive app with audio practice at app.fide-prep.ch.