After a couple of busy weeks applying for jobs then fielding phone calls and feeling quite positive I had a couple of weeks of no activity.
Even jobs where I had a video interview and really, really felt I would get a second interview came back negative.
I keep reminding myself of the following (stolen from an ealier post):
- you're British and everyone assumes you'll be thrown out of the country (because of Brexit)
- you're not fluent in German - this is more of the case now that the world's leading English speaking country has removed itself from being taken seriously (that's a Brexit dig by the way)
- you seem to be too senior for some roles
- there's a freakin pandemic which means you ain't up for traveling anywhere - which is a pity as you've angled yourself to be a multi-national, nah, global manager
On my c.v. I now put my Irish nationality first. I think it's made a difference that I am unequivocally still and EU citizen. Last year I was putting "pending" on my c.v. and I think most recruiters baulk at that.
In fact, I suspect that some recruiters still equate anything British as being non-EU. But I've never been to Ireland ("I don't even know where Ireland is") and I spent the early part of my working life in London.
Although I am paying more attention to practising my German (watch the news daily etc.) I don't think I will ever be fluent and able to work in the language for a whole day. My advantage in being in Germany is that I'm a native English speaker.
I'm still only looking for jobs in Munich. Pandemic-wise it's safer. But not being able to work, or travel to, anywhere else frustrates the international capability I've been developing over the years.