My First German Interview: Check24 – A Newbie’s Perspective

Navigating the German Job Market – It’s Harder Than I Thought!

Okay, so this was…intense. I’m Lena, and I just moved from Berlin to Hamburg a few months ago to find a job. Learning German is still a massive challenge – ordering coffee is a monumental achievement sometimes – but I’m determined. This interview for a full-stack developer role at Check24 was a huge step, and honestly, I was completely floored by how much was expected of me. It felt like a real test of my newly-acquired (and often butchered) German.

Finding the Job Posting

It all started with a post on the Check24 careers page. I’d been scrolling through LinkedIn, and this job for an app-web-full-stack developer with DevOps – including Java backend – just jumped out at me. The description mentioned microservices and modern technologies – that’s my jam! I clicked the link (Read More and spent a good hour reading it. I felt pretty confident, but the moment I heard “Guten Tag, Herr Müller,” my palms started to sweat.

“Guten Tag, Herr Müller. Herzlich willkommen bei Check24…”

The interview itself was with a guy called Herr Müller. He was really polite, but his questions were rapid-fire! The initial greeting felt incredibly formal, like I was in a courtroom. “Guten Tag, Herr Müller. Herzlich willkommen bei Check24. Schön, dass Sie da sind. Wie haben Sie den Weg zu uns gefunden?” (Good day, Mr. Müller. Welcome to Check24. It’s nice that you’re here. How did you find your way to us?) – I managed a slightly shaky, “Ich habe die Stellenanzeige auf der Check24-Karriereseite gesehen und bin sofort sehr interessiert gewesen.” (I saw the job advertisement on the Check24 careers page and was immediately very interested.) It felt good to actually say it in German, even if I stumbled a bit on the “sehr”.

My Experience – Summarized (and Hopefully Correct!)

He then asked me to summarize my experience, which was a bit overwhelming. “Können Sie uns bitte kurz Ihre bisherigen Erfahrungen zusammenfassen?” (Can you briefly summarize your previous experiences?) I rattled off, “Ich habe in den letzten zwei Jahren als Java Entwickler bei Firma X gearbeitet und dabei hauptsächlich mit Spring Boot und REST APIs an Microservices gearbeitet. Außerdem habe ich Erfahrung mit MongoDB und MySQL, sowohl in der Entwicklung als auch in der Optimierung von Datenbanken.” (I worked as a Java developer at Company X for the past two years, mainly working with Spring Boot and REST APIs on microservices. I also have experience with MongoDB and MySQL, both in development and database optimization.) I immediately regretted saying “Microservices” – I knew he’d push me on that.

CI/CD and Code Quality

Next, he jumped right into CI/CD. “Wie sieht es mit Ihrer Erfahrung im Bereich CI/CD aus?” (What about your experience in CI/CD?) I explained about building Jenkins and GitLab CI pipelines and emphasizing code quality. I wanted to sound knowledgeable, but I realised I needed to be clearer, “Clean Code Prinzipien sind mir auch wichtig und ich versuche, meinen Code immer so zu gestalten, dass er leicht verständlich und wartbar ist.” (Clean Code principles are important to me and I try to design my code so that it is easy to understand and maintain.) He seemed satisfied with that.

The Microservices Example – A Bit Too Detailed?

Then came the question about a specific example. “Könnten Sie uns ein Beispiel nennen, wie Sie diese konzipiert und implementiert haben?” (Could you give us an example of how you designed and implemented them?) I talked about the insurance premium calculation service we built at Firma X using Spring Boot and REST APIs. I also mentioned Kubernetes – because that sounded impressive. I was careful to say, “Wir haben Kubernetes für die Orchestrierung eingesetzt, was uns sehr geholfen hat, die Skalierbarkeit zu gewährleisten.” (We used Kubernetes for orchestration, which really helped us ensure scalability.) I felt a bit like I was just throwing around buzzwords.

Robustness and Performance – Unit Tests are Key

He asked about ensuring robust and performant applications. “Wie stellen Sie sicher, dass Ihre Anwendungen robust und performant sind?” (How do you ensure your applications are robust and performant?) I stuck to my guns about unit and integration tests and monitoring tools like Prometheus and Grafana. “Ich lege großen Wert auf Unit-Tests und Integrationstests, um die Code-Qualität sicherzustellen. Zusätzlich monitor ich die Performance der Anwendungen mit Tools wie Prometheus und Grafana und optimiere den Code, um Engpässe zu beseitigen.” (I highly value unit tests and integration tests to ensure code quality. I also monitor application performance with tools like Prometheus and Grafana and optimize the code to eliminate bottlenecks.)

My Interest in Check24 – More Than Just Numbers

He wanted to know about my interest in their products. “Können Sie uns erzählen, welche Finanz- oder Versicherungsprodukte Sie persönlich interessieren und warum?” (Can you tell us which financial or insurance products you are personally interested in and why?) I explained my interest in the innovative and user-friendly comparison features, and then – wanting to show genuine interest – I added, “Ich bin auch an den Produkten im Bereich Wohnen interessiert, da ich selbst gerade ein Haus gekauft habe.” (I’m also interested in products in the housing area, as I just bought a house myself.) I think that was a good touch.

Continuous Learning – Staying Up-to-Date

Next he asked about my continuous learning. “Wie stellen Sie Ihre persönliche Weiterbildung sicher?” (How do you ensure your personal further education?) I told him about reading articles, attending conferences and workshops. “Ich lese regelmäßig Fachartikel und Blogs, besuche Konferenzen und Workshops, um über die neuesten Entwicklungen im Bereich Java und Microservices informiert zu bleiben.” (I regularly read industry articles and blogs, attend conferences and workshops to stay informed about the latest developments in the Java and microservices area.)

Handling Difficult Requirements – Asking Questions

“Können Sie uns sagen, wie Sie mit schwierigen oder unklaren Anforderungen umgehen?” (Can you tell us how you deal with difficult or unclear requirements?) I explained my approach of asking clarifying questions and brainstorming with stakeholders if things were unclear. “Zunächst würde ich versuchen, die Anforderungen so genau wie möglich zu verstehen, indem ich Fragen stelle und das Problem aus verschiedenen Perspektiven betrachte. Wenn die Anforderungen noch unklar sind, würde ich gemeinsam mit dem Product Owner und anderen Stakeholdern Brainstorming-Sitzungen durchführen, um die Anforderungen zu konkretisieren.” (First, I would try to understand the requirements as precisely as possible by asking questions and considering the problem from different perspectives. If the requirements are still unclear, I would conduct brainstorming sessions with the product owner and other stakeholders to concretize the requirements.)

My Work Style – Teamwork and Practical Learning

He wanted to know about my work style. “Wie würden Sie Ihre Arbeitsweise beschreiben?” (How would you describe your working style?) I talked about being a team player but also able to work independently, being careful, reliable and valuing clear communication. “Ich bin ein Teamplayer, aber ich kann mich auch gut selbstständig einarbeiten. Ich bin sehr sorgfältig und zuverlässig und lege Wert auf eine klare Kommunikation.” (I’m a team player but I can also work independently. I am very careful and reliable and value clear communication). I emphasized I learn best through practical application.

The End – A Nervous But Hopeful Feeling

The interview ended, and Herr Müller thanked me for my time. I walked out feeling exhausted but also strangely hopeful. I don’t know if I got the job, but at least I survived my first German job interview! Now, to work on my German…

Professional/Senior (m/w/d) Java Backend-Entwickler