Application Guide for Ruby Developer

For eight years, I have been working as an HR professional among Ruby developers, #Ruby teams and companies that rely on Ruby development. During this time, I have attended and organised more than 100 Ruby meetups in Germany, Sweden, the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland, and have had significantly more job interviews for Ruby positions in this field.

The current economic situation is uncharted territory for many Ruby developers. Where as two or three years ago, you could quit your job on impulse and be sure that you would have several job offers on the table within a few days, many Ruby developers who are currently looking for work have now arrived at the real job market. ...and the reality is that companies are not getting back to them and there are more rejections than acceptances. This is a situation that seems unfamiliar and unfair, but it is the reality for many employees from different areas.

I do not presume to judge whether these acceptances or rejections are justified or fair, because every application process, every situation, every applicant and every person is unique.

And even though I agree that many companies need to think about how they can remain/are/become attractive employers for Ruby developers, I still believe that developers would have more success with their applications if they took certain things into account during the application process.

This year, I have had similar conversations about the application process with non-German-speaking developers more and more often, and with this article, I would like to provide a transparent understanding of German application processes and their very specific characteristics in order to help the developer community find jobs more quickly. Even if you are a German developer, I am quite sure that there are a few points here that will help you improve your application process.

I don't presume to say that all of these points come up in every conversation, but these are my experiences and insights, which I have combined from conversations with developers and HR professionals.

If you don't speak German, communicate in English

Many companies in Germany are looking for Ruby developers! Accordingly, the pressure is often on HR personnel from companies with a Ruby team. Many are delighted when a Ruby developer applies or proactively approaches them. With today's technology, it is possible to translate very well from German into your language in writing. If you write in German from the outset, the HR person will assume that you can also speak German! If this is not the case, it causes an extreme loss of trust on the part of the HR person and, in many cases, leads to the application process being terminated. If the job advertisement is in German, in 95% of cases this is a signal to you that German is essential for this position, and you cannot learn German in a week, a month or even a year!

If you read a German job advertisement, in many cases you will not be considered for the application process solely because of your lack of German language skills, no matter how good you are!

There is a myth that developers have made it to interviews with CTOs with the help of translation tools and were then able to convince them of their good development work. I am not aware of any such cases!

Yannicks advice

Communicate in English and be transparent and open from the outset. Nothing is more annoying for an HR person than when they invest time and effort in preparing for an interview and then the first sentence in the call is, "Can we switch to English for the interview?" It's the same as providing information on a dating app that you know you don't meet and then being surprised when the person you meet is disappointed.

Yannicks thoughts

Yes, it would help many companies if they were more open to non-German developers, but the reality is different. Let's deal with it! For me, knowledge of German means that you are able to conduct our entire conversation in German.

Only large corporations consider assisting individuals with visas

As with language, it is important that you communicate your status quo very transparently. I have often seen HR people think highly of a developer, and the position was also advertised for English-speaking developers, but then after a very good technical interview, the developer said: "I currently live in XY and need support for a work visa in Germany/Austria/Switzerland." For many companies, this is a deal breaker, because as a company, they assume that if you apply, you would already be able to work in Germany without having to go through any administrative procedures. For the majority of companies, providing support with visa formalities is not realistically feasible.

Yannicks advice

If you don't have a visa, focus on companies that operate globally. The best indicator of this is the question: "Can I buy shares in this company?" If not, it will be difficult. These companies usually have specialists inhouse for such challenges and have the patience to wait three to six months for you to be able to work in Germany.

If you are still interested in a position at a smaller company, communicate this transparently from the outset.

Yannicks thoughts

Even a new CTO for a large German company, who previously worked in Silicon Valley, needs up to six months to obtain his visa. Germany is getting in its own way with a lot of bureaucracy, but it is up to politicians to change this!

Nevertheless, I believe that transparent communication is a basic prerequisite for a successful application process. You don't jump into the water without being able to swim and then ask if someone can help you stay afloat.

Don't assume that "remote" always means that your location doesn't matter

For most German-speaking companies, remote means that you can work remotely within Germany! Even if you live in an EU country, it is often extremely difficult for a companys HR department to implement a permanent position (the situation is different for freelance projects). I myself have had experience with developer colleagues from England, Italy, France, Portugal and Sweden, and I can tell you that the effort involved for each individual developer is so high that it is not worthwhile for many companies to hire this developer from XY. There are companies like Deel that offer good solutions, but these then present other hurdles for HR personnel.

Unless you are based in the United Kingdom and live in a country other than the United Kingdom for more than 180 days, the HR department also has to deal with tax issues in the country where you are located. This costs people time and nerves and the company a lot of money. The money is then included in the budget for your position and makes hiring more difficult.

Yannicks advice

Ask specific questions before you apply and be very transparent about where you are located. Small spoiler: Europe or Germany is not a specific location! Progressive companies offer the option of working abroad for a certain number of days, but this is often limited and, for data protection reasons, not permitted for many non-EU countries.

Yannicks thoughts

I understand the misleading term! In many cases, German companies have the idea that, in addition to the remote working arrangement, you should drop by the company if there is a real emergency or if a summer party is coming up. If you cannot guarantee this, it is a disadvantage for you and your application.

Become visible!

I already mentioned this in my State of the Ruby Job Market 2025 👇https://lnkd.in/eGHi3Gym it is essential that you are visible as an expert.

Here's a quick check-up for you: Make a list of all the people you could call or write to right now who would remember you well if you saw that the company they work for has a job opening. How many people are there? In most cases, it won't be very many people, no matter how great a networker you are! Thats because there are significantly more opportunities and developers out there who unfortunately haven't heard of you yet. 99% of the Ruby market hasn't heard of you yet. Change that, because even if you only know 10% of all developers, your professional life will change completely. An article like the one I'm writing on LinkedIn right now is exactly the kind of thing you can do to increase your visibility. That doesn't mean you should post on LinkedIn every day (honestly, please don't!!!). 😉

There are certainly parts of your work that are interesting to others. Maybe you've launched a great new project, maybe you've been working on things in your spare time that you can share or show off, thats what these topics are about. How do you communicate these successes/experiences/challenges? Perhaps there are certain Discord groups where you can write about them, perhaps you are more the type of person who presents these points in user groups, or you request an interview on a developer podcast, whatever it is, people need to see you!

Yannicks advice

It is essential that you speak about a topic that you find interesting. Of course, you can look at which topics are currently relevant for companies, and it makes perfect sense to write about Hotwire or Stimulus instead of Turbolink 5 (greetings to 2016), but it is essential that people see that you are passionate about the topic.

The first few times, don't worry too much about what others might think, because for every Ruby topic there will be several people who have a similar focus to you. But how are they supposed to know that you have this focus if you're just doing it at home on your computer for yourself?

Yannicks thoughts

If you only work with things you enjoy, then work doesn't feel like work, and people notice this. However, its important that you first consider which topics are important to you and communicate this to others. In everyday life, you can find a good parallel in a restaurant: the chef doesn't let you into the kitchen and prepare for a round of questions about everything he can do until you decide what you want to eat. The chef can prepare dishes X, Y and Z and writes this on a menu, and you then choose whether you want to eat at this restaurant or not.

Application documents

The German language is known for its attention to detail, and this also applies to application documents. In many cases, these are the first and only impression that a companys HR representative will have of you as a developer. Thats why there are a few German-specific things to keep in mind.

• Keep your CV chronological. Your most recent position should be at the top.
• Make your CV as complete as possible. If your CV states that you started a job at Company XY in March 2025, but your LinkedIn profile says that you didn't start this job until May 2025, this will make a good HR person suspicious and you will appear unprofessional.
• Keep your CV short, no more than two pages. It should be an overview of your career. Don't go into too much detail yet. The HR person will only get a superficial understanding of what you have done.
• Have a clear structure and always include the following information for each job:

1. Your title
2. The period during which you held this position
3. The company
4. The tech stack used
5. What was your role/responsibility?
6. 2-3 key points about your activities and/or results.

• Keep the design simple.
• A photo is not necessary.
• It is very helpful for the HR person if you link your LinkedIn profile.
• Your current location.
• Bonus: Your telephone number so that they can quickly ask you any questions.

Yannicks advice

For someone who isn't German, a German-specific CV can seem almost clinical, but bear in mind that many HR professionals will skim through your CV in less than a minute the first time they see it and have little or no understanding of software development. Present your career history to them as if you were explaining it to a golden retriever, otherwise they won't understand it. (see next point)

Do I think it's a shame that most HR professionals don't have more specialist knowledge? Definitely! Can I change that? Only at my company Njiuko GmbH , so I'm focusing on that and showing you transparently what everyday life looks like.

Be aware that you first have to convince the HR person and then the devs

It sounds so trivial, but in many conversations I notice that developers tailor their CVs very much to the specialist area and then fail to get the HR person to understand them!

In many cases, the process in a company looks like this:

Step 1: Convince the layman

In 99% of cases, an HR person has no understanding of software development. Ask the HR person in your company about "Hello World" (Yeah, I know, it's not Ruby-specific, but I can't think of anything simpler) and you'll be negatively surprised. This means that your CV should primarily address the HR person as the target audience, because if I, as an HR person, don't understand what you've done, I'll be less interested in inviting you or forwarding your profile.

Step 2: Is your profile understandable?

The HR person will ask the department internally whether your profile is interesting or will talk to you directly. In this conversation, you have to imagine the list that your HR contact has in mind and (depending on their professionalism) more or less ticks off. This list is usually filled with points that the department considers important for the position.

Step 3: Technical interviews or a coding challenge

Once you've reached this stage, you can showcase your technical skills. Usually, HR representatives are no longer involved at this point and may only rejoin the conversation at the very end when contract issues are discussed. So here you can once again address people who understand what you do.

Yannicks advice

In the German market as a whole, I would expect to see two or maybe three people who can answer basic technical questions without having to consult the Ruby team. Many will scan your CV and only check that you have a certain number of years of experience in Ruby. If the HR representative is professional, they will be able to put this job requirement into context with your experience. It may be clear to you that there is a difference between project and project work and that, if you have already broken down a huge Ruby monolith into microservices, you are in a position to understand the current situation the team is in, should it be at this exact point. This is often not clear to the HR person!

Yannicks thoughts

As silly as it sounds, it helps if you interview the HR person! If you can answer as many questions as possible for the person responsible for deciding whether you can talk to the department and, in the best case scenario, help them speed up the process, this will be a great help to them. One of the key KPIs for recruiters in a company is how quickly they can find the right person for the vacant position. Ask them directly what you can do to support them. Does this sound unfamiliar to you? I firmly believe that you too would be more likely to cooperate with someone from your company who helps you achieve your goals than with someone who creates more work for you in order to achieve those goals.

Don't just rely on "software engineer" as a title

Another point from the category of detail oriented German language. "Software engineer" or "full stack developer" are internationally common titles, but often too generic in German search portals.

Include Ruby or Ruby on Rails in a title, e.g. "Ruby on Rails developer / full stack developer." This way, you will be found when someone explicitly searches for Ruby.

Don't overdo it with buzzwords

Terms such as "rock star", “ninja” and "10x developer" are generally viewed negatively in Germany. It is better to describe specifically what you have built: "Migration from monolith to API architecture" or "Performance optimisation from X to Y" or "Test coverage increased from 30% to 80%".

German culture and thinking are very similar to those in Scandinavia in this respect. Don't make yourself out to be bigger than you are! In America, but also in the Arab world in my experience, such buzzwords are used to describe (very justified) successes. In Germany, this comes across as unprofessional and as if you need to hide your lack of technical expertise behind fancy marketing slogans. Neither Germans, Swiss nor Austrians are stereotypically considered to be highly emotional. Keep this in mind!

Yannicks advice

Describe yourself objectively, in detail, briefly and very specifically!

Imagine a car advertisement on television: in the American context, the car drives through a beautiful landscape, conveying a feeling that viewers can identify with. A German car advertisement in the context of a CV would show the car, then list and display technical data and the price, because that is what matters.

Yannicks thoughts

In Germany, a CEO is held in higher regard if he steps out of a battered, dirty old car and runs a billion Euro business than if he were to step out of a luxury car worth millions of pounds accompanied by an entourage of bodyguards, because the former is seen as responsible and thrifty. It is enough for him/her to know that they could afford any car.

Fun fact: For a long time, the richest Germans were the two brothers who turned the discount supermarket Aldi into a global market leader. The last picture of them dates back to the 1970s, such was their reclusive and private lifestyle (also out of fear of kidnapping, which actually happened to one person). This would be unthinkable in the American world in particular!

Don't make changing jobs look like "hopping" and explain it

Several short stints are normal in many countries, but in Germany they are quickly seen as a warning sign, because German companies love consistency. After all, how can a company be sure that the person they hire will not leave the company again during the probationary period (usually six months)?

Whether it is justified for you to look elsewhere because the company did not deliver on what it promised you in the job interviews is another matter entirely.

Yannicks advice

Clearly label your positions as "freelance", “contract” or "project work" and, ideally, add a sentence explaining why the role was temporary.

Yannicks thoughts

If you've simply had bad luck in the past and had several "bad" employers, then just leave them out. 99% of HR people in Russia, the UK or France will call your former employer and ask whether you really worked for them for two years or two years and nine months. This is not an invitation to lie, its just to illustrate how German HR managers work.

Cover letter, the extra mile

Writing a cover letter in addition to your CV seems conservative and strange to ALL applicants, not just developers! But it is definitely a plus... as long as its not obvious that you're a copy-paste-champion! A cover letter serves to explain your motivation for the position, but can also put your CV in a context that is appropriate for the position. It also gives you the opportunity to show something about yourself beyond your CV.

Yannicks advice

If your CV is a good fit, then a cover letter is not necessary. If you have spent the last six years doing XY and that skill is crucial for the position, then your motivation and career history should be a no-brainer. However, if you find yourself in a "transfer situation", i.e. you have gained knowledge in another area that your new team can benefit from in their current challenges, then use the cover letter to explain this.

Remember my advice regarding the expertise of HR personnel, i.e. help these people understand your application.

"In my previous position XY, I did X and Y things that address the same challenges as those outlined in the job description, which is why I can be a direct asset to the team."

Sell your skills in this section, even if its only in 5 to 6 sentences. It will definitely make a difference.

Yannicks thoughts

Do I need a cover letter? No!

Do I appreciate it when you take the time to think about the position I have advertised? Definitely! 🤝

Many foreign applicants leave out the cover letter. Fortunately, in Germany it is more of a nice-to-have than a must-have.

Three to five sentences are enough: Why this company in particular? Why does your Ruby profile fit the job? What are you looking for (e.g. "long-term permanent position in a product-oriented team")? And please don't use the marketing slogans that Chat GTP spits out when you insert the link into the prompt (see the next advice).

Sending impersonal mass emails to recruiters and CTOs

"Dear Sir/Madam, I am looking for an opportunity in your great company" never works in Germany, or at least I have yet to hear of a success story that begins this way.

Four years ago, I did a personal test and replied to such messages from developers, asking what was so "great" about Njiuko, and in 100% of cases, I simply received a copy-paste message from the marketing slogan we have on our website.

Again, german individuals or companies are more detail oriented and unemotional than their European counterparts. If you don't know anything specific about the company (i.e. beyond what you can find on the website), then leave it out or at least write something like, "From an outsider's perspective, I find your philosophy on how you implement projects interesting."

Yannicks advice

Select 5 to 10 companies, do some brief research, and then write a very specific message:

"I saw that you work with Rails and Stimulus. That's exactly what I used to implement feature XY in my last project."

Yannicks thoughts

I consistently delete messages that correspond to the wording shown at the top, because I only read the first sentence and know that whatever comes after it is not relevant or interesting to me and I would be wasting time (even if its only 20 seconds) reading this message.

Take punctuality and commitment very seriously in the process

The Germans most famous stereotype: Go with it! ⏰

An interview at 10:00 a.m. means 10:00 a.m., not 10:07 a.m.!

Cancel if you cannot keep an appointment, confirm invitations promptly, and respond quickly. Reliability is a strong cultural factor in Germany. Anyone who appears unreliable during the process will not receive an offer, despite having good skills!

Have you received an invitation for an appointment? Great, then confirm it, ideally twice, by confirming the appointment in your calendar app and writing a short message to your contact person on your communication channel (e.g. LinkedIn or email).

"Hello XY, I hereby confirm our appointment to get to know each other on 30 February 2026 at 11:00 a.m. and look forward to our talk!"

If the appointment is at 10:00 a.m., then be there at 9:59 a.m. Check in advance whether the tool you use for phone calls is the latest version. Because if you dutifully sit down at your computer at 9:58 a.m. and Zoom has to update again, you won't be on time.

Fortunately, its not as strict as it was a few years ago. Technical issues can always cause the HR person to be a minute or two late. That's fine, but as soon as you join the meeting at 10:01 a.m., apologise briefly to show your appreciation to the other person.

If you can't make the appointment, cancel it in good time and send an email afterwards. Everyone understands that not everything revolves around this application process. Its important to include suggestions for alternative dates in the email so that the company can be sure that you are interested.

If the cancellation is at very short notice (i.e. 1 hour or less before the appointment), cancel the appointment in the calendar app and, ideally, call the HR person to discuss a new appointment. If this person does not answer, send them an email apologising for the last-minute cancellation, mentioning that you were unable to reach them by phone, and then suggest alternative dates. This comes across as very professional and committed!

Yannicks advice

If you are still interested, then communicate a suggestion for an alternative date in the near future with each cancellation. Here, too, it is worth considering parallels from dating. Which of the messages sounds to you as if the person is interested in getting to know you?

Option A: "Hello, I can't make it to our meeting today."

Option B: "Hello, unfortunately I won't be able to make it to our meeting today, sorry. Would you be available to meet tomorrow at 4 p.m. or Wednesday at 5 p.m. instead?"

...you see!

Yannicks thoughts

Overcommunication is used by every military in the world, whereby the recipient of a message repeats and confirms it.

• Person A: The appointment is at 11:00!
• Person B: I hereby confirm the appointment at 11:00 and accept it.
• Person A: I confirm receipt of the confirmation for the appointment at 11:00.

This ensures that both people are aware of the other persons level of knowledge. This is extremely important in combat and is a form of communication that may seem excessive to many, but ultimately ensures that no information is lost.

Too much? Perhaps, but the worst thing you can be accused of is wanting to make sure you have understood all the information you have been given, and I am happy to accept that accusation.

Make your LinkedIn profile "Germany-friendly"

Even though I wish there were other channels, 90% of all HR professionals and recruiters use LinkedIn!

With a few small adjustments, you can make your profile more understandable and visible to German-speaking recruiters and HR professionals who decide whether your career is interesting and whether they will proactively contact you.

• Headline: ‘Ruby on Rails Developer | Backend / Fullstack | Remote & Location X’
• About you: short in English, with an additional paragraph in German if necessary
• Skills: Ruby, Rails, Sidekiq, RSpec, PostgreSQL, Hotwire, Stimulus, CI/CD, etc.

This will make it much easier for HR, recruiters and other developers in Germany to find you.

Use meetups and user groups to boost your application

As already mentioned in the section on visibility: talk to people, ideally meet them in real life, and don't just be the person behind the Discord account, profile picture or GitHub account name.

Everyone wants to work with cool people, so it helps if they know you beforehand and know what kind of person you are.

Yannicks advice

Ruby user groups, e.g. the Ruby User Group Hamburg, give you direct access to CTOs and other developers. A short chat, a lightning talk or simply asking intelligent questions after a presentation will stick in peoples minds more than a LinkedIn request without context.

Yannicks thoughts

When I'm looking for a new team member for Njiuko, I talk to all the team members individually and ask them what kind of person they think would have the greatest positive impact on the team. Perhaps a team consists of clean code fetishists with a keen eye for detail, in which case the question is whether a developer who likes to go above and beyond and would rather apologise than ask questions would be happy in this team. Or maybe that's exactly the kind of person the team needs?

It is difficult to determine someones personality based on a video call, so I like to talk to people I know who I am sure would fit into the team.

Germans loves certificates!

If you have a certificate for XY in Germany, it acts as a label of trust or certifies your level of knowledge (regardless of whether you have it or not). If you mention a certificate in other countries, such as the Netherlands, it is assumed that you were not able to acquire the knowledge on your own, and it tends to have a negative effect.

So if you have certificates from further training courses, hackathons or similar, mention them or attach them to your CV and cover letter, it can only have a positive effect.

Again, I would say that many HR people do not understand what you do, so a certificate basically tells them that someone who seems to know about coding has issued you with a certificate confirming that you have taken a course. Whether you have mastered the knowledge is secondary, but it helps the HR person to better understand and perhaps assess your profile, and that is all that matters.

Yannicks thoughts

Personally, I don't care about certificates at all! You could have locked yourself in your room between the ages of 16 and 26, had your parents cook for you, focused on a WOW career on the side, and taught yourself three coding languages.

Then, in my opinion, you would be evaluated according to exactly the same parameters as a masters graduate in data management. Because what counts is what you can do now and what kind of team player you are today.

Ruby Recruiting as a service

For eight years, I have been bringing together many minds and ideas from the Ruby world through user groups and events. I firmly believe in the principle that when you "simply bring together" people with similar interests, something good comes of it. This often helps developers, whether itss connecting with new people, learning from talks, or staying in touch with old colleagues.

For the past two years, in addition to my role as a people person at Njiuko, I have been helping other companies find new members for their Ruby teams. What started as a favour for friends has now become an opportunity for companies to take a shortcut and not hand over the responsibility of finding a new team member to strange and extremely expensive recruiters, but instead ask someone who talks to Ruby developers every day and is better connected within the Ruby community in Germany than external consultants.

If you're looking for a new job

or

your team is looking for a new Ruby developer but can't find one

or

you're a managing director or CTO and wondering what steps your company needs to take to become visible to new Ruby team members

...then I'd be happy to hear from you so we can discuss whether I can support you.

Do you see a point that has been left out or that you strongly disagree with? Then let me know and share your views on a topic with me.

I would like to use my closing remarks to thank all the developers, HR professionals, CTOs and managing directors whose comments, statements and views over the past few years have helped me to compile such a comprehensive guide. 🤝