Young professionals in particular have a difficult time on the job market. Handelsblatt asked recruiters from large companies in Germany where and who they are currently hiring.
Düsseldorf, Berlin. The time when young professionals could choose their jobs is over. This was recently suggested by an evaluation of the job portal Stepstone. Accordingly, the proportion of entry-level positions advertised out of all jobs to be filled last year was 42 percent below the average of the past five years. Although this number has recently increased slightly, overall the market remains tense.
This is evident, for example, in management consulting. The industry has so far hired numerous university graduates every year. However, according to a recent survey, two thirds of the companies surveyed want to hire fewer of them in the future. And starting a career is also becoming more difficult in other sectors. In a LinkedIn survey of 1,000 career starters, almost a third of young people said they were currently having trouble looking for a job.
In addition to the pressure of many companies to save money, one reason for this is artificial intelligence. The International Labor Organization (ILO) observes that technology is increasingly taking over the activities that are traditionally carried out by young professionals: researching, creating presentations, writing protocols or draft texts.
If you want to find a good job, you have to stand out more than ever. The Handelsblatt asked sought-after German employers – including companies such as Celonis, Bosch, Rheinmetall and BCG – what they expect from graduates today and who they are currently hiring.
1. How good applicants stand out from others
The number of applications that companies are currently receiving is high. If you want to assert yourself, you should clearly state your own advantages. “Individual profiles are more convincing than standardized application documents,” says Bosch. Cover letters or CVs that have been significantly revised with AI would have no chance with the automotive supplier. According to the company, generic cover letters without a personal touch can also quickly lead to rejection.
In the age of AI, Bosch attaches particular importance to “soft” skills such as empathy, knowledge of human nature, creativity, curiosity and willingness to learn, as well as flexibility and adaptability. Applicants can demonstrate such qualities primarily by specifically reporting on past projects in which these qualities helped them to be successful.
Applicants at Commerzbank also say they currently score points primarily with soft skills such as customer orientation, personal responsibility and the ability to work in a team. The strategy consultancy BCG counts empathy as one of the most important skills for career starters. In addition, according to Carolin Eistert, partner at BCG and responsible for recruiting in Central Europe, graduates should demonstrate, among other things, strong judgment and a high ability to learn during the application process.
All companies surveyed by Handelsblatt cited a high willingness to learn as an important core competency for career starters. Critical thinking and strong judgment are also in demand: eight out of ten companies surveyed consider these skills to be among the most important skills for young applicants.
The software company Celonis, the third most valuable start-up in Germany, also values soft skills. “AI is increasingly taking over simple, repetitive work steps – i.e. precisely those routine activities that are traditionally well suited for entry into a field of work,” says Markus Köhler, Vice President People & Culture at Celonis. Programming, testing and documentation are therefore increasingly about specifically guiding AI and critically examining and validating its results. “Above all, professional judgment is required – and common sense.”
2. AI skills: This is what companies require
The demand for dedicated AI skills is increasing in Germany. This is shown by a current survey by the personnel consultancy Robert Half among 500 HR managers. Almost half of those surveyed expect employees to bring new technical or AI-related skills with them in the future.
But how much of this do young professionals have to master when they join the company? This depends largely on the employer and the respective area of application. At a highly specialized company like Celonis, for example, AI competence in areas such as software development is now as important a basic requirement as knowledge of English. Other companies – depending on the field of activity – have lower requirements.
“Artificial intelligence is currently changing job profiles less than the requirements within many functions,” says BMW. Career starters should be able to use the technology sensibly and responsibly. This is more important than mastering individual applications in detail.
Companies such as BCG, Bayer, L'Oréal, KPMG and Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG, the largest individual company in the Würth Group, which Handelsblatt surveyed, assess it similarly. At Würth, for example, career starters only need to have basic knowledge and initial experience in dealing with AI. “We only expect coding skills for specialized positions at our tech and AI unit BCG X,” says BCG partner Carolin Eistert.
Even at the defense company Rheinmetall, all career starters should be able to confidently use common AI-supported research tools. “In certain professional fields, we also expect a basic understanding of how algorithms work as well as data structures and data management,” says a company spokesman. Initial experience with machine learning and automation processes is also an advantage for engineers.
3. In which areas companies are still hiring
The job market has become tougher, especially for university graduates. According to a special analysis by the Federal Employment Agency, the number of unemployed graduates rose by 93 percent from 2019 to 2026. Enzo Weber analyzes how digitalization and AI affect the labor market at the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research (IAB). "We have worsened conditions for career starters, especially among academics. This is obvious," he said in a recent interview with the Handelsblatt. So which areas still offer good prospects for job starters?
Applicants currently have very good chances at Rheinmetall. The company wants to increase its workforce worldwide to around 70,000 employees. “In the future, there will be particular demand for employees who combine AI with technical expertise – for example in systems engineering, software and robotics,” says company headquarters. At the same time, the need for AI specialists who support the development as well as the programming and integration of these systems is growing.
Companies such as Celonis, BCG and Commerzbank are also increasingly investing in the tech sector. At BCG, around 40 percent of global sales come from tech and AI projects. Accordingly, the advisory service is increasingly looking for graduates with an interest in technology. When it comes to new hires, Celonis is currently primarily focusing on data engineering and the integration of artificial intelligence.
4. How companies check applicants’ AI skills
At the pharmaceutical company Bayer, for example, depending on their task profile, candidates are asked to tell how they have used AI so far and how they have checked and improved their results. At Würth, applicants must expect questions about the tools used or a use case. Depending on the position, applicants are also asked about situations in which they deliberately chose not to use AI. “This allows us to see whether applicants have a feel for the possibilities and limitations of the technology,” says the company.
At BCG there is a so-called “AI Real Life Case” in every application process. This is an interview format. Using situations from everyday consulting life, applicants should show whether they can critically question and classify AI results.
5. Expert tips: This is how young professionals can secure a job
As a board member of the “Future Skills Alliance”, Teddy Tewelde is committed to preparing young people for the working world of the future. “Most people will probably not be replaced by AI, but by people who have learned to use AI better,” he says.
It is therefore important that young people are prepared to continuously develop themselves. Tewelde also sees companies as having a duty here. Hiring fewer entry-level employees now is short-sighted. “Without junior positions, companies can’t get seniors.”
According to Tewelde, the opposite also applies to employees: AI makes learning a main requirement. “Employees should see themselves as young professionals throughout their lives.” Even if they are more experienced.
Yasmin Weiß deals with the effects of AI on the labor market at the Nuremberg University of Technology. She advises career starters to develop into so-called “AI augmented professionals” – top talent who naturally rely on artificial intelligence in their tasks.
Simply being technically good with AI is not enough: “Starters must also be extremely capable of learning and adapting and deal very well with people.” Because it is precisely the human element - showing appreciation, being able to give and build trust, being warm-hearted, benevolent and having a strong value compass - that AI cannot replace so quickly.
