Temperatures are at summer highs, we try to stay outside as much as possible, help our children through the end of the school year work, exams, and other fun events, and before you know it, we will have reached the Swiss Recruiting Summer Slump.
From Mid July to Mid August, Switzerland seems to fall asleep. This year might be different, though; considering the continuing swiss economic recovery, along with the “Great Resignation,” a phenomenon coined by Anthony Klotz, recruiters are desperate to hire! This summer, recruiters might shorten or postpone their holidays to try to fill the vacancies for the businesses to be able to continue functioning. You can also find a summer job easily right now in the restaurant business as well.
However, I am still expecting the “summer slump” very soon. Decision-makers aren’t around to take interviews, and your chances of finding a job over the summer holidays are usually lower than in busy times. So if you haven’t signed a contract by now, I bet you won’t sign one within the next four weeks. Yes, I will invite you to a Cheeseburger if you prove me wrong.
With the start of international and Swiss school holidays, you notice fewer people on the trains and motivation to work is generally a bit lower than usual. This is the time to take overtime compensation, go home at decent hours, and get out of the country for a while. It’s also time to jump into a lake near you every evening after work.
That said, even if there is a recruiting dip during summer, that doesn’t mean there are no interesting opportunities. In fact, contract-to-hire positions are abundant during that season, and many job-seekers decided to take the summer off, which is a considerable advantage if you keep job hunting. There is another factor that is definitely encouraging this year: Swiss businesses, despite all their efforts, can’t manage to hire all the needed workers. This is partly due to this Great Resignation and to Switzerland’s healthy economic growth over the last few months.
These exceptional circumstances might help you find a new job in the next few months. Due to the significant shifts in the labor market landscape since the pandemic, a considerable proportion of workers want to change jobs. That, in turn, creates thousands of job openings. The Swiss job market presently has over 100’000 job vacancies (1st quarter 2022, that is +60,4% in a year, according to the Federal Statistical Office), mainly in the industry and service sectors. As a result, staff shortages have reached record levels (Jaberg, Swissinfo, 16 June 2022).
So now is the time to jump at the opportunity: Work on your brand, nurture your network and in between, take the time to take care of yourself!
If you are looking for a job right now, you probably feel late to the game. The most common reaction I see from clients is to stop all efforts over the summer. But, of course, doing this would be counter-productive; you can use this time for your job search by following these six critical steps for finding a job in Switzerland (and maybe elsewhere too). We also encourage you to plan your time to spend more time outside (you know you will need that extra vitamin D in a few months!). Starting this week, we recommend you work on a special “Summer Schedule” from 7 AM to 1 PM like I do – or try to -, and then you can spend the rest of the day in the “Badi” of your choice, reading, listening to podcasts, and enjoying life!
1) Start Your Summer Schedule with a Beauty Ritual
Before you get your headshot taken, plan time to pamper yourself during the summer. Georgina Georgiu runs an English-speaking day spa in Zurich. The Pure Beauty Spa team is highly professional, and the products are amazing. It’s the perfect way to start your “summer schedule*.” You will get 20% off your first treatment when you mention “Angie Weinberger” in your booking.
2) Have Your Headshot Taken
You might also want to revisit why a personal brand is essential and how it links to your seven work principles (these are the seven work principles you chose during the HireMeExpress program, based on values that are important to you). If you are looking for a photographer, we recommend Carmen Sirboiu, owner of Carmen.Photo. All our members and clients are eligible for a unique discount for a Premium LinkedIn and Personal Branding photo session with Carmen. If you use the code ‘’Global People,’’ you get the session at the Special Price of 150 CHF (value 230 CHF).
3) Build More Personalized Professional Relationships Outside of the House
Summer is an excellent time to build new relationships and catch up with current contacts. Most busy people might feel less pressure than usual. Encourage them to enjoy the nice weather and spend time outside. So why don’t you take them for ice cream in the sunshine after work? Why don’t you request an early morning walk by the lake while enjoying a cold coffee? Or you could offer to take over their recycling runs as you have enough time on your hands at the moment in exchange for half an hour of them sharing career tips with you. A personalized request is key here.
4) Develop a Weekly Practice for Meeting your Contacts
Set yourself a weekly practice for meeting at least one contact. Ask them if they can introduce you to three more professional connections in your field. If you are hesitant, you probably have not yet written down your networking purpose. Write down your networking purpose, send it to me, and add a weekly practice to your RockMeApp.
5) Enjoy the Holiday with Your Family
Summer is also the best time to be away from Switzerland if you are looking for a job. You will probably not miss much, and in emergencies, companies could also interview you by video call in your holiday home. I would advise that you charge your batteries and get out of the city for a minimum of two weeks. Your children and partner/spouse will probably love that you have time for them.
6) Practice German and Prepare for an Exam
You have now been in Switzerland long enough to have at least started with German lessons. Ensure that you have one exam in your pocket and the certificate in your application file. While the summer is a great time to enjoy your time off, it also has rainy days. Join Heike Reinhart or Yvonne Herrmann-Teubel for a trial class and work on your German.
Join the Next HireMeExpress Program
Commit yourself to a schedule by working with us. The next HireMeExpress program after the summer break is open for sale from 5 July 2022 and will close on 14 July 2022. The program will start with the first group session on 26 August 2022, and we will release Module 1 on 19 August 2022. Let us know if you want to join our free workshops by replying to this email.
Wishing you a lovely summertime and see you again at the end of August.
Kind regards,
Angie & Team
References:
Coffey, Patty. In Forbes, 28 May 2021, „7 Reasons To Keep Up Your Job Search This Summer.” Retrieved 25 May 2021, from
Federal Office of Statistics, 27 May 2021, „Employment barometer in the 1st quarter 2021, Employment in Switzerland fell in 1st quarter 2021 for the fourth consecutive time – but outlook is positive.” Retrieved 25 June 2021, from
Federal Statistical Office, Employment barometer in 1st quarter 2022: Sharp rise in employment and vacancies in Switzerland in 1st quarter 2022 (press release), 30 May 2022,
https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home/news/press-releases.assetdetail.22604259.html, retrieved 17 June 2022.
Jaberg, Samuel. Swiss Firms Struggle With Staff Shortages, 16 June 2022, https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-business-short-of-manpower/47676212, retrieved 17 June 2022.
Kelly, Jack, in Forbes, 26 May 2021, „How to Attract the Attention of Recruiters as We Head Into the ‘Great Resignation’ and People Look to Switch Jobs.” Retrieved 25 June 2021, from
What beautiful sunny weather, we have had the chance to enjoy these last few days! You might, as I do, make a point of benefiting from the last golden rays of the sun to soak up as much vitamin D as possible before the days become even shorter. Who doesn’t need that energy to accomplish everything that needs to be done, everything you want to do? You might be in a position right now where either you are worried about losing your job, or you are already looking for a new job (or any kind of work). Maybe you have even been looking for a while already. Perhaps you feel it’s time to update your resume and your job searching skills, just in case. Anyhow, I thought you could use this reminder from my older publication, “The Global Career Workbook,” on how to get a Swiss recruiter’s attention.
Getting a Swiss recruiter’s attention is almost like asking her out on a date.
When you write a cover letter, you want the other person to like you and find you attractive enough to read your resumé. The cover letter is your appetizer, and the resumé is your main course. If you get to the interview stage, then that’s like having dessert on the first date. And after three interviews, you might get kissed. I mean, you might get the job offer you are longing for.
Don’t spoil the Swiss recruiter’s appetite by presenting the main course in the cover letter.
Imagine you are on your first date, and your counterpart tells you for half an hour how great they are. Rather boring, right? You zoom out of the conversation and wish to run away. The same is true if a recruiter reads your whole resumé already in the cover letter.
What could you do to make the conversation more interesting?
Cover letter writing is an art. With modern technology, applicants often do not see the need to write a cover letter these days, but in my opinion, it is the most artistic part of a good application. Emphatically, in Switzerland, IT’S A MUST.
Many recruiters want to read it. They would like to see that you made an effort to get that interview. I receive considerable amounts of cover letters, and most of them sound like they were copied from a textbook. Nobody gets excited reading some sort of ‘copy and paste’ write-ups, void of personal touch. Only the more personal ones gain my attention. They have to be personal, crisp and show me who you are.
Here are rules for fresh cover letters:
- Use the correct name of the recruiter instead of Sir or Madam. Take out time to research the recruiter’s name. This portrays you as serious. Make sure you also spell the names of references correctly. Be respectful and address recruiters formally.
- Make the letter appealing and nice-looking by using one font only and adhering to standard letter writing style in the country you are applying to.
- Speak about the needs of the other party before you speak about yours. This is so important because the prospective job is about what you can bring to the table.
- Find a personal connection between either you and the company or you and the recruiter. Maybe you use one of their products, or associate positive feelings with the brand because of a personal story.
- If you copy and paste (which is not a good idea in general), please check that you did not use the wrong company name or contact person. It helps to read the letter out loud.
- Use active language and complete sentences. When I say active language, I ask you to use more verbs than nouns, avoid passive constructs and keep sentences short.
- If you are not an English native speaker, check your translation and let a native speaker review your grammar. Most recruiters get irritated when they find grammatical errors in cover letters.
- Be brief and stick to a maximum of one page. Five paragraphs are sufficient.
- Add your contact information in the last paragraph, especially your phone number and email ID. Make sure your email sounds respectable, and the name is memorable. Email addresses like ‘sexynancy@gmail.com’ are not acceptable.
- Avoid slang and casual writing style. You are a professional, so behave like one! Even if you are from Generation Y or Z, remember that this is a letter and not a chat. The person you want to date might be the age of your parents.
Here’s to the sunny weather, boosting your energy to take that next important step: preparing your application file. I hope these tips help you write the best cover letter you can write to catch the Swiss recruiters’ attention, get to the “dessert” stage, and get you the job you are hoping for!
HireMeExpress 2022 – Pre-Workshops for all Club Members
I will teach you insights on
Workshop No. 1: Partnering Masters – Building Effective Relationships
Workshop No. 2: Powerful Missions – Having a Voice in a Sea of Noise
Workshop No. 3: Persisting Mindsets – Designing Work to Support a Global Lifestyle
All invites will be shared when you sign up on our HireMeExpress list.
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Reminder: Sign up here to find out everything you need to know in order to land a job in Switzerland or another market you are not familiar with. We will send you our 19 Fresh Resume Checkpoints and further material such as videos. In case you have any questions you can email us via angela@globalpeopletransitions.com.
