1. A Search Unlike Any I Had Done Before
Over the past nine years in executive search, I have primarily supported companies in the German-speaking region in recruiting senior executives. While candidates often come from neighboring European countries, they rarely come from the United States or Asia. As a result, I have often heard how important cultural differences are when leading international teams, but I have rarely experienced them firsthand in my day-to-day work.
That changed recently.
For one of my clients, I conducted an executive search for their U.S. subsidiary. Of course, I expected some differences. What surprised me was just how significant they were.
2. A Rejection as a Positive Experience
As with every search, I personally reviewed, assessed, and responded to every application - including those I unfortunately had to reject.
What surprised me was that quite a number of candidates explicitly thanked me for my response, some of them almost enthusiastically. Not for the interview. Not for the opportunity. But for the rejection itself.
Only then did I realize that many of them were accustomed to never hearing back from a company or recruiter after submitting an application - or even after an interview. A simple response had apparently become the exception rather than the rule.
Some even told me exactly that. One candidate wrote:
"I appreciate the message. Very thoughtful in today's wild world of job seeking."
3. Two Weeks Instead of Six Months
A second difference became apparent almost immediately.
While I regularly deal with notice periods of three or even six months in the German-speaking market, two weeks is the norm in the United States.
For companies, this creates a much faster-moving labor market. New employees can start almost immediately, teams change more quickly, and careers tend to evolve at a much faster pace.
Overall, the U.S. job market feels considerably more dynamic than its European counterpart.
4. Even the Interviews Feel Different
Finally, I was also struck by the interviews themselves.
I always spend considerable time discussing a candidate's career path. I am interested not only in positions and responsibilities, but also in motivations, learning experiences, and personal development.
On several occasions, I had the impression that my interviewees were not expecting these kinds of questions. They seemed surprised - sometimes almost speechless. Not because they lacked answers, but because they appeared to be accustomed to interviews that focus primarily on the key facts and rarely explore topics in greater depth.
5. Labor Markets Shape Culture
I do not want to judge any of these differences. Every labor market develops its own dynamics - with both advantages and disadvantages.
What fascinates me is how strongly the underlying conditions shape people's behavior. Notice periods influence employees' willingness to change jobs. Recruiting processes shape expectations. And interview cultures influence how people talk about their careers.
Perhaps that is the real insight: labor markets develop their own culture.
And because many developments that begin in the United States tend to reach Europe a few years later, I find myself wondering whether we are already seeing the first signs of a similar shift. Among younger candidates in particular, I already observe far more frequent job changes and significantly shorter tenures than I did just a few years ago.
6. My Impuls
What differences have you noticed between labor markets or corporate cultures?
Would you be concerned if the German and European labor markets became more "Americanized," or do you believe that is exactly what they need?
And which developments that still seem uniquely American today do you think could become perfectly normal here within the next few years?
