[sneak]

What you said is true about the way people there emotionally process things.

However, it also flies in the face of reality sometimes. There are indeed decisions and choices that can be made by single individual people in a single moment that can cost or save an organization huge amounts of time, money, or both. Telling the truth about those things is not boasting.

Of course, many people overstate the issue, but this general allergy to claims of greatness is a good way to also reject the actually-great.

[DoughnutHole]

When every CV is embellished to the extreme there's no way of distinguishing the superstars from the braggarts.

Assuming that the most bragging CVs are all written by superstars who single handedly saved every company they've worked at is the less realistic of the two options.

[camillomiller]

Oh yeah, I agree. I'm not claiming that it can't be true that one person alone might be instrumental to a big change or a breakthrough in companies. It's the way you present it that wouldn't fly.

Traditional German bosses also have a very bad trait that is the complete inability of motivating through positive reinforcement, or through verbal appreciation. It's so well known that there is a flourishing coaching industry based around teaching exactly that.

That said, if I had to point out a deeply detrimental trait of the German recruitment culture is the over-reliance on degrees, masters, institutional certifications, and such, which are mostly useless in determining the cultural fit of a potential employee.

[toxik]

You can boast with true statements. "I lifted 100 kg, and it was no big deal." Contrast that with "By maintaining a workout program I managed to work up to lifting 100 kg without issue." It is about the tone and the "spin" if you will.

[kuboble]

And which one is better in your opinion?