Common questions.
Honest answers.
The questions candidates and companies ask us most. Yours is missing? Write to us. A human replies.
Questions from candidates
Is SkillIA really free for me?
Yes, completely and permanently. Candidates never pay SkillIA anything: no fees, no commission, no hidden costs. Our fee is paid by the company, and only once it hires you. Your salary is not reduced by it.
What happens to my CV and my data?
Your CV is used exclusively for matching: we go through it with you in the interview, and our engine compares your profile with suitable roles. Your data is processed in the EU in line with the GDPR, never sold, and never passed to a company without your consent. You can request access or deletion at any time. Details in our Privacy Policy.
Does a company see my profile without my consent?
No. Before we introduce you to a company, we talk to you about the specific role. Only when you agree does the company receive your candidate card. The engine recommends: nothing is forwarded automatically.
How does the process work and how long does it take?
Four steps: you apply in about five minutes, we hold a personal interview, our engine scans the active market for fitting roles, and when there's a strong match we introduce you directly. How fast a match arrives depends on your trade and region, but after the interview you always get an honest assessment from us.
Do I have to be ready to switch jobs immediately?
No. Your notice period, preferred start date and priorities (commute, salary, shift model) all feed into the matching. We never propose anything that contradicts what you told us.
Which professions does SkillIA place?
Our focus is skilled professionals in trades, technology and industry in Germany: from electricians to design engineers. If your profession isn't on that list, apply anyway: the engine scans roles across many sectors, and we'll tell you honestly whether we can help.
Questions from companies
What does a placement through SkillIA cost?
Our fee is success-based: you only pay when you hire, and our rates sit below those of legacy recruitment agencies, because the expensive manual search is done by our engine. Exact conditions are fixed in writing before you see the first shortlist. Ask us, no strings attached.
How fast do we receive a shortlist?
Matching starts right after the briefing: the engine compares your role with already-interviewed candidates and the active market. Depending on role and region, the first shortlist typically arrives within days, not weeks. If a role is hard to fill for us, we tell you in the briefing, not after four weeks of silence.
How does the 90-day guarantee work?
Confirm the hire within 90 days, or we search for a replacement candidate at no cost. The guarantee applies to every placement, whatever the role or level, with no small print.
Where do your candidates come from?
From two sources: our pool of personally interviewed, verified candidates, and the active market, which our engine continuously scans across multiple job sources. Every candidate on your shortlist was interviewed by us before the introduction.
What does "explainable shortlist" mean in practice?
Instead of a CV stack you receive a few candidate cards with reasoning: which must-have requirements are met, how seniority, language, availability and salary range fit, and where the gaps are. See an example on the For Companies page and the technology behind it on How matching works.
Is your matching GDPR-compliant, and what about the EU AI Act?
Candidate data is processed in line with the GDPR, and no profile is shared without the candidate's consent. Our engine makes no automated rejection decisions: every recommendation is based on named, traceable criteria and reviewed by a human before you see it: exactly the transparency and human oversight the EU AI Act has in mind for recruiting systems.