Here’s something we need to talk about more openly in the DACH cyber security market: discriminatory hiring practices. And we’re not just talking about unconscious bias or subtle preferences. We’re talking about openly discriminatory hiring requests, right there in the brief.

“Must be under 40.” “No candidates from XYZ background.” “Prefer a woman for this role.” “We’d like a native German only.”

As recruiters working in cyber across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, we see the good, the bad, and the genuinely problematic. And while not every client is like this (most aren’t), it’s surprising and frankly alarming how often these types of “preferences” still come up in 2025.

So why is this happening? And what’s the cost?

It’s a longer blog this week, but an important one. Let’s get into it.

Discrimination Is Often a Shortcut for Something Else

Most of the time, these requests aren’t coming from a place of overt malice. They’re often clumsy shortcuts for something deeper the hiring manager is trying to achieve.

“We want a native German speaker.”

What they might really mean: “We need someone who can communicate clearly with German-speaking stakeholders and navigate culturally specific norms and processes.”

Fair ask. But it becomes problematic when you reject candidates who meet the real need simply because of nationality. Someone from outside Germany who’s lived here for 10+ years, speaks C1/C2-level German, and understands local work culture may be a stronger hire than someone fresh out of a Berlin uni with a German passport.

Blanket rejections based on nationality or background aren’t just discriminatory. They’re inefficient. A University of Linz study (2021) found that applicants with Turkish or Arabic-sounding names in Austria received 25–30% fewer callbacks than those with Germanic names, despite identical CVs.

“We want a woman to balance out the team.”

What they might mean: “We’ve realised our team lacks diversity and we want to fix that.”

Also fair. But sidelining a highly qualified man for the sake of “balance” is still discrimination. True inclusion isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about building environments where all kinds of people want to work. According to PwC’s “Women in Tech” DACH report, 44% of women in cyber roles said they felt tokenised in hiring rather than valued for their skills.

“We’re looking for someone young and dynamic.”

What they might mean: “We need energy, agility and adaptability.”

Totally understandable. But someone older, perhaps someone who transitioned into cyber later in their career, can be just as dynamic and bring maturity, perspective and resilience to the table. Age doesn’t equal ability. The German Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency reported a 79% increase in employment-related discrimination complaints between 2019 and 2023, many related to ageism.

This is where things fall apart. When you make sweeping assumptions based on proxies like gender, age or nationality, you risk excluding exactly the people who would solve your problem best.

The Impact of Closed-Minded Hiring

Aside from the legal risks (Germany’s AGG and similar legislation in Austria and Switzerland prohibit all of this), here’s what happens when companies rely on rigid, surface-level filters:

• You shrink your talent pool. Bad idea during a cyber talent shortage, the global gap was 4 million in 2023, per ISC².
• You lose out on perspectives that fuel innovation and problem-solving; core strengths in high-performing security teams.
• You stall hiring. We’ve seen roles sit open for six months because the “perfect” 28-year-old native German-speaking woman with a CISSP and startup experience just…. doesn’t exist.

What You Can Do Differently

If you’re a hiring manager or leader trying to solve a legitimate team challenge, here’s how to get better outcomes without falling into the bias trap.

Define the Actual Business Need

Before adding requirements like “native speaker” or “under 35,” ask:

• What is the real obstacle I need this person to help us overcome?
• Is it language fluency, stakeholder alignment or cross-functional collaboration?
• Is a native speaker essential, or could a C1-level speaker deliver the same result?

Then build the brief around skills, behaviours and experiences.

Ask Your Recruiter for Challenge

You hire recruiters for market insight, so let them push back.

• Ask them to send candidates who meet the need in unexpected ways. Maybe someone only has a B1 language certificate but communicates with clients in German every day.
• Be open to profiles with transferable skills, even if they don’t match your mental picture.

According to a 2023 LinkedIn report, clients who welcomed challenges to their brief saw a 30% reduction in time-to-fill.

Switch from “Fit” to “Add”

Stop looking for someone who “fits the team.” Look for someone who adds to it.

• Instead of asking “Would I grab a beer with them?” ask “Would they push our thinking, improve our resilience or bring a fresh perspective?”

Boston Consulting Group (2020) found companies with diverse leadership teams had 19% higher innovation revenue.

Train Hiring Managers on What Bias Looks Like

Bias isn’t always obvious, especially in smaller teams without HR support.

• Invest in training that explores how bias actually shows up in decision-making.
• Use anonymised CVs during early screening to spot unconscious filtering.

A simple two-screen test comparing named and anonymised CVs can be a real eye-opener.

Understand the Legal Risk

This isn’t just HR red tape.

• Discriminatory job specs, even informal ones, carry legal risk.
• Germany’s AGG allows for damages and compensation even during the application stage.

For example, a Berlin company was fined €7,000 in 2022 for excluding candidates over 50, despite claiming they needed a junior hire. If you wouldn’t publish the requirement publicly, don’t say it internally.

Final Word

We know hiring is hard. Especially in cyber, where demand is high and the talent pool is tight. But narrowing the brief to the point of exclusion isn’t the solution. Clarifying what you actually need and staying open to how it can show up is.

Your ideal hire might not match the picture in your head. But they might be the person who transforms your team.

Need help writing better briefs, building inclusive hiring processes, or just want to discuss your hiring challenges? We’re always here for a chat: +49 211 90760027