From international finance and technology to construction, healthcare and tourism, Greece’s employment market offers opportunities for professionals arriving from abroad. Georgia Papageorgiou, founder of WhatzNext, explains how expats and returning Greeks can approach recruitment and make their experience count.
Greece is attracting international businesses and investment across a widening range of industries. At The Ellinikon, construction is progressing alongside plans for a major technology campus, while international investment firms are establishing or exploring offices in Athens. Pfizer and Chubb have established technology operations in Thessaloniki.
Greece’s PHAROS AI Factory, supported by the recently inaugurated DAEDALUS supercomputer in Lavrio, is strengthening the country’s AI research infrastructure. Data-centre developments and foreign investment in healthcare, renewable energy and maritime infrastructure point to further opportunities. Tourism, meanwhile, needs more people in hotels, restaurants and resorts.
Some employers are already recruiting, while other investments will take time to generate jobs. For international professionals, finding the right position also means understanding local recruitment practices, salary expectations and language requirements.
Georgia Papageorgiou has experienced these challenges from both sides. After working in the UK and the Netherlands, she returned to Greece and founded WhatzNext, a career coaching and HR consultancy. Her international recruitment work spans industries from finance and technology to engineering and hospitality.
As a recruiter and a returning Greek, she discusses what employers look for, how candidates can make their international experience count and what it takes to build a career in Greece.
From an International Career to WhatzNext
You have worked in Greece, the UK and the Netherlands. How did these experiences shape your professional approach, and what inspired you to establish WhatzNext?
Working across three distinct job markets taught me adaptability, empathy and cultural agility. In the UK, I learned structured hiring practices and fast-paced communication. In the Netherlands, I found a collaborative, direct culture that values strategic workforce planning and work-life balance. Returning to Greece allowed me to combine those international standards with local agility.
Living abroad for nearly a decade also gave me first-hand experience of the career resets, transition challenges and bureaucratic hurdles that expats face in foreign markets. During those transitions, I kept asking myself: “What’s next for me professionally?” I realised that almost everyone reaches this crossroads at some point, and I founded WhatzNext to help professionals answer that question for themselves.
I believe everyone deserves to feel confident, fulfilled and complete in their work. I often think of a saying attributed to Abraham Lincoln: “If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four sharpening the axe.” WhatzNext applies that principle by helping people sharpen their strengths, define success on their own terms and take purposeful action towards the career they want. I built it as a bridge: WhatzNext helps international professionals and repatriating Greeks translate their global value into meaningful careers, and it advises organisations on modern HR practices so that both sides can meet in the middle.
How Recruitment in Greece Differs
What differences have you observed between recruitment practices in Greece and those in other European countries?
In Northern and Western Europe, recruitment is typically standardised and data-driven. Employers rely on applicant tracking systems (ATS), competency-based interviews and clear salary bands from early in the process.
In Greece, tech companies and multinationals follow international standards, but traditional recruitment still leans heavily on referrals, networking and personal trust. Processes can be more informal, and job descriptions are often broader, so employers may look for adaptable generalists rather than narrow specialists. Hiring timelines also vary widely, from very fast placements to longer decision cycles in established corporate environments.
Navigating a relationship-centred market takes patience, but it has a real upside: once you build authentic connections, you gain access to a remarkably welcoming and supportive professional community.
What should international professionals know about the Greek employment market before looking for work here?
Three things are worth understanding before you start.
The market is evolving quickly. Greece is seeing strong growth in technology, renewable energy, shipping and tourism, and a growing number of multinationals are establishing regional hubs here.
Look at compensation differently. Salary structures and tax frameworks differ from those in Northern Europe or North America. When I returned, I realised that gross base salary tells only part of the story. You need to weigh total compensation, including benefits, performance bonuses, health coverage and the local cost of living.
Invest in human connections. In the UK or the Netherlands, applying through online portals is standard. In Greece, sending CVs into the void often brings low response rates. Building genuine local relationships through LinkedIn, expat communities and direct contact with specialised recruitment partners will open far more doors.
How important is knowledge of Greek, and where can English-speaking professionals find opportunities?
Speaking Greek is a clear advantage for client-facing or regulatory roles, but not being fluent is not the dealbreaker many people assume. Having recruited across Europe, I can say that multinationals, tech scale-ups, global shared service centres and international NGOs in Greece largely operate in English.
English-speaking professionals can find strong opportunities in several growing areas. In tech and scale-ups, engineering and product management roles are heavily English-based. Global hubs set up by multinational firms hire continuously for customer support, finance and HR services, where foreign-language skills are a requirement rather than a bonus. Tourism and hospitality leadership roles also seek international operational talent, and many expats build their careers through remote work, whether freelancing or working for global companies, while enjoying the Mediterranean lifestyle.
That said, I advise every expat to learn conversational Greek. You don’t need fluency to land a great role, but the effort signals cultural commitment and makes a real difference to everyday rapport with your colleagues and teammates.
Restarting a Career After Moving to Greece
What advice would you give someone who has relocated to Greece because of their partner’s career and wants to restart their own?
When you relocate for a partner’s career, restarting your own can feel daunting. I advise treating it as a strategic campaign rather than a rushed job search.
Audit your transferable skills. Identify the strengths that travel across borders, such as project management, client relations, cross-cultural communication and languages.
Look beyond local job boards at first. Remote roles with global companies, freelancing and fractional consulting let you keep your momentum and income while you build a local footprint.
Build both an expat and a local network. Industry events, platforms such as Xpat.gr, volunteering and mentoring initiatives all lead to authentic connections, and these often lead to unadvertised opportunities.
Stay flexible and positive. Your first role in a new country may be a lateral move rather than a step up. Treat it as an anchor that builds local market knowledge and confidence and sets the stage for your next phase of growth.
How can Greeks returning after several years abroad present their international experience effectively to prospective employers?
Returning Greeks often face two misconceptions from local hiring managers: that they are overqualified and will soon grow bored, or that they will leave as soon as they realise local salaries don’t match their foreign pay packets. Having made the same journey myself after nearly a decade abroad, I know how important it is to address these concerns proactively.
Frame your international impact clearly. Rather than relying on well-known company names or impressive titles, highlight quantifiable, operational results, such as scaling cross-border teams or introducing agile methodologies. Concrete value is more persuasive than prestige.
Explain your decision to return. Share why you chose Greece and why building a sustainable career here fits your personal and professional priorities. This answers the retention concern before it is even raised.
Act as a cultural bridge. Show how your exposure to modern global systems and ways of working can accelerate the employer’s own growth and business evolution.
Changing Direction and Making Experience Count
How should someone approach a career change when they are uncertain about their next professional step?
In my coaching work at WhatzNext, I often tell clients that uncertainty rarely comes from a lack of ability. It comes from a temporary lack of clarity. When someone feels stuck, I guide them through a structured approach to regain momentum.
Start with an honest self-audit. Map out your core values, your non-negotiables and the activities that give you energy or drain it.
Build a realistic skills inventory. Separate what you can do from what you actually enjoy doing. Being good at something doesn’t mean it belongs in your long-term future.
Explore in small steps rather than making an overnight leap. Hold informational interviews with people in roles you admire, take short courses or test the waters with small freelance projects while keeping your stability.
Craft a strategic narrative. Present your past experience as a natural bridge to your new direction. Successful career pivots don’t start from zero. They build on the overlapping strengths you already have and show how those apply to your next step.
“Successful career pivots don’t start from zero. They build on the overlapping strengths you already have and show how those apply to your next step.”
— Georgia Papageorgiou
What makes a CV stand out to recruiters, and what tends to lead to rejection?
After years of evaluating thousands of CVs across international markets, I can say that the difference between an application that gets noticed and one that gets passed over comes down to two things: clarity and measurable impact.
To stand out, lead with quantifiable results. Instead of listing daily tasks, show real outcomes, such as reducing time-to-hire by 25%, managing a €1M budget or scaling a team across multiple regions. Support this with clean formatting, a logical career progression and a strong professional summary at the top that instantly communicates your core domain, years of experience and unique value proposition.
On the other hand, quick rejections usually come from ambiguity and poor presentation: unexplained employment gaps, duty-focused task lists such as “responsible for managing calendars”, irrelevant personal details and typos.
What are the most common mistakes international candidates make in their CVs, LinkedIn profiles and job applications?
After reviewing more than 340,000 CVs throughout my career, I see the same avoidable mistakes again and again among candidates applying across borders.
Copying foreign formats. Many candidates paste in their home-country CV format, or literal translations of job titles, without explaining the scope and responsibilities of their roles for the local market.
Over-designing. Skill bars, columns and graphic elements can cause difficulties for some applicant tracking systems and automated screening tools, making it harder for applications to be processed accurately.
Burying the practical details. Recruiters need to know immediately whether you have the right to work in Greece, your current location and your phone number including the country code. Put this at the top of your CV.
Networking without a personal touch. Generic, template-style LinkedIn requests that do not explain why you are reaching out can significantly reduce your response rate. A clear personal summary at the top of your CV is also important.
Leaving out soft skills. Candidates tend to focus solely on technical skills and omit cultural adaptability, cross-border collaboration and language abilities, which are exactly the traits that show you can integrate into a new working environment.
Preparing for Interviews and Assessing Employers
How can candidates prepare effectively for interviews and assess whether an employer is right for them?
Effective preparation goes far beyond a quick read of the company website. Having conducted thousands of interviews, I advise candidates to prepare on two levels: demonstrating their value and actively evaluating the employer.
Structure your experience using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Prepare five or six concrete stories from your past roles that show how you solved problems, navigated challenges or led initiatives.
Treat the interview as a two-way conversation. It is your opportunity to assess whether the company fits your values and career goals. Thoughtful questions such as “How does leadership support long-term professional growth?” or “What does success look like in the first 90 days of this role?” reveal a great deal about culture.
Watch for subtle signals. Notice how responsive the hiring team is between rounds, how interviewers speak about their colleagues and whether the day-to-day expectations they describe match the original job description. These details offer valuable insight into the organisation’s true culture before you sign an offer.
What could Greek employers do to attract and retain more internationally experienced professionals?
Having built HR infrastructure and led global recruitment strategies across industries, I’ve seen what attracts and retains international talent and returning Greeks. To stay competitive, Greek employers should focus on four areas.
Modernise hiring. Use standardised interview structures and modern ATS tools, and keep candidates informed at every stage. Creating a great candidate experience with consistent communication shows that you respect their time and value operational efficiency.
Evolve compensation. Base salary matters, but flexible hybrid or remote options, comprehensive private health insurance, learning budgets and other benefits make a major difference when competing with international offers.
Make retention start on day one. A structured onboarding process with a clear 30-60-90 day roadmap helps new hires feel supported, understand their objectives and adapt to the culture.
Build transparent, inclusive workplaces. Psychologically safe environments, open communication and clear internal growth paths are what turn strong international hires into long-term organisational leaders.
Three Steps Towards a New Career in Greece
What three practical steps would you recommend to someone considering a new career direction in Greece?
If you are pivoting or starting a new career direction in Greece, I recommend three practical, high-impact steps.
Optimise your core professional assets. Align your CV and LinkedIn profile with your target role, include measurable results and use relevant local industry keywords so that recruiters and ATS platforms recognise your value.
Hold informational interviews to gather real market intelligence. Speaking with five to ten professionals already working in your target role or sector in Greece will give you clarity on day-to-day requirements, hiring trends and hidden opportunities.
Don’t go through the transition alone. A career coach or a supportive expat and professional community can help you sharpen your narrative, build momentum and handle local market nuances with more confidence and efficiency.
About Georgia Papageorgiou
Georgia Papageorgiou is a CV, Interview and LinkedIn Expert and Career Coach, and the founder of WhatzNext, where she provides career coaching and HR consultancy services.
She holds a BSc in Sociology, an MSc in Human Resource Management and Business, and a CIPD Level 7 Diploma in Human Resource Management.
Specialising in talent acquisition, Georgia has reviewed more than 340,000 CVs, conducted over 5,000 interviews and completed more than 450 hires across Europe. Her recruitment experience extends internationally, from graduate to C-level positions, across manufacturing, engineering, telecommunications, SaaS, finance, hospitality, customer service, video gaming, IT and sustainability. She has also designed and delivered corporate training programmes.
After four years working in the UK and five and a half years in the Netherlands, she returned to Greece to share her international experience with professionals and Greek businesses.
Connect with Georgia Papageorgiou:
LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | WhatzNext
