Jurisdiction
In Germany competence means depth in one field, not breadth across many. Colleagues respect the person who owns a defined area and stays inside it. The German word Kompetenz also means jurisdiction. Competence and authority are the same thing. Within your area your view carries weight, even over more senior colleagues. Outside it you are expected to defer. Saying that a question belongs to another colleague is professional in Germany, not evasive.
Substance
Germans judge competence by command of the facts. The ideal is to be sachlich, focused on the matter and not on the person presenting it. Make the case with data, clear reasoning and an honest account of the weaknesses. Self-promotion works against you. Germans say Eigenlob stinkt, self-praise stinks. Expect your argument to be questioned directly. That is how Germans test whether it holds, and it is not a sign of hostility.
Qualification
In Germany competence is formally earned. The dual training system, the Meister qualification, university and Fachhochschule degrees, and professional certifications all carry real weight. They are treated as proof that someone has mastered the standard body of knowledge in a field. Credentials set a baseline of legitimacy and open the door. Continuing education, Weiterbildung, is normal throughout a career and is not read as a sign of a gap. Be ready to say where your own competence was formally built. Self-taught is respected, but it is unusual, and colleagues will look for the structure behind it.
Thoroughness
Competent work in Germany is thorough work. Gründlichkeit is the baseline, not an extra. A fast solution that leaves loose ends reads as unfinished rather than efficient. Colleagues expect the details checked, the risks considered and the reasoning written down. This is one reason German processes can feel slow from outside. The time goes into getting it right the first time. Work that is well considered and a little late builds more confidence than work that is quick and has to be redone.
Standing
Professional standing in Germany is earned over time. The old phrase is Lehrjahre sind keine Herrenjahre, apprentice years are not master’s years. A newcomer who listens, learns the fundamentals and proves reliable gains authority steadily. One who arrives claiming seniority meets quiet resistance. Seniority here is not age and it is not title. It is competence that has been accumulated and demonstrated. A reputation earned elsewhere does not transfer automatically.
Dependability
A competent colleague in Germany is first of all a reliable one. Verbindlichkeit, being someone whose word holds, sits at the center of professional respect. If you say Thursday, Thursday is what you mean. Punctuality, meeting deadlines and following through exactly as agreed are read as direct evidence of competence. Arriving late, reopening settled commitments or promising more than you can deliver damages your standing quickly and is hard to repair. Commit to less and deliver all of it.
Method
Competence in Germany includes knowing the correct way to do something. There is a strong orientation toward proper procedure, codified standards such as the DIN norms, and clear rules. A competent colleague knows which standard applies and works to it. Doing things by the book is read as professional, not as rigid. A workaround that happens to work can raise doubts, because it bypasses the recognized method. If you want to do something a new way, make the case for it openly rather than doing it quietly.