How to Find a Job in Germany - 5 Tips

In my last post http://interculturalmusings.blogspot.de/2013/02/finding-job-in-germany.html I emphasized how difficult it is to come to Germany with the expectation of finding a job. Regulations, certificates, a pretty inflexible attitude, and intransparent selection criteria make applying for a job a decidedly laborious process. But then again, every country has its own arcane procedures and preferences when it comes to employment. At least nobody will ask you to do one of those excruciating Myers-Briggs type of tests.


So, how DO you go about finding a job in Germany?


1. Learn the language
However despotic this may sound - there is no way round it. If your German isn't fluent, you won't get a look-in. Fact. Pick up conversational German even before you arrive here, and hone your skills in your particular area of expertise. Practice speaking under pressure, as you will have to do so in the interviewing process. No good being all fluent at home with your partner, and sitting there like a lemon when the HR person gives you a grilling.


2.  Establish Leads
From your home country, when you already know you want to live and work in Germany, try and establish some leads. It's unlikely (if not impossible) that you will have secured a proper job offer, but make sure  you're at least in contact (e.g. via Social Media) with companies in your chosen field. Once in Germany, you can then refer back to your previous communication and build stronger ties. Make sure you spread those leads as wide as possible, as most of them might not result directly in a job offer. However,


3.Contacts are important in Germany
Sometimes knowing "somebody" will get you round that pesky need for the right certificate double-quick. So the more people you've already established contact with, the better. Even if your contacts aren't in a postition to leverage you into a position, you will pick up industry gossip, tips, and some insider information. Vacancies often get announced internally first, so if you have advance information, you can apply before the job even gets advertised. A definite bonus!


4. Take the initiative!
It is quite common in Germany to just write off to a company asking whether there is a job going in your specific field. Make it a proper application (including your detailed c.v. and as many photocopied "certificates" you can rustle up). German companies will keep those applications on file, and contact you  if and when a vacancy arises. And last, but not least:


5. Don't go to Berlin!
Unless you want to be an "artist", or a "Social Media Consultant"(in other words, unemployed) Berlin is not the best place in Germany for finding a job. In fact with an unemployment rate of 12 percent, (by far the highest in the country) it may well be the worst. There simply aren't enough companies in Berlin, and there are by far too many people. Unless you're after having a fun time on the dole, avoid the capital, and do some smart exploring instead. The south-west (Stuttgart area) and the south (Munich etc) are the hotspots for well-paid jobs. And don't worry: Germany is very de-centralised, so just because you're not living in Berlin doesn't mean you won't be having any fun!

Finding a Job in Germany

 
...isn't easy at all. Really by no stretch of the imagination. Whereas in Britain, you could theoretically arrive on  Day 1 and - given you're not fussy, and are just looking for something to tie you over -  be clocking in for work on Day 2.  Granted, it would most likely be re-filling the shelves in Pret a Manger, or manning the flower stall outside the supermarket for 3 hours per day. But you would find something. Not so in Germany. An endless list of requirements stands in your every way. I just checked some ads for "Bürokraft" - an office help. Badly paid, and really a dogsbody (or more quaintly, A Girl Friday) mainly in charge of fetching more coffee. But in Germany you're required to have "at least 5 years experience in office work" (huh?) you need to have previous experience working for "a travel agency, shipping company or such like" (again huh?, the job was just about doing some online filing.) Every reasonably intelligent person can pick up the ropes for such a job in half a day. But no, without previous experience they wouldn't even be prepared to look at you.

If you're looking for a more highly qualified job (executive or management level) ... well, I'm tempted to say "forget it". You'd be practically required to have worked for the very same company you're applying for already. Well they might give you an interview if it was their direct competition. I'm exaggerating slightly, but the reality is uncomfortably close to this scenario.

Even a common default-idea like getting a job in a bookshop (something I did in London, and enjoyed a lot)  would not be possible in Gemany - unless you have completed an apprenticeship as a bookseller (German certificate required!).

The whole job market is so static, so lethargic, and unwieldy, it makes you despair. But if you're thinking of setting up your own business instead - beware! Bureaucratic requirements involving the Inland Revenue, considerable capital to set up a registered company, and arcane regulations will make you think twice about this option. And that's not to mention the sheer impossibility of finding clients. In a socially extremely conservative society, this is a battle in itself.

Sorry to be the harbinger of mainly negative information - but everybody here has at one stage or other been totally and utterly fed up with the organisation of the German job market. It often seems the only way to land a job is to by-pass all the official channels, and rely on personal information and recommendation. Not alas, the most reliable and quick way to get one into employment!



If you have specific questions about finding a job in Germany, feel free to contact me. I'm also in the process of setting up a network called "Opportunities Exchange Germany" - a forum for freelancers in the creative sector who're looking to find clients or work in Germany. (see here for more detail http://germanmatters.blogspot.de/2012/03/opportunities-exchange-germany.html)