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How to look for a job in Germany

How to look for a job in Germany – Complete guide

You want to move to Germany but you’re not sure how to search for a job? You’ve come to the right place. If you are moving to Germany as an Expat, job seeker or international student, it is very essential to know the tips and tricks to find a job or internship quickly. In this article I’ll take you through all the ways on how to look for a job in Germany, and not just the “regular” approach.

By “regular”, we mean the usual way: applying through the career portal of any company. This is a standard approach followed by everyone, and far from the only way to obtain a job or internship. Not only will you learn how to look for a job in Germany, but I’ll also give you some useful tips throughout the article. Let’s get started!

Google

Yes, the most powerful medium to find a job, BUT it is all about how you approach it. “Searching relevant keywords” is the key. First step when preparing for a job is to list down all companies that are related to your domain.

In the conventional approach, one may list the top 50 companies in that particular domain, but note that everyone who is searching for a job does the same thing. There are a lot of companies which do not come under the top 50 list or in any list because they are focused on one particular state/city. Instead, try searching for: “keyword + companies + city” in Google and check out what happens.

Now it will show all the companies that are in that particular city. In Germany, the major companies are not in big cities like Berlin or Munich, they are located in neighbouring cities of the major cities, for example: Rüsselsheim (close to Frankfurt), Augsburg, Gaimersheim etc.

Tip: Search for those cities with the keywords of your domain. Take a list of all companies in the city, and then apply to them.

Job platforms

There are several different platforms that you can use to find a job in Germany. Indeed is a jobsite active in most parts of the world. They give you free access to search for jobs on the platform, along with posting your resume and to research other companies. Similarly, Monster and Stepstone are two big job platforms which also offer several other services to aid you in your job search.

If you would rather be matched to a job instead of looking for one yourself, Moyyn is an AI based reverse job platform. You apply once to the platform, submit your CV and get verified. Selected candidates will be shared with our partner companies and they contact the candidates for interviews directly. Since we specialize solely on companies in Germany, we are experts in the German job market, and can put our entire focus there unlike the other platforms. And since we specialize in international recruitment, we provide companies with the right talent from around the world. Once you have been selected, Moyyn takes care of all relocation related processes like visa, accommodation and bureaucratic processes after arrival.

Conferences

To extend your list of companies and find the small and medium players for jobs in Germany, the best option is actually not going to the conferences. Just search for all the conferences happening in Germany in your domain and check the list of participants. Here, you will see a lot of medium and small players and also companies which are specialized in a particular field.

For example, if you are looking for a job in automotive engineering and the specialization is exhaust after-treatment technology, you must search for all conferences with the keywords “exhaust after-treatment”, “Diesel emissions”, “SCR”, etc. To widen your search, you can also search for marine or aeronautical companies who deal with exhaust after-treatment. So, create a keyword list of technologies and alternate companies in which the technology is used.

Tip: Subscribe to these conference websites to get the updates of upcoming events:

https://conferencealerts.com/country-listing?country=Germany

https://allconferencealert.net/germany.php

https://www.worldconferencealerts.com/germany.php

https://10times.com/germany/conferences

https://www.conferenceseries.com/germany-meetings

Events

Many job seekers and students miss the fact that there are hundreds of startups, specializing on every single topic. Often with a lot of funding and ready to expand. Fact is, that the career growth is exponential in a startup compared to established companies. Never hesitate to list down startups who are operating in your domain. To get to know who is actually in your domain, you have to search for Startup Messen (fairs), meetups, and events happening in this scene. Despite Covid-19, most events will still take place, only online.

Startup conferences are not regular tech conferences, for example in Berlin, you can find conferences like Heureka, Tech Open Air, START Call, degut, etc. In these conferences, startups mostly have their display areas for branding and recruiting reasons, so they will be interested in new hires.

Tip: Attend startup conferences and speak to the people. If you are not in the city, you can always see the list of participants and approach them online. 

Also, attend meetups which are relevant to your topic. For example, if you are looking for a product related position, check product meetups. A lot of companies and startups in Germany will participate regularly in meetups to share knowledge and learn from peers. In those meetups, you will find the right person of contact, because product managers or team leads usually attend. Network with them and tell them that you are looking for a job. Immediately after the meetup/event, connect with them on LinkedIn or send them a mail expressing your interest (within a day).

Tip: When attending events like “Bonding” or “Connecticum“, take the booklet they provide which has an extensive list of all companies.

Recommendation

The most effective way to find a job is personal recommendations. You can always ask people you know to recommend you for a position in their company. Even if the company doesn’t have a position for you right now, they will keep you in mind for future jobs. Because companies will rather hire someone which was recommended by an employee.

It is always better to ask alumni or some of your friends who are working in the company to refer you if there is a vacancy. That way, the person knows you and can vouch for you and your skills. When looking for a job in Germany, personal recommendations work very well. Often your application will be directed to the person in charge of recruiting (team lead, manager) and you can get an interview directly.

Incubators, Accelerators & Coworking spaces

Mostly, every university has an incubator. Incubators are organizations which support startups. Accelerators fund startups and also mentor them. Coworking spaces are buildings where a lot of companies have their office spaces. Which means that there are a ton of startups which you might not even know about.

If you check their website and go to their portfolio section, you will find a list of all companies in the organization and you can connect with them. For example, if you are in Berlin, you can check out the portfolio companies of Startup Incubator Berlin here.

Tip: Look for startups in the “portfolio companies” section of incubators, coworking spaces or accelerators in your city.

LinkedIn

You can check LinkedIn (or Xing) for job offers and connect with relevant managers, team leads or executives of the company and try to send them your profile and your interests. If you are a student, you can also get a free LinkedIn Premium account. This type of job application is becoming more and more common. Your LinkedIn is like a profile for you CV, so a lot of companies now post job offers there for you to apply directly with your profile.

Tip: Even though you decide to apply via a different platform, recruiters tend to check your LinkedIn profile, so make sure it’s up to date!

I hope this blog post could be useful for you in your search for a job in Germany. For further help on how to land a job, we have written down help for avoiding CV mistakes, writing a Cover Letter, and how you can improve your CV. Is your next interview online? Don’t worry. We can help you prepare for that too, here. Or check out our blog for other helpful posts!

Looking for a job in Germany? Moyyn is an AI based recruiting platform that will match companies to highly skilled professionals across the globe. Join our talent pool for free and let our AI find you the perfect job! Candidates apply once to the platform, submit their CV and get verified. No cover letter needed! Selected candidates will be shared with the partner companies and they contact the candidates for interviews directly.