Websites or ways might help you
Today we will talk about the most common websites and ways to find a job in Germany.
For your reading convenience we split them in four main categories:
I. Networks
Although LinkedIn has withdrawn from the Chinese market, it is still the world's largest and most powerful social network for international professionals. Both employers and job seekers alike can use the platform to successfully build up their professional network. Apart from simply searching for jobs that fit your career or interest through the search bar, you can also turn on the “#OpenToWork” feature to let companies, headhunters and/or your network know that you're looking for a new opportunity or challenge. (See picture)
In addition, after working on your profile on LinkedIn, companies and/or headhunters will take the initiative to contact you when your career and achievements align with their search criteria.
Tip: Before you apply for a position, go to companies homepage to inform yourself more about i.e. its employees, culture and values.
Xing can be seen as the German version of LindedIn, and Xing is arguably more active and widely used in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Since Germany is a very dog-friendly country, Xing as the German version of LinkedIn, offers an option to search for companies that offer to take your dog to the office.
Jobpages - Stepstone | Indeed | Monster (SIM)
The three big jobpages, also known as SIM (Stepstone, Indeed, Monster) are the most versatile job boards in the world. They are well known among job seekers and cover a wide range of industries.
Tip: Indeed is also friendly to job seekers who have just graduated and/or are looking for a part-time or Mini job.
II. Headhunters
In Germany, most of the jobs offered by headhunters are contract staffing positions also known as ANÜ (Arbeitnehmerüberlassung).
In most cases, headhunters have many years of cooperation with big, international acclaimed companies and can get a lot of job positions. Generally, employees and headhunters sign a contract directly with the headhunter agency but work in the target company.
Employees work in the company generally for a maximum of 18 months. After this period or earlier, the employee
A. directly sign a contract with the working company.
B. continues to work in the working company. The contract with the headhunter agency remains unchanged, but a three-month intermission period with continues pay (according to your contract) will occur.
C. leaves the current company but keep the contract with headhunter. The headhunter is contractually obliged to look for a new job opportunity for you with continues pay (according to your contract).
D. leaves the company and headhunter.
Note: Contract staffing jobs are eligible for blue cards (if they meet the blue card criteria). Signing a contract with a headhunting company is very friendly and recommended for fresh graduates and people who are changing industries/area.
Headhunter Agencies:
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III. Unsolicited Application
Unsolicited Applications, also known as Initiativbewerbungen in Germany, is a form of application style that is used when your favorite company, the industry or field that you have relevant work experience in are currently not offering open positions. It is generally used by job-seekers that keep an open and positive mindset regardless of the situation and directly apply to the company instead for an open position.
Take my experience as an example: When I came to Germany my professional expertise was mainly in Chinese companies in China. Due to circumstances many big German companies that were famous doing business with or related to China backed out of it. Thus, many of them did not openly recruit people with my particular background. But by working hard on my CV and “applying proactively” I was able to get two separate job positions in companies supporting them in their China activities.
IV. Rating Pages
When you are considering and/or entering a company, it is essential to do research on the company first.
Apart from LinkedIn, which we mentioned above, Glassdoor and Kununu are two very good rating sites. You can look at the overall rating of the company and how the employees are rating the company. When you read a few reviews, you'll be able to get a rough idea of what this company is like. It is very helpful for new employees. Please keep in mind that these pages only represent a fraction of how the company is treating its employees.
In the next article we talk about: How to find a job in Germany when you are in your country?