There are lots of places to look for jobs in Germany and many can be contacted before you arrive. To get you started, we have gathered together some of the more effective resources:
Newspapers & Magazines: Job offers are posted in the classified sections of daily newspapers (often on Wednesdays and weekend issues), in weekly newspapers, monthly magazines (city magazines) and specialised trade magazines and journals. If you are looking for a highly qualified or academic job at a national level, you should consult the Saturday edition of national papers such as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Welt, Handelsblatt and Frankfurter Rundschau.
For less senior positions, look at local newspapers, such as the Westdeutsche Zeitung, Stuttgarter Zeitung or Berliner Zeitung, which often also carry positions on Wednesdays. For a fee, you can also place a job wanted advertisement in the jobs section.
Internet: The last few years have seen huge growth in the online job market and Online-Bewerbungen is now the most popular way to apply for work, especially among younger people and graduates. Online recruitment websites (Jobsbörsen) allow you to search according to your criteria, such as sector, salary and region. You can also post your CV on websites so that companies looking for specific skills can find you.
Labour offices (Arbeitsämter): There are more than 800 Arbeitsämter (jobcentres) throughout Germany and EU/EEA nationals are entitled to use their services, look at their website for more details - www.arbeitsagentur.de . Jobcentres have extensive listings of vacancies, which are free to look at (even without a work permit). The majority of these offers are for un- and semi-skilled work. Positions at professional and executive levels are usually advertised by the company or filled by a recruitment agency. Foreigners seeking work in Germany should check the international department called ZAV (Zentralstelle für Auslandsvermittlung). The address of the nearest Arbeitsämter will be listed in the telephone directory and yellow pages (Gelbe Seiten).
EURES: The EURES network is a partnership between the employment services in the EEA to support the free movement of workers. It facilitates the circulation of vacancies and enables online access to up-to-date information on living and working conditions in each EEA member state. EURES staff specialize in the practical issues surrounding employment in member states. They assist people who wish to work abroad and help employers find suitable employees from other EEA countries. They can be contacted via the Arbeitsämter, of which 50 centres are linked to the EURES network - for more go to www.europa.eu.int/eures .
Recruitment agencies: Private recruitment agencies are listed in the telephone book and yellow pages under Arbeitsvermittlung. A number of them specialize in recruiting for temporary positions, such as Manpower and Adecco, which can sometimes be a useful step towards a full-time job.
Career fairs: A good place to get started is to visit a career fair. Fairs usually have a range of employers and concentrate on a specific sector. Usually you to apply by sending in your CV and employers decide who they want to meet in advance. As well as getting general information on employment perspectives in different companies, it is often possible to arrange interviews.
Speculative applications: If you a specific company is of interest you can send a speculative application. This is common in Germany and (unlike in many other countries) is worth trying, as applications are retained and checked against positions as they become available in some companies.
Chambers of Commerce: Contact the local chamber of commerce of your home country in Germany, as they are often asked for candidates and sometimes have a database of open job positions. Often a chamber of commerce will have a list of companies from your home country doing business in Germany, which can make good targets for speculative applications.
For additional, up-to-date information on finding work in Germany, visit our website for expat recruiters and HR professionals, ExpatRecruiter.com .