There are various ways for finding a job position:
The first point of contact for job hunting is your local Employment Agency in your area. There, you can register as a job seeker and benefit from their assistance and advice. On the website of the Employment Agency, you will also find a job search engine ("Jobbörse") where you can search for your ideal job.
There are a handful of other employment websites on the internet. There you can register and often create a profile to describe your qualifications and experience for the potential employers. Then, these employment websites automatically send you any new job offer that suits your profile, so you do not have to search for new vacancies every day. The potential employers may also view your profile and consider you for a relevant position. Some of the significants job platforms out there are, for instance, ww.monster.de, www.stepstone.de, www.jobbörse.de, www.adzuna.de and the the job search engine of Make-it-in-Germany.de. There are also some job platforms that are specifically set up for refugees, for instance, www.workeer.de, www.jobs4refugees.de, www.jobbörse.de/refugees, www.work-for-refugees.de, www.careers4refugees.de, www.welcome2work.de and social-bee.de (for Munich and Stuttgart). On these platforms, you can find vocational training positions as well as jobs. Some of these platforms will also help you with your application.
Important: Sometimes, one can use different titles to refer to the same activity. So, while searching for jobs on the Internet, remember to try different titles used for the profession you seek. On berufenet.arbeitsagentur.de you will also find a list of synonyms for different job titles.
- Specific Companies' Website
If you already know which companies you are interested in, you can search for possible vacancies directly on their websites, usually under headlines such as "Jobs" or "Career".
Having an account on social networks like Xing or Linkedin can also help you in your job hunting. You can create a profile for free and list your qualifications and professional experience and connect with people from the same field.
You can also find job advertisements in local and national newspapers in Germany. There are nationwide job ads on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Frankfurter Rundschau, as well as Die Zeit daily. You can read these newspapers in your local library every day, so there is no need to purchase them.
You can also get to know about interesting companies and job vacancies at job fairs or companies' so-called “open-door days”. There, you have the opportunity to get in direct contact with the companies. You can find some relevant tips on absolventa.de and a list of various job fairs and the date they take place on berufsstart.de. In larger cities, regular job fairs are specifically held for refugees.
There are plenty of counselling centres where you can seek support in your job hunting. You can find counselling services in your area, for example, at the Youth Migration Service ("Jugendmigrationsdienste" or JMD) and Migration Counselling for Adults ("Migrationsberatungen für Erwachsene "). The staff there speak many languages. You can also contact the "Working and Living in Germany Hotline". The experts there can answer your questions about looking for a job via chat, email and phone in German and English.
If you are not sure which occupation you would like to follow or in case your job applications have been rejected, you can do an internship first. An internship usually lasts several weeks or months. During an internship, you will get to know and try the profession in question and the company- after the internship, you may be able to continue working there. You can read more in our chapter “Internship”.