Are You Applying For The *Right* Jobs?

Guten tag Reader -

One of the top things I hear from my website readers, Facebook group members, and coaching clients is that they've applied for multiple jobs in Berlin and have still haven't found work. Some reported they'd applied for hundreds of jobs with absolutely no luck.

There are numerous things that impact a person's ability to find a job in Berlin. The obvious things like your education, skills, and experience. The unfortunate discriminatory factors like age, ethnicity, location, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, and even whether or not you have kids are a hard reality many of us face.

Something else that comes into play is that people often take a "quantity vs. quality approach" when searching for work. Many think that applying for any and all jobs they see is a useful strategy. If you apply for positions that you don't really have a chance of getting, it's natural to expect a flurry of rejections. When that happens over and over again, it can really start to drag you down and impact your self confidence.

Ideally, you should focus your job hunt on roles that closely match your profile from an education, skills, and experience perspective. Your time will be way better spent researching companies that are hiring for your profession and then applying, making sure you send in a solid job application that convinces them to invite you for a first interview.

Most of the time, job descriptions are simply wish lists. The best case scenario is that employers find someone who meets and/or exceeds all of the job requirements. More often than not though, companies tend to hire people who only meet some of the requirements - especially when they see you have the potential to develop on the missing areas. So if you find yourself meeting a number of job requirements, go ahead and apply. Those companies will be only too happy to hear from you.

If you're a fresh graduate or at the early stage of your career, it can more difficult to convince someone to give you your first chance. Showing passion for your profession can be helpful and and set you apart from other candidates. Build up more expertise by reading related books, attending conferences, and taking online courses. Go to local meet-ups where you can listen to experts speak on industry related topics and even better, begin building a professional network. Start volunteering to build up experience. Make sure that you note all of these things on your CV and in your cover letters so it's evident to potential employers that you're serious about what you do for a living. Your enthusiasm and dedication will surely impress them.

If you're changing careers and already have work experience under your belt, you can bring your past experiences and transferable skills to the table by incorporating related details into your job applications.

So to recap, focus on applying for relevant jobs based on your education, skills, and experience and then spend time creating a job application that convince them to get in touch.

For more guidance, browse through our free career guides, where we talk about things like how to conduct company research, write German cover letters, format CV's etc.

Before closing, I want to mention one last thing during these difficult times. If you're a Ukrainian relocating to Germany because of the war and will be looking for work at some point, I'm happy to provide career coaching completely free of charge. I can help with writing cover letters, creating a good CV, connecting you to local companies, and more. If you know someone who needs my help, send them my way. They can get in touch at hello@theberlinlife.com.

💖 Take care everyone,

Founder - The Berlin Life