Large Job Boards
If you are not hell-bent on working in a specific niche industry in Germany, then large job boards are definitely your best starting point for finding suitable job openings. For example, if you are a business analyst or front-end developer, then large job boards cover the majority of suitable openings across Germany.
When it comes to large job boards, there are a lot to choose from. However, we recommend sticking to the following:
While there are hundreds of other job aggregator sites, we believe that the 5 job boards listed above will ensure you have a broad overview of the vast majority of suitable roles in Germany.
Smaller Job Boards
While the large job boards are good for getting a broad overview of suitable openings in Germany, you can quickly get bogged down in the sheer volume of listings. Therefore, many applicants prefer to search for jobs on smaller, more specialised job boards. Here are some great places to start your search:
- GermanTechJobs (IT and tech jobs)
- Landing.Jobs (IT and tech jobs)
- English Jobs Germany (English-speaking jobs)
- Berlin Startup Jobs (startup jobs)
- Good Jobs (social and sustainable jobs)
- Absolventa (graduates and young professionals)
- Dasauge (creative jobs)
- JobVector (engineers, IT workers, doctors and scientists)
- Experteer (executive positions)
Job Platforms
While searching for jobs on job boards is the most common way of finding suitable openings, there are also a number of high-quality job platforms. On these platforms, you create a profile for potential employers to review, who will then contact you if you match their requirements:
How to approach in finding a job in Germany
Move to Germany
Unless you have specific skills that make you extremely employable, it is very difficult to land a job in Germany if applying from overseas, especially as you cannot attend in-person interviews.
Therefore, the best thing you can do to improve your chances of landing a job in Germany is to actually move to Germany to search for work. Germany even has a specific visa for this in the form of the Job Seekers Visa, which allows you to move to Germany for 6 months as a job seeker.
Understand the visa process
Unless you are an EU or EEA citizen, you will need a Work Visa or EU Blue Card in order to work in Germany.
Larger international companies in Germany are generally familiar with the visa process for non-EU workers so will generally be happy to wait while your visa application is processed. Other smaller companies, with limited international hiring experience, may need some more convincing.
In any case, it is important that you have a clear understanding of your visa process when attending interviews. Being able to confidently explain the visa process will really help employers feel comfortable. In short, for non-EU citizens, a job offer just needs to go through a simple approval process before a Work Visa or EU Blue Card can be issued.
If you are a non-EU/EEA citizen, you cannot obtain a work visa in Germany with just any old job. The job must meet some basic requirements.
For a reasonable chance of approval:
- You must be employed on comparable terms to domestic employees.
- You must be earning a sufficient salary to sustain your life in Germany.
These employment conditions are assessed on a case-by-case basis as part of your visa application. There is no set salary amount that will guarantee visa approval as this varies for each application.
