Beyond job portals: finding your dream job in Berlin

Are you currently searching for a job in Berlin and want to learn more about the companies located here? It can be hard to keep track! Discovering which career opportunities are available in large European cities can quickly get confusing. Sure, there are probably lots of tech companies in London, plenty of fashion companies in Paris, and many financial firms in Frankfurt. But what about Berlin?

Berlin is home to many small and mid-sized businesses. Job portals such as Google Jobs and Indeed can give you a rough idea of which companies are hiring, but these are national job portals, with jobs on offer across Germany. Our job portal is more specialised, compiling job offers from Berlin and Brandenburg. But even our portal does not list every available job.

Did you know that, on average, companies only advertise one in three job vacancies? That means there are twice as many open but unadvertised positions as advertised ones! There are lots of reasons for this surprising statistic – but often, companies in need of new staff simply do not have time to advertise the position. These jobs are often filled as a result of networking and employee programs. All the more reason to go searching for companies in Berlin. But how?

You just need to look in the right place. Go to where the companies are. Berlin might cover an area larger than London and Paris combined, but the city still has classic industrial zones, where many different companies are gathered.

The State of Berlin has officially defined eleven ‘Zukunftsorte’ – innovative science and business locations. Each location has a particular focus. For example, companies working in the health industry are located in Berlin-Buch, and the EUREF-Campus focuses on energy. Here is a list of the eleven Zukunftsorte:

• Berlin TXL – The Urban Tech Republic (research and industrial park for urban technologies)
• Technologie-Park Berlin Humboldthain (innovation and start-up centre)
• Berlin-Buch (science, medicine, and technology centre)
• CleanTech Marzahn (business park, manufacture, and sustainable technologies)
• Berlin Schöneweide (business and science district)
• Adlershof (science and technology park)
• Tempelhof Airport (artistic and cultural district, space for public use)
• EUREF-Campus Berlin (research & start-ups)
• Berlin SÜDWEST (research location)
• Berlin Campus Charlottenburg (science campus)
• Siemensstadt Square (industrial park)

These Zukunftsorte feature more than 2,200 companies and 42 scientific institutions, providing more than 62,000 jobs. Get searching!

In addition to these eleven official locations, Berlin is also home to additional industrial and science parks, bringing together innovative Berlin companies. Some examples include Netzwerk Großbeerenstraße, Unternehmensnetzwerk Motzener Straße, and Naumannpark.

Each location has its own website featuring information on the companies with offices at that location. The websites are a great place to research companies, what they do, and if they have any open positions. Many of these entrepreneurial networks also host regular open houses, public lectures and conferences on specialist subjects, and summer fêtes – the perfect opportunity to get in contact with a company and their hiring staff. Who knows, this might just be the path to your dream job in the greatest city in the world. We wish you all the best in your search!