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Finding Jobs in Berlin / Motivation and Confidence After Job Loss

Depending on the situation, losing a job—especially if it was unexpected—can feel like the ground has been pulled out from under you. Every emotion across the spectrum of grief, fear, and anger has its place in this moment and is valid—just don’t get lost in them. You might also feel relief and hope—for example, if you’ve been unhappy in your job for a while, regretted career decisions, or secretly wished for a new perspective. Losing a job, and the subsequent search for a new one, can always be an opportunity for improvement. That’s exactly the mindset you should adopt when starting your job search.

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Where on earth to even get job-search started?

So, you’ve taken care of the urgent tasks: registered as unemployed and submitted your full application for unemployment benefits. Now, with cautious optimism 😉, you’re waiting for job suggestions from your employment advisor. But let’s be honest—most people would rather take initiative than wait passively.

First, take time to reflect on your last job or the past few years: What was good? What wasn’t? Where do you want to go from here?

This transitional phase is the perfect time to think about your career, opportunities, goals, perspectives, and the realities of your profession in a digitalized world.

  • Can and do you want to continue working in your previous job or industry?
  • Are there currently open positions in your field?
  • How has your profession evolved over the past years (or decades)?
  • Be honest: Are you still keeping up with the times, or have you already fallen behind?
  • Are there training or qualification programs to catch up with developments?
  • What might your next employer look like? A large corporation, SME, or start-up?
  • Self-employment?

All of these are indicators that your employment advisor will be interested in. The more you share about yourself, the more the Federal Employment Agency (BA) can support you. Otherwise, it’s just a game of chance.

Deep Dive: Job Search

Get a clear picture of your previous industry—how is it doing right now? What kinds of positions are currently listed on the usual job portals?

Find employers based in Berlin:
 

Talent.berlin

Startup-Map

Cluster-Websites

BLC: 

Bewerbungstipps
© Anchiy, istockphoto.com

The Hidden Labor Market – and How to Discover It

Did you know that only about one-third of currently open positions in Germany are actually advertised? This fact isn’t meant to confuse or discourage you—it simply highlights why you shouldn’t rely solely on browsing job platforms. Because if jobs aren’t publicly posted, how are you supposed to find them?

Let’s start with the facts—there are reasons for this:

  • In Berlin, most employers are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); 78% of employers have fewer than 10 employees.
  • Without an HR department, there may be no time or budget to use paid job portals, hire headhunters, or manage hundreds of applications.
  • Some (especially higher-level) positions involve replacing the current employee, who may not yet be aware—so the posting is kept confidential.
  • Some employers post jobs only internally, or initially only internally.
  • Some employers prefer personal recommendations from their employees’ networks.
  • Some companies work exclusively with recruiters and headhunters.
  • Sometimes an employer already has a preferred candidate in mind and offers the position directly.

So what do I do with this information?

Relax! You now understand how the hidden labor market works—and now it’s up to you to tap into it.

What can you do?

  • Talk about your situation—not always, but whenever it fits. People know people, and maybe your new neighbor works at one of those companies that rely on personal referrals.
  • Do your research: look for interesting employers whose products or services you like, and send speculative applications.
  • Attend job fairs (virtual and in-person).
  • Work on your social media presence and make yourself discoverable to recruiters (Xing, LinkedIn, etc.).

And most importantly—keep this in mind: linear career paths are increasingly rare, so don’t worry about changing jobs.

We wish you the best of luck in your job search!