Business and Career > Corporate Culture Ready, set, get a hot job
Imagine a world where employers fight to dangle hot jobs in front of young professionals. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, for some job-seekers in Germany, this dream world isn’t that far from reality. YG gives you the inside track on the state of Deutschland’s job market for young up-and-comers and points you in the right direction to land your ideal job.
 working on a mac, photo by photocase user soulcore/Chris Jahn. What’s happening on the job market
It all comes down to numbers. The latest word from Germany’s Federal Statistics Office really says it all: Fewer students are enrolling in universities than seven years ago. That means fewer highly skilled graduates are entering the workforce every year, and fewer graduates can only mean one thing — more job openings for those who earn their diplomas, especially in times when the German economy is in a noticeable upswing (like, well, right now).
In fact, the news couldn’t be better for university grads and skilled workers: Faced with dwindling numbers of graduates, companies are literally forced to compete with each other to hire the best young talent available.
 Marcus Reif, an e-recruiter for Accenture Austria, Switzerland and Germany, says the 100 biggest companies in Germany are currently looking to fill a total of more than 100,000 jobs. And the big guys aren’t the only ones hoping to land high-quality candidates: “SMEs [Small and medium enterprises] are currently seeking the same kind of qualified people,” says Reif. The Mittelstand, as SMEs are called German, also have a large number of job openings in every industry.
What’s hot
Like in many other countries, Internet-related jobs are gaining momentum in Germany. Annette Eicker of the online career portal jobguide.de, confirms that, saying jobs in telecommunications, tech and eCommerce are especially hot right now.
“Jobs for ‘techies’ as well as all kinds of engineering jobs are popular,” she says.
And because companies of all sizes are seeking a similar caliber of employees, another job — recruiter — is high on the list of in-demand occupations. That’s right: The “talent war” among companies has spawned a new need for consultants and recruiters to help business match their job openings with the best candidates. Particularly high in demand are consultants for human resources departments of large businesses and Mittelstand enterprises. Where to look
 So these jobs are out there; the question is: How do you find them? Companies may be on the lookout for talent, but that doesn’t mean they’re knocking on every door to find exactly the kind of person for the job. You’ve still got to get out there and make contacts with would-be employers. There are several ways to do this, and YG is here to help.
For starters, head over to our job search site. Powered by YG partners JobStairs.de and FAZjob.net, the site lets you customize your search according to city, industry, job type and other criteria. This database lists more than 15,000 jobs in Germany, so you’ve got a good chance of finding the right job for you.
Also be sure to take a look at the JobStairs website (www.jobstairs.de). It’s a portal designed to match candidates with job openings, so you can submit your applications and resumes to employers directly from the site. The database of available jobs is constantly updated, and some companies post openings exclusively on the JobStairs site.
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Last but not least, don’t forget to check out job fairs. Major companies use job fairs to talent scout proactively and to meet and interview job candidates. Many large cities and nearly all college towns in Germany host job fairs, so keep your eye out for them. For more in-depth information about job fairs and dos and don’ts, check out our recent story *link to job fairs article*
Jumping into the job search might seem like a daunting task, but the right job is out there. We promise you: Companies are as interested in finding you as you are in trying to find them — especially in these times. But as strong as the labor market may be for young professionals, the job offer isn’t going to come to you without a little effort, so get out there and find it.
Other helpful links
www.jobguide.de — provides up-to-date information about Germany’s job market.
www.jobsabroad.com (in English) — lists jobs available in Germany and other countries.
www.monster.de — the German-language version of the well known job search monster.com
Photo 1: Photocase.com/Chris Jahn/user: soulcore
Photo 2: YG
Photo 3: aboutpixel.de/Christoph Ruhland/ user: YariK
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