25 Jobs I Applied

in Germany

How did I start looking for Jobs?
I reported to the office called Bundesagentur für Arbeit. As far as I know, this is the office who keeps all records of employment and unemployment rates in Germany. They also pay for some courses, which may help you avail of a job later on. They also pay for your house or apartment transfer depending on different situations. They keep your Lebenslauf (Resume), evaluates your educational background in relation to your future job application, advises you what are the things to do to earn a job later on, and gives you a list of web addresses where you can make your job search.

Being Arbeitslos (unemployed without any benefit/monetary help from any governmental institutions), the Agentur can pay a portion of your Rentenversicherung (Retirement insurance), connect you to different offices or organizations that can benefit you with some information for your job search. They are also connecting you to offices like Zentrale Auslands- und Fachvermittlung (ZAV) for the assessment of your educational documents from the Philippines if the degree you finished in the Philippines might apply to Germany.

In relation to my job application, the Agentur helped me make my own database in their website after providing them the necessary papers they need. It is always best to report to the Agentur.

 

How did I look for Job Vacancies?
I looked barely on the websites the Agentur gave me. I checked the newspapers every now and then. I looked on advertisements posted on different establishments. The Agentur sometimes searches for me.

How did I apply?
I applied in two ways, through emails and through post office. I made a formal letter (Anschreiben) with my Resume (Lebenslauf). Of course, everything must be written in German. I just applied and applied and applied.

What were the responses?
The responses were a little bit funny. Maybe I am just laughing about it now but actually I felt so depressed that I did not try to apply again after sending the 25th application which I did. Here are some reasons why:
1. Out of 25 applications, not even 1/3 of the Arbeitgeber (Jobgiver/Employers) replied.
2. Three of them replied only after three months just to say "I am sorry we chose another one...blah-blah-blah."
3. Another three replied...at once! Still with a negative answer.
4. I tried to follow-up another via call, here is the reply, "Ah the Filipino? No, we don't accept Filipinos."
5. The other employer replied at once, with really very respectful answer. He said, I have to wait a little time. I quitted waiting. It's been four months since he told me to wait.
6. The rest never replied at all.

What will I do next?
I have to rest my mind first and think more organized and prepared. I need to revise my Lebenslauf and prepare all the documents which I might need later on. I must aim for a Vorstellungsgespräch (Interview).

What are other possibilities to get a job later on?
I don't know. Possibilities are only present when you move, have the right connection, speak the German language as if it was your native tongue, and have all the certificates the german employers might need from you. That is a case to case basis, for me. Perhaps I should produce credentials in Deutschland as much as I can to be somehow on the level of the bureaucratic way of every applicant in Deutschland. For example, if you want to be a maid, you must be "certified" as a maid. Unbelievable but yes, it is true!