How to find a job in Germany: a practical guide

Published: 3 November 2026 · Besim Technology

Finding a job in Germany starts with three things: knowing which job boards matter, writing a CV the German way, and understanding residence and work permit rules before you apply. This guide walks you through each, from the main job sites and the Lebenslauf to the EU Blue Card and the Opportunity Card.

Note: visa and residence information reflects official sources as of November 2026. Rules and amounts change; check the official sources before you apply. This guide is not legal advice.

Where do you find job postings in Germany?

The most used channels are StepStone, Indeed, LinkedIn, XING and the job search of the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). If you are applying from abroad, the government portal Make it in Germany also lists vacancies. Don't rely on a single site: some roles are only published in one place.

Also follow company career pages and niche boards for your field. Many large employers publish vacancies on their own site first.

What should a German CV (Lebenslauf) look like?

A German Lebenslauf is usually laid out as a table, in reverse-chronological order, and typically one or two pages long. Dates are given as month/year, and gaps get a short explanation.

• Personal details: name, contact details, city. Date of birth, marital status or nationality are not required; if your work permit matters for the role, stating your residence status clearly helps the employer.
• Photo: a photo used to be the norm in Germany, but it is not a legal requirement and more and more candidates apply without one. If you add one, make it a professional headshot.
• Experience: job title, company, city, dates and concrete responsibilities. Add measurable results where you have them.
• Education and languages: mention the German equivalent or recognition of your degree if you know it; give language levels on the CEFR scale (A1–C2).
• Date and signature: traditionally added at the bottom; today it's optional.

Many employers read applications through an applicant tracking system (ATS), so a clean, text-based PDF is safest. See our guide to ATS-friendly CVs for details.

Do you still need a cover letter (Anschreiben)?

Not for every posting, but when it is asked for, it is read: the Anschreiben is a formal one-page letter explaining why you fit the role. More companies now make it optional, especially in short application forms.

A strong Anschreiben picks two or three core requirements from the posting and gives one concrete example for each. Skip the stock phrases, get the company name and job title right, and address a named contact if you can. If the posting asks for your work permit status, start date or salary expectation, include them.

Why do references (Arbeitszeugnis) and documents matter?

German employers may ask for written references from previous employers (Arbeitszeugnis) and copies of your certificates. These are part of the classic application file (Bewerbungsmappe).

If you are coming from another country, ask former employers for a signed reference or employment certificate on company letterhead, and keep a German or English translation ready. When your qualifications need formal recognition is covered below.

Which permits do you need to work in Germany?

Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland can work in Germany without a visa thanks to freedom of movement. For everyone else, the most common routes are the EU Blue Card, the skilled worker visa and the Opportunity Card for job seekers. The details below are as of November 2026.

EU Blue Card (Blaue Karte EU)

For people with a university degree (German, or foreign and comparable to a German one) and a job offer above a set gross salary. According to the Federal Employment Agency, the 2026 thresholds are:

• Standard threshold: €50,700 gross per year.
• Reduced threshold: €45,934.20 gross per year, for shortage occupations (for example academic STEM professions and doctors) and for new graduates whose degree is no more than three years old; approval from the Federal Employment Agency is required.
• IT specialists without a degree: at least three years of relevant IT experience in the last seven years, a salary at the reduced threshold and Federal Employment Agency approval.
• Permanent settlement: possible after 27 months with German at A1, or after 21 months with German at B1.

The thresholds are updated every year. Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (ZAV), 2026.

Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte)

A residence permit for coming to Germany to look for work before you have an offer. There are two routes: people whose foreign qualification is fully recognised in Germany qualify without points; everyone else needs at least 6 points in a points system. The basic requirements for the points route are a foreign university degree or a vocational qualification of at least two years recognised in the issuing country, plus German at A1 or English at B2. You must show that you can support yourself. The card is issued for a maximum of one year, and you may work part-time up to 20 hours a week and do trial work. Source: German missions abroad; you can apply online.

Skilled worker visa and recognition of qualifications

If you fall below the Blue Card threshold or hold a vocational qualification, skilled worker visas are the usual route; conditions depend on your occupation and qualification. In regulated professions such as medicine, nursing, teaching or law, formal recognition of your qualification is mandatory. In non-regulated professions you don't need recognition to work, but the visa process may still ask you to show that your degree is comparable. The Anerkennungs-Finder on anerkennung-in-deutschland.de shows which authority is responsible. For university degrees, comparability is checked in the anabin database or, if your degree isn't listed, through the ZAB. The government portal Make it in Germany is the best starting point for official information.

Can you get a job in Germany without speaking German?

In some fields, yes: software, research and international companies often work in English. But most postings ask for German, and the language is a clear advantage for daily life, paperwork and promotion.

Read the language requirement closely: "verhandlungssicher" means business-fluent, "fließend" fluent and "Grundkenntnisse" basic knowledge. State your level honestly on the CEFR scale. Even when applying to English-language roles, a few sentences in German show you are willing to learn.

How do you state your salary expectation?

In Germany a salary expectation (Gehaltsvorstellung) is almost always given as a gross annual figure, for example "€65,000 brutto/Jahr". A monthly net number easily leads to misunderstandings.

If the form asks for a range, give a reasonable one; if it wants a single number, go slightly above the market value you researched. The Federal Employment Agency's salary tool (Entgeltatlas) and industry reports are useful references. Also have your notice period (Kündigungsfrist) and earliest start date ready; forms ask for both often.

How does Besim Apply help with a job search in Germany?

Besim Apply scores LinkedIn postings against your profile and applies to the ones you approve from your own computer, so you can spend your time on the boards and applications that need you. The interface is available in German, English, Turkish and Spanish.

• Work permit gate: you set your work authorisation for around 195 countries. Scoring checks each posting's work permit, language and location requirements separately (pass / unsure / fail) and quotes the relevant line from the posting, so you can see why a "no visa sponsorship" role scored low.
• Search groups: each group combines a role and a location, for example "Backend developer, Berlin or remote". A location can be a city, "remote" or a country.
• Scoring preferences: add free-text priorities such as "prioritise remote" or "never show relocation roles".
• Salary and saved answers: enter your salary expectation once; if a form asks in another currency, it is converted at a daily rate. Answers such as your notice period are saved and reused.
• You decide: approve postings one by one, or set an auto-approve threshold for a search group. Applications go out from your own browser and your own accounts.

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Limits worth knowing: Apply searches and applies on LinkedIn (Easy Apply and company sites). Indeed is in beta: Indeed postings are searched and scored, but you apply on Indeed yourself. StepStone, XING, the Federal Employment Agency's Jobsuche and Make it in Germany are not searched by Apply, so keep using them alongside. Apply does not write a tailored Anschreiben for you; for your dream employers, write it yourself. For the full process see how automatic job applications work, for Easy Apply our LinkedIn Easy Apply guide, and for choosing a tool our comparison of AI job application tools. Product details: Besim Apply.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a photo on my CV in Germany?

No. It is not a legal requirement, and applications without a photo are increasingly common. If you add one, keep it professional and simple.

Do I need a job offer for the EU Blue Card?

Yes. The Blue Card requires a concrete job offer or contract paying at least the threshold. To look for work in Germany without an offer, check the Opportunity Card.

Should I give my salary expectation monthly or yearly?

Yearly and gross, for example "€58,000 brutto/Jahr". That is the format German employers expect.

Does Besim Apply apply on StepStone or XING?

No. Today Apply searches and applies on LinkedIn and searches and scores Indeed postings. Use StepStone, XING and the Federal Employment Agency's site manually.