How to search and apply for jobs in Germany

Hi Friends,

I will share my experience of finding a job in Germany. The similar strategy can also be used to find a job in Europe

Step 1

Decide your niche - product management, SAP consultant, Scale developer, project manager, QA analyst, Software developer, data scientist in R or python) etc.

Step 2

Read at least 10 job descriptions of the job profiles which match your niche. From the JDs identify the main keywords, employers look for in the positions you aim for. From your past experience identify instances where you have worked in these topics and then back them b means of KPI you achieved eg a recommender engine built by you improved conversion on site by 3% and email CTR by 20%.

Step 3

Update your profile on Linkedin and Xing and regularly. Interact with people, share posts, write comments and if possible write articles in your domain. Establish yourself as a leader in your domain.

It is beneficial to have a presence on Twitter, follow influencers in your domain and constantly interact with them on the topics of your interest.

Step 4

Create job alerts on the following job sites and also upload your CV.

1. Stepstone
2. Glassdoor
3. Indeed
4. BerlinStartupJobs
5. StartupBerlin
6. Angel.co
7. 4Scotty - new but highly recommended

Obviously, there are a few more, but Indeed and Glassdoor usually are able to crawl all the job portals and provide a good summary and also send you emails.

Step 5

Keep your CV refreshed. Make it a habit of updating the CV at least once every week. That means even if you have to upload the same CV do it anyway. Job portals are designed to pick and showcase the most active profiles first to the recruiters.

Keep yourself updated by learning new courses online on
1. Coursera
2. EDX
3. Udemy
4. OpenSAP
5. StanfordOnline
6. NationalDigitalLibraryIndia

Step 6

Constantly look for suggested job section on Linkedin and Xing.  All most every internet company these days advertise jobs on Linkedin.

Step 7
Attend meet ups. Many start ups and internet companies occasionally hold meet ups and talks on topics like AI, chatbots, learn Python and digital marketing. These events are good places to socialise and most of the times sponsorers are looking for possible roles in their companies.

Additional resources -
you may also tweak your CV to match the standard German format. One of the special things is that they expect a good professional picture in your CV. This is a norm in Germany, but I do not follow this either.

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Apartment in Germany, Apartment in Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Munich, Frankfurt

Hello, Indians in Germany - Namaste

Yes, it's time to write about how to live, survive and enjoy in Germany. 

I have compiled a list of all the important websites and information you (as an Indian and non-native speaker) will need to live in Germany. 
I have tried to keep the list as comprehensive as possible and if there is one list you must bookmark is this page. It has links to all the sites you will need while living in Germany. 

I have includes links which can help you save money in Germany. 

I am sure you would have read a lot of posts on what to do and what not to do in Germany. 

Some of the Quora posts are 
1, 2, 3 and Living without knowing German 1  and . 2

I am an Indian and moved to Berlin from Bangalore in 2016. I too faced a lot of challenges especially as I moved with my family. From the last one year, I have been living in the beautiful city of Hamburg. 

Learn German - Deutsch in Germany

First thing you notice is every sign board, every letter you get from authorities and all most every website is in German so you need good Translator (app and website)  

These links will be really helpful for this purpose

1. GoogleTranslate  -they also have a feature to translate documents
2. http://www.systransoft.com/lp/german-translation/
3. http://www.lexilogos.com/english/german_translation.htm
4. http://www.dict.cc/english-german/smug.html
5. Duolingo 

Now, if you want to learn German online and offline you should be aware of Integration courses (partially sponsored by state) You can contact the Alien office, Rathaus or nearest vhs centre. 

Some important websites are - local centre for main cities are also included. 

1. https://www.deutsch-lernen.com/
2. http://www.goethe.de/lrn/prj/fer/enindex.htm
3. http://www.hoou.de/p/
4. HH https://www.vhs-hamburg.de/sprachen-5
5. https://www.vhs-aktuell.de/programm/german/german-as-a-foreign-language.html
6. MH - https://www.mvhs.de/sprachen/english/learning-german/
7. Berlin - https://www.berlin.de/vhs/kurse/

House registration in Germany 

It is essential to register your house address within one month of arriving.  This is called - Anmeldebestätigung
You will have to visit local Rathaus for house registration also called Anmeldebestätigung

A good post on how to handle this is here 

You can download all the forms here.

You will need- rent agreement, passport, employment contract and completed and signed (by residents and house owner) registration form. There is also a form from the house owner which is kind of NOC (no objection certificate)

You also have an option to pay some money online and get it done by sending them print outs but it is much easier if you visit personally. Most of the officials are quite friendly and understand even if you don't understand Deutsche. 

Remember always be 5 minutes before appointment time, if you miss the time you might get the next appointment after 3 months. So always be in time while you are in Germany (Italy is totally different).

How to open a Bank account in Germany 

You will definitely need money to survive (either from parents, friends or from your company) 

The preferred bank is Deutsche Bank - its like SBI of India, but unlike India, it costs here to have a normal bank account with all the banks, the cost range from 5 - 10 euro/month. 

But there is a simple way to avoid this- open online bank accounts easily without a guarantee from your employer. 
My favourite is Commerzbank.

1. N26 - 
2. Commerzbank online 

With N26 you can 10 euro opening balance and with Commerzbank ~150 euro and in both these accounts you have ZERO (yes you read it right) account maintenance charges. So just for opening a free bank account, you can earn up to 100 euros for a normal account and 150 euros for an online account. There is no problem if you have an existing account and you want to move from that contract, that is also possible and online all your existing contract providers (like electricity, Kita, telecom) will be notified in time and for 0 cost - yes free. 

You may contact me for more details on how to move your account from existing bank to these services for free and with free balance. 

How to find an apartment for rent in Germany

Another main challenge in Germany is to get a good apartment. Well, you can take help from an expensive neighbourhood property dealer or look online. Since you are reading this, I assume you will prefer to look the web sites.

Here is a complication of the websites 

1. Immonet 
2. Wohnungsborse 
3. WG-GESUCHT - especially for short term, furnished apartments. You also get info on shared rooms and apartments
4. 9Flats 
5. Immowelt 
6. Immobillienscout24 
7. City-wohnen  - only furnished apartments
8. Nestpick 
9. Urbanground  - started by an Indian friend in Berlin 

 Now, if you need furniture or other houses hold appliances, kitchen utensils, led bulbs etc you can visit Ikea (http://www.ikea.com/de/de/) - they also do home delivery if you purchase online else visit eBay - https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de. You get a lot of good stuff on eBay and for cheap. 
How to compare or buy Insurance in Germany 

The next thing which should be in your to do list is to get an insurance. 
a liability insurance - Haftpflichtversicherung is absolutely mandatory. It is cheap and you can get it online.
You can also take a legal insurance (second most important insurance)

I have not mentioned Health insurance because - you cant even enter Germany without health insurance and your university or employer will make sure you have the mandatory public health insurance (usually it is offered by TK insurance)  

Some of the best websites to compare insurance prices are 

1. Check24 
2. Verivox 
3. WeFox - a new service where a dedicated person will not just suggest you the best plan but also help you in case you have to claim an insurance. This is helpful when you do not speak German.  I took AXA insurance plan from wefox.de   

If you have an apartment where you have to apply/change electricity/water contract you may look at this website for price comparison is Preisvergleich   

Now, more tips to save money in Germany. 

For grocery shopping - ALDI, Lidl, Netto, Penny Kaufland are cheaper than Real, REWE, Edeka. 

For weekly offers and deals or to look for specific products on offer, you can visit these two portals for online brochure and prospectus. 
Almost every grocery store has good weekly offers and if you want to save money in Germany, it is a good habit to visit these online portals.  

1. Kaufda 
2. Online_Prospekt    

One more topic which might be an interest of all Indians is shopping. For apparels and accessories (Six) all the stores have sale offers twice a year. 
The cheapest stores are Primark, C&A, H&M- during sale season you must also check out other local stores and Kardstadt.

Well if you like brands and want to shop branded products for cheap and have some patience I have an alternate strategy. 

Visit for price comparison websites and set price alerts. They crawl all web portals and then suggest you best offers via email. 

1. Idealo 
2. Visual_Meta 

BTW, Amazon still rocks in Germany and they have the best customer support (in English too). I have purchased Esprit, S Oliver Brooks for 70% off from Amazon using price comparison websites. 

How to travel in Europe, How to travel in Germany 

The best portals to plan trip across Europe and compare prices for travel are 

1. Goeuro
2. Rome2Rio
3. Kayak Compare Flight prices - 
4. Skyscanner Compare flight prices - 
5. Hotel_Scanner Compare hotel cost - 
6. Book_online_hotel_for_cheap Compare hotel prices in Europe - 
7. Compare_hotel_Europe Compare hotels in Europe - 

These websites will help you plan a trip to Europe without hurting your wallet. So travel in Europe for cheap by using these web portals and compare prices online.  

How to send money online to India

After the house rent, grocery expense, home shopping and travel if you have some money and want to send money to India for cheap you should look at these websites for sending money at the lowest cost and minimum transfer fee. They are much cheaper than western union. 

Well there is a cherry on the cake - you can have many transactions for free if you use the following links 

1. TransferGo - 
2. TransferWise - 
3. Moneytis - They also have a bot on Facebook Messenger which keeps you updated of the exchange rate and also suggests what is the best time to send money to India. 

Ohh, quite a long post and I promise yo keep it updated as I get more valuable information.

Hi Friends

I am going to share some tips on buying a perfect running shoe for beginners and also how to get it cheap.

Step 1 - Identify the problem - pain in my leg

Recently started jogging and as any other beginner, i started to have some pain my lower legs.
So, I looked on the internet for possible reasons.

The best help I received was from - RunnersWorld. The doctor explained the three main possible reasons  SHIN SPLINTS, STRESS FRACTURE and COMPARTMENT SYNDROME. 

There is also a very nice video for visual explanation and also how to do some basic muscle exercises

I also found that unlike most of the runners I have under pronation as explained in this post. The video show feet and leg movement during a gait cycle in slow motion.  

You can easily find if you are over or under pronator looking at your old pair of shoes.

If your shoes wear off from the outside - you are under-pronator, if your shoes wear off from the inside you are over pronator.

For over pronators, you need a special type of shoes which can help you correct motion control and prevent foot injury.


Step 2 - Find the suitable type of shoes

This post explains choosing the right shoe.

Based on the insights, i chose a neutral shoe. 

Next question is if I need a trail shoe or a road shoe.

I do run in beautiful city of Hamburg, where there are specific running track

They look like -

and 

So although it's not the road it's quite flat. Most of the trail is quite flat. Since most of the trail shoes are heavier and since I do not run a lot I settled for road shoe with normal support.

Step 3 - How to get good shoes for a great discount

Once I have finalised a couple of shoes across brands. There is very little difference in similar models of between Brooks, Saucony, Asics, Adidas or Sketchers.

Some people go for style over comfort and that is fine. My personal choice is the comfort and shoe fit.

I found that Brooks and Saucony are more durable than Puma, Nike, Adidas and Sketchers and they are also recommended by doctors.

Visit follwing websites

1. RunRepeat - i love this as they also have a section for offers/deals which provides a good summary. They also provide score for each shoe based on feedback from users and expert users.
2. LadenZeile - you can set alerts to your chosen shoe types and get notified when you get your chosen shoe


This helped me get shoes at more than 65% discount eg below

1. Merrell - http://amzn.to/2uEdUQn
2. Brooks - http://amzn.to/2vxO3FU


So this was my journey to find an awesome running shoe based on my running requirement and to ease my leg pain as a beginner.

Update

I was able to buy an awesome Brooke's shoe MRSP of 140 Euros in just 45 Euros because i followed this strategy

Proof