Day 20: The Power of Networking: How My Friend Landed a Hidden Job in Germany’s Tough Market

The decision that changed his career in Germany forever. Here's how it unfolded.

My friend B, an Indonesian project manager in Berlin, faced an uphill battle.

He wasn’t fluent in German. Project management roles for international people in his industry are scarce. There was maybe one new opening on LinkedIn each month.

To make matters worse, his full time job — which he hated — left him drained and having to spend his nights and weekends job searching.

When I suggested he try Project 100, he was hesitant. “These companies aren’t hiring,” he said. “Why waste time?”

But then something happened that changed everything.

A company he connected with through Project 100 invited him to a community meetup. At first, he didn’t want to go. He was swamped at work and would have to take the afternoon off.

I told him to go.

He had a blast. He loved the people and the environment, but it didn’t lead to any job offers.

Then, a few weeks later, he got a surprising message.

Hey, we’ve been thinking of hiring a Chief of Staff for the CEO. We never posted the role — it’s a special one. Not very many people could work with our CEO. After meeting you, we think you could be that person.

Long story short: He got the job.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻?

If you're job hunting in Germany and don’t speak fluent German, you should be reaching out to companies, even if they don’t seem to be hiring.

Here’s why:

• 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟭: 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻. Smaller companies often post only on their website or internally to save money.

• 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟮: 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. Sometimes companies don’t even know what they’re looking for exactly, until the right person (which might be you) comes along.

• 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟯: 𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 — because no one else knows about the role!

This approach works particularly well for roles with limited openings, and small-to-midsize companies (11-50 employees) that tend to be more flexible with hiring.

How to do it:

• 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻. Select 10 profiles of non-Germans or international professionals.

• 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲, making a personal compliment and asking for advice.

• 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹. Ask for their advice about looking for roles that don't require German. Just be a fun person to talk to and know.

They may not be hiring right now, but who knows — they just might create a role for you.