Have you recently arrived in Berlin? Are you looking to enter the Berlin job market, but you don’t know where to start? Did you decide to move abroad mid-career and you now wonder if a career is possible for you in Berlin? If you’re a mid-career job seeker just arriving in Berlin, you’re in luck. It’s possible to find your career foothold in Berlin and build a strong career path in this exciting, metropolitan city.
Changing direction mid-career is a scary experience. It brings uncertainty, potential risk, and an unknown future. But having a transition plan will put your mind at ease and yourself into a better strategic position to be successful. Having a plan for your mid-career transition will set you up for success and move you towards a positive direction.
Transitioning from abroad to Berlin doesn’t mean you have to start from scratch. You have experience and industry expertise that can be transferred to an abroad career; whether you decide to stay on the same career path or not. If you’re transitioning to Berlin, use our advice below on how to transition mid-career and switch jobs into a new field successfully.
Identify your core skills
Before you arrive in Berlin and deep-dive into your job search, take the time to self-reflect. Create yourself a mini self-assessment of your core skills, career goals, and expertise. What are the three job skills you’re great at doing? What is your core expertise? If you can answer these questions at the beginning of your job search, you can better structure your search successfully. You’ll only apply to applications specific to your skill-set, and you’ll build connections with people that help you reach your career goals. Furthermore, do your core skills match needed jobs in Germany? Germany is in need of software developers, nurses, sales managers, and more. You might be more successful in building a career in Germany around one of these skill-sets.
Build a network
Now that you’ve taken the time to self-reflect and build a strategy around your core skills, you can strategically build a network around those talent sets. Many people in Berlin find jobs through their extended network. In the English-speaking job market, this is very true, because it’s a competitive environment, to begin with, and many job opportunities are word-of-mouth. A major key to a successful career transition is to build a network around your core skill-set, and network with individuals that will help you find a position in that field.
Gain networking tips in our blog post: Networking Events Berlin: Where to Find Your Next Event
Get your foot in the door
We have a saying in English if you’re not familiar with it. Get a foot in the door simply means to enter a business at a low level, but with the opportunity to level-up to a new position in the future. As an experienced professional, you might not be excited to look at a junior-level or entry-level position. We encourage you to not dismiss this option and to instead look at it as a stepping stone. Many startups in Berlin frequently hire junior-level and entry-level positions. First, find yourself in the company, make friends, build relationships, and even if that means beginning at an entry-level position. It’s easier to make connections that benefit your long-term career success when you’re inside, and not on the outside of the startup.
Your mid-career transition
Change is always a bit scary. But change can also be exciting and fruitful if approached strategically. We encourage you to look at your mid-career transition in Berlin was a strategic exercise. If you take these three advice points, identify your core skills, build a network, and get your foot in the door — you’ll be in a positive position to build a career path you want. Partner with MyCareerPath to make your career transition as smooth as possible through one of our coaching packages.
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Author: KAVE BULAMBO
Kave Bulambo is the founder of MyCareerPath. She’s worked in the Berlin technology industry with some of the largest and best startups like N26, Zalando and CareerFoundry. In every pursuit, she’s stayed firmly rooted to her purpose; to influence equal job opportunities for all and to guide diversity and inclusion in the workplace. As an active member of the Berlin community, she is often at various networking events — make sure to say ‘hello’!