What’s on this week? What’s on this week? There’s been lots of changes to the Skilled Immigration Act. The numerous strikes have been hard on everyone. Stop sharing your CVs on Facebook. Do you like being in the office?

We cover all this and more in our Mar 11, 2024 edition of The Berlin Life newsletter.

Personal News

Sometimes, I’m going to overshare.

⭐ I officially passed probation on Feb 29. To celebrate the occasion, I headed to London for a short holiday. It was a much-needed break! It was also nice to just not work and focus on having fun. 🥂

⭐ The week before my holiday, I went to the office three out of five days. As a person who’s accustomed to working from home, while fun – I found the experience completely draining. I love working from home, where I get to wear comfy clothes, make my coffee, chill with my cats, and get deep into focus work.

Where do you stand on working from home vs going to the office? Take part in the poll.

⭐ To cut down on unnecessary website expenses, I migrated this mailing list from ConvertKit to Substack. Unfortunately, I messed up and some data got lost along the way. That means if you were on one of my other lists, you’ll need to re-subscribe:

• • • • • Career Boost Germany – Stay updated about the pending launch of Career Boost Germany, an online learning portal where you can enroll in flexible and affordable mini-courses to learn about how to find work in Germany. Tailored specifically for the English-speaking German job market, acquire the essential techniques to create job applications that will get you noticed by German employers. Master strategies to ace German job interviews, negotiate a generous employment offer, and more. Sign me up.

• • • • • Professional Women Berlin – Attend our events to meet and connect with fellow female professionals in Berlin, develop professional relationships, forge new friendships, and build and expand your network. Sign me up.

General Community News

News from The Berlin Life community.

⭐ We’d originally scheduled our community mixer for Wed, March 13 @ 7 pm. Due to personal reasons, I need to reschedule it to Wed, Apr 5 @ 7 pm. Come on out to meet new people and build up your personal and professional network in Berlin. Everyone is welcome. The location’s TBD, but expect beers, good food, and cool people. The event is free, so secure your spot now.

⭐ After a successful Salary Trends survey last summer, a team of volunteers around Handpicked Berlin is running the survey again. You can participate in March and results will be published mid-April. Fill out the form in either English or German.

⭐ One of our community members is hosting a cool event, Debugging C++ Code: A Practical and Interactive Guide. Join to not only sharpen your C++ skills but also meet others in your field.

⭐ Read last week’s newsletter: ​Weed is finally, kinda, sorta legal in Germany! And other news. Weed is finally, kinda, sorta legal in Germany. A court ruling may free up thousands of rental flats in Berlin. Germans are working well past retirement due to “pension poverty”. There are going to be public transit strikes across the country this week. The number of school dropouts in Germany is on the rise. 💸

➡️ If you’re new here, check out our news archives.

Food For Thought

Interesting articles about the art of looking for work, humourous memes, or other useful gems floating around the web.

⭐ No words are needed for the above meme (one of my creations)!

⭐ I’m seeing an alarming trend in some of the Germany-based job-seeking Facebook groups. People are sharing their CVs there in the hopes of being hired – CVs full of so much personal information that scammers could easily commit identity theft and open credit cards in their names. DO NOT share your CVs in random Facebook groups. Aside from the risk of identity theft, most of the people in those groups are also job seekers, not recruiters. Dropping your CV into these groups is not a good use of your time. Get on LinkedIn, or whatever German job search site, and apply to relevant jobs for companies where you want to work.

⭐ All About Berlin shared on Twitter, that Toytown Germany is no more. Anyone who’s been in Germany for a long time knows how helpful, and simultaneously unhelpful, the forum could be at times. I got advice from other foreigners there countless times over the years, so a big chunk of history just went poof.

⭐ A list of countries that have the highest rates of death due to obesity where oddly, Germany ranks near the top.

⭐ If you’re a woman looking for a new opportunity, check out this job board from Munich-based nushu.

⭐ Blinkist shares ways to deal with negativity and remain more positive.

⭐ Lauren McGoodwin, founder of Career Contessa, offers a new way to frame bullet points under your career experience on your CV.

⭐ The Berlin Tech Workers Coalition has a packed calendar of great events coming up like a social potluck, a session introducing the concept of work councils, and more.

⭐ You can now follow my favorite recruiter, Adam Karpiak on Instagram. He’s brilliant, funny, and honest, and best of all, posts humorous job search memes, as well as the worst of job ads he sees.

Companies Hiring

German companies hiring right now. Also, follow our LinkedIn page for job postings between newsletter blasts. 💪​​

⭐ Creative Dock | Munich

⭐ Onfy | Berlin

⭐ HomeToGo | Locations across Germany

⭐ DigitalService | Berlin

⭐ ai informatics | Locations across Germany

⭐ SoundCloud | Berlin

⭐ Kolibri Games | Berlin

 German Startup News

German startups that recently received funding, were acquired, built up staff, etc., and could be good places to look for jobs.

⭐ ​Sunhat​ | Cologne | ​Jobs​

⭐ ​RobCo​ | Munich | ​Jobs​

⭐ ​Yendou​ | Berlin | ​Jobs​

⭐ ​Assemblio​ | Stuttgart | ​Jobs​

⭐ ​Ecoligo​ | Berlin | ​Jobs​

⭐ ​Heyflow​ | Hamburg | ​Jobs

⭐ phelas | Munich | Jobs ​

⭐ INSRD | Berlin | Jobs

⭐ Greenlyte | Essen | Jobs

⭐ ENVIRIA | Frankfurt | Jobs

News in Germany

All of the news in Germany.

⭐ Discrimination cases reach new heights in Germany in 2022 with 14% increase

⭐ Changes to Germany’s skilled immigration rules take effect

⭐ A guide to Gräfekiez with Mary Sherpe from ‘Stil in Berlin’

⭐ ‘Complete shock’: How sophisticated scammers are targeting desperate Berlin tenants

⭐ Can I have three passports under the new German citizenship law?

⭐ Frankfurt lights up “Happy Ramadan” decorations for the first time

⭐ Making workers happier with a four-day week

⭐ What’s on at Berlin theatres this month?

⭐ If only women voted, what would Germany look like?

⭐ All workers in Germany now legally obliged to officially record their hours

⭐ Berlin Ausländerbehörde to launch new online appointment booking service

⭐ Berlin presents plan for park on former Tegel Airport runway

⭐ German strikes hurting economy and travelers alike

⭐ Solving Germany’s labor shortage

⭐ Berlin art: What exhibitions are on now?

How We Can Help

Some of the good stuff offered by the Berlin Life.

⭐ Get connected with other like-minded professionals in our community by adding yourself to our LinkedIn Connect and Exchange list. Chat with others in our Facebook and Slack community spaces. 🗣️

⭐ We offer career coaching and other services and free guides to living, working, and moving to Berlin. Some of our most-read guides include:

• • • • • ​What Are The Best Berlin Job Search Websites?

        • These Are The Berlin Public Holidays In 2024

        • How to Save Energy in Germany (& Money Too!)