If you are looking for a job and want to leave unemployment behind, you have probably heard these well-intentioned sentences or something similar:

“If you really want to, you’ll find a new job.”
“Something will turn up eventually.”
“There are so many jobs out there, there’s bound to be one for you too.”

Of course, when looking for a job, it is crucial that you stay positive and do not let refusals, self-doubt and potential financial hardship get you down. The abovementioned phrases are the last thing a job-seeker needs to hear.

Therefore, in this article we will not dwell on the fact that your attitude is also a decisive factor in finding a new job — because you already know that. Instead, we will give you five practical tips to help you finally leave unemployment behind.

Contents: How can I leave unemployment behind?

Concentrate on your strengths — and develop them!
Try temping
Put your faith in “Vitamin C”
Introduce yourself personally and expand your network
Create a profile on social networks
Ensure your application documents are in good shape

Concentrate on your strengths — and develop them!

Do you know the meaning of the saying “the cobbler should stick to his last”? In the context of job-seeking, this means that you should stick to what you know, that is to say concentrate primarily on the professional field with which you are familiar. Here you have acquired a wide range of skills and, where applicable, have many years of professional experience.

Conversely, it usually makes little sense to look for a job in a whole new professional field. Of course, we do not want to discourage you from broadening your horizons and opening up new areas of interest. Nevertheless, you should ask yourself whether a new professional field can offer a solid basis for you to make a living in the long term, and whether you even want this kind of job.

It will be more effective if you apply for positions that primarily match your qualifications. This is how HR managers and bosses will assess whether you are the right person for the advertised position. If you demonstrate great interest and commitment, but have no professional experience, you will have a hard time competing against other applicants.

If you feel that you are lacking important qualifications, or the requirements for your previous job have changed, targeted further training makes sense. You can attend such training courses over several days, at the weekend, or in evening courses while continuing to look for work. In this way you can expand your qualifications and simultaneously increase your chances on the job market. Transitional solutions such as traineeships or internships are another option. It is not uncommon for internships to result in a permanent position.

Additional tip: Treat your job-seeking like a day at work. Dedicate at least four hours a day to intensively looking for a job.

Try temping

Temporary work (also known as agency work or temping) is a great route out of unemployment. Temporary workers are used by companies that have an increased need for personnel over a certain period of time e.g. due to peaks in business or employees being off work for long periods of time on parental leave or as a result of illness. Contrary to popular belief, temp work does not mean that you only get employed for a short period of time before returning to unemployment. Instead, you are usually employed by a personnel service provider. The service provider then hires you out for a certain period of time to a company in need of an employee with your qualifications and experience.

And should none of the advertised jobs match your profile, you will remain employed by the personnel service provider when not hired out, and will continue to receive your wages, social benefits, holiday entitlement etc. This is one of the particular advantages of temp work. But that's not all!

Through temping…

you have a good chance of starting work quickly, supported by the personnel service provider, across almost all qualification levels.
you have the opportunity to work in different areas and gain diverse professional experience.
you get to know many companies and new colleagues.
you have a good chance of becoming permanently employed by the company after your temporary contract comes to an end.

In fact, about a third of temporary workers are permanently employed by the company after their temp work ends. So temping offers a great opportunity to finally turn your back on unemployment. If you want to learn more about the type of workers for whom temping is particularly worthwhile and how much you can earn, you will find further helpful information on the topic here.

Put your faith in “Vitamin C”

These days, job searches usually begin online. You will find a large number of job offers on online recruitment portals, but you have to reckon with an equally high number of competitors. In addition, some offers may be out of date, still advertising positions that have long been filled. So not only do you need to be fast, you have to stand out from the competition.

Another problem: many jobs do not even find their way onto digital job portals, instead being filled via the so-called hidden job market. This means, for example, that recruiters or bosses first offer available positions to their own contacts before they advertise them. In Germany, around two-thirds of all job vacancies are filled this way.

For job seekers, this leads to another important tip for leaving unemployment behind: put your faith in “Vitamin C”, your contacts! This means: Even if it feels uncomfortable, don’t shy away from talking to friends, acquaintances and former colleagues about your job search. They may be able to give you crucial tips, pass on new contacts or let you know about available positions in the hidden job market.

Introduce yourself personally and expand your network

Once you have informed your contacts about your job search, you can go one step further. It is all about getting personal. Introduce yourself directly to companies and expand your personal network. This can work in different ways:

For example, call the companies you are most interested in working for and inquire about vacancies in your field. You may find out about positions that have not been publicly advertised, and can refer directly to your telephone call in your subsequent letter of application.

Job fairs also offer an excellent opportunity to make direct contact with companies and their HR managers. You can either make an appointment with the company’s representatives in advance or contact them spontaneously at the fair. In either case, you should research the companies in question and think about how you can support them with your qualifications. You will make a particularly good impression with the HR manager if, after talking, you can hand over a customised application portfolio including cover letter, CV and copies of your certificates.

Some companies also occasionally hold an open doors day. You can also use this as an opportunity to make new contacts, take a look at the company “from the inside” and inquire about vacancies.

Whichever way you choose: if you are frank about your job search and don’t shy away from making new acquaintances, you increase your chances of saying goodbye to unemployment sooner rather than later.

Create a profile on social networks

Everyone has heard of the social networks Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. But do you also know XING and LinkedIn? The main purpose of these platforms is to establish and maintain professional contacts. Another particularly practical point: in addition to presenting your professional experience and qualifications, you can indicate in your profile that you are looking for work in a specific industry. You can also actively search for work on these platforms and create your own job market using selected search terms.

In addition, companies and so-called headhunters are active on these portals, searching user profiles for potential employees. An up-to-date and appealing profile increases the chances of companies finding you, instead of having to do all the searching yourself.

But when it comes to presenting yourself and your expertise, don’t limit yourself to professional networks. You can also use well-known social networks to draw attention to yourself. Are you a graphic designer or a carpenter, for example? Then show off your private projects to your Facebook or Instagram fans and mention “incidentally” that you are looking for a job. Maybe one of your followers is also a potential employer?

And even if you don't create products that can be presented directly, you can advertise your expertise online. Simply set up your own expert blog. These days, a range of different providers make it easy to create your own website or blog without the need for programming skills. In your private blog, for example, you can write about your favourite professional topics and discuss them with readers, thus demonstrating your specialist knowledge. Another advantage of an expert blog: you are in regular contact with people from your professional niche, ensuring that you stay up-to-date.

Once you have set up all your digital profiles, you can link them together, thus automatically spreading your projects and expertise across all channels. If you regularly add interesting professional content to your blog and social networks profiles, you increase the likelihood of attracting attention and making new contacts. Try it out!

Ensure your application documents are in good shape

Once you have drawn attention to yourself, made new contacts and found suitable job offers, a professional application portfolio is the final decisive tool in your bid to leave unemployment behind. This is especially true if you have not yet been able to get to know your potential boss or HR manager personally and want to make a decisive first impression. So take extra care when creating your application documents!

It is crucial that your applications are specific and individually tailored to each company. Tailored applications will give you a better chance of being invited for interview than if you send the same application template to hundreds of companies.

In another of our articles we describe in detail how to write a convincing letter of application, and what you should pay attention to when writing your CV. If you follow our tips, you will clear the last remaining obstacles from your path out of unemployment.

If you want to learn more about leaving unemployment behind, please contact us.

Raus aus der Arbeitslosigkeit – 5 Wegweiser zum neuen Job