How can I find a job?

[Jen]

Hi!

My name is Jen and I am 31 years old. I am originally from North Carolina, but moved to Vienna in October 2009 because my husband lives here. Ever since I came here, I have been looking for a job. My husband is originally from Spain and is working at a hauler because they export a lot of goods to Spain. Unfortunately, he can’t help me with a job since there are no vacant posts in his company. Additionally, I’m not sure how the Austrian job market works…
I have applied for several jobs which were posted on stepstone.at, monster.at, derstandard.at, etc., but so far the reactions of potential employers have been bad. I don’t know if I’m right here in this forum, but I thought there might be people who can help me? I am usually sending a CV which consists of two pages and shows my work experience as well as my educational background (I have a major in Spanish from college) + a letter of application which shows why I am right for this position and outlines my motivation.

As for my German skills, they could be better. I have done some German classes prior to coming here and I am approx. level B1 according to the European Framework of Reference.

It would be really great if someone could give me helpful hints on what I should do when applying for a job or what I need to bear in mind.

I would be truly grateful for any kind of advice!

Thanks in advance,
Jen 

[Damien]

Hi,
I will try in English, because, obviously your German is not strong enough, is it? And maybe this is exactly the problem, unless you find a real international company. But still, I think, that even in a company like Coca-Cola they will speak a lot of German. This could be the reason why a boss doesn´t want to employ you. What kind of job are you looking for? I spent several years in different countries and generally could quickly find a job as a teacher (my mother-tongue is french) or helping students. I have friends in Vienna teaching french or english, the best is to have a ESL-Diploma if you want to teach english. Now I work mostly online for a french marketing company, this is the best job I could ever find, because I am really flexible. I had some jobs in Austria just to pick up the language and they were really helpfull. What I would recommend is: Go on as far as you can with a German course and try to get as much practice in German as you can.
Good luck.

[June86]

Hi Jen!

It´s so great to meet you here! I´m in the same situation like you, but unfortunatly my english is not so good like yours! 

I´m 23 years old and three months ago I came with my husband from China to Austria. We have a little baby-boy, so I don´t have to look for a job now. But in a few years, when my baby goes to kindergarten, I want to work again as a secretary.
My husband works at the UNO-City and I´m almost every time alone here in Vienna!

Next months I will take my first german course at the Deutschakademie - I´m so nervous to learn the new language! Perhaps we can meet each other? Together we are less alone!

Many nice greetings, June

[Jen]

Thank you so much for the advice!

However, I don't see myself as a teacher. I wouldn't want that for my future career. I'd rather work in an office...

I know that I should learn German in order to communicate better but I'm afraid that it might collide with my potential job...I know there's also evening courses, I have to think about it.

I also wrote an application to work as a research associate at some universities in Vienna - I'll let you know how that goes!

@ June86: I'd love to meet up! I know way too few people here in Vienna.

Does anybody else here have similar difficulties finding a job? If you have found a job in a German-speaking country even though you're from abroad - how did you do it?