From Job Loss to New Job: How Two Job Seekers in Germany and the Netherlands Got Hired

From Job Loss to New Job: How Two Job Seekers in Germany and the Netherlands Got Hired

Losing a job, or reaching the end of a contract, often means starting a job search before you feel ready. Applications pile up, deadlines get missed and it becomes hard to know where to focus.

Two early JobStacky users went through exactly that. One was based in the Netherlands, the other in Germany. Both found new jobs within six months. Here's how they did it.

Two different starting points

In the Netherlands, a marketing professional was laid off and had to find a new role.

In Germany, a researcher's contract at the University of Bayreuth came to an end, so she needed a new position in her field of microbiology.

Different countries, different industries, the same problem: a lot of applications to manage, and no time to waste.

What they both did

1. They tracked every application in one place

Instead of relying on spreadsheets, emails and memory, both used the JobStacky Job Application Tracker to keep each job, its status and its next step together.

That made it easy to see which applications were waiting, which needed a follow-up and which had moved to an interview.

2. They prioritized the jobs that needed action first

Not every job can wait. Some postings close quickly, and some roles are a much better fit than others. Both of them sorted their applications by priority and focused first on the jobs they had to apply to as soon as possible.

This meant their best opportunities got their best effort, instead of getting lost among everything else.

3. They put effort into their resumes

One of them made heavy use of the JobStacky Resume Builder, creating clean, ATS-friendly resumes to send with applications. It's free to use, and it helped keep every application professional and consistent.

4. They searched in the local language

Both found their jobs in the language of the country they lived in. The marketer landed a role in Dutch, and the researcher found her new position in German. Applying in the local language opened up roles that many international candidates miss.

The results

• Netherlands: hired as a Content and Social Media Marketing Manager within six months, in a Dutch-speaking role.
• Germany: hired in microbiology within four months, in a German-speaking role.

They helped build JobStacky too

Both of them shared feedback while they were using JobStacky, and their ideas helped us improve the website and the tools. We're grateful to both of them, and their experience shaped many of the features job seekers use today.

What you can take from their stories

1. Get organized early. A clear overview of your applications saves time and stress.
2. Prioritize. Apply first to the roles that are closing soon or fit you best.
3. Make your resume easy to read for both recruiters and applicant tracking systems. See our list of ATS resume mistakes.
4. Consider local-language roles if you speak the language. They can mean less competition.
5. Keep going. Both searches took months, not weeks, and that's normal.

If you've recently lost your job, read our post on why people who just got laid off should use JobStacky, or the story of losing a job in Germany and keeping track of applications.

Start organizing your job search

The JobStacky Job Application Tracker helps you track and prioritize every application, and the Resume Builder is free. Your next job search can be a lot more organized.

Start your own success story

Track every application and prioritize the ones that matter most with JobStacky. It is free to start.