Spain Job Search

In Spain’s job search, if you want your job application to be taken seriously you have to consider all national differences. Spain job search demands more than just the obvious Spain CV with Spain cover letter writing and translation – it requires thorough preparation. You will be confronted with problems that in all probability did not even cross your mind when you become interested in jobs in Spain.

Do not take too lightly the influence the Spain job search can have on the final result of your adventure! For example, you will experience the unfamiliar immigration rules and practices, strange job application procedures, bizarre job selection trends and weird management culture.

A foreign individual (i.e., one who is not a Spanish permanent resident or citizen), who intends to have employment in Spain is typically required to possess a Spain work permit or other authorization to legally do so. Often, luck is the determining factor for whether an individual will get employment in Spain.

Most visits to Spain are trouble-free but you should be aware of the risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers like restaurants, hotels, clubs and shopping areas. You should exercise a high degree of caution due to the country experiencing a deteriorating security situation.
Demonstrations, protests and occasional illegal marches remain a concern throughout the country. In recent years, the Spanish authorities have carried out a number of investigations and operations against terrorist networks.
Monitor local news broadcasts and consular messages. Ensure that your travel documents and visas are current, valid and secured in a safe place. Carry a photocopy of your travel documents in lieu of the originals. Maintain a low profile, vary times and routes of travel, and exercise caution while driving. Making local contacts quickly and seeking support from other expatriates will greatly increase your comfort and safety.

Spanish is the main language; however, Basque, Catalan and Galician are the official languages too. Be aware of the regional differences in both cultural manners and language. If you want to apply successfully for a job, you better realize that an application in Spanish might not even be read in Barcelona where people speak Catalan! Castilian Spanish is used for business in most of Spain and the second most commonly spoken language in the country is French.

While some positions require strong language skills (translator, interpreter, consultant, etc.) others demand only minimal foreign language skills.

When applying for work in Spain, you may use either Spanish, French or English, depending on the company and your fluency. You can work using the Spanish language throughout Spain, but if you work in Cataluña, people will expect you to understand the basics of their Catalan language.

Foreign job seekers are expected to have at least a basic understanding of Spanish because knowledge of the local language is considered necessary to cope with daily office life and life outside work. Accept that most of the successful expatriate professionals are bilingual and many of them bi-cultural. Because of that, they can comfortably relate to people from different cultures.

Many people believe that having studied the Spanish language at school or college means you are able to speak that language – but do not be mistaken. Having to convince your boss or pass an interview in a language that is not your native tongue could prove a lot more difficult than you might expect.

Online job search resources are expanding quickly. With the high level of Internet usage in Spain, the Internet is now the best place to access information about work in Spain. However, it is always best to use as many different job search sources as possible to find open positions.

In an effective job search in Spain, you should complement online job search by methods that are more traditional because jobs are advertised in different ways and some jobs are not advertised in traditional forms at all. More than half of all employment in Spain is not advertised and is filled through referrals or networking. We refer to this as the “hidden job market” and it is a very important aspect of the job search process.

With the Spain job search, quite often, it is not what you know but whom you know

The most important route to jobs in Spain is through recommendations of friends, relatives and colleagues. This type of interpersonal recommendation is generally difficult for expatriates to access, but they can get around it by joining one of many networking groups upon their arrival in the country. Get a temporary job in Spain, as this will help with your networking.

Employment agencies are present in major cities and are available on the Internet. In addition, the Spain job centres have a good overview of all available jobs.

Testimonials of former employers are hardly ever requested.

Once you start sending out CVs to companies, do not sit back and wait for companies to call you. Spanish companies are notorious for not responding to letters. Be proactive and follow up with phone calls. If somebody at the company promises to call you back and fails to do so, do not be afraid to call him/her again. It is important to be persistent.

For Spain’s job search use the most powerful job-search engine!

To do the Spain job search, simply type keywords into the que/what box describing the kind of job you want, and enter a city, a province or postal code in the donde/where box. Then click the Buscar/Find button or hit the Enter key on your keyboard.

Careerjet runs the Spain job search on all of the major job boards, newspaper sites, niche industry sites and corporate job sites. Those include:

monster.es, unizar.es, clasificados.es, hays.es, federalgovernmentjobs.us, oilandgasjobsearch.com, eracareers.es, trabajos.com, sistemanacionalempleo.es, careerbuilder.es, experteer.es, segundamano.es, randstad.es, infoempleo.com, jobs2web.com, justlanded.com, snagajob.com, thecareerengineer.com, beyond.com, oilandgasjobsearch.com, loquo.com, clasificados.es, LinkedIn.com, miltrabajos.com, empleodirecto.com, infoempleo.com and hundreds more.

If you are unhappy with the presented jobs you may use another powerful job search engine covering the different job sources.

You may run your Spain job search right now, but when you find jobs you must apply immediately with your current Spain CV and Spain cover letter.

Remember that your Spain CV must be targeted, scannable and generate hits. If you have difficulty with your CV writing, instead of staring at a blank piece of paper, use CV samples.

We recommend that you send your CV together with a cover letter. If you have difficulty with your cover letter writing use a cover letter sample and cover letter template.

In recent years it becomes increasingly popular to join the LinkedIn or Facebook social networking websites for professionals, where you may search for jobs and have your keyword-optimized, rich content profile with a current CV. Hiring managers use them more frequently to consult your profile and supplement or check against the CV you send along. If you do not have an account, create one and include your social media link(s) on your CV.
However, you should manage your online presence. Eliminate any photos and statements that could reflect poorly on you. From an employer’s point of view, someone who emphasizes partying on a social networking site is not focused on jobs and those who post complaints about work or colleagues are less desirable candidates. The online CV should not include sensitive information as it could show a lack of respect for confidentiality and discretion.

Other Spain Job Search Info

To be successful in your Spain job search and get the job you want, you need to prepare a Spain cover letter and Spain CV which you must email instantly to the prospective employers selected during a job search in Spain.

When you receive an invitation to the Spain job interview, you may apply for a Spain visa and a Spain work permit. Then prepare yourself for a job interview and take a look at Spain’s dress code because how you dress is one of the most important attributes in not being hired for available jobs.

Check the job interview dos & don’ts, job interview tips and other job search skills pages.

In addition, on the international info, job search, visa, work permit, cover letter, CV & resume, job interview and dress code pages you will find many useful tips for overseas job seekers.

Good luck with your Spain job search!