Seeking Employment in a Non-Native Language: Online Information-Seeking Behavior of Refugees in Germany

Abstract

In 2015, over a million refugees arrived in Germany. After settling into their new environments, these refugees needed to find employment. The search for work, and the orientation to the German job market, increasingly takes place on the Internet requiring language skills and digital competence. The purpose of this study is to examine the online information seeking strategies of refugees in Germany and barriers that affect a successful search. The study builds on data collected from an online study with seven refugees solving different tasks. Search queries for each participant were recorded and analyzed using an approach of both the mixed and grounded theory method. Participants did not follow any observable systematic strategy but relied on supporting tools such as the search engine for providing suggestions or corrections and translation websites. Participants mainly used three formulation tactics: copying, suggestions, and autonomous formulating. The formulation of the query seemed to be the most challenging to the participants.