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Applying in Türkiye

How to apply for jobs in Turkey

Most hiring in Türkiye now starts online: a job board, LinkedIn, a company career page or the public employment agency İŞKUR. The paperwork is light compared with Germany or France, but a few local habits matter, from how you list your personal details to how you talk about pay. This guide walks through each stage and links the official pages behind it.

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How do you apply for a job in Turkey?

Find the vacancy on İŞKUR, a private job board, LinkedIn or the employer's site, then apply with a one- or two-page CV (özgeçmiş) fitted to that posting; add a short cover letter (ön yazı) when the advert asks or you apply by email. Expect one to three interviews. Foreign nationals also need a work permit, which the employer applies for online.[1][7]

Applying in Türkiye at a glance

Usual practice for job applications in Türkiye
TopicUsual in Türkiye
The CVCalled özgeçmiş or simply CV. One page early in a career, two at most later. Reverse-chronological.
PhotoCommon on Turkish CVs but never required; a plain, recent portrait if you add one.
Personal detailsName, phone, email, city. Leave out your national ID number, religion and health.
Cover letterÖn yazı: short, optional for many board applications, expected when you apply by email.
Where jobs are postedGeneral boards (Kariyer.net, Yenibiriş, Secretcv), LinkedIn for corporate roles, İşin Olsun and Eleman.net for blue-collar work, İŞKUR, company career pages; public posts on Kariyer Kapısı, often with a KPSS score.
LanguageTurkish for most local roles; English for international companies or when the advert is in English.
ProbationUp to two months by law, extendable to four by a collective agreement.
Foreign applicantsA work permit is needed; the employer files the application online.

[1][4][5][7]

Where to find jobs in Turkey

Turkish job seekers rarely rely on one site. A typical search combines one or two general boards, LinkedIn for office and corporate roles, an app built for hourly and blue-collar work if that is your field, and İŞKUR. The list below says what each site is for, so you can pick the two or three that fit your kind of job.

Job sites used in Türkiye and what each is for
SiteTypeWhat it is for
Kariyer.netGeneral job boardA Turkish board running since 1999, with listings across sectors and levels, from interns to managers. Save searches for two or three job titles and your city.
YenibirişGeneral job boardA general board that describes itself as one of Türkiye's long-established career platforms: full-time, part-time, hybrid and remote listings, filters by city, sector and experience, and saved-search alerts. It operates under an İŞKUR licence as a private employment office.
SecretcvGeneral job boardA job and recruitment site run by TRCV with adverts from every sector, plus CV and career articles. Worth adding as a third board for wider coverage.
LinkedInWhite-collar and corporateOffice, professional and management roles, multinationals and recruiter outreach. Keep the headline and dates identical to your CV.
İşin OlsunBlue-collar, hourly and part-timeKariyer.net's app for jobs near home, shown on a map: waiting staff, cooks, drivers, couriers, warehouse and store roles, full-time or part-time.
Eleman.netBlue-collar and serviceSorts its listings into blue-collar (mavi yaka) and white-collar groups; many adverts are in retail, logistics, food service, manufacturing and the trades.
IndeedInternational job siteAlso runs a Turkish site. Use it as a second search next to the local boards; many adverts there send you on to the employer's own page.
YouthallStudents and new graduatesInternships, new-graduate jobs and management-trainee programmes for people aged 18 to 35, plus career events.
Kariyer KapısıPublic sector and internshipsThe Presidency's career platform, linked to e-Devlet, where public job adverts and internship postings are published.
ÖSYM (KPSS)Public sectorMany permanent posts in ministries and state bodies require a KPSS score; check ÖSYM for the exam calendar and each posting for the minimum score.
İŞKURPublic employment serviceThe state employment agency: vacancies matched to your profile, overseas listings and free job-search counselling. Register online or at your provincial office.
Company career pagesDirect applicationsLarge employers, banks and multinationals post here first and use their own application system; a plain, single-column CV reads best there.

Apply within the first days of a posting, and tell former colleagues what you are looking for: some roles are filled through referrals before they are advertised. Ruubu's job matches for Turkey search several of these sites at once and score each posting against your resume.

[1][3][4][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]

The CV and cover letter Turkish employers expect

Recruiters in Türkiye read short CVs: contact details, a two- or three-line profile, work experience from the latest job back, education, skills and languages with levels. On İŞKUR the education and occupation fields matter most, because the agency matches vacancies against them, so fill both in completely. Our Turkish CV format guide covers layout, the photo question and a sample structure.

Many board applications are a single click with your stored CV, so the CV does the work there. When you apply by email or to a company directly, add an ön yazı of three short paragraphs: the role and where you saw it, two results that match the advert, and a closing line. The cover letter builder drafts one from your resume.[2]

What an employer may and may not ask

Labour Law No. 4857, article 5 forbids discrimination in the employment relationship on grounds such as language, race, sex, disability, political opinion, belief and religion, and bars different treatment because of sex or pregnancy when a contract is made, unless the nature of the job requires it.

The Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 says personal data must be relevant, limited and proportionate to its purpose, and treats data on religion, health, appearance and similar matters as special categories. In practice: your CV does not need your ID number, religion, blood group or health details, and you can keep marital status and date of birth off it unless the posting asks.[5][6]

Applying for a job in Turkey, step by step

How long each stage takes depends on the employer; public-sector hiring that runs through an exam takes the longest, so plan around its calendar.

  1. 01

    Shortlist the postings

    Pick roles where you meet most of the listed requirements. Note the title, company, deadline and the exact skills the advert names.

  2. 02

    Fit your CV to the posting

    Mirror the advert's wording for skills you really have and put the most relevant results first. Check your resume to see how an applicant-tracking system reads it.

  3. 03

    Apply through the channel the advert names

    Use the board's apply button, the employer's portal or the email given. If you email, put the role in the subject line and attach a PDF named with your name.

  4. 04

    Prepare for screening

    The first contact is often a short phone or video call with HR about your experience, availability and expectations. Have a salary range ready.

  5. 05

    Interview with the team

    Expect one or two further rounds with the manager, sometimes a case study or test. Practise answers out loud with the interview prep kit.

  6. 06

    Review the offer

    Confirm the job title, start date, net monthly salary, probation length and benefits in writing before you resign from your current job.

Interview customs in Türkiye

  • Dress one step more formal than the office you are visiting; for banks and law firms that means a suit.
  • Be on time and greet each interviewer by title and surname (Ahmet Bey, Ayşe Hanım) until they suggest otherwise.
  • Questions about your notice period and when you can start are routine; answer them precisely.
  • Prepare two or three questions of your own about the team and how success is measured in the role.
  • Video interviews are common for first rounds: test the link, camera and a quiet background beforehand.

Follow-up, salary talk and probation

A short thank-you email on the day of the interview is welcome, and a polite follow-up after about a week of silence is normal. Keep a record of every application, contact and date; the job tracker does this for you and flags applications that are due a follow-up.

Salaries in Türkiye are usually discussed as a monthly figure, and offers may quote net (net) or gross (brüt) pay, so always ask which one you are looking at, and whether meal cards, transport or bonuses are on top. Article 15 of the Labour Law allows a probation period of at most two months, which a collective agreement can extend to four; during it either side may end the contract without notice or severance, though you are paid for the days you worked.[5]

Applying from abroad: work permits and degrees

Foreign nationals need a work permit. The employer submits the application online through e-Devlet, with electronic signature. If you live abroad without a Turkish residence permit, you first apply for a work visa at the Turkish mission in your country and give the reference number you receive to the employer, who then files the permit application.

Some regulated jobs ask for recognition of a foreign university degree. The Council of Higher Education (YÖK) runs the recognition and equivalence process; check its requirements early, because the employer may ask for the decision before an offer is final.[7][8]

Common mistakes

  • Sending the same CV to every posting: Turkish recruiters scan for the advert's own keywords first.
  • Listing your T.C. kimlik number or full home address on the CV: a city is enough.
  • Leaving the İŞKUR profile half-filled, which means fewer matched vacancies.
  • Accepting an offer without confirming whether the salary is net or gross.
  • Starting work as a foreign national before the permit is approved.

Prepare this application with Ruubu

Each tool works on the resume you already have. Start with the free check, then fit the resume and letter to one posting.

Ruubu on job sites in Turkey

Built from the lists Ruubu actually runs, so this block only names sites Ruubu works with today.

Job Matches searches
LinkedIn, Kariyer.net, and Indeed
Ruubu for Chrome shows your match score on
LinkedIn, Indeed, and Kariyer.net
Ruubu for Chrome fills application forms on
LinkedIn, Indeed, Greenhouse, Workday, Lever, Ashby, SmartRecruiters, iCIMS, Taleo, SAP SuccessFactors, Jobvite, BambooHR, Workable, Oracle Recruiting Cloud, Breezy HR, Rippling, Dover, Gem, Comeet, Eightfold, Avature, and Cornerstone

Job sites and hiring systems belong to their owners. Ruubu is independent and not affiliated with them. Every site and what Ruubu does there

Frequently asked questions

Is İŞKUR only for unemployed people?
No. Anyone looking for work can register with İŞKUR, online or at a provincial office, record a CV and apply to the vacancies it lists, including overseas listings. Its job counsellors also help with job-search planning.
Should my CV for Turkey include a photo?
A photo is common but not required, and many international employers prefer CVs without one. If you add it, use a recent portrait with a plain background. The Turkish CV format guide has the details.
Can I apply for jobs in Turkey in English?
Yes, for international companies and for adverts written in English. For most local roles a Turkish CV is expected; if you write it in English, state your Turkish level clearly.
How long is probation in Turkey?
Labour Law No. 4857 limits a probation period to two months, extendable to four months by a collective agreement. Either side can end the contract without notice during that time.
Who applies for the work permit, me or the employer?
The employer files the work permit application online. If you are abroad, you first apply for a work visa at a Turkish mission and pass the reference number to the employer.

Sources

Statements about rules and official guidance rely on these pages. We opened and read each source ourselves on the date shown.

  1. [1]İş Arama (job search for job seekers) · Türkiye İş Kurumu (İŞKUR)www.iskur.gov.tr/is-arayan/is-arama/ ·
  2. [2]Kayıt (registration for job seekers) · Türkiye İş Kurumu (İŞKUR)www.iskur.gov.tr/is-arayan/kayit/ ·
  3. [3]İş Arayan Danışmanlığı (job-seeker counselling) · Türkiye İş Kurumu (İŞKUR)www.iskur.gov.tr/is-arayan/is-ve-meslek-danismanligi/is-arayan-danismanligi/ ·
  4. [4]Kamu Personel Seçme Sınavı (KPSS) · ÖSYM (Measuring, Selection and Placement Centre)www.osym.gov.tr/ ·
  5. [5]Labour Law No. 4857, art. 5 (equal treatment) and art. 15 (probation) · Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (Presidency of Türkiye)www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuatmetin/1.5.4857.pdf ·
  6. [6]Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 · Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK)www.kvkk.gov.tr/Icerik/6649/Personal-Data-Protection-Law ·
  7. [7]Çalışma İzni Başvurusu (how to apply for a work permit) · Directorate General of International Labour Forcewww.calismaizni.gov.tr/calisma-izni-hakkinda/calisma-izni-basvurusu/ ·
  8. [8]Recognition and equivalence of foreign degrees (Tanıma ve Denklik) · Council of Higher Education (YÖK)denklik.yok.gov.tr/tr/page/75 ·
  9. [9]Kariyer.net home page (job listings, operating since 1999; group brands incl. İşin Olsun) · Kariyer.netwww.kariyer.net/ ·
  10. [10]Yenibiriş – İş İlanları (official app listing) · Yenibiris.com (App Store)apps.apple.com/tr/app/yenibiri%C5%9F-i-%C5%9F-i-lanlar%C4%B1/id521117280 ·
  11. [11]Secretcv.com home page · TRCV İnsan Kaynakları ve Yönetim Danışmanlığı A.Ş.www.secretcv.com/ ·
  12. [12]About LinkedIn · LinkedInabout.linkedin.com/ ·
  13. [13]İşin Olsun home page (jobs near home; a Kariyer.net brand) · İşin Olsun (Kariyer.net)isinolsun.com/ ·
  14. [14]Eleman.net home page (blue-collar and white-collar listings) · Eleman.netwww.eleman.net/ ·
  15. [15]About Indeed · Indeedwww.indeed.com/about ·
  16. [16]Youthall: jobs, internships, events and career advice · Youthallwww.youthall.com/en/ ·
  17. [17]Kariyer Kapısı (public job and internship adverts) · T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığıkariyerkapisi.gov.tr/ ·

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