Tips
Why it’s sometimes okay to enter a new market through an “imperfect” job
Job hunting in a new country rarely looks like a neat straight line. Sometimes your path starts with a role you would never call your dream job. And that can be a deliberate strategy you choose during relocation.
Table of Contents
What does an “imperfect” job even mean
Everyone has their own version of “imperfect”. For some people it is:
- a different field from the one you built your career in
- less money than your “ideal” level
- hands on work instead of something “by the diploma”
- evening shifts, weekends, HoReCa, service jobs
Relocation adds another layer on top of that: new country, new language, no local experience, no network yet. The market does not see you as “a strong marketer with 7 years of experience”, it sees a person it does not know yet.
That is why the “perfect first job” after moving often exists only in your head.
Real case: from “accidental” waiter to manager
We had a relocant who had never worked as a waiter before. He moved, started looking for a job “in his profession”, and faced the classic combo: no Serbian yet, no local experience, and strong competition for many roles.
In the end he took a waiter job in order to:
- start earning
- build up his language through real life communication
- understand how things actually work here
After some time this “temporary” step turned into growth to a café manager role. Not because it was his dream, but because:
- he turned out to be a reliable person at a moment when the business really needed that
- he was already inside the system and people could lean on him
- he showed results and understood the processes from the inside
On the CV it looks like “a career pivot”. In reality it was a working market entry strategy, and the knowledge and experience from his home country helped him a lot in this growth.
Global context: “off textbook” jobs are normal
If you set emotions aside and just look at the numbers, research shows that worldwide more than 900 million people work in roles that do not strictly match their level of education. Around 258 million of them are formally “over educated” for their job, meaning their qualifications are higher than the role requires.
OECD estimates that in member countries up to a quarter of workers can be formally “over qualified” for their current role, and up to a third, on the contrary, do not fully meet formal requirements.
So “I am temporarily working below my level” is not a personal tragedy. It is part of a bigger picture of mismatch on the labour market.
Serbia: the market exists, but it does not have to fit your ideal scenario
According to official statistics, in the third quarter of 2025 the employment rate in Serbia was around 51.3 percent and unemployment about 8.2 percent. For young people it is tougher: youth unemployment in the same period was around 23.4 percent.
What this means for a candidate after relocation:
- there is competition for “good” office roles
- employers first look at people with local experience
- you have extra steps to prove your value
And sometimes that extra step is exactly the “imperfect” job that does not look ideal at first glance.
What entering through an imperfect role actually gives you
Let’s again put emotions aside and look at the rational benefits.
- Local experience
You start to understand how people communicate here, how shifts work, what is going on with documents, taxes, work chats and “how things are done”. You cannot read this in a guide, you only get it by living through it yourself. - Language and context
No Serbian language course will give you as much spoken language as a shift in a bar, restaurant, shop or at reception. - Network
Colleagues, regular guests, suppliers, neighbouring businesses – all these people can one day recommend you to someone or offer you a job. In Serbia a lot really is found and solved through acquaintances and networking. - Testing your own hypotheses
Sometimes you come in as a “temporary” waiter and suddenly realise you actually enjoy live work with people and managing shifts, not sitting in spreadsheets all day. - Being inside the market, not outside it
It is simply easier for an employer to promote someone who is already nearby and understandable than to take a risk on an external candidate without local experience.
Where is the line between a “launch pad” and exploitation
Important: an imperfect job does not mean “say yes to anything for any money”. There are a few red flags. You should definitely be cautious if:
- the salary is radically below market level in the country for this type of work
- they expect you to do essentially 2–3 roles for the price of one
- there is no contract, it is completely unclear how you will be paid
- the employer is aggressively pushing “take it now or never”
- any questions about schedule, money or growth get only vague promises in response
A launch pad is when:
- they give you an honest description of duties and schedule
- there is a clear rate and at least an approximate salary range
- you understand what exactly you will learn there and how you can package it as experience
- there is a real chance to grow inside the company or to monetise this experience later with other employers
How to choose an “imperfect” job in Serbia wisely
A few questions to ask yourself before you say “yes”:
- What will I get besides money
Language, understanding of the market, experience inside a specific system (HoReCa, retail, tourism, IT support)? What exactly will be added to my profile over 6–12 months? - How will this look on my CV in a year
Will I be able to honestly describe this job as managerial, client facing, operational or some other meaningful experience? Can I link it to where I want to go? - Do I have an exit plan
How many months am I ready to stay here before making the next step? Which skills do I want to develop during this time? - What am I doing in parallel “for later”
You can work as a waiter or assistant and at the same time:- study the language
- continue online learning in your main field
- build a portfolio
- network through events, professional chats and communities
- How does this job affect my health and basic quality of life
Even a temporary role should not turn into permanent burnout and constant overwork.
Conclusion
In relocation, the ideal career path often looks less like a ladder and more like a zigzag. Starting “not from that role” does not have to mean you lost everything. It can be a step that makes you visible and understandable to the job market in your new country.
The main question is not “is this job perfect and can I call it my dream”, but “does this job move me closer to the life I want and give me resources for the next step”.
Open roles on Ovde Jobs
On Ovde Jobs you can:
- find roles that you can use as an entry point to the market (HoReCa, sales, customer support, assistant positions)
- filter vacancies by level, city and work format
- save interesting roles to your account and come back to them later
Go to the vacancies section, set filters based on your current strategy and see which roles that look “imperfect” at first glance could become your launch pad.