I’M GRADUATING SOON, HOW DO I FIND A JOB? Ft. Career Center Workshop

In recent weeks we have written several articles aimed at the new students welcomed this semester. However, we do not forget all those who are about to complete their time in the classrooms. If, like me, you are also just a hair away from completing the credit bar and the requirements for your degree, you are surely wondering HOW AND WHERE TO START the job search.

Fortunately, as students at Uni Bremen we have the support of the Career Center to grab our hand during this uncertain transition. Surely you have received their emails with invitations to workshops, seminars or counseling. I absolutely recommend you take advantage of the offer! I have personally found the Career Center Workshops very useful as a guide in my own job search process.

The Uni Counseling Team offers a limited number of personal appointments per semester (it is best to approach at the beginning of the semester), where you can ask for help with an application document check. But they also offer special workshops for students, graduates and academic assistants who want to apply for an internship or a job abroad, and for international students, graduates and research assistants looking for a job in Germany, both in German and English.

Not long ago I attended one of the two-day online courses (8 hours in total) where the basics of the Job Application Process – Documents, Procedures and Interviews were covered. Registration for the course was very simple, through StudIP. I was initially on the waiting list, but a few days before I got a spot and access credentials to the zoom meeting. The moderator, Julia Heber, has several years of experience as a Business Coach and Trainer with international certification. I found her input interesting, concrete and quite professional.

I could not reproduce the content of the course in this article, however, some topics covered were:

• How to prepare and optimize the three basics properly:

1. Application letter: state on one page your qualifications, values that you share with the company, career perspective, tick the relevant boxes. Create a new individual document for each application.
2. CV: normally in a tabular format. Mostly identical but minimal changes needed depending on the job or company profile target.
3. Certificates: relevant degrees, trainings, languages or skills. Those are mostly identical for all applications.

• How to stay relevant and memorable when you write an application
• How to use all advantages strategically (points of contact, previous research, existing network, channels, and qualifications)
• Platforms, search engines, professional social networks, job fairs, and other places to find relevant jobs: Glassdoor, Akadeus, Indeed, Stepstone, Monster, LinkedIn, Xing
• Different kinds of job interviews, what to expect, and how to prepare for each
• Self-Introduction and Presentation
• Difficult questions and strategies to answer
• Specifics and tips for the German context

The workshop was a great start to organize my steps in the search, but also to have an overview of everything I can take care of and optimize for my benefit as a future applicant. The virtual presence of other colleagues who are entering the same phase made me feel accompanied and understood; I also learned from their doubts and experiences. Certainly, at one point I felt a little overwhelmed, but also excited about the possibilities once I leave university. It is clear to me that the intention of the Career Center is to help with information and training that I can use when the right opportunity comes, and it’s always good to be prepared.

In that sense, I wish you luck and clarity for your next steps! Do not hesitate to contact me if you have specific questions about this workshop. Of course, here is also the link to find more events like this if you are interested in the full content.