How to get into the German job market!

For PhD-holders with an international background, it can be a real challenge to get into the German job market outside academia at the end of a doctoral or post-doc position. The entry routes into jobs are not always transparent, candidates are often not well-informed about what to expect in the application process and not everyone can offer German language skills. Where and how you can look for a job outside classic academia depends on your qualifications and skills set, on your individual life situation as well as on knowing about possible entry paths, the (unwritten) rules of the game and other additional parameters. This workshop offers assistance with this and will encourage participants not just to prepare for this transition in a focused way but to create an action plan which they can implement.

Contents

The workshop has four components:

1. Developing a profile: What can I do and where and how do I want to work with that? What competencies can I demonstrate? What are my values and motivations?
2. Information about the landscape of the German job market for international PhD-holders.
3. Planning the next steps and drawing up a personal action plan.
4. Case studies of international PhD-holders who have successfully entered the German job market, highlighting their strategies for success.

Learning goals

The Participants learn...

• about the possibilities and challenges facing international PhD-holders on the German job market outside academia
• to develop their own qualification-based profile and explore different career options
• to understand and articulate how their international background strengthens their profile
• practical tips for networking and prototyping in their job-search

Methods

Short inputs from the trainer, self-reflective exercises, group work, trainer- and peer-feedback.

Participants will be sent a short exercise to complete approximately one week before the workshop.