The topic of careers is a pressing concern for students: students from the four faculties have taken advantage of the services offered by Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences’ Career Service more than 800 times this term.
Demand for the services offered by the Career Service, which was established in the summer semester of 2015, continues to rise: around 170 students attended information sessions on topics such as ‘Applying for jobs in Germany’ and ‘Strategic job hunting’. Thanks to the expansion of the Career Service team across the individual faculties over the last two semesters, students have been able to receive even more personalised advice. As a result, career advisers Elena Buksmann (Faculty of Technology and Bionics), Imke Hans (Society and Economics), Maria Hinckers (Life Sciences) and Carina Terlinden (Communication and Environment) have made contact with over 630 students in total.
“The focus of the counselling sessions is on application documents and the specific features of the application process in Germany. International students in particular are used to different application conventions in their home countries and therefore have a great need for advice,” explains Elena Buksmann. However, many German students also wish to improve their self-marketing skills in order to make a very good impression on their dream employer.
Other questions raised by students go far beyond application documents: “Students in more interdisciplinary subjects, in particular, make use of our service to seek support with career guidance,” says Maria Hinckers. “What am I actually capable of? What do I enjoy doing? Where can I go with this, and where do I want to go? – These are just some of the topics we cover in our career coaching sessions.”
In addition to counselling, information and networking events for students, the central Career Service at the Centre for Research, Innovation and Transfer (ZFIT) is also expanding its contacts with regional and national companies. “We’re always keen to form partnerships. One free service we offer companies is the internal job board, where we publish opportunities for work placements, final-year projects, entry-level roles and even voluntary positions. This ensures they’re exclusively accessible to our students,” explains Imke Hans.
Although student enquiries do drop off once the lecture-free period begins, the workload does not decrease: Carina Terlinden adds: “Now the planning phase for new, additional services begins, and of course the new programme is being drawn up. Students can continue to make use of the Career Service’s services – even during the semester break. We look forward to receiving new enquiries!”
