Job Application Training for Doctoral Students

Stand out with Your CV & CL - succeed in the Interview

For up to 12 doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, in German or English

2 days – online or on-site

Trainer: Dr. Matthias Mayer

Target Group

Doctoral Candidates and Postdocs of all disciplines - ideally about 1 to 2 years before you want to enter your next job.

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Your Benefit

The job market for PhDs is extremely competitive. You should be able to create an outstanding CV, a compelling Cover Letter, and to convince during the interview. In this training you will learn how to do so.

Goals

  • You know how to design your CV and covering letter
  • You learn and train how to master job interviews
  • You create an individual activity list for specific next steps

Content

  • What to do when in order to get the next job?
  • Where to look for open positions?
  • How to read a job ad? 
  • What makes an outstanding CV?
  • How to write a covering letter
  • After we discussed fundamentals of CV and CL, you will mutually exchange feedback on your documents with another participant. Thereafter you can, between both seminar days, rework them if you like, and receive further feedback on day 2.
  • How to prepare for a job interview and respond to difficult questions
  • You rehearse a job interview in a small group, including video recording and feedback by your peers
  • You develop a plan of concrete next steps

Methods

The workshop is a mixture of trainer input, discussion, reworking of your CV/CL documents, simulated job interviews, exchange of feedback with your peers. Also the online version is highly interactive using zoom technology with a lot of small group work.  

Required preparation (details follow after subscription): Sending in a current CV and CL.

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Thanks a lot, Dr. Matthias Mayer!

[...] I highly recommend other PhD candidates and PostDocs to participate his course. [...] my CV change drastically, even though I’ve visited a few similar job application courses [...]

I particularly like that Dr. Mayer lets students examine [...] the other participants’ CVs and practice[...] the interview with each other. [...]

The handouts and prep-kits for job interviews he gave us are also very useful. [... He] invited one of his friends who [...] has an established career in the Life Sciences to have a Q&A section. This part makes the course more vivid to gain more ideas for international [...] career experiences. [...]

I [...] appreciate that I did spend my time on this course during my crazily busy last year PhD phase.

Thanks a lot, Dr. Matthias Mayer!

Yu-Ming Huang , PhD Student, University of Tübingen - Participant of a 2-days online training on Career Planning and Job Application for PhD students in the Life Sciences
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A life changing experience

A life changing experience, incredibly helpful workshop [...] I am so glad I could get a slot [...] every second was worth attending.

Before the seminar itself, participants were given the chance to reflect on their goals and expectations [...] This pre-workshop exercise was [...] a great way to clear my mind [...]

The daily sessions were packed with meaningful information [...] including activation exercises [...] which kept my attention high. I could figure out that Matthias is very good with groups. He did a wonderful job with us all. I personally found it very empowering as nothing was between me and my dreamed career, but active planning.

I would definitely recommend the course to anyone and especially fellows hesitating between academia or industry as a career path and those who need to be encouraged.

[after a 2-days online Career Planning and Job Application Training for Life Scientists]

Dr. Babette Guimbang , Tübingen
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in einem […] zukünftigen Job-Interview ausschlaggebend

[...] Meines Erachtens bietet das Seminar eine super Möglichkeit sich [...] über Bewerbungsarten und -möglichkeiten zu informieren und der [...] Frage nach „Industrie oder Forschung“ nachzugehen und darüber zu reflektieren.

[...] die Tatsache, dass der Kurs online stattgefunden hat, [war] keinerlei Nachteil. Im Gegenteil, der Kurs [war] optimal in den Promotionsalltag zu integrieren. [...]

Was mir besonders gut gefallen hat ist, dass es ein guter Mix war zwischen einer Anleitung von Matthias Mayer und der Teamarbeit. [...]

die [durchgeführten] Job-Interviews [boten] eine tolle Möglichkeit sich selber bei einem Interview zu „beobachten“ und seine Wirkung auf andere besser einschätzen zu können, was sicherlich in einem potenziellen zukünftigen Job-Interview ausschlaggebend sein kann.

Ilena Bauer , Doktorandin am Helmholtz Zentrum München - 2-tägiges Seminar zu Karriereplanung und Bewerbungtraining für Promovierende in den Life Sciences
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