Facilitating the transition from studying to academic appointments: that is the aim of the annual Career Day at the university. In addition to lectures, informal contact with companies can also help on the way to a job - as was the case last year with maths graduate Wilke Trei.
Internships and theses, trainee programmes and career entry - these are once again the central topics at the University's sixth Career Day on Tuesday, 12 May. The job and internship fair will take place from 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. in the Auditorium Centre (Building A14, Uhlhornsweg 86).
Representatives from 33 companies from various sectors will be presenting themselves as employers and potential fields of work for students and graduates in personal talks and keynote speeches. The Employment Agency, the Start-up and Innovation Centre, the International Alumni Programme and the Career Service will also be represented with stands.
Last year, Wilke Trei also used the opportunity to make direct contact with regional and national companies. The 29-year-old studied mathematics in Oldenburg and worked as a research assistant. When looking for a job, he noticed "that not so many jobs were explicitly advertised for mathematicians" - so he enquired about possible fields of work in person at various companies at the Career Day. "The direct contact was helpful to ask: Is there anything for people who haven't studied Computing Science or Economics?"
Among other things, he spoke to two different representatives from the Computing Science Institute OFFIS. "I also clarified questions about the compatibility of academic appointments and family life at the same time," says Trei, who was already the father of a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter at the time. It paid off: the Career Day was followed by a job interview and soon afterwards he was hired in the road safety analyses department. And if Trei and his wife ever need to bridge a gap in childcare, their son, who is now just a few months old, sometimes comes into the office with them.
At this year's Career Day, in addition to visiting the company stands, interested parties can once again check their application portfolios free of charge or have their photo taken at the trade fair price after registering online in advance. The opening lecture is particularly interesting for HR managers: Munich expert Nicole Alexy will be speaking from 9.00 a.m. on "Generation Y @ Work - challenges and opportunities for HR management".
