Career Orientation & Counselling
Our mission is...
to help you finding a job in a Saxon company!
...to support you in searching for a job/internship/working student position/supervision for a thesis through counseling.
...to accompany you consistently in the searching and application process.
...to promote your practical experience through targeted qualification measures.
...is boosting networking between you and Dresden companies through suitable formats.
Scouting Info
In our project Scouting, we support international students in application processes as well as in job search
We support you in person, via email, telephone call or suitable video transmission.
Important information about the German job market & your job application
The career goal/the professional future is essential for finishing your studies successfully. Use your study time to orientate yourself and gain a variety of experiences.
You can find information about future career fields on the HTW YouTube channel, for example, or also at Berufsnet (german) of the Federal Employment Agency. Also, you get a lot of information about working in Germany on the agency's website.
Making contact at numerous events or the future mentoring program of the Career Service can also help to give you an orientation. In addition, you can gain an insight into the professional world through part-time jobs, honorary positions, and internships.
Workshops and events help you prepare for your future career. It is crucial to recognize what is required in the individual occupational fields.
When looking for a suitable internship, student trainee position, or the first job, it is essential to know the structure of the German labor market, which consists mainly of small and medium-sized companies. The term SME (translated KMU in German, which means small and medium-sized enterprise) is defined by two parameters: a) sales volume and b) the number of employees. SMEs are usually less well known than large companies, but they are potentially attractive employers.
The diagram shows the percentage of SMEs in all companies in Germany in 2013, sorted by the federal state. In all federal states, at least 99.2% of companies are SMEs. Saxony leads the way with a share of 99.9%.
In addition to searching for job offers in (online) job portals, you should also conduct a corresponding sector search or a specific search for regional companies. So-called industry registers or information from the overviews of the economic development agencies of the respective federal states (see also the overview of search paths & channels) will be helpful here.
If you know what you want to achieve and your strengths, you can work better towards your goal. Success is no coincidence but the result of a planned approach. Coaching supports the development of a goal-oriented strategy and thus the creation of new chances, ways, and possibilities.
We help you plan the process of starting a career and facilitate the implementation of individual steps based on the analysis of your situation. We work with you to find the answers to relevant questions about your life and career planning and provide tips for decision-making.
The first step is self-analysis and self-knowledge: Who am I, and what can I do? What do I want? What is even possible? By answering these questions, you develop your self-confidence. On this basis, you can formulate goals and pursue them in parallel, and time options also flow into career planning. Extensive research and preparation, a well-developed network, and perfect application documents, together with a successful self-presentation based on the questions already mentioned, ultimately lead to the goal.
The Career Service will help you develop your career strategy.
To know what you are capable of and where you want to go, you can, for example, compile all the relevant facts in the form of a mind map, such as creating a self-image with values and beliefs, your abilities, and even your professional goals. Another way of raising awareness is to carry out personality tests. You find numerous tests on the internet. On the Career Service side's we offer you to carry out the competence analysis according to KODE® (german). We take over the license costs for you. This test is free of charge for students of the HTW Dresden. The KODE Competence Atlas (german) consists of four basic competencies: personal competence, activity and action competence, social-communicative competence, and professional and methodological competence. From these, 64 key competencies are derived. Unlike a personality test that focuses on our strengths and weaknesses, the KODE® test includes these but targets concrete behavior, which, unlike personality traits, can be changed at will. The test requires an online questionnaire which is explained in a personal interview of about 1-1.5 hours. The prerequisite here is that a career goal already exists.
Knowing the job market is a crucial advantage in the application process. To be informed how and where you can find and approach companies is also most helpful. Create your scheme based on the overview on the right side. It will help you in the application process to find interesting companies, identify relevant job portals find multipliers, etc.
It is best to build up your scheme according to the following assignments. Think about which multipliers could be helpful in your job searches, such as associations, organizations or clubs, your friends and acquaintances, or professors. Look where you can get information online. Job fairs, social networks, or companies' online presences could help. It also helps to attend face-to-face events such as lectures or job fairs. For a sector search, you can use www.techpilot.net, www.wlw.de, www.wiso-net.de, www.business-saxony.com/en, or www.firmen-in-sachsen.de. And last but not least, consider how and where you market yourself, e.g., in your online profiles, via blog or website, or by posting a job application yourself online or offline.
With our extensive information and additional material to the cover letter and CV in OPAL, you can prepare your application documents. We will be happy to discuss these with you. In addition to the application documents, a good knowledge of the German language is the best prerequisite for your successful application.
Usually, the companies require an application in the German language. You should check the job advertisement for orientation. If it's written in german, you should also submit your application in german.
Personal contact often leads to the goal faster than a written application. Therefore, think about who you know and can approach in your environment. Many vacancies are filled based on recommendations alone. Make yourself visible to employers on social media through a profile on XING, LinkedIn, or an applicant profile on the HTW Job Portal or another job exchange. Make the most of your contacts in the private sphere and at the HTW and the Career Service. Here we would like to draw particular attention to our events. You find more workshops and events in the event calendar.
The interview is all about making a personal impression. Preparation is elementary. Become familiar with the company and the job and match your skills accordingly.
In many recruitment processes, the question of salary comes up in the interview at the latest. The proper preparation is crucial for success here as well. Find out beforehand what salary is usual in the region, industry, and position and prepare your argumentation.
We prepare you for this situation with our e-learning offer on OPAL, in an individual interview or a workshop.
Internships:
Salaries:
What do young academics earn in Saxony and how should I prepare?
CareerStart 2022 lecture (german)
Salary calculator of the State Statistical Office Kamenz (for all federal states) (german)
Salary analysis as of 04/2018 & job titles of the stat. State Office Kamenz (german)
Stepstone Salary Report 2022 (german)
Career start salaryagrajo salary study (2016) (german)
IAB article Personality traits and gender pay gap (german)
E-learning tool on OPAL
In our project Scouting, we support international students in application processes as well as in job search, the search of internships, and supervision for theses at companies. If you are interested or need support, please contact us (contact below).
Please also check the information provided by the International Office.
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