FAQs application advice
Students and young professionals often encounter tricky questions during the application process, which we would like to answer briefly here. If you need more information on these topics, we will be happy to clarify your questions in a personal counselling session.
There are also several opportunities each semester to attend our lecture on application basics for various subject areas (2 hours). You can always find the current dates under Events.
In principle, you do not have to be enrolled at university to do an internship.
However, it is advisable to do an internship during your studies, as this not only allows you to gain work-related experience, but also to build up a professional network. There are different types of internships during the degree programme:
- Compulsory internship: An internship is called a compulsory internship if it is specified in the study regulations. In most cases, the fields of work and time periods in which it must be completed are prescribed.
- Voluntary internship: These are all internships that are completed without this being required by the degree programme. Voluntary internships must be remunerated with the minimum wage if they last longer than 12 weeks, which is why not every company or organisation offers this option.
After graduation (and therefore without enrolment), internships are still possible in principle, but rarely useful. If you do a lot of internships after your studies, this could be interpreted as indecisiveness. However, if you recognise yourself in the following points, you should still take the step:
- You would like to enter a professional field for which your degree programme was not originally designed
- You want to utilise the time between your Bachelor's and Master's degree
- You have a secure prospect of being taken on as a result of the internship
You can find more interesting information about internships under our perspectives.
A letter of motivation is often required when you are applying for university or a scholarship. This is where the letter of motivation replaces the cover letter. In general, the two formed around very similar. However, the focus of a letter of motivation should be the applicant's motivation, that you support with personal attributes, relevant strenghts and soft stkills. This type of letter offers you significantly more possibilities for self-presentation.
For more information and guidance, feel free to arrange an individual counselling with us.
You should refrain from doing this. As an applicant, you cannot estimate how closely your application will be scrutinised. It is quite possible that recruiters will ask for references from the specified positions over the phone. In addition, you may appear uncertain or even contradictory in the interview when asked about the false information, which can definitely lead to a bad impression.
If it is discovered that your CV contains false information, this could result in the cancellation of your employment contract and dismissal without notice. In the worst case, this could even result in criminal charges being brought.
However, it is permissible to present actual activities as more interesting or successful than they actually were.
Students who wish to remain in student status for longer, either for insurance reasons or for the purpose of an orientation phase, often enrol on a sham degree programme. However, this is not intended to lead to a professional qualification.
If you are enrolled at a university for a degree programme - even if it is only a so-called ‘sham course’ - you should state this on your CV. However, you should decide from application to application how much detail to include based on the relevance to the position.
Making good use of your time with an internship or a course at a computer centre, for example, looks good on your CV. Be sure to openly address any ‘gaps’ in your CV during the interview and explain your decisions.
Studies that were discontinued should also be listed on your CV, for example as follows:
10/2021 to 06/2022 - Study subject X (not completed)
Yes, formal salutation is generally accepted in Germany. However, in some cases, informal salutation can be appropriate.
In general, the traditional greeting „Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren“ (Dear Sir or Madam) or the genderneutral salutation „Sehr geehrte Lesende und Zuhörende“ (Dear readers and listeners) are only used, when you do not have a concrete contact person. This, however, should be avoided.If the advert doesn't say who to contact, try calling the company. This shows that you are committed and resourceful, and makes a direct connection with the reader. A possible salutation would be
"Dear Mrs X, / Dear Mr Y,"
If there is more than one contact person, arrange the names in order of precedence. If there is no hierarchy, the woman is named first. If there are people of the same sex, you could, for example, arrange them alphabetically.
The email text of your application shouldn't be longer than seven lines and rouse interest. The following aspects should be covered:
- Salutation
- Text (max. 7 lines)
- Greeting formula
- First name and surname
You could remark how you came across the job, why you are applying, why you are a well fit for the company and what you have attached to the email.
A cover sheet is always optional. They are solely decorative and round of your impression. This element's design is vital, offering a first impression of your creativity and performance. It should include:
- Headline
- Aspired position
- Contact information
- Application photo (optional)
- Short profile
You can find all other elements of an application in our application advice .
The last sentences of a cover letter are just as important as the first. You should formulate your intentions and include a "call to action", e.g.:
- Ich freue mich, von Ihnen zu hören. (I look forward to hearing from you)
- Ich freue mich darauf, Sie in einem Gespräch persönlich kennenzulernen. (I look forward to meet you in a personal meeting)
- Ich freue mich, in einem persönlichen Gespräch noch mehr von mir und meinen Erfahrungen zu berichten. (I look forward to telling you more about me and my experiences in a personal meeting)
- Ich stehe Ihnen gerne für ein persönliches Gespräch zur Verfügung. (I am available for a personl meeting)
- Für das Arbeitsverhältnis stehe ich Ihnen ab dem 1. Juni 2019 zur Verfügung, für ein Vorstellungsgespräch jederzeit. (I am readily available for an interview, and from 1 June 2019 for the employment)
- …
Do avoid conjunctive formulations (würde, wäre,…) as well as the passive! This could be interpreted as insecure and distanced.
Yes, you can. If you are rejected by a company, but later come across another interesting position at the same company, you can apply again. However, you should not just hand in your old application portfolio. Maybe, you have acquired new qualifications or enhanced your layout. Make sure to show that you have developed!
You can also apply for several jobs in the same company at the same time, but you should be able to justify this step with your background and be able to deduce it from your qualifications. You have two options for this. Either write two different cover letters, but disclose that you have also applied for the other position. Or you can send your preferred cover letter and mention in the last paragraph that they are also happy to consider you for the other position.
