Finding your way on your (career) path can feel challenging. The German academic job market is complex, and it can be difficult to know where to go and what to do. Understanding yourself and the job market, and feeling confident about where you want to go next reduces stress and enables you to better prioritize various tasks and responsibilities during your research project. It also helps you to approach the job application process with confidence.
In this workshop, we’ll explore career orientation from the perspective of your personal motivation. We’ll take a look at what inspires you, what motivates you, and what brings you a sense of fulfillment at work, and we’ll explore how to use tools from career coaching and career orientation to help you better understand your past experiences, skills, strengths, and personal traits. We’ll learn how to create an overview of career options, evaluate your options with a focus on your competencies and your personal goals, and approach the decision-making process with concrete tools. We’ll also learn how to identify which skills and experiences to prioritize in order to best prepare you for a smooth transition to the next phase of your career.
- What career options are available for me going forward, both in Germany and beyond? What strategies and tools exist to help me better understand potential career paths? What steps do I need to take in order to be able to continue in academia? What should I prioritize if I’m thinking about a career path outside academia?
- What rules and regulations exist in the German job market for academics, and how do they apply to me? How might rules and regulations for employment shape the job market and hiring process?
- What do I enjoy about my work, and what do I want to do more of? What motivates me at work? What tasks and responsibilities do I enjoy? What doesn’t work for me?
- What skills, knowledge, traits, and strengths have I developed in my previous experiences? How can I describe them effectively?
- What’s the red thread in my career path? How can I tell a cohesive story about my experiences?
- How can I identify the strengths, skills, and experiences that I might need to succeed in a particular career? What tools exist to help me better understand what I’ll need to get where I want to go?
- What do I do if I’m not sure? How can I feel confident about my career decision and empowered in my career path?
About the trainer:
Amanda Wichert has been working in adult and continuing education since 2003, and has worked with corporate clients, universities, research institutions, and non-profits in the US and in Germany. A native of North Carolina and a graduate of Appalachian State University, she spent several years working with international students as well as refugee and migrant populations in the US before relocating to Berlin in 2008. Since her move, Amanda has worked primarily as a trainer, instructor, consultant, and coach, and co-founded WITOS Berlin with her partners Myriam Rubert and Corinna Honsu in 2015. She enjoys working with small groups as well as large audiences, and has extensive experience with digital training, hybrid and asynchronous learning, and designing interactive self-led online training. She is an enthusiastic and engaged instructor and relies on interactive and participant-focused methods in her trainings. Amanda offers training and coaching in English and in German.