What happens after I earn my degree? Many people don’t know exactly what kind of job they want to pursue once they’re done studying.

A university degree doesn’t necessarily train you for a single job but instead qualifies you for a variety of different career fields both within and outside of academia and research. Aside from the typical professional fields for graduates of your degree program, there are many other jobs that require academic degrees. Your professional orientation is a life-long process that plays an important role even when you are still a student.

JGU’s Career Service would like to support you in this process! We are your first point of contact for any questions you may have about career orientation and the transition to a profession: Whether it’s “What kind of a job do I want to have after I finish my degree?,” “Where and how can I find my dream job, an internship, or a part-time job?,” or “How do I apply successfully?” – we will work together to address all the questions and challenges you may face on your career path.

Our services are available free of charge for all students and alumni of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and include

individual advising,
our own job portal,
lectures,
workshops,
seminars and projects,
career events,
and much more.

Individual advising is the core of our services and touches on all topics related to professional orientation and the transition to a profession. In individual advising sessions, we address questions like the following:

Insight into professions that require a degree | Which professional opportunities will I have once I finish my degree?
Personal profile | Which job matches my interests, abilities, values, and criteria?
Development of competence | Which skills do I still need for my dream job and where can I acquire them?
Professional practice & insights | How & where can I explore professional fields or get job experience while still a student?
Job searching | How & where can I find internships or part-time, working student, or entry level jobs? How & where can I get into contact with prospective employers?
Checking your application & application documents | How do I put together a convincing application and excel in job interviews?
Transition phases | How do I successfully transition from a bachelor's to a master's program or from student to employee?
Doubts about your studies | What do I do if I’m not sure about continuing my program of study?

In our individual advising sessions, we focus on your needs and provide independent, resource- and solution-oriented advice at eye level. Your questions, needs, and goals are the main focus and our aim is to support you in finding the best solution for you and your future path.

We look forward to meeting you!

If you are looking for a suitable job, it’s a good idea to start by reflecting on yourself: Which topics am I really interested in? What are my most important skills and abilities and which ones can I and do I want to apply in my future career? Which professional experiences have I made and what can I learn about myself from them?

Working on your own profile is worth it – not only because it helps you find a job opportunity that suits you, but because those who work in an environment that matches up with their own interests, skills, and values tend to be more satisfied with their professional life.

It’s never too early to think about your own individual profile and set the right course for your future. We are here to support you – with advising sessions, expertise, and helpful events.

Figuring out your own interests and abilities isn’t always easy – especially on your own. We can support you in one of our individual advising sessions by acting as a neutral party and asking the right questions, discussing what you already know about yourself, and explaining methods and exercises to help you find out more. We can also help you make sense of what you learn about yourself.

If you are looking for a suitable job, it’s a good idea to start by thinking about your own interests and abilities. If you work in an environment that doesn’t match up with your interests, abilities, and values, there’s a good chance you will be unhappy in the long run. If you take time to think about your own personal profile early on, you can start setting the right course in good time.

You can find worksheets and a questionnaire about your interests that will help you reflect on these topics on our Career Center website. You are also welcome to discuss your results further in an individual advising session or in a workshop.

In our “Was kann ich wirklich?”(“What are my skills?”) workshop, we will use methodical approaches and exercises to identify your abilities and interests in a group setting with other students. This serves to get different perspectives on yourself.

Building on that, you will identify starting points for your professional future, which will help you look for job opportunities that match your profile.

Once you have taken a good look at your profile, interests, abilities, and values, you can start looking for professional fields that match up with what you have identified.

To do so, it’s helpful to familiarize yourself with the large variety of jobs that require an academic degree and get an overview of professions that are typical for graduates of your degree program as well as professions that go beyond that.

Once you have found a suitable professional field, you can take a look at the job profile and requirements to see how they match up with your own profile.

We can help you every step of the way.

In an individual advising session, we can find out which professional fields align with your strengths and interests. With our support and methods, you will reflect on your profile to find suitable professional fields. You will also be informed of opportunities for gaining insights into professions and receive tips for how to find an internship.

Doing an internship while still a student has many advantages that can support you in your academic and professional development. Here are a few reasons to illustrate why doing an internship is a good idea:

Getting practical experience | You can apply the theoretical knowledge you’ve learned in your program to the real working world and gain even more knowledge. This will help you understand how theory is applied in practice and develop important skills that can only be learned to a certain degree from lectures.
Gaining work experience | Work experience is often vital when applying for your first job. An internship helps you collect work experience in your field and makes your resume more attractive for prospective employers.
Building a network | In an internship, you can establish valuable relationships – with both colleagues and employers. These relationships can be extremely helpful when you're searching for your first job.
Professional orientation | An internship will help you find out if your dream job really suits you. You will gain insights into the company’s work style, culture, and requirements – this will help you decide if you want to pursue your goal of working there.
Improving your soft skills | During an internship, you will not only improve your subject-specific skills, but also important soft skills like team work, communication, time management, and problem-solving skills. These are needed in nearly every professional field.
Self-confidence & responsibility | During an internship, you will often assume responsibility for projects or tasks, which will improve your self-confidence and ability to work independently.

Are you asking yourself what your career options are once you have graduated? Would you like to get an overview?

In our lectures on specific professional fields, we focus on one topic or field of study at a time and present ideas for possible career fields – from the typical to the extraordinary.

Examples of past topics:

Social Sciences
Biology
Geography
Social topics
Economics

An internship is a great opportunity for getting to know a specific professional field, gaining work experience, and establishing contact with employers. But how can you find the right internship and how should you best plan it?

"Projekt Praktikum" comprises three elements. You decide what you need.

In our presentation, we will guide you through what to consider when looking for an internship, what you need to know when planning your internship, and the general conditions for internships in Germany.

In our internship workshop, you will focus on figuring out your own profile and personal goals to define what your ideal internship would look like. You will then work together with other students to develop strategies for finding a suitable internship and create your personal timeline for starting one.

In an individual advising session, we will work on your application strategy and answer any questions you may still have.

Our talks on different topics and professional fields offer you a good overview of professional opportunities in the field in question. In these talks, representatives from companies in the specific fields speak about their professional practice and give valuable insights: What does the professional field really look like? What does an average day look like? How can I gain entry to the company? What skills should I possess? What does a typical career path look like? ... and much more.

Are you interested in gaining firsthand insights in specific companies? We organize company visits at irregular intervals; these give you the chance to visit places of employment on-site and experience them for yourself.

Our job fairs and career events give you the opportunity to easily make contact with companies and organizations from a variety of professional fields. They often take place directly on campus!

Whether you want to get to know specific professional fields, have questions about professional opportunities for a specific employer, or would like to present yourself as a potential candidate for internships, as a working student, or for an entry-level job – our numerous events give you the opportunity to do so.

A selection of our career events & job fairs:

Jobmesse “meet@uni-mainz” (Job fair “meet@uni-mainz”)
Fakultätskarrieretag Jura (Faculty career day for Law)
Karriere in der Region (Careers in the region)
Karriereabend für Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaftler*innen (Career evening for the humanities and social sciences)
Matching week for international students
Digital Internship Fair
And much more

You’ve found the professional field of your dreams? Then onwards to the last step: You need to find concrete job opportunities, job advertisements, and suitable employers.

For that, it’s helpful to make use of different ways of finding information: specialist job boards, social media, job fairs, career events and, last but not least, your personal and university network.

Am I qualified for the position I’ve found? Does it make sense to apply? How do I put together a convincing job application and what are the general rules for that? And how should I act in a job interview?

We offer support not only for your job search, but also for all other topics related to job applications – preparing you optimally for the application process.

We offer support in your search for suitable job opportunities and employers in an individual advising session. We will give you tips for research options, feedback on your previous search strategy, and an assessment regarding whether or not the identified positions match your profile and make an application worth it – whether you’re looking for internships, work student positions, or part-time or entry level jobs.

In addition, we can check your application documents: We look through your documents and give you tips on how to present yourself even better, increasing your chances of being invited to a job interview. We can also help you prepare for your job interview!

Looking for jobs, whether during or after you’ve earned your degree, can be an exciting but also challenging time.

Here are a few steps that can help you find suitable job openings:

1. Introspection and goal-setting

Knowing your strengths and interests: Think about the professional field you would like to work in and what really interests you. What are some skills and abilities you’ve learned during your program of study that you would like to apply in your future job?
Defining professional goals: Set clear goals. Do you want to work for a specific company, a particular field, or in a specialized position? The Career Center has exercises you can use to think about these questions further. You can also visit workshops or make an appointment for an advising session.

2. Job search

Job portals and company websites: Use websites like JobTeaser, Indeed, StepStone, or LinkedIn to stay informed of current job advertisements. Many companies also publish job advertisements on their own websites. The Career Center website lists further subject-specific websites for your job search.
Unsolicited applications If you are particularly interested in working for a specific company, you can also submit an unsolicited application, even if there are currently no posted job advertisements.

3. Networking

Events: Go to events such as job fairs or conferences. These give you the chance to connect with potential employers and colleagues from the field you are interested in. Many events take place at JGU, organized by the Career Service or by the faculties and institutes. However, there are also many external events. You can find a lot of dates and events on the Career Center website.
LinkedIn and XING: You can find a lot of information and job advertisements on social media. Typical networking sites for the transition to a profession are Linkedin and XING. Make sure your profile is complete and looks professional. To do so, follow personalities from your field and companies that interest you. You can find instructions for how to do so on the Career Center website.

How can I tell if this position is suitable for me? Job titles on their own are often not very informative. You should pay attention to:

Tasks and responsibilities | Read the job description carefully. What will you be expected to do? Does the job description list tasks you are already familiar with from your time as a student or that you have the ability to fulfill? Pay attention to specific tasks to see if they match up with your interests and abilities. It can also be helpful to compare multiple job advertisements for similar positions. If a task is mentioned regularly, it is likely a key component of this position. The same position may not be responsible for exactly the same tasks across companies.
Degree | Sometimes, specific degrees are required. Don’t let that scare you off. If you think you can fulfill the listed tasks without the specified degree, you should still apply.
Soft skills | Companies usually only name very common soft skills. Think about which skills and attributes would be relevant for a position and how you can show that you possess them.
Company culture | A job advertisement is meant to result in as many suitable applicants as possible. Companies may promise more than they can deliver. It’s better to do your own research and find out what the company values are really like. You can do that by carefully looking through the company’s website and searching for reports from previous or current employees. You can also try to find previous or current employees on social media, at events, or perhaps even in your faculty.
Is something unclear? | Make an inquiry! This will allow you to figure out if the position is right for you and write a suitable application.

What does a good application look like? What do I have to keep in mind when writing my resume? How can I write a persuasive letter of motivation? How do I prepare myself optimally for a job interview?

You may have lots of questions when applying for jobs. But there are also many possible ways to answer them.

The Career Service offers workshops and lectures on all topics related to applying for jobs. You can also find a lot of helpful information and tips on the website. We can also talk about your application documents in an individual advising session and prepare for your job interviews together.

Not every student’s path takes them to earning a university degree or to a position outside of the university. Some students develop a desire to work as an academic or a scientist at a university; others want to strike out on their own and found their own company or startup. Others ask themselves if they even want to finish their degree course or if they would rather change to a different program or higher education institution or start vocational training.

We offer support in all of these cases and are happy to help you think about your situation and make a decision. We can also direct you to other helpful resources for more information or advising.

Professional orientation and questions about your career are often intertwined with other topics from your program of study and personal life. Since we are part of the Student Advisory Center, we are embedded in JGU’s advising network, which supports you throughout your journey at JGU – from choosing where to study and applying to JGU, to studying, completing your degree, and transitioning to a profession. Therefore, we are able to refer you to someone who can answer your questions no matter the topic.

We are also well-connected beyond Mainz through our membership in the Career Service Network of Germany (csnd) and various other collaborations with other higher education institutions, career service centers in the Rhine-Main region, the Agentur für Arbeit, and other institutions outside of the university and are therefore able to refer you or collaborate with other service centers.

Whether before, during, or after your studies − whether subject-specific or interdisciplinary – JGU is committed to supporting you at every stage of your journey. We have the right contacts and experts for every question and concern, ensuring you receive full support throughout your time at JGU.

The Agentur für Arbeit team for university graduates also offers support in the form of advising, workshops, and training sessions on various topics related to professional orientation, the job search, and the transition to a profession – particularly if you have questions about vocational training as an alternative to getting a degree, or if you have questions about legal and administrative issues as a job seeker. We work closely with the Agentur für Arbeit team for university graduates and also offer joint workshops and events.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Rhenish Hesse has informational offers and advises on the topics of vocational training and continuing education in commerce and the industry as possible alternatives or supplements to a degree. Together with the IHK Rhenish Hesse, the Chamber of Crafts of Rhenish Hesse, the Agentur für Arbeit, the Mainz University of Applied Sciences, and other higher education institutions, we form the network Durchstarten-Rheinhessen.de, which helps students look for alternatives to studying.

The Chamber of Crafts of Rhenish Hesse has informational offers and advises on the topics of vocational training and continuing education in various trades as possible alternatives or supplements to a degree. Together with the IHK Rhenish Hesse, the Chamber of Crafts of Rhenish Hesse, the Agentur für Arbeit, the Mainz University of Applied Sciences, and other higher education institutions, we form the network Durchstarten-Rheinhessen.de, which helps students look for alternatives to studying.