Life Sciences: Your Career Planning and Job Application Training

Career Paths – CV – CL – Interview

2-days seminar, online or on-site

For up to 12 doctoral and early postdoctoral researchers in the Life Sciences, in German or English

Target Group

For doctoral students and early postdocs in the Life Sciences - ideally about 1.5 to 2 years before the next job should be found.

Visit this seminar in time

Many scientists are too focused on their ongoing research and forget to become active early to find their desired position. You should know better and start the necessary steps at least 1.5 years before.

This seminar trains you to master this orientation and application process.

Goals

  • You learn about career paths in academia and industry
  • You know how to design your CV and covering letter
  • You learn and train how to master job interviews
  • You can interview an experienced manager of a Max-Planck-Institute
  • You create an individual plan of specific steps to get your next job

Content

Career Planning

  • What to do when to get your next position
  • Reflect upon strengths, interests & values
  • Learn about career paths – and how to find out more about them
  • Know where to look for jobs
  • Know how to build your network
  • Make a plan: set realistic goals to get that job

Succeed in the application process – CV, CL & Interview

  • Know how a CV / resume should look like
  • Know how to write a convincing Cover Letter
  • After discussing examples and guidelines you exchange feedback on your CVs/ CLs with partners in the course and can optionally rework CV/CL between the two seminar days
  • Learn how to prepare for and convince in a job interview
  • Do a job interview in a small group, including video recording and feedback

Ask the Insider

  • In a one-hour video conference you will be able to interview an internationally experienced COO of a Max-Planck-Institute about his experiences and advice

Methods

The workshop is a mixture of trainer input, discussion, expert interview, and short exercises – alone and together with your peers. Also the online version is highly interactive using zoom technology with a lot of small group work.  

Required preparation (details follow after subscription): Sending in a current CV and CL, and using a specific online tool that assists young researchers in their career planning.

Exemplary Evaluations

for IMB Mainz - on-site
for IMB Mainz - on-site

Former Participants say

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in einem […] zukünftigen Job-Interview ausschlaggebend

[...] Meines Erachtens bietet das Seminar eine super Möglichkeit sich [...] über Bewerbungsarten und -möglichkeiten zu informieren und der [...] Frage nach „Industrie oder Forschung“ nachzugehen und darüber zu reflektieren.

[...] die Tatsache, dass der Kurs online stattgefunden hat, [war] keinerlei Nachteil. Im Gegenteil, der Kurs [war] optimal in den Promotionsalltag zu integrieren. [...]

Was mir besonders gut gefallen hat ist, dass es ein guter Mix war zwischen einer Anleitung von Matthias Mayer und der Teamarbeit. [...]

die [durchgeführten] Job-Interviews [boten] eine tolle Möglichkeit sich selber bei einem Interview zu „beobachten“ und seine Wirkung auf andere besser einschätzen zu können, was sicherlich in einem potenziellen zukünftigen Job-Interview ausschlaggebend sein kann.

Ilena Bauer , Doktorandin am Helmholtz Zentrum München - 2-tägiges Seminar zu Karriereplanung und Bewerbungtraining für Promovierende in den Life Sciences
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Thanks a lot, Dr. Matthias Mayer!

[...] I highly recommend other PhD candidates and PostDocs to participate his course. [...] my CV change drastically, even though I’ve visited a few similar job application courses [...]

I particularly like that Dr. Mayer lets students examine [...] the other participants’ CVs and practice[...] the interview with each other. [...]

The handouts and prep-kits for job interviews he gave us are also very useful. [... He] invited one of his friends who [...] has an established career in the Life Sciences to have a Q&A section. This part makes the course more vivid to gain more ideas for international [...] career experiences. [...]

I [...] appreciate that I did spend my time on this course during my crazily busy last year PhD phase.

Thanks a lot, Dr. Matthias Mayer!

Yu-Ming Huang , PhD Student, University of Tübingen - Participant of a 2-days online training on Career Planning and Job Application for PhD students in the Life Sciences
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