Arbeitskollegen machen entspannt Pause

Workshop 2 (WU PPP 2024/25)

Career Planning, Application Writing and Interviews in Academia

Goals and Content

Starting from an overview on Academic Career Paths, the workshop first discusses questions like: What does it take to have an academic career? What are key qualifications and skills? Are there any options beyond professorship? How important is a plan B? The main focus is then on the application process: The application already starts with becoming aware of one's own goals, values and skills and then communicating those convincingly to the potential new employer in the written application. When it comes to the job interview, it is important to present one's own professional self with all competencies authentically and confidently. But how does this work? This workshop provides the participants with guided self-reflection and practical exercises to find the answers to these questions.

  • Academic career paths

  • Understanding the requirements of an academic career (qualifications & competences)

  • Visibility in the academic career

  • Seeing and showing your own qualifications and competences

  • The written application documents (incl. feedback on documents)

  • The interview

  • Preparing for an interview

  • Internationality

  • Different types of application procedures

  • Dealing with challenges

  • Appearing and communicating authentically and confidently 

Methods

  • Short inputs by Trainer

  • Interactive Exercises

  • Role Play with Feedback

  • Self Reflection

  • Peer Exchange

Trainerin

Dr. Neela Enke

Portraitfoto der Trainerin Neela Enke

Dr Neela Enke has been working as a trainer specialising in conflict and diversity management as well as career development in the field of higher education and research since 2011. As a certified coach and trained mediator, she supports postdocs, university employees and managers and helps people, teams and organisations to resolve conflicts constructively. She has trained in the areas of intercultural competence, diversity management (including gender) and systemic organisational development, is a board member of the Coachingnetz Wissenschaft e.V. and is actively involved in the Fachverband für gender_diversity-kompetente Bildung und Beratung e.V. and the Bundesverband MEDIATION e.V. Dr. Neela Enke has initiated an event specifically on mediation and conflict resolution at universities and research institutions, which has taken place several times as part of the International Mediation Day. Dr Neela Enke studied biology at the Philipps-Universität Marburg and completed her doctorate at the Freie Universität Berlin. She has worked as a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at various universities and research institutions in Germany and other European countries and has coordinated and managed research projects and initiatives at European level. She has also been a reviewer for research funding organisations in several countries, e.g. in Belgium (BELSPO). She provides training, mediation and counselling in German and English.

Main topics

  • Developing your own understanding of leadership

  • Personnel management, selection and development

  • Team development

  • Diversity management - the tension between synergy and difference

  • Roles and development of women in scientific institutions

  • International academics in Germany

  • Career development in science

  • Negotiation skills

  • Appointment training

  • Proposal writing and project management

  • Conflict coaching and management

  • Conflict mediation in working groups and at management level