Module 1 - Chapter 1: Career Guidance

Module 1 - Chapter 1: Career Guidance

Building a career is not just about being successful but also about finding something where you can grow as a person, be happy and contribute. It is a lifelong journey. The first step is identifying those job opportunities that are suitable for you. To be able to do so you need to know yourself. What are your preferences? What are your strengths? What are your interests? 

We hope that this e-internship, the mentor feedback, and intections with team members from other countries will help you in finding some of these answers, and that you will be confident and well prepared when you go out into the world of work.

Let's check how well you know yourself. Take this quick and fun personality test to see which character-animal describes best how you feel and behave in a work and team environment.

Let's find out more about your character animal and how its traits describe how you feel and behave in a work and team environment. 

It is time to dig a bit deeper. On a CV you might want to write a short personal statement. Or in a job interview you might be asked to say something about yourself. Have you ever thought about who you are? And what would be a good choice of words to describe yourself?

Knowing yourself a little better will also help you decide, which role in our virtual company suits you best and which job to apply for. You should think a little bit about your strengths and what kind of responsibilty or task would be most suitable for yourself.

Are you ready for a treasure hunt to dig up some gems that are hidden in your personality?

From the list below, choose 3 words that are important to you:

Please share with us why these 3 words that you selected are important to you. In regard to your own personality or that of your teammates, your preferred working style or working environment, or even in regard to how you feel towards elders, bosses, and colleagues. Use the recorder tool below to tell us a bit about yourself, your choice and why these 3 words matter to you.

Next, select one or two statements from the list below or come up with your own if none of these describe you well. 

Into your reflection notebook write a personal statement following this example by filling in the blanks with words from the lists that you chose.

In the last sentence add some goals you might have for yourself in this company. 

If you have been invited to a job interview you have already passed the first test in the screening process. That means the recruiters think you might be a good fit for this job. They liked your CV and application letter and now want to get to know you better. They will be checking if your personality and style matches their team, if they like your attitude, and if what you wrote in your application is true. 

This is what to expect:

If the organization conducts interviews with several candidates on the same day, you might be asked to wait before you are called in for the interview. Nevertheless, should you make sure to be punctual and possibly arrive before the arranged time. It could always happen that there is an unexpected delay on the way or that you can't find the room immediately, or that you need to register at the reception. If you are late for your appointment the interview might be cancelled altogether. 

Dress appropriately and professionally. It is not necessary to overdress. Appearing as too casual on the other hand can also be seen as disrespectful. A clean and ironed skirt or pants with a white shirt or blouse is always a safe choice. In some companies and for some positions it might be acceptable to wear sneakers, but they should be very clean. 

Once you enter the interview room, you will very likely be faced with several people. One of them will take the lead and this might be the person you've already been in contact with. It is useful to google HR staff members and your contact person beforehand, to have an idea what to expect. What is their age, position, how do they present themselves? Are they external HR professionals or team members?

In the beginning, the interviewers will welcome you, ask you to take a seat and possible offer you a glass of water (which you may accept). They will then introduce themselves and maybe say a few words about the company and the job. Pay attention! You are also allowed to take a few quick notes. If given the opportunity, you should ask a follow-up question. The more the interviewers talk, the fewer questions you will have to answer.

Below you find a list of example questions you might be asked during the interview. Prepare for your interview by trying to find good answers for each of them. 

1. Questions About You & Your Background (These help interviewers understand who you are and how you think):

• Tell us about yourself.
• Why did you choose your field of study?
• What motivated you to apply for this position?
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses, and how do you work on them?

2. Questions About Skills (Even Without Job Experience, Graduates are often assessed on transferable, school‑based, or personality‑based skills):

• What skills did you develop during your studies or extracurricular activities?
• Can you describe a project you are proud of?
• How do you handle deadlines or pressure?
• Describe a situation where you solved a problem.

3. Teamwork & Communication Questions (Because most entry-level roles require collaboration):

• Describe a time when you worked successfully in a team.
• How do you deal with conflicts?
• How do you communicate with people who think differently from you?

4. Learning & Adaptability Questions (Employers want to see that you can grow quickly):

• How do you approach learning something completely new?
• Tell us about a challenge you faced while studying and how you handled it.
• What was the most difficult course or project for you — and why?

5. Motivation & Attitude (These questions help gauge your enthusiasm and values):

• Why do you want to work here?
• What interests you most about this role?
• What motivates you to perform well?

6. Career Goals & Expectations (You won’t be expected to have a detailed career plan — just direction):

• Where do you see yourself in 2–3 years?
• What kind of work environment helps you do your best work?
• What do you hope to learn in this job?

7. Practical & Behavioral Questions (Used to understand how you behave in real-life situations):

• Tell me about a time you had to manage several tasks at once.
• Give an example of feedback you received and how you used it.
• Describe a situation where things didn’t go as planned — what did you do?
• What did you learn from your thesis/project?
• How did you organize your workload during school/university?
• What challenges did you overcome in your studies?

8. Questions About Your Degree, Projects, or Side Activities

Interviewers may ask about:

• Your final thesis or a relevant course
• Student organization roles
• Volunteer work
• Part-time or holiday jobs
• Online courses or certifications
• something on your report card, like sickleave days, extracurricular activities, particular grades, etc.

9. Company- or Role-Specific Questions

• What do you know about our company?
• How do your studies relate to this role?
• Which of your strengths would help you succeed here?
• Why do you think you are a good match for this job/company

At the end of the interview, the interviewers will usually give you the opportunity to ask any questions you might have. Here you can ask about practical details like:

• When can you expect the feedback from the company?
• Will they reach out, or do you have to make a follow-up call
• If you were successful, when would be the start date?
• What would be the starting salary? etc.

Before you say goodbye, take the opportunity to thank the interviewers for the opportunity and the good interview.

In a job interview you might be asked to tell a bit about yourself to prove a strength that could be important for this particular job. It is good to prepare a few examples beforehand. The best way to present yourself is by following the STAR method.

Follow these 5 steps when describing your skills:

1. Task or specifics: what were you expected to achieve?
2. Your role: what was your individual role in the task at hand?
3. Action: What did you do and which steps did you follow?
4. How did your particular skill set help at this stage?   
5. Results or final outcomes: highlight precisely what “fruit” did your efforts bring?                    

BONUS: if you can add numbers and data to the results stage, then this will make quite an impression on recruiters

Example:

At school we had to prepare a presentation for the end of year gala. I was in charge of the final editing. That meant that I had to bring the team together to decide on a template and flow for the presentation to reduce the workload for the final editing and to ensure we created a coherent presentation. My communication skills helped to bring the different ideas together and shape the outcome. I was able to grasp the ideas and translate them into a concept that was clear to everbody in the team. I also needed to communicate deadlines, make follow-ups and ensure I presented everybodies thoughts correctly. In the end we were able to give an outstanding 20 minute presentation that was very well received by teachers and students alike.