[{"id": "L0-0", "key": "862649743", "vid": "862649743", "title": "Welcome and Course Overview", "module": "Module #0: Welcome to the Course!", "mi": 0, "li": 0, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/welcome-and-course-overview", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Welcome and Course Overview

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Overview

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Jessica Schuler welcomes students to the \"Finding an Internship in Germany\" course built specifically for CBYX Young Professionals participants. After reading copyright, legal, and content disclaimers (the material is copyrighted, for personal use by paying students only, and is not legal or licensed advice), she introduces herself: a Wisconsinite who did CBYX in Passau, later organized her own internship in Germany, founded Germanista LLC to place American students in affordable German internships, and now runs Germany Career Coach while pursuing a PhD at Miami University of Ohio. She explains her teaching style (no fluff, actionable, detailed, honest, fusing practice and research) and emphasizes that self-initiative is the single most important skill for the search. The lesson closes with a bird's-eye view of the course's six modules plus two bonus modules.

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Key Points

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Frameworks & Templates

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Resources

\n", "md": "# Welcome and Course Overview\n\n- **Module:** #0 Welcome\n- **Lesson URL:** /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/welcome-and-course-overview\n\n## Overview\nJessica Schuler welcomes students to the \"Finding an Internship in Germany\" course built specifically for CBYX Young Professionals participants. After reading copyright, legal, and content disclaimers (the material is copyrighted, for personal use by paying students only, and is not legal or licensed advice), she introduces herself: a Wisconsinite who did CBYX in Passau, later organized her own internship in Germany, founded Germanista LLC to place American students in affordable German internships, and now runs Germany Career Coach while pursuing a PhD at Miami University of Ohio. She explains her teaching style (no fluff, actionable, detailed, honest, fusing practice and research) and emphasizes that self-initiative is the single most important skill for the search. The lesson closes with a bird's-eye view of the course's six modules plus two bonus modules.\n\n## Key Points\n- All course content is copyrighted/trademarked (germanycareercoach.com, jessicashuler.com) - personal use only, no derivative works, resale, or commercial use with clients; violations carry legal consequences in Germany and/or the US. [00:10]\n- Legal disclaimer: Jessica is not a lawyer; for legal help consult the Guide to the General Equal Treatment Act or employment/labor law lawyers, and inform CBYX. [01:10]\n- Her background: CBYX high-school year in Passau, self-organized internship in Germany, founded Germanista LLC (affordable internships for Midwestern college students, ran ~3.5 years), MBA at University of Oldenburg, PhD at Miami University in Ohio. [04:10]\n- She built the course because there was little English-language material on entering the German labor market when she started 10+ years ago - \"I created the service that I needed.\" [08:38]\n- Course deliverables: efficient internship-search strategies, employer communication, US vs. Germany application differences, timeline expectations, interview prep, German work environment - plus step-by-step planning tools and a solid search plan. [09:51]\n- What's NOT covered: job hunting in Germany generally - this course is internship-focused only. [14:29]\n- Module structure: each video ends with \"Quotes and Knapp\" summary and Hausaufgaben (homework/action items), which are also listed in the internship search roadmap. [17:56]\n\n## Frameworks & Templates\n- Six-module course roadmap: Module 1 **Plan** (planning & preparing), Module 2 **Design** (designing your internship), Module 3 **Cultivate** (cultivating connections & networking), Module 4 **Create** (creating an application that impresses German employers), Module 5 **Prepare** (preparing for the interview), Module 6 **Succeed** (what to do after landing the internship). [14:56]\n- Module content map: Module 1 covers the internship landscape, search process overview, the **Internships in Germany Roadmap**, and setting up your **ICMS**; Module 2 covers realistic goal setting, German vs. English search navigation, timing/time plan, and search planning; Module 3 covers networking in Germany, LinkedIn Germany niche, and using Xing; Module 4 (the biggest) covers German application uniqueness, resume/Lebenslauf with template, cover letter + email templates, attachments/certificates/references; Module 5 covers interviews, contracts, salary negotiation; Module 6 covers preparing for first and last day. [15:24]\n- Named companies/programs: Germany Career Coach, Germanista LLC, Germany Career Kickstarter program (taught at universities). [09:12]\n\n## Resources\n- www.germanycareercoach.com and jessicashuler.com (course/content sites)\n- Guide to the General Equal Treatment Act (for legal questions)\n- Germany Career Kickstarter program; ebooks, guides, kits, and standalone workshops\n- The Internships in Germany Roadmap and the ICMS (delivered in Module 1)\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Self-initiative is the meta-skill: employers want self-starters who go the extra mile on their own - the course structures you, but you must drive. [12:36]\n- An internship in Germany accelerates your career whether you return to the US permanently or stay in Germany - treat it as a career accelerant, not just a program requirement. [08:21]\n- Bilingual applicants often want things explained in English even when they could handle German - optimizing your learning language is a legitimate strategy. [08:43]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]Welcome to the Finding an Internship in Germany course for CBYXers in the Young Professionals
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[00:04]Program. I'm so glad you're here. Let's cover a few disclaimers before we dive into the course
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[00:10]content. First of all, a copyright notice. Nobody likes a copycat. Please remember everything in
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[00:18]this course or provided as part of this course on the www.germanycareercoach.com website as well
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[00:25]as the jessicashuler.com website and any associated websites and within the course portals is copyrighted
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[00:31]and or trademarked in the U.S. and or Germany and intended for your personal use only. You are not
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[00:37]allowed to copy, alter, redistribute, or use this content or any of the materials to make derivative
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[00:44]works of any kind. So this means you cannot use this content later on to make your own workshops,
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[00:49]handouts, etc. This content is for your personal use only and it's for paying course or workshop
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[00:55]students only and for personal use only. It may not be resold or used commercially such as with clients.
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[01:03]Copyright and or intellectual property violations may result in legal consequences in Germany and or
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[01:10]the United States of America. A legal disclaimer. I am not a lawyer nor do I give any sort of legal
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[01:18]advice. Please inform CBYX and consult the following if you need legal help. The Guide to the General
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[01:24]Equal Treatment Act and or Employment or Labor Law Lawyers. Content disclaimer.
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[01:33]The information provided by Jessica Schuler LLC and DBA Germany Career Coach on the website and in
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[01:40]coachings, online courses, trainings, or workshops is for informational purposes only. The views and
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[01:45]opinions expressed on this website are expressively those of Jessica Schuler LLC and DBA Germany Career
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[01:51]Coach derived from Jessica Schuler LLC and DBA Germany Career Coach experiences. Everything on the site is
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[01:57]the personal opinion of Jessica Schuler LLC and DBA Germany Career Coach, not licensed advice. It is
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[02:03]important for you to note that the needs of every individual are unique and there is no one size fits
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[02:08]all advice. This website is solely intended for general information purposes. Nothing on this site
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[02:15]should be taken as advice for any individual, case, or situation. This information is not intended to
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[02:21]create and receipt or viewing does not constitute in any way an established coach-client relationship.
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[02:28]No past results serve in any way as a guarantee for future results. Content contained on or made
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[02:34]available by Jessica Schuler LLC or through the DBA Germany Career Coach website is not intended to
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[02:39]and does not constitute advice and by viewing this website, no relationship such as a coach-client
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[02:44]relationship is formed between us. Your use of the information on the website or materials linked
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[02:49]from the web is at your own risk. While Jessica Schuler LLC and DBA Germany Career Coach have done their
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[02:54]best to provide you with accurate information, Jessica Schuler LLC and DBA Germany Career Coach do not make any
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[03:00]guarantee or other promise as to any results that may be obtained from using Jessica Schuler LLC
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[03:05]and or DBA Germany Career Coach education or content. No one should ever make any financial investment,
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[03:12]legal, or accounting decision without first consulting his or her own licensed applicable advisor
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[03:16]and conducting his or her own research and due diligence. To the maximum extent permitted by law,
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[03:22]Jessica Schuler LLC and DBA Germany Career Coach disclaims any and all liability in the event any
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[03:27]information, commentary, analysis, opinions, advice, and or recommendations prove to be inaccurate,
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[03:32]incomplete, or unreliable or result in any other losses. You assume full responsibility or liability
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[03:38]for the accuracy of application of any information or education Jessica Schuler LLC and or DBA Germany
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[03:43]Career Coach provide, whether or not arising from the negligence of Jessica Schuler LLC and DBA Germany
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[03:48]Career Coach and associated websites. Good, now we got those legalities and disclaimers out of the way,
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[03:55]so you may be wondering who I am. Servus, I am Jessica and I use Servus because my CBYX program
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[04:03]was in the south of Germany. It was in Passau, which I still to this day love dearly. So just a couple
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[04:10]of things about me so you know who's going to be walking you through how to find an internship in
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[04:15]Germany as part of your CBYX Young Professionals experience. I'm a proud Wisconsinite. I grew up on a
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[04:21]farm in Wisconsin, had absolutely no contact to Germany or international education before my CBYX
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[04:29]program, and I really found out about it by chance happening because the exchange student at my high
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[04:36]school happened to come from Germany, and he really just piqued my interest in perhaps doing an exchange
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[04:41]program myself. So I ended up doing CBYX for high school students the senior year of my high school
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[04:48]time. And since then, I have founded a company called Germany Career Coach, and I work with
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[04:56]universities across Germany and actually across the globe, as well as with students, one-on-one,
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[05:01]young professionals, expats, senior leaders to a certain extent as well. And my focus is on the initial
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[05:08]entry into the German labor market. So I'm really good at helping guide people through that kind of
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[05:13]first employment experience, that first entry into the German labor market. I do some coaching beyond that,
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[05:18]of course, but that's really where my specialty lies. So I want to show you some background here just to
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[05:24]give you an idea of the person who's behind the voice that you're going to be hearing for the next
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[05:28]couple of hours as you're going through this course. This is my guest familia from Paso. I'm
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[05:34]obviously the redhead in the middle, and my husband is next to me, and then my host parents on the left,
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[05:39]and my host sisters on the right. And this was actually us at our groom's barbecue right before our
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[05:44]wedding. And the man that I married is the high school exchange student that I just mentioned.
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[05:48]So we have been together since high school. Later on, so after I was done with CBYX, I ended up
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[05:55]spending a lot of my time during my undergraduate program in the United States preparing for my
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[06:00]entry into the German labor market. I knew I wanted to work abroad, and I knew that I wanted to do that in
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[06:05]Germany. And so one of the things that I did was I organized my own internship at the
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[06:09]And that really just resulted not only in a job opportunity for me later on, but in a lot of
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[06:15]other opportunities as well, because I got to know firsthand what the process looks like.
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[06:20]I was then asked by my alma mater, so my university in the US to organize internship programs. And I
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[06:26]ended up founding Germanista LLC, which was a company that helped American students come to Germany and
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[06:34]do an affordable internship. So instead of paying a large program fee, I worked to really reduce costs
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[06:41]as much as possible. And my mission with that organization was to, in particular, help Midwestern
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[06:46]American college students do an internship in Germany. I ran that for about three and a half years,
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[06:52]and then I transitioned into a master's program. And so since then, I have founded Germany Career Coach.
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[06:59]I have finished not only my bachelor's degree, but also a master of science in research and innovation
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[07:05]higher ed. I did my MBA in Germany at the University of Oldenburg. And now I am currently working towards
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[07:10]my PhD at Miami University in Ohio. So yes, I am definitely in that space again, where I'm splitting
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[07:17]my time in my career across both continents and countries. My Germany related experience spans the
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[07:23]student experiences that I just mentioned. So interning, volunteering, teaching, tutoring,
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[07:28]traveling, all the things. And then, of course, I also have work experience in higher education
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[07:33]administration, international career services specifically, and EU projects. I ran the international
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[07:40]internship program, as I mentioned. And while I was working as an administrator at a university in
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[07:46]Germany and running their career services for international students, I was concurrently also a German
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[07:52]studies lecturer for incoming international exchange students at the undergraduate and graduate level.
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[07:58]So I've also seen this topic from an academic perspective. And currently, a lot of my work right
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[08:04]now, if I'm not working on Germany Career Coach, I'm working on researching different topics related to
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[08:09]higher education internationalization, in particular, related to the German context. So Germany has very much
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[08:15]been a thing that has tied my career together. And it's something that I'm very excited about. And I'm sure you'll
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[08:21]hear that throughout the program, because I think that CBYX and also an internship in Germany can just
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[08:25]really accelerate your career, regardless of if you are looking to go back to the United States
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[08:31]permanently, or if you're considering working in Germany or in another country. So I created the
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[08:38]service that I needed. So I realized that there wasn't a lot of English language material out there,
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[08:43]especially for those of us who are maybe bilingual, and we can do it in German, but we want things
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[08:47]explained in English, or we just want things explained in English, because we don't speak German, right.
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[08:52]And so when I started, more than 10 years ago, now, there just wasn't a lot on the market, we hadn't
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[08:57]had the different kind of influxes of migrants and young professionals and refugees that then prompted
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[09:02]the development of different materials and programs. And so that was really the impetus for me
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[09:07]founding Germany Career Coach and the plethora of programs that came along with it. So I created a
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[09:12]Germany Career Kickstarter program that is taught at universities across the country.
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[09:16]I've also developed different ebooks and guides, different kits, and then just standalone workshops.
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[09:22]Of course, finding an internship in Germany is one of the products that I provide within Germany
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[09:27]Career Coach. And this program is specifically made for you as CBYXers in the young professionals
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[09:34]program. And so it's really tailored to what the program looks like for you and to your specific
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[09:38]needs. And also just knowing that you all are Americans and that we have that kind of nationality
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[09:44]focus as well. So with no further ado, welcome to the program. Here's what you can expect.
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[09:51]You're going to get insight and understanding. And so this program will teach you how to navigate
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[09:57]applying for an internship in Germany, including efficient ways of finding an internship, as well
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[10:04]as strategies, tips, and tricks you may not find on your own. It includes instruction and resources on
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[10:09]effectively contacting and communicating with employers, as well as insight into how the application
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[10:14]process differs between the US and Germany. And then preparation techniques. So this program will
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[10:21]help you gain a better understanding of what to expect in terms of the application timeline,
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[10:25]components of a strong internship application, and how to evaluate potential employers and navigate
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[10:30]offers. We will also cover topics such as how to prepare for an interview and what to expect from a
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[10:35]German work environment. And then finally, step-by-step planning tools. So in sum, this program will
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[10:42]prepare you to go out and look for internships on your own while also providing resources for doing so
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[10:47]in an organized, structured manner. It will make you more culturally aware, which will help you stand
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[10:51]out among other applicants. And you'll leave this program with a solid plan for finding your
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[10:56]internship in Germany. I teach this program as a step-by-step process, so you can use it to support
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[11:01]yourself throughout the entire internship application process. Now, here's a bit about what you can expect
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[11:08]from my style. I'm definitely no fluff. I will get straight to the point with things and make sure that
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[11:14]we are not wasting any time on things that we don't need to waste time on. Actionable strategies. I want
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[11:19]you to take what I teach you and put it into action right away. So I provide activities or prompts for you
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[11:25]to do that. Detailed information. So my style is known for being more in depth. Some people love that. Some
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[11:31]people not so much. That's just my style. I prefer to give you the information that you need. And
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[11:36]sometimes that requires doing so in a very detailed manner. Honesty and transparency. This is my personal
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[11:43]policy for most things in life, but especially for career advice and guidance. And that's what you can
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[11:48]expect from me. And then a fusion of practice and research. So due to my research that I just mentioned and
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[11:54]my work, the trainings that I provide are always grounded upon both empirical evidence and practice.
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[12:00]So while in this CBYX program, I'm not going to be showing you different studies or graphics from
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[12:06]studies about internships in Germany or related topics. I want you to know that what I'm telling you
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[12:12]is backed up by the studies that we do have on that topic in Germany, as well as the practical
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[12:18]work experience that I've had, both facilitating internships for Americans in Germany,
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[12:23]as well as guiding many people from across the globe through that process.
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[12:30]So while I know this program is chock full of great information, tools, and resources to set
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[12:36]you up for success, my personal hope is for you to feel more confident about what exactly you need
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[12:41]to do and when to find an internship. And this last part is important. What you will need to do.
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[12:47]Self-initiative is one of the most important skills for being successful in your search. Employers
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[12:52]like to see that you're a self-starter, that you're self-determined, and you're willing to go the extra
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[12:57]mile on your own self-initiative. So here's what we're going to cover. As I mentioned, you'll walk
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[13:05]away from this program with a structure for finding an internship in Germany and special insight into
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[13:09]English language internship avenues. Here is what we will cover in detail. An overview of the internship
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[13:15]landscape and culture in Germany. How the internship search process works. Diverse and unique avenues for
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[13:21]finding an internship in Germany. Realistic internship goal setting and organizing your
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[13:26]search. How to find internship posts and positions. How to navigate an English-only internship search.
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[13:33]What to expect in terms of timing for your internship. How to approach the internship application and
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[13:38]interview. And some legal but basic and financial aspects of internships in Germany broadly or generally.
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[13:46]By the end of this course, you'll know how to search, secure, and excel in your internship in Germany.
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[13:52]I will walk you through the internship search process from finding opportunities to making the most of your
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[13:56]experience. And of course, this is going to be all related back to the CBYX timeline. You will learn
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[14:01]about the German internship landscape, application documents, how interviews work in Germany, and how
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[14:06]to excel within German work culture. This course is therefore a roadmap to finding an internship. And along
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[14:11]the way, you will also gain valuable insights and strategies for a successful internship journey in
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[14:17]Germany. This course is therefore a roadmap to finding an internship. And along the way, you will also gain
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[14:23]valuable insights and strategies for a successful internship journey in Germany. Now, it's equally
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[14:29]as important to talk about what's not going to be covered. Therefore, the skills you learn through this
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[14:34]program have the potential to help you down the road as well, regardless of if you choose to pursue
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[14:39]a career in Germany, the US, or elsewhere. However, I would like to note that looking for jobs
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[14:44]or other opportunities in Germany will not be covered. But this course is still of use to those
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[14:50]of you who are considering returning to Germany at some point. So here's a bird's eye view of the
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[14:56]course, which has six modules. The first module is plan, planning and preparing for your internship
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[15:01]in Germany. Module two is design, designing your internship in Germany. Module three, cultivate,
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[15:06]cultivating connections and networking. Module four, create, creating an application that impresses
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[15:12]German employers. Module five, prepare, preparing for the interview. And module six, succeed, what to do
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[15:17]after you've landed the internship. And then here on the screen, you can see a detailed course plan.
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[15:24]So within module one, we're going to be talking about what you need to know about internships in
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[15:27]Germany. We'll give an overview of the internship search process. You'll get access to the internships
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[15:32]in Germany roadmap, as well as to your ICMS and learn how to set that up. Module two will be designing
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[15:37]your internship. So what is realistic internship goal setting? How do you navigate German and English
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[15:42]in the internship search? What is the time timing and time plan of internships you need to be aware
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[15:47]of? And then how do you plan your Germany internship search? So what does the search actually look like?
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[15:52]Cultivate. So how do you build a network in Germany? How do you leverage LinkedIn to establish a
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[15:56]Germany niche? And then how do you use Sing in your Germany internship search? Module four is a massive
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[16:02]module. That's what we're really going to be creating. So we're going to get started with talking about
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[16:07]what makes applications in Germany unique compared to, for example, the US context. We're going to
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[16:12]then go over resume CVs in the German Liedenslauf and talk about what you need to have in your resume.
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[16:18]And there's a template that goes along with that. Then we'll talk about cover letters, motivation
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[16:23]letters, emails to employers. Again, there, there will be a template for the cover letter, as well as
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[16:27]templates for emails to employers. And then we'll also briefly discuss attachment certificates and
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[16:32]references so that by the end of module four, you have created an application that you can then take and
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[16:37]use to apply for internships in Germany. Module five prepare is going to be all about interviews
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[16:43]in Germany, as well as a little bit about contracts and salary negotiation. And then module six, which is
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[16:49]the shortest module succeed will be about preparing for your first and last day. So once you've landed
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[16:54]that internship, you can take a look at module six and begin planning and thinking about a couple of
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[16:59]different aspects that you should consider before you hit the ground running on day one.
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[17:03]Now, of course, everyone loves bonuses. I do too. So there's two bonus modules in this program.
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[17:10]The first one is German for work. So German for work is going to be about how to learn German in a way
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[17:17]that it's helpful for professional purposes. And it teaches you how to set up a system for yourself
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[17:22]so that you're learning German in a way that's helpful for your internship. Okay. So for some of you
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[17:29]that might be adding on a tool for others of you that might be setting up an entirely different system,
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[17:33]depending on where you're at. And bonus module number two, I love it's interviews with interns,
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[17:39]ex-interns all talk about their experiences from different angles. And I feel like that's just a
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[17:44]great way to round out the program and get you excited for about what's next to come for you in
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[17:49]your internship journey. All right. So what can you expect from the module structure? So we just
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[17:56]talked about the six modules and I have built them all in a certain pedagogical manner.
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[18:01]So you'll first watch the lesson. So you'll basically just take a look at the videos that
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[18:07]are provided in each module. Within each module video, you'll also have a short summary called
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[18:12]quotes and knapp that will basically summarize what we talked about. And then you'll have
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[18:17]Hausaufgaben. So the video normally ends with, these are your Hausaufgaben for this week. And you can also
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[18:23]find those action items listed in your internship search roadmap.
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[18:26]So just to summarize, by the end of this course, you will understand the German internship market,
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[18:33]landscape, and its unique characteristics and know how to utilize effective strategies for finding
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[18:37]internship opportunities. You'll also learn how to craft compelling applications, succeed in
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[18:41]interviews, and navigate German work culture and maximize your internship experience. I'm really
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[18:46]excited to get started and I will see you all in module one.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/862649743?h=3b04a04a7e", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/862649743.mp4", "search": "welcome and course overview module #0: welcome to the course! key takeaways copy \n self-initiative is the meta-skill: employers want self-starters who go the extra mile on their own - the course structures you, but you must drive. [12:36] \n an internship in germany accelerates your career whether you return to the us permanently or stay in germany - treat it as a career accelerant, not just a program requirement. [08:21] \n bilingual applicants often want things explained in english even when they could handle german - optimizing your learning language is a legitimate strategy. [08:43] \n welcome and course overview \n \n module: #0 welcome \n lesson url: /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/welcome-and-course-overview \n \n overview \n jessica schuler welcomes students to the \"finding an internship in germany\" course built specifically for cbyx young professionals participants. after reading copyright, legal, and content disclaimers (the material is copyrighted, for personal use by paying students only, and is not legal or licensed advice), she introduces herself: a wisconsinite who did cbyx in passau, later organized her own internship in germany, founded germanista llc to place american students in affordable german internships, and now runs germany career coach while pursuing a phd at miami university of ohio. she explains her teaching style (no fluff, actionable, detailed, honest, fusing practice and research) and emphasizes that self-initiative is the single most important skill for the search. the lesson closes with a bird's-eye view of the course's six modules plus two bonus modules. \n key points \n \n all course content is copyrighted/trademarked (germanycareercoach.com, jessicashuler.com) - personal use only, no derivative works, resale, or commercial use with clients; violations carry legal consequences in germany and/or the us. [00:10] \n legal disclaimer: jessica is not a lawyer; for legal help consult the guide to the general equal treatment act or employment/labor law lawyers, and inform cbyx. [01:10] \n her background: cbyx high-school year in passau, self-organized internship in germany, founded germanista llc (affordable internships for midwestern college students, ran ~3.5 years), mba at university of oldenburg, phd at miami university in ohio. [04:10] \n she built the course because there was little english-language material on entering the german labor market when she started 10+ years ago - \"i created the service that i needed.\" [08:38] \n course deliverables: efficient internship-search strategies, employer communication, us vs. germany application differences, timeline expectations, interview prep, german work environment - plus step-by-step planning tools and a solid search plan. [09:51] \n what's not covered: job hunting in germany generally - this course is internship-focused only. [14:29] \n module structure: each video ends with \"quotes and knapp\" summary and hausaufgaben (homework/action items), which are also listed in the internship search roadmap. [17:56] \n \n frameworks & templates \n \n six-module course roadmap: module 1 plan (planning & preparing), module 2 design (designing your internship), module 3 cultivate (cultivating connections & networking), module 4 create (creating an application that impresses german employers), module 5 prepare (preparing for the interview), module 6 succeed (what to do after landing the internship). [14:56] \n module content map: module 1 covers the internship landscape, search process overview, the internships in germany roadmap , and setting up your icms ; module 2 covers realistic goal setting, german vs. english search navigation, timing/time plan, and search planning; module 3 covers networking in germany, linkedin germany niche, and using xing; module 4 (the biggest) covers german application uniqueness, resume/lebenslauf with template, cover letter + email templates, attachments/certificates/references; module 5 covers interviews, contracts, salary negotiation; module 6 covers preparing for first and last day. [15:24] \n named companies/programs: germany career coach, germanista llc, germany career kickstarter program (taught at universities). [09:12] \n \n resources \n \n www.germanycareercoach.com and jessicashuler.com (course/content sites) \n guide to the general equal treatment act (for legal questions) \n germany career kickstarter program; ebooks, guides, kits, and standalone workshops \n the internships in germany roadmap and the icms (delivered in module 1) \n [00:00] welcome to the finding an internship in germany course for cbyxers in the young professionals \n [00:04] program. i'm so glad you're here. let's cover a few disclaimers before we dive into the course \n [00:10] content. first of all, a copyright notice. nobody likes a copycat. please remember everything in \n [00:18] this course or provided as part of this course on the www.germanycareercoach.com website as well \n [00:25] as the jessicashuler.com website and any associated websites and within the course portals is copyrighted \n [00:31] and or trademarked in the u.s. and or germany and intended for your personal use only. you are not \n [00:37] allowed to copy, alter, redistribute, or use this content or any of the materials to make derivative \n [00:44] works of any kind. so this means you cannot use this content later on to make your own workshops, \n [00:49] handouts, etc. this content is for your personal use only and it's for paying course or workshop \n [00:55] students only and for personal use only. it may not be resold or used commercially such as with clients. \n [01:03] copyright and or intellectual property violations may result in legal consequences in germany and or \n [01:10] the united states of america. a legal disclaimer. i am not a lawyer nor do i give any sort of legal \n [01:18] advice. please inform cbyx and consult the following if you need legal help. the guide to the general \n [01:24] equal treatment act and or employment or labor law lawyers. content disclaimer. \n [01:33] the information provided by jessica schuler llc and dba germany career coach on the website and in \n [01:40] coachings, online courses, trainings, or workshops is for informational purposes only. the views and \n [01:45] opinions expressed on this website are expressively those of jessica schuler llc and dba germany career \n [01:51] coach derived from jessica schuler llc and dba germany career coach experiences. everything on the site is \n [01:57] the personal opinion of jessica schuler llc and dba germany career coach, not licensed advice. it is \n [02:03] important for you to note that the needs of every individual are unique and there is no one size fits \n [02:08] all advice. this website is solely intended for general information purposes. nothing on this site \n [02:15] should be taken as advice for any individual, case, or situation. this information is not intended to \n [02:21] create and receipt or viewing does not constitute in any way an established coach-client relationship. \n [02:28] no past results serve in any way as a guarantee for future results. content contained on or made \n [02:34] available by jessica schuler llc or through the dba germany career coach website is not intended to \n [02:39] and does not constitute advice and by viewing this website, no relationship such as a coach-client \n [02:44] relationship is formed between us. your use of the information on the website or materials linked \n [02:49] from the web is at your own risk. while jessica schuler llc and dba germany career coach have done their \n [02:54] best to provide you with accurate information, jessica schuler llc and dba germany career coach do not make any \n [03:00] guarantee or other promise as to any results that may be obtained from using jessica schuler llc \n [03:05] and or dba germany career coach education or content. no one should ever make any financial investment, \n [03:12] legal, or accounting decision without first consulting his or her own licensed applicable advisor \n [03:16] and conducting his or her own research and due diligence. to the maximum extent permitted by law, \n [03:22] jessica schuler llc and dba germany career coach disclaims any and all liability in the event any \n [03:27] information, commentary, analysis, opinions, advice, and or recommendations prove to be inaccurate, \n [03:32] incomplete, or unreliable or result in any other losses. you assume full responsibility or liability \n [03:38] for the accuracy of application of any information or education jessica schuler llc and or dba germany \n [03:43] career coach provide, whether or not arising from the negligence of jessica schuler llc and dba germany \n [03:48] career coach and associated websites. good, now we got those legalities and disclaimers out of the way, \n [03:55] so you may be wondering who i am. servus, i am jessica and i use servus because my cbyx program \n [04:03] was in the south of germany. it was in passau, which i still to this day love dearly. so just a couple \n [04:10] of things about me so you know who's going to be walking you through how to find an internship in \n [04:15] germany as part of your cbyx young professionals experience. i'm a proud wisconsinite. i grew up on a \n [04:21] farm in wisconsin, had absolutely no contact to germany or international education before my cbyx \n [04:29] program, and i really found out about it by chance happening because the exchange student at my high \n [04:36] school happened to come from germany, and he really just piqued my interest in perhaps doing an exchange \n [04:41] program myself. so i ended up doing cbyx for high school students the senior year of my high school \n [04:48] time. and since then, i have founded a company called germany career coach, and i work with \n [04:56] universities across germany and actually across the globe, as well as with students, one-on-one, \n [05:01] young professionals, expats, senior leaders to a certain extent as well. and my focus is on the initial \n [05:08] entry into the german labor market. so i'm really good at helping guide people through that kind of \n [05:13] first employment experience, that first entry into the german labor market. i do some coaching beyond that, \n [05:18] of course, but that's really where my specialty lies. so i want to show you some background here just to \n [05:24] give you an idea of the person who's behind the voice that you're going to be hearing for the next \n [05:28] couple of hours as you're going through this course. this is my guest familia from paso. i'm \n [05:34] obviously the redhead in the middle, and my husband is next to me, and then my host parents on the left, \n [05:39] and my host sisters on the right. and this was actually us at our groom's barbecue right before our \n [05:44] wedding. and the man that i married is the high school exchange student that i just mentioned. \n [05:48] so we have been together since high school. later on, so after i was done with cbyx, i ended up \n [05:55] spending a lot of my time during my undergraduate program in the united states preparing for my \n [06:00] entry into the german labor market. i knew i wanted to work abroad, and i knew that i wanted to do that in \n [06:05] germany. and so one of the things that i did was i organized my own internship at the \n [06:09] and that really just resulted not only in a job opportunity for me later on, but in a lot of \n [06:15] other opportunities as well, because i got to know firsthand what the process looks like. \n [06:20] i was then asked by my alma mater, so my university in the us to organize internship programs. and i \n [06:26] ended up founding germanista llc, which was a company that helped american students come to germany and \n [06:34] do an affordable internship. so instead of paying a large program fee, i worked to really reduce costs \n [06:41] as much as possible. and my mission with that organization was to, in particular, help midwestern \n [06:46] american college students do an internship in germany. i ran that for about three and a half years, \n [06:52] and then i transitioned into a master's program. and so since then, i have founded germany career coach. \n [06:59] i have finished not only my bachelor's degree, but also a master of science in research and innovation \n [07:05] higher ed. i did my mba in germany at the university of oldenburg. and now i am currently working towards \n [07:10] my phd at miami university in ohio. so yes, i am definitely in that space again, where i'm splitting \n [07:17] my time in my career across both continents and countries. my germany related experience spans the \n [07:23] student experiences that i just mentioned. so interning, volunteering, teaching, tutoring, \n [07:28] traveling, all the things. and then, of course, i also have work experience in higher education \n [07:33] administration, international career services specifically, and eu projects. i ran the international \n [07:40] internship program, as i mentioned. and while i was working as an administrator at a university in \n [07:46] germany and running their career services for international students, i was concurrently also a german \n [07:52] studies lecturer for incoming international exchange students at the undergraduate and graduate level. \n [07:58] so i've also seen this topic from an academic perspective. and currently, a lot of my work right \n [08:04] now, if i'm not working on germany career coach, i'm working on researching different topics related to \n [08:09] higher education internationalization, in particular, related to the german context. so germany has very much \n [08:15] been a thing that has tied my career together. and it's something that i'm very excited about. and i'm sure you'll \n [08:21] hear that throughout the program, because i think that cbyx and also an internship in germany can just \n [08:25] really accelerate your career, regardless of if you are looking to go back to the united states \n [08:31] permanently, or if you're considering working in germany or in another country. so i created the \n [08:38] service that i needed. so i realized that there wasn't a lot of english language material out there, \n [08:43] especially for those of us who are maybe bilingual, and we can do it in german, but we want things \n [08:47] explained in english, or we just want things explained in english, because we don't speak german, right. \n [08:52] and so when i started, more than 10 years ago, now, there just wasn't a lot on the market, we hadn't \n [08:57] had the different kind of influxes of migrants and young professionals and refugees that then prompted \n [09:02] the development of different materials and programs. and so that was really the impetus for me \n [09:07] founding germany career coach and the plethora of programs that came along with it. so i created a \n [09:12] germany career kickstarter program that is taught at universities across the country. \n [09:16] i've also developed different ebooks and guides, different kits, and then just standalone workshops. \n [09:22] of course, finding an internship in germany is one of the products that i provide within germany \n [09:27] career coach. and this program is specifically made for you as cbyxers in the young professionals \n [09:34] program. and so it's really tailored to what the program looks like for you and to your specific \n [09:38] needs. and also just knowing that you all are americans and that we have that kind of nationality \n [09:44] focus as well. so with no further ado, welcome to the program. here's what you can expect. \n [09:51] you're going to get insight and understanding. and so this program will teach you how to navigate \n [09:57] applying for an internship in germany, including efficient ways of finding an internship, as well \n [10:04] as strategies, tips, and tricks you may not find on your own. it includes instruction and resources on \n [10:09] effectively contacting and communicating with employers, as well as insight into how the application \n [10:14] process differs between the us and germany. and then preparation techniques. so this program will \n [10:21] help you gain a better understanding of what to expect in terms of the application timeline, \n [10:25] components of a strong internship application, and how to evaluate potential employers and navigate \n [10:30] offers. we will also cover topics such as how to prepare for an interview and what to expect from a \n [10:35] german work environment. and then finally, step-by-step planning tools. so in sum, this program will \n [10:42] prepare you to go out and look for internships on your own while also providing resources for doing so \n [10:47] in an organized, structured manner. it will make you more culturally aware, which will help you stand \n [10:51] out among other applicants. and you'll leave this program with a solid plan for finding your \n [10:56] internship in germany. i teach this program as a step-by-step process, so you can use it to support \n [11:01] yourself throughout the entire internship application process. now, here's a bit about what you can expect \n [11:08] from my style. i'm definitely no fluff. i will get straight to the point with things and make sure that \n [11:14] we are not wasting any time on things that we don't need to waste time on. actionable strategies. i want \n [11:19] you to take what i teach you and put it into action right away. so i provide activities or prompts for you \n [11:25] to do that. detailed information. so my style is known for being more in depth. some people love that. some \n [11:31] people not so much. that's just my style. i prefer to give you the information that you need. and \n [11:36] sometimes that requires doing so in a very detailed manner. honesty and transparency. this is my personal \n [11:43] policy for most things in life, but especially for career advice and guidance. and that's what you can \n [11:48] expect from me. and then a fusion of practice and research. so due to my research that i just mentioned and \n [11:54] my work, the trainings that i provide are always grounded upon both empirical evidence and practice. \n [12:00] so while in this cbyx program, i'm not going to be showing you different studies or graphics from \n [12:06] studies about internships in germany or related topics. i want you to know that what i'm telling you \n [12:12] is backed up by the studies that we do have on that topic in germany, as well as the practical \n [12:18] work experience that i've had, both facilitating internships for americans in germany, \n [12:23] as well as guiding many people from across the globe through that process. \n [12:30] so while i know this program is chock full of great information, tools, and resources to set \n [12:36] you up for success, my personal hope is for you to feel more confident about what exactly you need \n [12:41] to do and when to find an internship. and this last part is important. what you will need to do. \n [12:47] self-initiative is one of the most important skills for being successful in your search. employers \n [12:52] like to see that you're a self-starter, that you're self-determined, and you're willing to go the extra \n [12:57] mile on your own self-initiative. so here's what we're going to cover. as i mentioned, you'll walk \n [13:05] away from this program with a structure for finding an internship in germany and special insight into \n [13:09] english language internship avenues. here is what we will cover in detail. an overview of the internship \n [13:15] landscape and culture in germany. how the internship search process works. diverse and unique avenues for \n [13:21] finding an internship in germany. realistic internship goal setting and organizing your \n [13:26] search. how to find internship posts and positions. how to navigate an english-only internship search. \n [13:33] what to expect in terms of timing for your internship. how to approach the internship application and \n [13:38] interview. and some legal but basic and financial aspects of internships in germany broadly or generally. \n [13:46] by the end of this course, you'll know how to search, secure, and excel in your internship in germany. \n [13:52] i will walk you through the internship search process from finding opportunities to making the most of your \n [13:56] experience. and of course, this is going to be all related back to the cbyx timeline. you will learn \n [14:01] about the german internship landscape, application documents, how interviews work in germany, and how \n [14:06] to excel within german work culture. this course is therefore a roadmap to finding an internship. and along \n [14:11] the way, you will also gain valuable insights and strategies for a successful internship journey in \n [14:17] germany. this course is therefore a roadmap to finding an internship. and along the way, you will also gain \n [14:23] valuable insights and strategies for a successful internship journey in germany. now, it's equally \n [14:29] as important to talk about what's not going to be covered. therefore, the skills you learn through this \n [14:34] program have the potential to help you down the road as well, regardless of if you choose to pursue \n [14:39] a career in germany, the us, or elsewhere. however, i would like to note that looking for jobs \n [14:44] or other opportunities in germany will not be covered. but this course is still of use to those \n [14:50] of you who are considering returning to germany at some point. so here's a bird's eye view of the \n [14:56] course, which has six modules. the first module is plan, planning and preparing for your internship \n [15:01] in germany. module two is design, designing your internship in germany. module three, cultivate, \n [15:06] cultivating connections and networking. module four, create, creating an application that impresses \n [15:12] german employers. module five, prepare, preparing for the interview. and module six, succeed, what to do \n [15:17] after you've landed the internship. and then here on the screen, you can see a detailed course plan. \n [15:24] so within module one, we're going to be talking about what you need to know about internships in \n [15:27] germany. we'll give an overview of the internship search process. you'll get access to the internships \n [15:32] in germany roadmap, as well as to your icms and learn how to set that up. module two will be designing \n [15:37] your internship. so what is realistic internship goal setting? how do you navigate german and english \n [15:42] in the internship search? what is the time timing and time plan of internships you need to be aware \n [15:47] of? and then how do you plan your germany internship search? so what does the search actually look like? \n [15:52] cultivate. so how do you build a network in germany? how do you leverage linkedin to establish a \n [15:56] germany niche? and then how do you use sing in your germany internship search? module four is a massive \n [16:02] module. that's what we're really going to be creating. so we're going to get started with talking about \n [16:07] what makes applications in germany unique compared to, for example, the us context. we're going to \n [16:12] then go over resume cvs in the german liedenslauf and talk about what you need to have in your resume. \n [16:18] and there's a template that goes along with that. then we'll talk about cover letters, motivation \n [16:23] letters, emails to employers. again, there, there will be a template for the cover letter, as well as \n [16:27] templates for emails to employers. and then we'll also briefly discuss attachment certificates and \n [16:32] references so that by the end of module four, you have created an application that you can then take and \n [16:37] use to apply for internships in germany. module five prepare is going to be all about interviews \n [16:43] in germany, as well as a little bit about contracts and salary negotiation. and then module six, which is \n [16:49] the shortest module succeed will be about preparing for your first and last day. so once you've landed \n [16:54] that internship, you can take a look at module six and begin planning and thinking about a couple of \n [16:59] different aspects that you should consider before you hit the ground running on day one. \n [17:03] now, of course, everyone loves bonuses. i do too. so there's two bonus modules in this program. \n [17:10] the first one is german for work. so german for work is going to be about how to learn german in a way \n [17:17] that it's helpful for professional purposes. and it teaches you how to set up a system for yourself \n [17:22] so that you're learning german in a way that's helpful for your internship. okay. so for some of you \n [17:29] that might be adding on a tool for others of you that might be setting up an entirely different system, \n [17:33] depending on where you're at. and bonus module number two, i love it's interviews with interns, \n [17:39] ex-interns all talk about their experiences from different angles. and i feel like that's just a \n [17:44] great way to round out the program and get you excited for about what's next to come for you in \n [17:49] your internship journey. all right. so what can you expect from the module structure? so we just \n [17:56] talked about the six modules and i have built them all in a certain pedagogical manner. \n [18:01] so you'll first watch the lesson. so you'll basically just take a look at the videos that \n [18:07] are provided in each module. within each module video, you'll also have a short summary called \n [18:12] quotes and knapp that will basically summarize what we talked about. and then you'll have \n [18:17] hausaufgaben. so the video normally ends with, these are your hausaufgaben for this week. and you can also \n [18:23] find those action items listed in your internship search roadmap. \n [18:26] so just to summarize, by the end of this course, you will understand the german internship market, \n [18:33] landscape, and its unique characteristics and know how to utilize effective strategies for finding \n [18:37] internship opportunities. you'll also learn how to craft compelling applications, succeed in \n [18:41] interviews, and navigate german work culture and maximize your internship experience. i'm really \n [18:46] excited to get started and i will see you all in module one. "}, {"id": "L0-1", "key": "865333620", "vid": "865333620", "title": "How to Navigate the Course Platform", "module": "Module #0: Welcome to the Course!", "mi": 0, "li": 1, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/how-to-navigate-the-course-platform", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

How to Navigate the Course Platform

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Overview

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Jessica gives a screen-share walkthrough of the course platform so students know exactly how to move through the material. She shows the left-hand navigation menu with all modules and lessons, the progress bar that updates when you hit \"Complete and Continue,\" and how logging in/out works via the home page and \"Digital Products\" link. She also explains the consistent per-lesson structure - module video, \"Quotes and Knapp\" summary, additional resources - and points out the two central course documents: the Internships in Germany Roadmap (a Google Doc) and the ICMS (an Excel sheet).

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Key Points

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Frameworks & Templates

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Resources

\n", "md": "# How to Navigate the Course Platform\n\n- **Module:** #0 Welcome\n- **Lesson URL:** /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/how-to-navigate-the-course-platform\n\n## Overview\nJessica gives a screen-share walkthrough of the course platform so students know exactly how to move through the material. She shows the left-hand navigation menu with all modules and lessons, the progress bar that updates when you hit \"Complete and Continue,\" and how logging in/out works via the home page and \"Digital Products\" link. She also explains the consistent per-lesson structure - module video, \"Quotes and Knapp\" summary, additional resources - and points out the two central course documents: the Internships in Germany Roadmap (a Google Doc) and the ICMS (an Excel sheet).\n\n## Key Points\n- Navigation lives in the top-left icon; it expands to show all modules/lessons at once, and the progress bar tracks your completion. [00:04]\n- \"Complete and Continue\" (upper or lower right corner) auto-updates the progress bar and jumps you to the next lesson. [00:18]\n- To log back in: click login on the home page, sign in, open the account bar, go to \"Digital Products\" \u2192 \"View Finding an Internship in Germany.\" [01:31]\n- Module 0 contains a **Support lesson** with a feedback form - Jessica explicitly wants feedback on tech, content, and didactics since this is the first run of the course format. [02:12]\n- Videos have YouTube-style player features: closed captions/subtitles, transcript, quality/speed settings, picture-in-picture, full screen. [03:03]\n- Each lesson ends with \"Quotes and Knapp\" (the lesson summary) plus \"additional resources and mentioned links\" - some lessons have many (e.g., the resume lesson), others none yet; request more via the support form. [03:37]\n- The Xing lesson is the only one structured as multiple separate videos; some lessons include a built-in activity with explanations and answers below the video. [04:18]\n- Every module's last lesson lists the module Hausaufgaben (homework), which are also in the roadmap. [05:07]\n\n## Frameworks & Templates\n- **Two mainstay documents** carrying almost everything you need: (1) the **Internships in Germany Roadmap** - a Google Doc; (2) the **ICMS** (International Career Management System) - an Excel sheet. [05:21]\n- Standard lesson anatomy: lesson video \u2192 \"Quotes and Knapp\" summary \u2192 additional resources/mentioned links \u2192 (sometimes) activity \u2192 module-final Hausaufgaben. [03:24]\n\n## Resources\n- Digital Products area of the course platform (entry point to the course)\n- Support lesson feedback form (Module 0)\n- Internships in Germany Roadmap (Google Doc)\n- ICMS / International Career Management System (Excel sheet)\n- Bonus modules link out only to interviewees' LinkedIn profiles\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Keep the course home page open in a tab even after signing out - that page is publicly visible (with lock icons on lessons) and doubles as your login portal. [00:59]\n- The resume lesson comes pre-loaded with the most resources, and a separate resume-terminology video can be watched first or last - whatever suits you. [03:52]\n- Jessica actively tunes the course to cohort feedback; if you're missing a resource, the support form is how it gets added. [04:01]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]So once you're inside the course platform, I just want to show you a couple of things
\n
[00:03]so you're aware of how to navigate.
\n
[00:04]First of all, you can always find the navigation up here in the left-hand corner.
\n
[00:08]You just click on this little icon, it'll pull out the navigation for you.
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[00:11]And here you can see all of the modules and all of the lessons at once, and you can also
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[00:15]monitor your progress here with this progress bar.
\n
[00:18]Then you can hit complete and continue either here in the upper right-hand corner or here
\n
[00:22]in the lower right-hand corner.
\n
[00:25]Okay.
\n
[00:25]When you hit complete and continue, and I'll show you how this looks here, you will notice
\n
[00:29]then that your progress bar will automatically update.
\n
[00:32]And then you always know where you can jump back in on.
\n
[00:34]It'll automatically navigate then to the next video that you need to complete.
\n
[00:38]And obviously this video is not there because I'm recording it right now.
\n
[00:41]All right.
\n
[00:42]Each lesson has a back to home at the beginning, and here you will be navigated back to your
\n
[00:46]course home.
\n
[00:47]Your course home does not have a header or a footer at the bottom of it.
\n
[00:52]You can just see the modules here, and you can also jump into any module just by clicking
\n
[00:56]on it here.
\n
[00:57]So you can get back into the course platform that way.
\n
[00:59]But let's say you're at this homepage and you are done for the day.
\n
[01:03]What you'll actually want to do is you'll want to keep this homepage here open.
\n
[01:07]And so when you click on login to log into your course, you can click here to sign out.
\n
[01:13]And then what will happen is actually when you go to refresh this page, you'll see that
\n
[01:17]the progress bar is no longer there.
\n
[01:19]So this page is technically available to the public, but you'll see that now you're seeing
\n
[01:22]those little lock signs so people can't just reach, obviously, the course materials.
\n
[01:26]OK, but let's say you want to go back into the course.
\n
[01:29]You're going to go ahead here and click on login.
\n
[01:31]That's already going to preload with my information.
\n
[01:33]I'll click here on sign in, and it's going to automatically log you in.
\n
[01:37]The account bar will pull up here on the right hand side, and then you're actually going
\n
[01:40]to want to navigate to digital products.
\n
[01:43]And you can just click on view finding an internship in Germany.
\n
[01:46]And so this means that at any point in time you want to log back out, you just go to the
\n
[01:51]home page.
\n
[01:51]You're not seeing, again, this navigation up here because I felt it's a bit cleaner if
\n
[01:55]we don't have that up there.
\n
[01:56]However, if I get feedback from you that you prefer to have the navigation up there, I
\n
[01:59]can change that for you as well.
\n
[02:01]In any case, then you'll be back on this page.
\n
[02:03]And again, you can just jump right in here to wherever you need to be.
\n
[02:06]And then each module is set up in the same way.
\n
[02:10]And I'll show you that here in just a second.
\n
[02:12]But before I do that, I wanted to just point out that in the first module where you have
\n
[02:15]the welcome, the navigation, you also have a support lesson.
\n
[02:19]And this includes a form.
\n
[02:21]So if you have any questions about the course, you have a comment, whether it's tech related,
\n
[02:24]it's content related, it's related to the didactic nature of the course, whatever it may be,
\n
[02:29]since we're running this for the first time as a course and not as a three hour workshop,
\n
[02:33]I'm very open and interested in your feedback.
\n
[02:35]Also, if you love something, if something is super helpful, if you're like, this is amazing,
\n
[02:39]this is really great, please, like any of your feedback is really
\n
[02:41]helpful in helping me help you and future cohorts make the most out of this.
\n
[02:47]So you can find that in there.
\n
[02:48]Now, each of the modules is, and let's just show you here, this first one,
\n
[02:52]set up with multiple different lessons.
\n
[02:55]So within each module, there's different lessons.
\n
[02:57]And it all starts with this module video.
\n
[02:59]So most of the modules have one module video that you can just click play on here.
\n
[03:03]And you'll see also in the video, you have different options to do closed captioning or
\n
[03:07]subtitles.
\n
[03:08]You can show yourself a transcript.
\n
[03:10]There's different settings that you can play around with, such as the quality or the speed.
\n
[03:14]And then I think you can also, if you click on this picture in picture, if you like that,
\n
[03:17]you can do that.
\n
[03:18]And then, of course, you can also put it into full screen.
\n
[03:20]OK, so all the main features that you would have if you were looking at this on YouTube
\n
[03:23]or something similar.
\n
[03:24]Then down here, you'll always find your quotes and can up.
\n
[03:27]So that's the main summary of the lesson that's available for you there.
\n
[03:31]It's also then in the module, too, once I go through the lesson.
\n
[03:34]And then here you'll find additional resources and mentioned links.
\n
[03:37]For some of the lessons, you will have things.
\n
[03:39]For others, you will not.
\n
[03:40]And I will add things as I also get feedback from you all.
\n
[03:42]So you'll see, for example, with the resume lesson, there's a lot of resources in there
\n
[03:48]already for you preloaded.
\n
[03:50]Let me just pull this up.
\n
[03:52]So here you already have a lot.
\n
[03:54]And then others don't have anything yet, depending on what it is I think you might need.
\n
[03:58]So again, there, if you're missing certain things or if you're like, oh, I could use some
\n
[04:01]help there or some more support there, please let me know via the support function.
\n
[04:05]So sometimes there's also going to be extra videos.
\n
[04:08]For example, the resume terminology video is separate.
\n
[04:11]And you can go ahead and either start with that or end with that, whatever works.
\n
[04:14]And then there's some other lessons as well that are built in maybe a different way.
\n
[04:18]So one of them is the Tsing lesson.
\n
[04:20]And there's actually quite a few videos there.
\n
[04:23]So this is the first video and you can start with that.
\n
[04:26]But then there's multiple videos.
\n
[04:27]And so you'll see them throughout here.
\n
[04:29]OK, that's the only lesson that's really set up that way.
\n
[04:33]And then some lessons will also have some type of activity built in.
\n
[04:37]So I believe it's this one here.
\n
[04:40]You'll have a lesson video that you should watch.
\n
[04:42]And then you'll actually want to scroll down and this will be the activity.
\n
[04:45]And this is where I actually explain how the activity works.
\n
[04:47]And I give you the answers to the activity and that type of thing here too.
\n
[04:50]And then here's some extra tutorials.
\n
[04:51]So those are extras as well.
\n
[04:53]I try not to bombard you with too much information.
\n
[04:55]So it's really just at this point what I think you need to get started and get going with your internship search.
\n
[05:00]But if you, again, need extra support, please give me feedback.
\n
[05:03]And I'm happy to also help you navigate through the course as you're moving through it individually.
\n
[05:07]In addition, at the end of every module, so at every single last lesson, for example, we can take a look at this one here.
\n
[05:15]You'll also see that the module homework or Hausaufgaben are listed here for you.
\n
[05:19]And those are also available in your roadmap.
\n
[05:21]I try again here not to link to too much, but you will find that there's two main documents.
\n
[05:27]And you'll see this explained in the videos where you're going to be able to find pretty much everything that you need.
\n
[05:31]And that's going to be here, your internships in Germany roadmap, as well as your ICMS.
\n
[05:37]Okay.
\n
[05:38]And this will be obviously explained in that first module.
\n
[05:40]So these two documents, your international career management system, here's an Excel sheet.
\n
[05:44]And then the roadmap is a Google Doc.
\n
[05:47]Those are the mainstay documents that you'll need as you're working through the program.
\n
[05:51]But again, this is all explained in there.
\n
[05:54]Okay.
\n
[05:54]So this is how you navigate the course platform.
\n
[05:57]The bonus modules work exactly the same way.
\n
[05:59]You just won't find any like additional links or anything.
\n
[06:01]The links here is just to like the person's LinkedIn profile.
\n
[06:05]Okay.
\n
[06:05]So I hope that's helpful.
\n
[06:07]I'm really excited for you all to now jump in and start the course.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/865333620?h=36056e1162", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/865333620.mp4", "search": "how to navigate the course platform module #0: welcome to the course! key takeaways copy \n keep the course home page open in a tab even after signing out - that page is publicly visible (with lock icons on lessons) and doubles as your login portal. [00:59] \n the resume lesson comes pre-loaded with the most resources, and a separate resume-terminology video can be watched first or last - whatever suits you. [03:52] \n jessica actively tunes the course to cohort feedback; if you're missing a resource, the support form is how it gets added. [04:01] \n how to navigate the course platform \n \n module: #0 welcome \n lesson url: /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/how-to-navigate-the-course-platform \n \n overview \n jessica gives a screen-share walkthrough of the course platform so students know exactly how to move through the material. she shows the left-hand navigation menu with all modules and lessons, the progress bar that updates when you hit \"complete and continue,\" and how logging in/out works via the home page and \"digital products\" link. she also explains the consistent per-lesson structure - module video, \"quotes and knapp\" summary, additional resources - and points out the two central course documents: the internships in germany roadmap (a google doc) and the icms (an excel sheet). \n key points \n \n navigation lives in the top-left icon; it expands to show all modules/lessons at once, and the progress bar tracks your completion. [00:04] \n \"complete and continue\" (upper or lower right corner) auto-updates the progress bar and jumps you to the next lesson. [00:18] \n to log back in: click login on the home page, sign in, open the account bar, go to \"digital products\" \u2192 \"view finding an internship in germany.\" [01:31] \n module 0 contains a support lesson with a feedback form - jessica explicitly wants feedback on tech, content, and didactics since this is the first run of the course format. [02:12] \n videos have youtube-style player features: closed captions/subtitles, transcript, quality/speed settings, picture-in-picture, full screen. [03:03] \n each lesson ends with \"quotes and knapp\" (the lesson summary) plus \"additional resources and mentioned links\" - some lessons have many (e.g., the resume lesson), others none yet; request more via the support form. [03:37] \n the xing lesson is the only one structured as multiple separate videos; some lessons include a built-in activity with explanations and answers below the video. [04:18] \n every module's last lesson lists the module hausaufgaben (homework), which are also in the roadmap. [05:07] \n \n frameworks & templates \n \n two mainstay documents carrying almost everything you need: (1) the internships in germany roadmap - a google doc; (2) the icms (international career management system) - an excel sheet. [05:21] \n standard lesson anatomy: lesson video \u2192 \"quotes and knapp\" summary \u2192 additional resources/mentioned links \u2192 (sometimes) activity \u2192 module-final hausaufgaben. [03:24] \n \n resources \n \n digital products area of the course platform (entry point to the course) \n support lesson feedback form (module 0) \n internships in germany roadmap (google doc) \n icms / international career management system (excel sheet) \n bonus modules link out only to interviewees' linkedin profiles \n [00:00] so once you're inside the course platform, i just want to show you a couple of things \n [00:03] so you're aware of how to navigate. \n [00:04] first of all, you can always find the navigation up here in the left-hand corner. \n [00:08] you just click on this little icon, it'll pull out the navigation for you. \n [00:11] and here you can see all of the modules and all of the lessons at once, and you can also \n [00:15] monitor your progress here with this progress bar. \n [00:18] then you can hit complete and continue either here in the upper right-hand corner or here \n [00:22] in the lower right-hand corner. \n [00:25] okay. \n [00:25] when you hit complete and continue, and i'll show you how this looks here, you will notice \n [00:29] then that your progress bar will automatically update. \n [00:32] and then you always know where you can jump back in on. \n [00:34] it'll automatically navigate then to the next video that you need to complete. \n [00:38] and obviously this video is not there because i'm recording it right now. \n [00:41] all right. \n [00:42] each lesson has a back to home at the beginning, and here you will be navigated back to your \n [00:46] course home. \n [00:47] your course home does not have a header or a footer at the bottom of it. \n [00:52] you can just see the modules here, and you can also jump into any module just by clicking \n [00:56] on it here. \n [00:57] so you can get back into the course platform that way. \n [00:59] but let's say you're at this homepage and you are done for the day. \n [01:03] what you'll actually want to do is you'll want to keep this homepage here open. \n [01:07] and so when you click on login to log into your course, you can click here to sign out. \n [01:13] and then what will happen is actually when you go to refresh this page, you'll see that \n [01:17] the progress bar is no longer there. \n [01:19] so this page is technically available to the public, but you'll see that now you're seeing \n [01:22] those little lock signs so people can't just reach, obviously, the course materials. \n [01:26] ok, but let's say you want to go back into the course. \n [01:29] you're going to go ahead here and click on login. \n [01:31] that's already going to preload with my information. \n [01:33] i'll click here on sign in, and it's going to automatically log you in. \n [01:37] the account bar will pull up here on the right hand side, and then you're actually going \n [01:40] to want to navigate to digital products. \n [01:43] and you can just click on view finding an internship in germany. \n [01:46] and so this means that at any point in time you want to log back out, you just go to the \n [01:51] home page. \n [01:51] you're not seeing, again, this navigation up here because i felt it's a bit cleaner if \n [01:55] we don't have that up there. \n [01:56] however, if i get feedback from you that you prefer to have the navigation up there, i \n [01:59] can change that for you as well. \n [02:01] in any case, then you'll be back on this page. \n [02:03] and again, you can just jump right in here to wherever you need to be. \n [02:06] and then each module is set up in the same way. \n [02:10] and i'll show you that here in just a second. \n [02:12] but before i do that, i wanted to just point out that in the first module where you have \n [02:15] the welcome, the navigation, you also have a support lesson. \n [02:19] and this includes a form. \n [02:21] so if you have any questions about the course, you have a comment, whether it's tech related, \n [02:24] it's content related, it's related to the didactic nature of the course, whatever it may be, \n [02:29] since we're running this for the first time as a course and not as a three hour workshop, \n [02:33] i'm very open and interested in your feedback. \n [02:35] also, if you love something, if something is super helpful, if you're like, this is amazing, \n [02:39] this is really great, please, like any of your feedback is really \n [02:41] helpful in helping me help you and future cohorts make the most out of this. \n [02:47] so you can find that in there. \n [02:48] now, each of the modules is, and let's just show you here, this first one, \n [02:52] set up with multiple different lessons. \n [02:55] so within each module, there's different lessons. \n [02:57] and it all starts with this module video. \n [02:59] so most of the modules have one module video that you can just click play on here. \n [03:03] and you'll see also in the video, you have different options to do closed captioning or \n [03:07] subtitles. \n [03:08] you can show yourself a transcript. \n [03:10] there's different settings that you can play around with, such as the quality or the speed. \n [03:14] and then i think you can also, if you click on this picture in picture, if you like that, \n [03:17] you can do that. \n [03:18] and then, of course, you can also put it into full screen. \n [03:20] ok, so all the main features that you would have if you were looking at this on youtube \n [03:23] or something similar. \n [03:24] then down here, you'll always find your quotes and can up. \n [03:27] so that's the main summary of the lesson that's available for you there. \n [03:31] it's also then in the module, too, once i go through the lesson. \n [03:34] and then here you'll find additional resources and mentioned links. \n [03:37] for some of the lessons, you will have things. \n [03:39] for others, you will not. \n [03:40] and i will add things as i also get feedback from you all. \n [03:42] so you'll see, for example, with the resume lesson, there's a lot of resources in there \n [03:48] already for you preloaded. \n [03:50] let me just pull this up. \n [03:52] so here you already have a lot. \n [03:54] and then others don't have anything yet, depending on what it is i think you might need. \n [03:58] so again, there, if you're missing certain things or if you're like, oh, i could use some \n [04:01] help there or some more support there, please let me know via the support function. \n [04:05] so sometimes there's also going to be extra videos. \n [04:08] for example, the resume terminology video is separate. \n [04:11] and you can go ahead and either start with that or end with that, whatever works. \n [04:14] and then there's some other lessons as well that are built in maybe a different way. \n [04:18] so one of them is the tsing lesson. \n [04:20] and there's actually quite a few videos there. \n [04:23] so this is the first video and you can start with that. \n [04:26] but then there's multiple videos. \n [04:27] and so you'll see them throughout here. \n [04:29] ok, that's the only lesson that's really set up that way. \n [04:33] and then some lessons will also have some type of activity built in. \n [04:37] so i believe it's this one here. \n [04:40] you'll have a lesson video that you should watch. \n [04:42] and then you'll actually want to scroll down and this will be the activity. \n [04:45] and this is where i actually explain how the activity works. \n [04:47] and i give you the answers to the activity and that type of thing here too. \n [04:50] and then here's some extra tutorials. \n [04:51] so those are extras as well. \n [04:53] i try not to bombard you with too much information. \n [04:55] so it's really just at this point what i think you need to get started and get going with your internship search. \n [05:00] but if you, again, need extra support, please give me feedback. \n [05:03] and i'm happy to also help you navigate through the course as you're moving through it individually. \n [05:07] in addition, at the end of every module, so at every single last lesson, for example, we can take a look at this one here. \n [05:15] you'll also see that the module homework or hausaufgaben are listed here for you. \n [05:19] and those are also available in your roadmap. \n [05:21] i try again here not to link to too much, but you will find that there's two main documents. \n [05:27] and you'll see this explained in the videos where you're going to be able to find pretty much everything that you need. \n [05:31] and that's going to be here, your internships in germany roadmap, as well as your icms. \n [05:37] okay. \n [05:38] and this will be obviously explained in that first module. \n [05:40] so these two documents, your international career management system, here's an excel sheet. \n [05:44] and then the roadmap is a google doc. \n [05:47] those are the mainstay documents that you'll need as you're working through the program. \n [05:51] but again, this is all explained in there. \n [05:54] okay. \n [05:54] so this is how you navigate the course platform. \n [05:57] the bonus modules work exactly the same way. \n [05:59] you just won't find any like additional links or anything. \n [06:01] the links here is just to like the person's linkedin profile. \n [06:05] okay. \n [06:05] so i hope that's helpful. \n [06:07] i'm really excited for you all to now jump in and start the course. 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", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/862938725?h=2c4e824014", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/862938725.mp4", "search": "the international career management system (icms) module #1: planning and preparing for your internship in germany \ud83d\udcdd no written summary for this lesson yet - only the video has been archived so far. no transcript for this lesson’s video yet - it is still being transcribed. "}, {"id": "L2-0", "key": "862954055", "vid": "862954055", "title": "Realistic Internship Goal-setting", "module": "Module #2: Designing Your Internship in Germany", "mi": 2, "li": 0, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/realistic-internship-goal-setting", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Realistic Internship Goal-setting

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Overview

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This lesson opens Module 2 by teaching expectation management as the core of realistic internship goal-setting in Germany. Jessica walks through four key design principles (self-initiative, support, value, stepping stone), then contrasts student expectations with German employer expectations to frame the internship as a mutually beneficial partnership. She then addresses the \"what happens after CBYX\" anxiety - translating the internship into US careers, German full-time work, or further education - and closes by responding directly to real quotes from past CBYXers about their fears. The through-line: aim high, but stay flexible, honest, and realistic about what a German internship actually looks like from the employer's side.

\n

Key Points

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Frameworks & Templates

\n\n

Resources

\n", "md": "# Realistic Internship Goal-setting\n\n- **Module:** #2 Designing\n- **Lesson URL:** /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/realistic-internship-goal-setting\n\n## Overview\nThis lesson opens Module 2 by teaching expectation management as the core of realistic internship goal-setting in Germany. Jessica walks through four key design principles (self-initiative, support, value, stepping stone), then contrasts student expectations with German employer expectations to frame the internship as a mutually beneficial partnership. She then addresses the \"what happens after CBYX\" anxiety - translating the internship into US careers, German full-time work, or further education - and closes by responding directly to real quotes from past CBYXers about their fears. The through-line: aim high, but stay flexible, honest, and realistic about what a German internship actually looks like from the employer's side.\n\n## Key Points\n- Four key points for designing your internship: **self-initiative** (you drive the search), **support** (you'll support client work - PowerPoints, meetings - not run it; unlikely to work with clients from day one or even day 30), **value** (articulate your unique value proposition, with English often central but not the only advantage), and **stepping stone** (target related areas, not just your ideal field). [00:31]\n- Cultural Vistas/CBYX quote: internships vary by field, experience, skills, and German proficiency; German employers see internships as learning opportunities, \"don't be surprised if you observe more than you perform.\" [00:41]\n- Germans seek mutually beneficial partnerships: the internship succeeds when the company benefits (learns from you, gets work from you) while you learn from them. [02:10]\n- Student expectations cluster around three things: meaningful work/experience, an internship that moves the career forward, and minimum wage or more. [02:56]\n- Employer expectations: all-hands-on-deck willingness (\"Nix ist mir zu schade\" - not too good for any task), honesty/transparency/direct communication, giving the employer a clear idea of what THEY get from hosting you, providing you structured learning, and following minimum-wage law (internships under three months may legally be unpaid). [04:11]\n- \"Fake it till you make it\" doesn't work in Germany: you won't be judged for not knowing something, but you WILL be judged for pretending. [04:44]\n- An internship can't guarantee full-time employment, but employer surveys show companies prefer hiring entry-level staff from their intern pool; it's also \"remarkably easier\" to find an internship than a full-time job in Germany (lower entry barrier, higher success chances). [08:01]\n- For US careers: CBYX itself is a resume selling point regardless of internship fit - emphasize language skills, cultural flexibility, personal growth if the internship disappoints. [08:58]\n- For further education: CBYX strengthens graduate applications in both countries; for German programs, research offerings, contact program managers and alumni, and meet specific professors in person if serious. [09:27]\n\n## Frameworks & Templates\n- **Four-word design framework:** Self-initiative \u2192 Support \u2192 Value \u2192 Stepping Stone (recap at [13:51]).\n- **Expectation-pairing exercise:** map YOUR expectations (meaningful work, career propulsion, pay) against EMPLOYER expectations (all hands on deck, honesty, clear value to them, structured learning provision, legal pay compliance). [02:40]\n- **Field-transition strategy:** when switching fields with no experience, search for internships/companies that \"merge or blend\" your prior experience with your next interest. [11:54]\n- **Trust-escalation ladder for observational roles:** succeed at smaller tasks \u2192 build supervisor trust \u2192 earn bigger projects. [12:24]\n\n## Resources\n- Cultural Vistas CBYX Young Professionals website (quote on returning to the US for the Evaluation Seminar in Washington, D.C., as a U.S. Department of State grant-supported exchange) - link provided below the video. [07:21]\n- Bonus module interviews with CBYX ex-interns (examples of internships converting to jobs). [08:32]\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- \"Nix ist mir zu schade\" - embodying the attitude that no task is beneath you is itself a hiring signal German employers look for. [04:19]\n- Unpaid-but-better-fit internships often outperform paid-but-off-track ones; fixating on pay \"clouds the search\" and can push decisions off your career path. [03:38]\n- Discovering you HATE a field during the internship is a success, not a failure - knowing what you don't want is as valuable as knowing what you do. [03:24]\n- Hospitieren (job-shadowing/observing) is normal in German internships even for onboarding full-time professionals - expect it and treat it as the on-ramp to real tasks. [12:09]\n- Honesty about language gaps converts into learning structures: Jessica admitted she struggled writing German emails, got a student worker to review them, and it improved her German, relationships, and task assignments. [12:57]\n- If you demand a 5-6 month paid internship, expect trade-offs in subject area, tasks, or responsibilities - duration+pay+ideal focus rarely all align without extra planning. [11:15]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]Welcome back to Finding an Internship in Germany and to the second module in the course, Designing Your Internship in Germany.
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[00:08]Let's start off with how to set realistic expectations and goals for your internship experience in Germany.
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[00:14]Coming into the program with a clear understanding of what you want to achieve is great, and you can definitely use that to your advantage in designing an internship opportunity that fits to what you're looking for.
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[00:23]However, it's important to consider the other party involved, the German employer, when going about your internship goal-setting process.
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[00:31]When it comes to designing your internship in Germany, there's four key points I want you to keep in mind.
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[00:35]First of all, self-initiative. You are expected to take the initiative in your internship search.
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[00:41]This is something Cultural Vistas and CDYX emphasizes from the get-go, as stated on their website, and I quote,
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[00:47]Internships vary depending on field, previous experience, skills, and German language proficiency.
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[00:53]German employers typically see internships as more of a learning opportunity than a short-time job, so don't be surprised if you observe more than you perform.
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[01:01]And it's up to each participant to be realistic about his or her capabilities while making the most of the opportunities that present themselves.
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[01:08]Second, support. As an intern, you will, nine times out of ten, be in a support position.
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[01:14]For example, it's highly unlikely you'll be working with clients from day one, or even day 30,
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[01:18]but you will likely be supporting client work by creating PowerPoints, going to meetings, etc., just as an example.
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[01:25]Third, value. Consider and keep in mind what unique value proposition you offer the employers you are targeting.
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[01:32]For many of you, English will play a large role in how you market yourselves,
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[01:35]but that does not have to be the only advantage you highlight.
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[01:38]Get used to looking at your application and applicant profile from the employer's perspective, and you will be ahead of the game.
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[01:45]In other words, which employers or companies can you add value to, and in which ways?
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[01:52]Finally, fourth stepping stone.
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[01:54]The CBYX internship is a stepping stone.
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[01:56]You may target your ideal field, companies, and internship positions,
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[02:00]but it's also really important to look at related areas.
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[02:03]Moving on to the importance of mutually beneficial partnerships in the internship search.
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[02:10]In general, Germans tend to look for mutually beneficial partnerships in all things in their business culture,
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[02:15]so it's important to keep it also in mind when it comes to your internship.
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[02:20]Internships are a learning experience for the student, but they should also provide some sort of benefit for the employer.
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[02:25]When the company benefits from the experience of hosting you as an intern,
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[02:28]they learn from you and get work from you, and you learn from them and benefit from the experience.
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[02:32]The internship is normally considered a success.
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[02:34]This may sound simple, but it is key to keep the employer's perspective in mind throughout your search.
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[02:40]In order to do this, we can consider your expectations and the employer expectations.
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[02:46]So finding a job in a foreign country whose language you do not speak requires creativity and flexibility.
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[02:51]Punkt.
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[02:52]Realistic internship goal setting has primarily to do with expectation management.
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[02:56]Three key points arise when I ask about their expectations for the internship.
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[03:00]These included finding meaningful work and gaining experience, finding an internship that propels and moves their career forward,
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[03:07]and getting paid minimum wage or more.
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[03:10]Meaningful work, gaining experience, and moving you forward in your career can mean many different things,
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[03:14]especially if you're doing an internship abroad.
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[03:16]For example, you may find an internship that at first seems like the perfect fit,
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[03:20]but then it turns out you hate doing the work and decide to transition afterwards.
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[03:24]That is still an experience that's moving you forward because figuring out what you do not like to do can oftentimes be just as helpful as understanding what you do.
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[03:31]Some of the most successful CBYXers, and some of them are interviewed in the bonus section,
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[03:36]tend to share the same attitude when they start.
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[03:38]They are open, flexible, and happy to pursue an unpaid internship that is better suited to their career path in the long term.
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[03:44]When students come in only focused on how to land a paying internship,
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[03:48]that goal can sometimes cloud their search and result in making decisions that may not align with one's career path.
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[03:54]Each of you have your own journey, but keep your expectations in mind,
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[03:57]and the advantages and drawbacks that come with those expectations.
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[04:00]That can be helpful in structuring and navigating your personal internship search process.
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[04:05]In turn, employers also enter into an internship search or conversation with a potential intern with their own expectations.
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[04:11]In particular, they're often looking for interns who are willing to have all hands on deck or willingness to do a variety of tasks.
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[04:18]In German, the phrase,
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[04:19]Nix ist mit zu schade,
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[04:21]indicates an attitude that you are not too good for certain tasks or responsibilities.
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[04:26]Employers are also looking for honesty, transparency, and direct communication throughout the entire internship process and relationship.
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[04:33]If you do not know how to do something and do not claim that you do in your resume, interview, or on the job,
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[04:37]simply state that you're not familiar with it and need to learn.
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[04:39]In other words, go light on the whole, fake it until you make it ethos in Germany.
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[04:44]You will not be judged for not knowing something, but you will definitely be judged for pretending to know something that you don't.
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[04:50]This point is especially important, in my opinion, for non-German speakers.
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[04:54]While it is understandable that everyone wants to get something out of their internship,
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[04:57]be it personal, academic, professional, or all three,
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[05:00]However, throughout your application, interview, and well-being on the job,
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[05:04]but in particular during the application process,
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[05:06]please keep in mind that the employer needs a very clear idea of what they can get from hosting and teaching you,
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[05:11]not just what you expect or want from them.
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[05:13]Employers also expect, however, that they are tasked with providing you a structured learning experience.
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[05:19]What that structure looks like will vary by employer and internship context,
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[05:22]but the vast majority of German employers understand that the internship is first and foremost a learning experience for you and for them.
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[05:30]Finally, employers will follow the law when it comes to paying minimum wage or higher,
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[05:34]depending on the type of internship you do or the type of intern they are looking for.
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[05:38]Some may provide a stipend or pay, even if they're not required to,
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[05:42]but that should not be expected if, for example, your internship is shorter than three months
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[05:45]and the employer technically is not required to offer compensation.
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[05:48]So in summary, the success of your internship search directly correlates with your expectations, goals, and applicant profile.
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[05:58]Now, a few things in regards to using your internship as a stepping stone to your career in Germany or in the U.S.
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[06:05]Many of you have already begun to think about what happens after CBYX.
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[06:09]I have heard CBYXers comment that they are most concerned about landing a job after CBYX or deciding where to go from here,
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[06:15]and they feel the internship will provide them with all the answers.
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[06:17]First of all, I love a good plan, don't get me wrong, and I encourage you to think about a variety of different options and avenues,
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[06:25]but I would also encourage you to remain nimble throughout your CBYX experience to see how your interests, skills, needs, and desires for your future career ebb and flow.
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[06:34]Utilize CBYX and the internship program to reflect on your career goals and aspirations, but know that it's not a be-all, end-all.
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[06:41]Yes, some of your careers may be shaped by what happens this year, but for others, that will not be the case, and that's okay.
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[06:48]Take pressure off of yourself to make this the most perfect internship experience ever that ticks all the boxes and lands you your dream job, if dream jobs even exist.
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[06:56]Then, what do I need to plan for if I want to work in Germany afterwards is oftentimes a question I get.
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[07:01]Now, so with that pep talk out of the way, I mentioned I love a good plan, and I do want to give those of you who need it some ideas for what to think about
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[07:08]if you're transferring your CBYX internship experience back into the U.S. context, and if that's a concern for you,
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[07:14]or if you're considering returning to Germany at some point in the near future for work.
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[07:17]So let's first talk about translating your internship in Germany to full-time work.
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[07:21]The Cultural Visas CBYX Young Professionals website clearly states that, and I quote,
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[07:27]All participants are required to return to the United States for the Evaluation Seminar in Washington, D.C.
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[07:32]This is a U.S. Department of State grant-supported cultural exchange that is funded for the purpose of promoting German-American relations
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[07:38]and assumes that participants will return to their native country to share their experiences upon completion of the program.
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[07:43]I will link to this below the video for your reference.
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[07:48]However, for those of you interested in or considering a career in Germany,
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[07:51]you may wonder if your internship in Germany is likely to lead to full-time employment later on
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[07:55]or how you can set it up so it does.
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[07:57]The bottom line is that this is a tricky question and, of course, very situation-dependent.
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[08:01]An internship cannot necessarily guarantee full-time employment with the company you intern with,
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[08:06]but it will absolutely put you in contact with people who know people.
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[08:10]In addition, employer surveys indicate that companies who offer internships
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[08:13]prefer to hire entry-level staff from their intern pool.
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[08:17]An internship doesn't just give you the opportunity to learn more about your prospective professionals,
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[08:21]it also gives you the chance to make an impression on the right people and learn more about what they are looking for in an ideal employee.
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[08:28]Putting in extra effort while you're at your internship can definitely pay off, though.
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[08:32]Check out the interviews and the bonus modules for an example in practice.
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[08:38]For the students who ask me whether they should then focus on getting an internship or a full-time job,
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[08:43]I would first like to check with program management as far as if you can even take up full-time employment.
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[08:47]Second, it is remarkably easier to find an internship than a full-time job in Germany.
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[08:52]That's because the entry barrier will be lower and your chances of success higher.
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[08:58]Third, what translates well back to the U.S.?
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[09:01]For those of you interested in returning to the U.S. and pursuing a career there,
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[09:04]the CDYX experience in general, completely irregardless of your internship,
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[09:08]will be a great selling or marketing point on your resume.
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[09:10]If your internship is not what you want it to be, emphasize language skills, cultural flexibility, or personal growth.
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[09:17]If you do intern in your field, translating that experience back to the U.S., contacts is relatively easy.
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[09:24]Then, what if I want to pursue further education in the U.S. or Germany?
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[09:27]What should I consider?
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[09:29]Regardless of the country, again here, having the CDYX experience will be a plus in your search for a suitable graduate program.
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[09:35]Indeed, many CDYX alum have mentioned how key their experience was in their graduate school applications or interviews.
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[09:42]If Germany may be an option for you, I would recommend that regardless of your internship,
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[09:46]you take some time to get familiar with the programs on offer,
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[09:49]reach out to the program managers for information,
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[09:51]and connect with program alumni to see if it may be a good fit for you.
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[09:55]It's also a good idea to reach out and to meet specific professors in person
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[09:59]if you do become serious about pursuing further education in Germany.
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[10:06]Remember, this is one internship.
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[10:08]It may or may not set the tone for the next few years in your career,
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[10:10]and either way, it's going to be okay.
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[10:12]I know this slide has a lot of text on it, but don't be scared.
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[10:16]These are actually quotes from past CDYXers,
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[10:18]and they're comments that I tend to see more often.
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[10:23]So, I want to go through some of them.
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[10:26]The first one, I'll be stuck in a subpar position.
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[10:29]So, what I would say to this is most tasks are administrative, observational, or support-based.
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[10:34]Interns are not normally managing anything from day one,
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[10:37]and that's just important to keep in mind.
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[10:40]Then, I'm concerned that I won't be able to find a job that feels useful to me at this point in my life.
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[10:44]I feel like I'll be wasting my time if I get stuck working in a related but not ideal field.
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[10:48]Again, here, the internship experience may or may not help you directly in your next career move.
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[10:54]While you should aim high, this internship is not likely to be life-shaping for every participant, and that's okay.
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[11:00]Your experience may be more culturally enriching,
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[11:02]or you may be in a place where you're able to practice your language skills,
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[11:04]despite it not being the most perfect functional fit.
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[11:07]Be flexible and open to new opportunities and possibilities.
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[11:13]My internship needs to last five to six months and be paid.
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[11:15]If that's your goal, that's fine, and then you will likely need to make sacrifices in other areas.
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[11:21]For example, you may not then have your quote-unquote ideal internship in terms of subject area, tasks, and responsibilities.
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[11:28]And perhaps you can manage to get everything, the duration, pay, and focus area of your choice,
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[11:32]but that will take some extra planning and work.
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[11:35]I'm hoping to use the internship phase to transition from my current experience towards my new career interests.
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[11:40]While an internship can be the perfect space in which to try out a new field,
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[11:44]and this is often the case in the U.S. context,
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[11:47]if you're attempting to transition fields entirely and do not have any experience in your new field,
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[11:52]the search will be much more difficult for you.
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[11:54]Look for internships or companies that merge or blend what you did before
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[11:58]and what you will be interested in doing next.
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[12:03]I am most concerned about being employed in a primarily observational role.
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[12:07]I like to get my hands dirty and mixed up in what is happening in the workplace.
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[12:09]To this, I would say, hospitieren, or observing, is common in internships in Germany,
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[12:16]even for onboarding full-time professionals.
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[12:20]Expect at minimum a bit of observational activities.
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[12:24]Find ways to show your supervisor that they can trust you and the work you are doing
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[12:29]by taking on and succeeding at smaller tasks,
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[12:32]and eventually you'll be able to dive into bigger projects.
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[12:35]I'm definitely most nervous about my language skills being up to par to operate totally in German.
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[12:42]All right, on this one.
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[12:45]As long as you give them context for your language learning level and experience,
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[12:48]they will not expect this.
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[12:50]Stay honest with what you can and cannot do during the application,
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[12:53]interview, and onboarding process and learn as you go.
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[12:56]A personal anecdote here.
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[12:57]I was honest with my supervisor that I was still struggling with writing emails,
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[13:01]and she had a German student worker look over my emails,
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[13:03]and I watched her as she corrected my mistakes.
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[13:06]That might seem embarrassing for someone who's doing a full-time job,
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[13:10]but for me, it was an amazing learning opportunity.
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[13:12]I write emails every day now in German.
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[13:14]It brought me closer to the other student worker,
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[13:16]and my boss gave me other tasks that emphasized my strengths
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[13:19]and what I could do well in German.
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[13:22]Then finally, I'm concerned about working in a job
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[13:24]that doesn't suit my skill set and interests,
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[13:26]and doesn't help me in my career when I move back to the U.S.
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[13:30]Again here, it may not help your career in the U.S., or it may.
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[13:34]CBOX in general is a selling point.
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[13:36]Focus on that if your internship is not what you expected it to be.
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[13:40]All right, quits and knep.
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[13:43]Aim high, but keep in mind and manage your expectations
\n
[13:46]and those of German employers in designing your internship search strategy.
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[13:51]Recall the four words in designing your internship in Germany.
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[13:53]Self-initiative, support, value, and stepping stone.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/862954055?h=3bc7500cef", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/862954055.mp4", "search": "realistic internship goal-setting module #2: designing your internship in germany key takeaways copy \n \"nix ist mir zu schade\" - embodying the attitude that no task is beneath you is itself a hiring signal german employers look for. [04:19] \n unpaid-but-better-fit internships often outperform paid-but-off-track ones; fixating on pay \"clouds the search\" and can push decisions off your career path. [03:38] \n discovering you hate a field during the internship is a success, not a failure - knowing what you don't want is as valuable as knowing what you do. [03:24] \n hospitieren (job-shadowing/observing) is normal in german internships even for onboarding full-time professionals - expect it and treat it as the on-ramp to real tasks. [12:09] \n honesty about language gaps converts into learning structures: jessica admitted she struggled writing german emails, got a student worker to review them, and it improved her german, relationships, and task assignments. [12:57] \n if you demand a 5-6 month paid internship, expect trade-offs in subject area, tasks, or responsibilities - duration+pay+ideal focus rarely all align without extra planning. [11:15] \n realistic internship goal-setting \n \n module: #2 designing \n lesson url: /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/realistic-internship-goal-setting \n \n overview \n this lesson opens module 2 by teaching expectation management as the core of realistic internship goal-setting in germany. jessica walks through four key design principles (self-initiative, support, value, stepping stone), then contrasts student expectations with german employer expectations to frame the internship as a mutually beneficial partnership. she then addresses the \"what happens after cbyx\" anxiety - translating the internship into us careers, german full-time work, or further education - and closes by responding directly to real quotes from past cbyxers about their fears. the through-line: aim high, but stay flexible, honest, and realistic about what a german internship actually looks like from the employer's side. \n key points \n \n four key points for designing your internship: self-initiative (you drive the search), support (you'll support client work - powerpoints, meetings - not run it; unlikely to work with clients from day one or even day 30), value (articulate your unique value proposition, with english often central but not the only advantage), and stepping stone (target related areas, not just your ideal field). [00:31] \n cultural vistas/cbyx quote: internships vary by field, experience, skills, and german proficiency; german employers see internships as learning opportunities, \"don't be surprised if you observe more than you perform.\" [00:41] \n germans seek mutually beneficial partnerships: the internship succeeds when the company benefits (learns from you, gets work from you) while you learn from them. [02:10] \n student expectations cluster around three things: meaningful work/experience, an internship that moves the career forward, and minimum wage or more. [02:56] \n employer expectations: all-hands-on-deck willingness (\"nix ist mir zu schade\" - not too good for any task), honesty/transparency/direct communication, giving the employer a clear idea of what they get from hosting you, providing you structured learning, and following minimum-wage law (internships under three months may legally be unpaid). [04:11] \n \"fake it till you make it\" doesn't work in germany: you won't be judged for not knowing something, but you will be judged for pretending. [04:44] \n an internship can't guarantee full-time employment, but employer surveys show companies prefer hiring entry-level staff from their intern pool; it's also \"remarkably easier\" to find an internship than a full-time job in germany (lower entry barrier, higher success chances). [08:01] \n for us careers: cbyx itself is a resume selling point regardless of internship fit - emphasize language skills, cultural flexibility, personal growth if the internship disappoints. [08:58] \n for further education: cbyx strengthens graduate applications in both countries; for german programs, research offerings, contact program managers and alumni, and meet specific professors in person if serious. [09:27] \n \n frameworks & templates \n \n four-word design framework: self-initiative \u2192 support \u2192 value \u2192 stepping stone (recap at [13:51]). \n expectation-pairing exercise: map your expectations (meaningful work, career propulsion, pay) against employer expectations (all hands on deck, honesty, clear value to them, structured learning provision, legal pay compliance). [02:40] \n field-transition strategy: when switching fields with no experience, search for internships/companies that \"merge or blend\" your prior experience with your next interest. [11:54] \n trust-escalation ladder for observational roles: succeed at smaller tasks \u2192 build supervisor trust \u2192 earn bigger projects. [12:24] \n \n resources \n \n cultural vistas cbyx young professionals website (quote on returning to the us for the evaluation seminar in washington, d.c., as a u.s. department of state grant-supported exchange) - link provided below the video. [07:21] \n bonus module interviews with cbyx ex-interns (examples of internships converting to jobs). [08:32] \n [00:00] welcome back to finding an internship in germany and to the second module in the course, designing your internship in germany. \n [00:08] let's start off with how to set realistic expectations and goals for your internship experience in germany. \n [00:14] coming into the program with a clear understanding of what you want to achieve is great, and you can definitely use that to your advantage in designing an internship opportunity that fits to what you're looking for. \n [00:23] however, it's important to consider the other party involved, the german employer, when going about your internship goal-setting process. \n [00:31] when it comes to designing your internship in germany, there's four key points i want you to keep in mind. \n [00:35] first of all, self-initiative. you are expected to take the initiative in your internship search. \n [00:41] this is something cultural vistas and cdyx emphasizes from the get-go, as stated on their website, and i quote, \n [00:47] internships vary depending on field, previous experience, skills, and german language proficiency. \n [00:53] german employers typically see internships as more of a learning opportunity than a short-time job, so don't be surprised if you observe more than you perform. \n [01:01] and it's up to each participant to be realistic about his or her capabilities while making the most of the opportunities that present themselves. \n [01:08] second, support. as an intern, you will, nine times out of ten, be in a support position. \n [01:14] for example, it's highly unlikely you'll be working with clients from day one, or even day 30, \n [01:18] but you will likely be supporting client work by creating powerpoints, going to meetings, etc., just as an example. \n [01:25] third, value. consider and keep in mind what unique value proposition you offer the employers you are targeting. \n [01:32] for many of you, english will play a large role in how you market yourselves, \n [01:35] but that does not have to be the only advantage you highlight. \n [01:38] get used to looking at your application and applicant profile from the employer's perspective, and you will be ahead of the game. \n [01:45] in other words, which employers or companies can you add value to, and in which ways? \n [01:52] finally, fourth stepping stone. \n [01:54] the cbyx internship is a stepping stone. \n [01:56] you may target your ideal field, companies, and internship positions, \n [02:00] but it's also really important to look at related areas. \n [02:03] moving on to the importance of mutually beneficial partnerships in the internship search. \n [02:10] in general, germans tend to look for mutually beneficial partnerships in all things in their business culture, \n [02:15] so it's important to keep it also in mind when it comes to your internship. \n [02:20] internships are a learning experience for the student, but they should also provide some sort of benefit for the employer. \n [02:25] when the company benefits from the experience of hosting you as an intern, \n [02:28] they learn from you and get work from you, and you learn from them and benefit from the experience. \n [02:32] the internship is normally considered a success. \n [02:34] this may sound simple, but it is key to keep the employer's perspective in mind throughout your search. \n [02:40] in order to do this, we can consider your expectations and the employer expectations. \n [02:46] so finding a job in a foreign country whose language you do not speak requires creativity and flexibility. \n [02:51] punkt. \n [02:52] realistic internship goal setting has primarily to do with expectation management. \n [02:56] three key points arise when i ask about their expectations for the internship. \n [03:00] these included finding meaningful work and gaining experience, finding an internship that propels and moves their career forward, \n [03:07] and getting paid minimum wage or more. \n [03:10] meaningful work, gaining experience, and moving you forward in your career can mean many different things, \n [03:14] especially if you're doing an internship abroad. \n [03:16] for example, you may find an internship that at first seems like the perfect fit, \n [03:20] but then it turns out you hate doing the work and decide to transition afterwards. \n [03:24] that is still an experience that's moving you forward because figuring out what you do not like to do can oftentimes be just as helpful as understanding what you do. \n [03:31] some of the most successful cbyxers, and some of them are interviewed in the bonus section, \n [03:36] tend to share the same attitude when they start. \n [03:38] they are open, flexible, and happy to pursue an unpaid internship that is better suited to their career path in the long term. \n [03:44] when students come in only focused on how to land a paying internship, \n [03:48] that goal can sometimes cloud their search and result in making decisions that may not align with one's career path. \n [03:54] each of you have your own journey, but keep your expectations in mind, \n [03:57] and the advantages and drawbacks that come with those expectations. \n [04:00] that can be helpful in structuring and navigating your personal internship search process. \n [04:05] in turn, employers also enter into an internship search or conversation with a potential intern with their own expectations. \n [04:11] in particular, they're often looking for interns who are willing to have all hands on deck or willingness to do a variety of tasks. \n [04:18] in german, the phrase, \n [04:19] nix ist mit zu schade, \n [04:21] indicates an attitude that you are not too good for certain tasks or responsibilities. \n [04:26] employers are also looking for honesty, transparency, and direct communication throughout the entire internship process and relationship. \n [04:33] if you do not know how to do something and do not claim that you do in your resume, interview, or on the job, \n [04:37] simply state that you're not familiar with it and need to learn. \n [04:39] in other words, go light on the whole, fake it until you make it ethos in germany. \n [04:44] you will not be judged for not knowing something, but you will definitely be judged for pretending to know something that you don't. \n [04:50] this point is especially important, in my opinion, for non-german speakers. \n [04:54] while it is understandable that everyone wants to get something out of their internship, \n [04:57] be it personal, academic, professional, or all three, \n [05:00] however, throughout your application, interview, and well-being on the job, \n [05:04] but in particular during the application process, \n [05:06] please keep in mind that the employer needs a very clear idea of what they can get from hosting and teaching you, \n [05:11] not just what you expect or want from them. \n [05:13] employers also expect, however, that they are tasked with providing you a structured learning experience. \n [05:19] what that structure looks like will vary by employer and internship context, \n [05:22] but the vast majority of german employers understand that the internship is first and foremost a learning experience for you and for them. \n [05:30] finally, employers will follow the law when it comes to paying minimum wage or higher, \n [05:34] depending on the type of internship you do or the type of intern they are looking for. \n [05:38] some may provide a stipend or pay, even if they're not required to, \n [05:42] but that should not be expected if, for example, your internship is shorter than three months \n [05:45] and the employer technically is not required to offer compensation. \n [05:48] so in summary, the success of your internship search directly correlates with your expectations, goals, and applicant profile. \n [05:58] now, a few things in regards to using your internship as a stepping stone to your career in germany or in the u.s. \n [06:05] many of you have already begun to think about what happens after cbyx. \n [06:09] i have heard cbyxers comment that they are most concerned about landing a job after cbyx or deciding where to go from here, \n [06:15] and they feel the internship will provide them with all the answers. \n [06:17] first of all, i love a good plan, don't get me wrong, and i encourage you to think about a variety of different options and avenues, \n [06:25] but i would also encourage you to remain nimble throughout your cbyx experience to see how your interests, skills, needs, and desires for your future career ebb and flow. \n [06:34] utilize cbyx and the internship program to reflect on your career goals and aspirations, but know that it's not a be-all, end-all. \n [06:41] yes, some of your careers may be shaped by what happens this year, but for others, that will not be the case, and that's okay. \n [06:48] take pressure off of yourself to make this the most perfect internship experience ever that ticks all the boxes and lands you your dream job, if dream jobs even exist. \n [06:56] then, what do i need to plan for if i want to work in germany afterwards is oftentimes a question i get. \n [07:01] now, so with that pep talk out of the way, i mentioned i love a good plan, and i do want to give those of you who need it some ideas for what to think about \n [07:08] if you're transferring your cbyx internship experience back into the u.s. context, and if that's a concern for you, \n [07:14] or if you're considering returning to germany at some point in the near future for work. \n [07:17] so let's first talk about translating your internship in germany to full-time work. \n [07:21] the cultural visas cbyx young professionals website clearly states that, and i quote, \n [07:27] all participants are required to return to the united states for the evaluation seminar in washington, d.c. \n [07:32] this is a u.s. department of state grant-supported cultural exchange that is funded for the purpose of promoting german-american relations \n [07:38] and assumes that participants will return to their native country to share their experiences upon completion of the program. \n [07:43] i will link to this below the video for your reference. \n [07:48] however, for those of you interested in or considering a career in germany, \n [07:51] you may wonder if your internship in germany is likely to lead to full-time employment later on \n [07:55] or how you can set it up so it does. \n [07:57] the bottom line is that this is a tricky question and, of course, very situation-dependent. \n [08:01] an internship cannot necessarily guarantee full-time employment with the company you intern with, \n [08:06] but it will absolutely put you in contact with people who know people. \n [08:10] in addition, employer surveys indicate that companies who offer internships \n [08:13] prefer to hire entry-level staff from their intern pool. \n [08:17] an internship doesn't just give you the opportunity to learn more about your prospective professionals, \n [08:21] it also gives you the chance to make an impression on the right people and learn more about what they are looking for in an ideal employee. \n [08:28] putting in extra effort while you're at your internship can definitely pay off, though. \n [08:32] check out the interviews and the bonus modules for an example in practice. \n [08:38] for the students who ask me whether they should then focus on getting an internship or a full-time job, \n [08:43] i would first like to check with program management as far as if you can even take up full-time employment. \n [08:47] second, it is remarkably easier to find an internship than a full-time job in germany. \n [08:52] that's because the entry barrier will be lower and your chances of success higher. \n [08:58] third, what translates well back to the u.s.? \n [09:01] for those of you interested in returning to the u.s. and pursuing a career there, \n [09:04] the cdyx experience in general, completely irregardless of your internship, \n [09:08] will be a great selling or marketing point on your resume. \n [09:10] if your internship is not what you want it to be, emphasize language skills, cultural flexibility, or personal growth. \n [09:17] if you do intern in your field, translating that experience back to the u.s., contacts is relatively easy. \n [09:24] then, what if i want to pursue further education in the u.s. or germany? \n [09:27] what should i consider? \n [09:29] regardless of the country, again here, having the cdyx experience will be a plus in your search for a suitable graduate program. \n [09:35] indeed, many cdyx alum have mentioned how key their experience was in their graduate school applications or interviews. \n [09:42] if germany may be an option for you, i would recommend that regardless of your internship, \n [09:46] you take some time to get familiar with the programs on offer, \n [09:49] reach out to the program managers for information, \n [09:51] and connect with program alumni to see if it may be a good fit for you. \n [09:55] it's also a good idea to reach out and to meet specific professors in person \n [09:59] if you do become serious about pursuing further education in germany. \n [10:06] remember, this is one internship. \n [10:08] it may or may not set the tone for the next few years in your career, \n [10:10] and either way, it's going to be okay. \n [10:12] i know this slide has a lot of text on it, but don't be scared. \n [10:16] these are actually quotes from past cdyxers, \n [10:18] and they're comments that i tend to see more often. \n [10:23] so, i want to go through some of them. \n [10:26] the first one, i'll be stuck in a subpar position. \n [10:29] so, what i would say to this is most tasks are administrative, observational, or support-based. \n [10:34] interns are not normally managing anything from day one, \n [10:37] and that's just important to keep in mind. \n [10:40] then, i'm concerned that i won't be able to find a job that feels useful to me at this point in my life. \n [10:44] i feel like i'll be wasting my time if i get stuck working in a related but not ideal field. \n [10:48] again, here, the internship experience may or may not help you directly in your next career move. \n [10:54] while you should aim high, this internship is not likely to be life-shaping for every participant, and that's okay. \n [11:00] your experience may be more culturally enriching, \n [11:02] or you may be in a place where you're able to practice your language skills, \n [11:04] despite it not being the most perfect functional fit. \n [11:07] be flexible and open to new opportunities and possibilities. \n [11:13] my internship needs to last five to six months and be paid. \n [11:15] if that's your goal, that's fine, and then you will likely need to make sacrifices in other areas. \n [11:21] for example, you may not then have your quote-unquote ideal internship in terms of subject area, tasks, and responsibilities. \n [11:28] and perhaps you can manage to get everything, the duration, pay, and focus area of your choice, \n [11:32] but that will take some extra planning and work. \n [11:35] i'm hoping to use the internship phase to transition from my current experience towards my new career interests. \n [11:40] while an internship can be the perfect space in which to try out a new field, \n [11:44] and this is often the case in the u.s. context, \n [11:47] if you're attempting to transition fields entirely and do not have any experience in your new field, \n [11:52] the search will be much more difficult for you. \n [11:54] look for internships or companies that merge or blend what you did before \n [11:58] and what you will be interested in doing next. \n [12:03] i am most concerned about being employed in a primarily observational role. \n [12:07] i like to get my hands dirty and mixed up in what is happening in the workplace. \n [12:09] to this, i would say, hospitieren, or observing, is common in internships in germany, \n [12:16] even for onboarding full-time professionals. \n [12:20] expect at minimum a bit of observational activities. \n [12:24] find ways to show your supervisor that they can trust you and the work you are doing \n [12:29] by taking on and succeeding at smaller tasks, \n [12:32] and eventually you'll be able to dive into bigger projects. \n [12:35] i'm definitely most nervous about my language skills being up to par to operate totally in german. \n [12:42] all right, on this one. \n [12:45] as long as you give them context for your language learning level and experience, \n [12:48] they will not expect this. \n [12:50] stay honest with what you can and cannot do during the application, \n [12:53] interview, and onboarding process and learn as you go. \n [12:56] a personal anecdote here. \n [12:57] i was honest with my supervisor that i was still struggling with writing emails, \n [13:01] and she had a german student worker look over my emails, \n [13:03] and i watched her as she corrected my mistakes. \n [13:06] that might seem embarrassing for someone who's doing a full-time job, \n [13:10] but for me, it was an amazing learning opportunity. \n [13:12] i write emails every day now in german. \n [13:14] it brought me closer to the other student worker, \n [13:16] and my boss gave me other tasks that emphasized my strengths \n [13:19] and what i could do well in german. \n [13:22] then finally, i'm concerned about working in a job \n [13:24] that doesn't suit my skill set and interests, \n [13:26] and doesn't help me in my career when i move back to the u.s. \n [13:30] again here, it may not help your career in the u.s., or it may. \n [13:34] cbox in general is a selling point. \n [13:36] focus on that if your internship is not what you expected it to be. \n [13:40] all right, quits and knep. \n [13:43] aim high, but keep in mind and manage your expectations \n [13:46] and those of german employers in designing your internship search strategy. \n [13:51] recall the four words in designing your internship in germany. \n [13:53] self-initiative, support, value, and stepping stone. "}, {"id": "L2-1", "key": "863060318", "vid": "863060318", "title": "German and English in the Internship Search", "module": "Module #2: Designing Your Internship in Germany", "mi": 2, "li": 1, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/german-and-english-in-the-internship-search", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

German and English in the Internship Search

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Overview

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This lesson answers the question every CBYXer asks: what language should my applications be in? Jessica's rule of thumb is that if you can interview and perform most work responsibilities in German (roughly B2), apply in German - otherwise apply in English truthfully, and note that English-only applications demand a more creative search strategy. She provides a level-by-level decision framework (including a clever \"split application\" and asterisk-disclosure strategy for B1+ learners), explains ATS realities at large companies, and covers language dynamics in job descriptions, emails, LinkedIn/Xing profiles, and interviews. The core message: your application language is a strategic choice that shapes your entire search approach, and honesty about your level always beats over-polished materials.

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Key Points

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Frameworks & Templates

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Resources

\n", "md": "# German and English in the Internship Search\n\n- **Module:** #2 Designing\n- **Lesson URL:** /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/german-and-english-in-the-internship-search\n\n## Overview\nThis lesson answers the question every CBYXer asks: what language should my applications be in? Jessica's rule of thumb is that if you can interview and perform most work responsibilities in German (roughly B2), apply in German - otherwise apply in English truthfully, and note that English-only applications demand a more creative search strategy. She provides a level-by-level decision framework (including a clever \"split application\" and asterisk-disclosure strategy for B1+ learners), explains ATS realities at large companies, and covers language dynamics in job descriptions, emails, LinkedIn/Xing profiles, and interviews. The core message: your application language is a strategic choice that shapes your entire search approach, and honesty about your level always beats over-polished materials.\n\n## Key Points\n- It's fine to apply in English or German, but German fluency improves your odds; English-only internships are increasingly common, and English-only application requires more creative outreach strategies. [00:04]\n- Rule of thumb: if you can interview in German AND do the majority of work independently in German, apply in German - normally corresponds with B2, no certificate required. [01:40]\n- Language-level decision framework (see below): no German / below B1 / B1-uncomfortable \u2192 English; B1+ comfortable \u2192 both or split application; B2+ able to work \u2192 German. [02:19]\n- Application documents must ALWAYS use the German document format (Lebenslauf structure), even when written in English - never a US resume template; it signals you understand German application culture. [03:30]\n- ATS/AMS (Applicant Tracking/Management System) reality: English-language documents can fail at large German companies - diversify your strategy if targeting large firms without German. [03:57]\n- Don't over-proofread: keep editing minimal so the application reflects your true level; an asterisk disclaimer can state the language represents your current level. Don't let host family/friends polish it above your ability. [04:33]\n- Reading job descriptions: check BOTH the description's language and the required proficiency - \"auf muttersprachlichem Niveau\" signals they want ~C2 German. Follow application instructions to a T (apply via their system even if you found it on LinkedIn). [05:16]\n- Emails: use German elements even at low levels - \"Sehr geehrte\u2026\" and \"Mit freundlichen Gr\u00fc\u00dfen\" (capitalize after a period!) - and write thank-yous in German to show effort. [06:27]\n- LinkedIn vs. Xing connection culture: LinkedIn is active (cold connects fine with a reason); Xing is sleepy - people mostly connect only with people they know in person. [07:07]\n- Profile optimization: set location to your placement city now, note in your summary that you're searching for an internship there, run profiles in both languages, post in both languages once on the job. [07:41]\n- Interviews: ask ahead what language the interview will be in; expect possible \"split language interviewing\" (first half English, second half German, or alternating questions). [08:47]\n- Interview language tip: rely on modal verbs - k\u00f6nnen, m\u00fcssen, wollen, sollen, d\u00fcrfen, m\u00f6gen - to build simple sentences that sound fluent. [09:08]\n\n## Frameworks & Templates\n- **Application-language decision matrix:** (1) No German / below B1 / B1 without interview comfort \u2192 apply in English. (2) B1+ with interview comfort \u2192 apply in both languages OR **split application**: resume/Lebenslauf in German (easier), cover letter in English, correspondence in German - giving the company an accurate linguistic picture. (3) Alternative B1 strategy: write everything in German, have someone edit basic issues only, add an asterisk at the end of both documents noting the language represents your current level. (4) B2+ able to work in German \u2192 apply in German. [02:19]\n- **Modal-verb sentence builder:** k\u00f6nnen, m\u00fcssen, wollen, sollen, d\u00fcrfen, m\u00f6gen as the backbone for simple, fluent-sounding German in interviews. [09:12]\n\n## Resources\n- **B\u00fcro Kommunikation Deutsch** - examples/templates for emails and business correspondence (for writing-heavy internships). [09:29]\n- **Deutsch f\u00fcr den Beruf** - collection of articles from Deutsch Perfect about working in Germany. [09:47]\n- **BWM in Deutschland** (as spoken) - resource about applying in Germany for internationals; referenced throughout the course. [09:53]\n- **Deutsch f\u00fcr den Berufseinstieg** - language course for learning German for work. [09:57]\n- **Bewerbungstraining** - teaches German application writing while teaching the language itself. [10:03]\n- All linked below the video.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- The \"split application\" (German Lebenslauf + English cover letter + German emails) communicates your exact linguistic position to the employer without a word of explanation. [02:48]\n- Over-proofread applications backfire: the employer discovers your real level anyway - the honesty asterisk converts potential embarrassment into transparency. [04:33]\n- \"Auf muttersprachlichem Niveau\" in a job ad is a coded message - decode required language levels as signals about who they actually want. [05:34]\n- German capitalization trap: after ending a sentence with a period, \"Mit freundlichen Gr\u00fc\u00dfen\" must be capitalized - small details signal care. [06:52]\n- Change your LinkedIn/Xing location to your placement city BEFORE arriving and state your internship search in the summary - recruiters searching locally will find you early. [07:53]\n- Simple German built on modal verbs beats complex-but-broken German: \"sound nice and fluent\" comes from structure, not vocabulary. [09:18]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]In this next section, I will be going through some important points regarding German and English in
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[00:04]the internship search. Let's start with the dynamic between internship search strategy and language
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[00:09]use. So, a few things on that note. It's perfectly fine to apply in English or in German. Of course,
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[00:16]you will have a better chance if you speak German and can apply in German, but English-only
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[00:20]internships are becoming more and more common as well. Choose your preferred language based on
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[00:26]your language ability. Pick the language you feel comfortable with. More on this in just a second.
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[00:33]Depending on your case, by which I'm referring to your applicant profile, language skills,
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[00:37]background, et cetera, you may need to exercise some flexibility in applying for internships in
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[00:42]both languages or using a mix of both. As an example, I once worked with a CBYX participant
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[00:47]who said to me, I'm not sure how to go about the job hunt with my current language level.
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[00:52]My C1 German is sufficient that I could do job interviews and work in German, but not so good
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[00:56]that it's not a liability or wouldn't allow me to contribute to my full potential. In such a
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[01:01]situation, go for applications in German. Remember, the internship is a learning experience,
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[01:06]and one main goal of the internship is to get you more comfortable with using German at work,
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[01:10]and this involves a bit of discomfort at first for everyone who is just starting out.
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[01:14]On the other hand, if you speak fluent German, but for whatever reason want an internship in English,
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[01:19]you can take that route, but just know it may impact the outcome of your search.
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[01:23]This is the last point to keep in mind, and it should not come as a surprise. You can definitely
\n
[01:27]start with more traditional application routes, such as replying to openings on LinkedIn.
\n
[01:32]If you're applying for internships in English, you will need to get more creative with your
\n
[01:35]application strategy, and I will provide you with ideas and options for this later on.
\n
[01:40]Here's the magical slide for the question, what language should I write my applications in?
\n
[01:47]First of all, my general rule of thumb is if you can interview in German and perform the
\n
[01:51]majority of your work responsibilities independently in German, then apply in German.
\n
[01:56]This normally corresponds with level B2, but you don't have to have a certificate in order to make
\n
[02:02]this work. If not, be truthful about your abilities and apply in English. When it comes to which English,
\n
[02:09]stick with American English or choose the one that the company uses on their English language website.
\n
[02:14]Here's the breakdown of which application language I recommend, depending on your language level.
\n
[02:19]If you do not know any German, write your application in English. If your German is below level B1,
\n
[02:25]write your application in English. If your German is at level B1, but you do not feel comfortable
\n
[02:31]taking part in an interview in German, write your application in English. If your German is at level
\n
[02:37]B1 or higher, and you feel comfortable taking part in an interview in German, you have a few options. You
\n
[02:43]you could apply for opportunities in both English and German, and you could also do a split
\n
[02:48]application. This means you write your resume in German, which tends to be easier, and your cover
\n
[02:53]letter in English, plus your correspondence in German. Basically, you're giving the company an
\n
[02:57]accurate idea of where you're at linguistically. For students at this level who want to write in
\n
[03:03]German, another strategy is to write everything in German, have someone edit it for basic issues
\n
[03:08]only, and then put an asterisk at the end of both documents saying that this language represents
\n
[03:12]your current language level. If you have questions about any of these options, please contact me or
\n
[03:17]your CBYAC support team. And finally, if your German is at level B2 or higher, and you're able to work
\n
[03:24]in German, then definitely apply in German. A few pointers about applications and language.
\n
[03:30]Application documents should always be in the German format. Your application documents should
\n
[03:35]always be in the German format, just the language will change. So what I mean by this is that you
\n
[03:41]are not using a U.S. resume template, even if you are applying in English. Everyone should use the
\n
[03:46]German document format, regardless of the language they're applying in. You want to show that you made
\n
[03:51]an effort to understand typical standards in application culture in Germany.
\n
[03:57]ATS issues with language. You may have heard you will not get through an ATS or AMS if your documents
\n
[04:02]are in English. Applicant Tracking System or Applicant Management System are the abbreviations there.
\n
[04:06]This is true for large German companies. Think about the ones on the docs. So make sure you are
\n
[04:12]diversifying your application strategy, especially if you are unable to speak German and are targeting
\n
[04:18]many or only large companies. English and German in small, medium, and large organizations. Similar
\n
[04:24]to that last point, always keep the organization and its employees in mind when choosing your application
\n
[04:28]language. The language of the internship description or the information on the website is helpful for that.
\n
[04:33]And do not let the proofreading be too good. Employers want an accurate representation of
\n
[04:39]what you can do. I mentioned on the previous slide that you can write your documents in your words and
\n
[04:45]add an asterisk that corresponds to your current German level. Please be aware that it is incredibly
\n
[04:51]important not to present application materials above and beyond your language level.
\n
[04:55]Do not let friends or host family members get overzealous with your materials. Keep the editing and
\n
[05:01]proofreading to a minimum so the application is truly yours. You'll be thankful for this honesty and
\n
[05:06]transparency later on when the employer is very well aware of your language level and not surprised in
\n
[05:10]the least bit. All right, if the job description is available in English or German, there's a couple
\n
[05:16]of things that you want to keep in mind. First of all, check not only the language of the job
\n
[05:20]description, but also what language proficiency they're asking for. Those two factors will give you an idea
\n
[05:25]of what language you should apply in. When they ask for a certain language level, there's probably a
\n
[05:30]reason for it and they're probably trying to tell you something with it. So auf muttersprachlichem
\n
[05:34]niveau, or at the native language level or near native language level, means that they're probably
\n
[05:40]looking for someone who speaks German at the C2 level. Follow their rules to a T. They tell you to
\n
[05:47]apply via their system. Even though you see the job ad on LinkedIn, please apply to their system. And then in
\n
[05:52]general, whatever other rules they have, just follow them. When you're looking at job descriptions,
\n
[05:58]please also just keep the main responsibility or task in mind. And if you can do it, that's basically
\n
[06:04]the main thing that you need to think about when you're reading through them. So what is the main
\n
[06:09]purpose of the company hiring for this internship role? What are you going to be doing? Are you going
\n
[06:14]to be doing admin work? Are you going to be leading a small project? What are you going to be doing?
\n
[06:19]And then consider whether or not you are able to do that. Then with emails. If you can email in
\n
[06:27]German, or you can split it with both languages, if you feel more comfortable that way, and then see
\n
[06:32]how they respond, just keep the language simple. If your German is below B1 and you don't feel
\n
[06:37]comfortable corresponding entirely in German, just try and use as many German elements as possible.
\n
[06:42]So you could put sehr geehrte and also the mit freundlichen Gr\u00fc\u00dfen at the bottom to show what you're
\n
[06:47]trying to say. Oh, just remember here, because I'm seeing this, if you're just writing a period,
\n
[06:52]ending a sentence, and then you're writing mit freundlichen Gr\u00fc\u00dfen, then you need to capitalize
\n
[06:56]them. And then of course, if you are able to write a little bit, write your thank yous and similar
\n
[07:02]correspondence in German when possible. Show them that you're trying at least to move forward with your
\n
[07:07]language learning. LinkedIn and Sing. So there is a difference between LinkedIn and Sing when it comes
\n
[07:15]to connection culture. LinkedIn tends to be very active. You can connect with people who you don't
\n
[07:21]know, and it's normal. You just have to write a short message to them to explain why you want to
\n
[07:25]connect with them and have a good reason. Sing is a lot sleepier, and you'll learn about this more
\n
[07:29]when we go through the Sing training, but it's just important to know that a lot of times on Sing,
\n
[07:35]people will only connect with you if they know you in person. One of the things you can do if you are
\n
[07:41]able to speak German is put your LinkedIn profile and your Sing profile in both English and in German.
\n
[07:47]Another thing you can do already is you can change your location to your placement city, even if you're
\n
[07:53]not there yet. And then you can also indicate in your summary on both of your profiles, that's where
\n
[07:57]you will be searching for your internship. That helps you already get found by recruiters who may be
\n
[08:02]looking for people with your skill set. And then just thinking once you're on the job and moving
\n
[08:08]forward, posting in both languages to speak to really both audiences. With interviews, review
\n
[08:13]what you wrote on your application about your language. This is where being honest and transparent
\n
[08:18]benefits you. In general, I recommend you consider what language you're going to apply in, at least for
\n
[08:23]the most part, and what language level you're going to put down. You don't change it, but sometimes
\n
[08:27]things change throughout the process. Ask ahead of the phone or screening interview what language the
\n
[08:34]interview will be in, and then ask at the interview about language and what language the interview might
\n
[08:39]be in, the next interview might be in, or how much your language skills will be important on the job.
\n
[08:47]Something to be aware of, for those of you who are more like the B1, B2, and above, is that you may
\n
[08:52]come across employers to do some type of split language interviewing, which means they'll do the first
\n
[08:58]half of the interview in English, the second half in German, or I've even heard of every other
\n
[09:03]question English-German. I wouldn't be too nervous about that, but just know that it might come to
\n
[09:08]play. And while you're interviewing, remember, and I'll remind you of this in the training about
\n
[09:12]interviews as well, simple German is fine. Focus on the model verbs. K\u00f6nnen m\u00fcssen wollen sollen d\u00fcrfen
\n
[09:18]m\u00f6gen. Okay, these will really help you create simple sentences that still make sense and sound nice and
\n
[09:23]fluent. There's also some further resources here for applying in German. I'll link to them below,
\n
[09:29]but just a little bit about each of them from left to right. B\u00fcro Kommunikation Deutsch is really
\n
[09:34]helpful for those of you who are going to have to do a lot of writing. At your internship, there's a lot
\n
[09:39]of examples and templates in there for emails or other types of business correspondence. Deutsch f\u00fcr den Beruf
\n
[09:47]is actually a collection of articles from Deutsch Perfect about working in Germany. BWM in Deutschland,
\n
[09:53]you'll see me mentioned throughout this course. For those of you who speak German, it's a good resource.
\n
[09:57]That's all about applying in Germany for internationals. Deutsch f\u00fcr den Berufseinstieg.
\n
[10:03]That's a good language course for those of you who want to learn German for work already. And
\n
[10:08]Bewerbungstraining will walk you through how to write the application in German with the idea of teaching
\n
[10:14]you German at the same time. Okay, kurz und knapp. It's fine to apply in English or German. Choose your
\n
[10:21]preferred language based on your language ability and comfort level. Just keep in mind that your application
\n
[10:27]impacts your internship search strategy. So if you can speak enough to apply in German, please do.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/863060318?h=0865006a02", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/863060318.mp4", "search": "german and english in the internship search module #2: designing your internship in germany key takeaways copy \n the \"split application\" (german lebenslauf + english cover letter + german emails) communicates your exact linguistic position to the employer without a word of explanation. [02:48] \n over-proofread applications backfire: the employer discovers your real level anyway - the honesty asterisk converts potential embarrassment into transparency. [04:33] \n \"auf muttersprachlichem niveau\" in a job ad is a coded message - decode required language levels as signals about who they actually want. [05:34] \n german capitalization trap: after ending a sentence with a period, \"mit freundlichen gr\u00fc\u00dfen\" must be capitalized - small details signal care. [06:52] \n change your linkedin/xing location to your placement city before arriving and state your internship search in the summary - recruiters searching locally will find you early. [07:53] \n simple german built on modal verbs beats complex-but-broken german: \"sound nice and fluent\" comes from structure, not vocabulary. [09:18] \n german and english in the internship search \n \n module: #2 designing \n lesson url: /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/german-and-english-in-the-internship-search \n \n overview \n this lesson answers the question every cbyxer asks: what language should my applications be in? jessica's rule of thumb is that if you can interview and perform most work responsibilities in german (roughly b2), apply in german - otherwise apply in english truthfully, and note that english-only applications demand a more creative search strategy. she provides a level-by-level decision framework (including a clever \"split application\" and asterisk-disclosure strategy for b1+ learners), explains ats realities at large companies, and covers language dynamics in job descriptions, emails, linkedin/xing profiles, and interviews. the core message: your application language is a strategic choice that shapes your entire search approach, and honesty about your level always beats over-polished materials. \n key points \n \n it's fine to apply in english or german, but german fluency improves your odds; english-only internships are increasingly common, and english-only application requires more creative outreach strategies. [00:04] \n rule of thumb: if you can interview in german and do the majority of work independently in german, apply in german - normally corresponds with b2, no certificate required. [01:40] \n language-level decision framework (see below): no german / below b1 / b1-uncomfortable \u2192 english; b1+ comfortable \u2192 both or split application; b2+ able to work \u2192 german. [02:19] \n application documents must always use the german document format (lebenslauf structure), even when written in english - never a us resume template; it signals you understand german application culture. [03:30] \n ats/ams (applicant tracking/management system) reality: english-language documents can fail at large german companies - diversify your strategy if targeting large firms without german. [03:57] \n don't over-proofread: keep editing minimal so the application reflects your true level; an asterisk disclaimer can state the language represents your current level. don't let host family/friends polish it above your ability. [04:33] \n reading job descriptions: check both the description's language and the required proficiency - \"auf muttersprachlichem niveau\" signals they want ~c2 german. follow application instructions to a t (apply via their system even if you found it on linkedin). [05:16] \n emails: use german elements even at low levels - \"sehr geehrte\u2026\" and \"mit freundlichen gr\u00fc\u00dfen\" (capitalize after a period!) - and write thank-yous in german to show effort. [06:27] \n linkedin vs. xing connection culture: linkedin is active (cold connects fine with a reason); xing is sleepy - people mostly connect only with people they know in person. [07:07] \n profile optimization: set location to your placement city now, note in your summary that you're searching for an internship there, run profiles in both languages, post in both languages once on the job. [07:41] \n interviews: ask ahead what language the interview will be in; expect possible \"split language interviewing\" (first half english, second half german, or alternating questions). [08:47] \n interview language tip: rely on modal verbs - k\u00f6nnen, m\u00fcssen, wollen, sollen, d\u00fcrfen, m\u00f6gen - to build simple sentences that sound fluent. [09:08] \n \n frameworks & templates \n \n application-language decision matrix: (1) no german / below b1 / b1 without interview comfort \u2192 apply in english. (2) b1+ with interview comfort \u2192 apply in both languages or split application : resume/lebenslauf in german (easier), cover letter in english, correspondence in german - giving the company an accurate linguistic picture. (3) alternative b1 strategy: write everything in german, have someone edit basic issues only, add an asterisk at the end of both documents noting the language represents your current level. (4) b2+ able to work in german \u2192 apply in german. [02:19] \n modal-verb sentence builder: k\u00f6nnen, m\u00fcssen, wollen, sollen, d\u00fcrfen, m\u00f6gen as the backbone for simple, fluent-sounding german in interviews. [09:12] \n \n resources \n \n b\u00fcro kommunikation deutsch - examples/templates for emails and business correspondence (for writing-heavy internships). [09:29] \n deutsch f\u00fcr den beruf - collection of articles from deutsch perfect about working in germany. [09:47] \n bwm in deutschland (as spoken) - resource about applying in germany for internationals; referenced throughout the course. [09:53] \n deutsch f\u00fcr den berufseinstieg - language course for learning german for work. [09:57] \n bewerbungstraining - teaches german application writing while teaching the language itself. [10:03] \n all linked below the video. \n [00:00] in this next section, i will be going through some important points regarding german and english in \n [00:04] the internship search. let's start with the dynamic between internship search strategy and language \n [00:09] use. so, a few things on that note. it's perfectly fine to apply in english or in german. of course, \n [00:16] you will have a better chance if you speak german and can apply in german, but english-only \n [00:20] internships are becoming more and more common as well. choose your preferred language based on \n [00:26] your language ability. pick the language you feel comfortable with. more on this in just a second. \n [00:33] depending on your case, by which i'm referring to your applicant profile, language skills, \n [00:37] background, et cetera, you may need to exercise some flexibility in applying for internships in \n [00:42] both languages or using a mix of both. as an example, i once worked with a cbyx participant \n [00:47] who said to me, i'm not sure how to go about the job hunt with my current language level. \n [00:52] my c1 german is sufficient that i could do job interviews and work in german, but not so good \n [00:56] that it's not a liability or wouldn't allow me to contribute to my full potential. in such a \n [01:01] situation, go for applications in german. remember, the internship is a learning experience, \n [01:06] and one main goal of the internship is to get you more comfortable with using german at work, \n [01:10] and this involves a bit of discomfort at first for everyone who is just starting out. \n [01:14] on the other hand, if you speak fluent german, but for whatever reason want an internship in english, \n [01:19] you can take that route, but just know it may impact the outcome of your search. \n [01:23] this is the last point to keep in mind, and it should not come as a surprise. you can definitely \n [01:27] start with more traditional application routes, such as replying to openings on linkedin. \n [01:32] if you're applying for internships in english, you will need to get more creative with your \n [01:35] application strategy, and i will provide you with ideas and options for this later on. \n [01:40] here's the magical slide for the question, what language should i write my applications in? \n [01:47] first of all, my general rule of thumb is if you can interview in german and perform the \n [01:51] majority of your work responsibilities independently in german, then apply in german. \n [01:56] this normally corresponds with level b2, but you don't have to have a certificate in order to make \n [02:02] this work. if not, be truthful about your abilities and apply in english. when it comes to which english, \n [02:09] stick with american english or choose the one that the company uses on their english language website. \n [02:14] here's the breakdown of which application language i recommend, depending on your language level. \n [02:19] if you do not know any german, write your application in english. if your german is below level b1, \n [02:25] write your application in english. if your german is at level b1, but you do not feel comfortable \n [02:31] taking part in an interview in german, write your application in english. if your german is at level \n [02:37] b1 or higher, and you feel comfortable taking part in an interview in german, you have a few options. you \n [02:43] you could apply for opportunities in both english and german, and you could also do a split \n [02:48] application. this means you write your resume in german, which tends to be easier, and your cover \n [02:53] letter in english, plus your correspondence in german. basically, you're giving the company an \n [02:57] accurate idea of where you're at linguistically. for students at this level who want to write in \n [03:03] german, another strategy is to write everything in german, have someone edit it for basic issues \n [03:08] only, and then put an asterisk at the end of both documents saying that this language represents \n [03:12] your current language level. if you have questions about any of these options, please contact me or \n [03:17] your cbyac support team. and finally, if your german is at level b2 or higher, and you're able to work \n [03:24] in german, then definitely apply in german. a few pointers about applications and language. \n [03:30] application documents should always be in the german format. your application documents should \n [03:35] always be in the german format, just the language will change. so what i mean by this is that you \n [03:41] are not using a u.s. resume template, even if you are applying in english. everyone should use the \n [03:46] german document format, regardless of the language they're applying in. you want to show that you made \n [03:51] an effort to understand typical standards in application culture in germany. \n [03:57] ats issues with language. you may have heard you will not get through an ats or ams if your documents \n [04:02] are in english. applicant tracking system or applicant management system are the abbreviations there. \n [04:06] this is true for large german companies. think about the ones on the docs. so make sure you are \n [04:12] diversifying your application strategy, especially if you are unable to speak german and are targeting \n [04:18] many or only large companies. english and german in small, medium, and large organizations. similar \n [04:24] to that last point, always keep the organization and its employees in mind when choosing your application \n [04:28] language. the language of the internship description or the information on the website is helpful for that. \n [04:33] and do not let the proofreading be too good. employers want an accurate representation of \n [04:39] what you can do. i mentioned on the previous slide that you can write your documents in your words and \n [04:45] add an asterisk that corresponds to your current german level. please be aware that it is incredibly \n [04:51] important not to present application materials above and beyond your language level. \n [04:55] do not let friends or host family members get overzealous with your materials. keep the editing and \n [05:01] proofreading to a minimum so the application is truly yours. you'll be thankful for this honesty and \n [05:06] transparency later on when the employer is very well aware of your language level and not surprised in \n [05:10] the least bit. all right, if the job description is available in english or german, there's a couple \n [05:16] of things that you want to keep in mind. first of all, check not only the language of the job \n [05:20] description, but also what language proficiency they're asking for. those two factors will give you an idea \n [05:25] of what language you should apply in. when they ask for a certain language level, there's probably a \n [05:30] reason for it and they're probably trying to tell you something with it. so auf muttersprachlichem \n [05:34] niveau, or at the native language level or near native language level, means that they're probably \n [05:40] looking for someone who speaks german at the c2 level. follow their rules to a t. they tell you to \n [05:47] apply via their system. even though you see the job ad on linkedin, please apply to their system. and then in \n [05:52] general, whatever other rules they have, just follow them. when you're looking at job descriptions, \n [05:58] please also just keep the main responsibility or task in mind. and if you can do it, that's basically \n [06:04] the main thing that you need to think about when you're reading through them. so what is the main \n [06:09] purpose of the company hiring for this internship role? what are you going to be doing? are you going \n [06:14] to be doing admin work? are you going to be leading a small project? what are you going to be doing? \n [06:19] and then consider whether or not you are able to do that. then with emails. if you can email in \n [06:27] german, or you can split it with both languages, if you feel more comfortable that way, and then see \n [06:32] how they respond, just keep the language simple. if your german is below b1 and you don't feel \n [06:37] comfortable corresponding entirely in german, just try and use as many german elements as possible. \n [06:42] so you could put sehr geehrte and also the mit freundlichen gr\u00fc\u00dfen at the bottom to show what you're \n [06:47] trying to say. oh, just remember here, because i'm seeing this, if you're just writing a period, \n [06:52] ending a sentence, and then you're writing mit freundlichen gr\u00fc\u00dfen, then you need to capitalize \n [06:56] them. and then of course, if you are able to write a little bit, write your thank yous and similar \n [07:02] correspondence in german when possible. show them that you're trying at least to move forward with your \n [07:07] language learning. linkedin and sing. so there is a difference between linkedin and sing when it comes \n [07:15] to connection culture. linkedin tends to be very active. you can connect with people who you don't \n [07:21] know, and it's normal. you just have to write a short message to them to explain why you want to \n [07:25] connect with them and have a good reason. sing is a lot sleepier, and you'll learn about this more \n [07:29] when we go through the sing training, but it's just important to know that a lot of times on sing, \n [07:35] people will only connect with you if they know you in person. one of the things you can do if you are \n [07:41] able to speak german is put your linkedin profile and your sing profile in both english and in german. \n [07:47] another thing you can do already is you can change your location to your placement city, even if you're \n [07:53] not there yet. and then you can also indicate in your summary on both of your profiles, that's where \n [07:57] you will be searching for your internship. that helps you already get found by recruiters who may be \n [08:02] looking for people with your skill set. and then just thinking once you're on the job and moving \n [08:08] forward, posting in both languages to speak to really both audiences. with interviews, review \n [08:13] what you wrote on your application about your language. this is where being honest and transparent \n [08:18] benefits you. in general, i recommend you consider what language you're going to apply in, at least for \n [08:23] the most part, and what language level you're going to put down. you don't change it, but sometimes \n [08:27] things change throughout the process. ask ahead of the phone or screening interview what language the \n [08:34] interview will be in, and then ask at the interview about language and what language the interview might \n [08:39] be in, the next interview might be in, or how much your language skills will be important on the job. \n [08:47] something to be aware of, for those of you who are more like the b1, b2, and above, is that you may \n [08:52] come across employers to do some type of split language interviewing, which means they'll do the first \n [08:58] half of the interview in english, the second half in german, or i've even heard of every other \n [09:03] question english-german. i wouldn't be too nervous about that, but just know that it might come to \n [09:08] play. and while you're interviewing, remember, and i'll remind you of this in the training about \n [09:12] interviews as well, simple german is fine. focus on the model verbs. k\u00f6nnen m\u00fcssen wollen sollen d\u00fcrfen \n [09:18] m\u00f6gen. okay, these will really help you create simple sentences that still make sense and sound nice and \n [09:23] fluent. there's also some further resources here for applying in german. i'll link to them below, \n [09:29] but just a little bit about each of them from left to right. b\u00fcro kommunikation deutsch is really \n [09:34] helpful for those of you who are going to have to do a lot of writing. at your internship, there's a lot \n [09:39] of examples and templates in there for emails or other types of business correspondence. deutsch f\u00fcr den beruf \n [09:47] is actually a collection of articles from deutsch perfect about working in germany. bwm in deutschland, \n [09:53] you'll see me mentioned throughout this course. for those of you who speak german, it's a good resource. \n [09:57] that's all about applying in germany for internationals. deutsch f\u00fcr den berufseinstieg. \n [10:03] that's a good language course for those of you who want to learn german for work already. and \n [10:08] bewerbungstraining will walk you through how to write the application in german with the idea of teaching \n [10:14] you german at the same time. okay, kurz und knapp. it's fine to apply in english or german. choose your \n [10:21] preferred language based on your language ability and comfort level. just keep in mind that your application \n [10:27] impacts your internship search strategy. so if you can speak enough to apply in german, please do. "}, {"id": "L2-2", "key": "863060406", "vid": "863060406", "title": "Timing and Time Plan for Internships", "module": "Module #2: Designing Your Internship in Germany", "mi": 2, "li": 2, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/timing-and-time-plan-for-internships", "tldr": "", "summary": "
\ud83d\udcdd No written summary for this lesson yet - only the video has been archived so far.
", "md": "", "res": [], "transcript": "
No transcript for this lesson’s video yet - it is still being transcribed.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/863060406?h=b9ad2a8635", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/863060406.mp4", "search": "timing and time plan for internships module #2: designing your internship in germany \ud83d\udcdd no written summary for this lesson yet - only the video has been archived so far. no transcript for this lesson’s video yet - it is still being transcribed. "}, {"id": "L2-3", "key": "862969032", "vid": "862969032", "title": "Planning Your Germany Internship Search", "module": "Module #2: Designing Your Internship in Germany", "mi": 2, "li": 3, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/planning-your-germany-internship-search", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Planning Your Germany Internship Search

\n\n

Overview

\n

This lesson teaches how to build an \"intelligent and bounded\" internship search strategy instead of resorting to \"spray and pray.\" Jessica covers gathering keywords in German and English, choosing 2-3 search engines/boards to check regularly (not 20 sites all day), and researching 10-30 target employers in your placement city. She catalogs the full range of search avenues - from LinkedIn/Xing and university career services to Berufsverb\u00e4nde, Firmen-datenbanken, and even Google Maps strolls - then explains keyword research using Berufenet and Voyant Tools, how to read internship descriptions (can vs. must criteria, fortlaufende postings), and how to build a diverse target-employer list that includes the Mittelstand, not just the DAX giants. The lesson closes with Module 2's Hausaufgaben.

\n

Key Points

\n\n

Frameworks & Templates

\n\n

Resources

\n", "md": "# Planning Your Germany Internship Search\n\n- **Module:** #2 Designing\n- **Lesson URL:** /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/planning-your-germany-internship-search\n\n## Overview\nThis lesson teaches how to build an \"intelligent and bounded\" internship search strategy instead of resorting to \"spray and pray.\" Jessica covers gathering keywords in German and English, choosing 2-3 search engines/boards to check regularly (not 20 sites all day), and researching 10-30 target employers in your placement city. She catalogs the full range of search avenues - from LinkedIn/Xing and university career services to Berufsverb\u00e4nde, Firmen-datenbanken, and even Google Maps strolls - then explains keyword research using Berufenet and Voyant Tools, how to read internship descriptions (can vs. must criteria, fortlaufende postings), and how to build a diverse target-employer list that includes the Mittelstand, not just the DAX giants. The lesson closes with Module 2's Hausaufgaben.\n\n## Key Points\n- Reject \"spray and pray\" (throwing spaghetti at the wall); build a strategy that is **intelligent** (use existing, trusted resources - don't reinvent the wheel) and **bounded** (every part has a designated endpoint; check 2-3 search engines once a day, not 20 sites endlessly). [00:55]\n- Practice activity: the ICMS \"Search Activity\" tab - find internships in 5 different fields, ~5 minutes each (25 min total), documenting positions AND how you found them; a tutorial below the video helps you compare against strategies Jessica and past CBYX cohorts used. [02:07]\n- Search avenues summary: LinkedIn/Xing networking, university career services + their job boards, career fairs, adjacent organizations/positions, field-specific search engines, pitching internships off listed entry-level jobs, company employment pages directly (often overlooked - not all jobs are posted elsewhere), Berufsverb\u00e4nde/Dachorganisationen, Firmen-datenbanken (via career service or IHK), German university students/alumni, keyword variety in Google, US-university alumni in Germany (easy to find on LinkedIn), IHK intern lists and talent events, host family/personal connections, Google Maps searches, and the \"Sunday stroll\" (walking the city reading building signs - has actually landed internships at brand-new agencies with no website). [03:03]\n- Research/academia internships: start with your host university and regional research institutes; emails to professors must be short with a very concrete ask; university administration roles can be approached directly via the office head. [05:57]\n- \"Fortlaufende\" (ongoing) internship postings stay open continuously - even a dated ad with that word means they're still recruiting; ads typically show Aufgaben (tasks), Voraussetzungen (requirements, e.g., Stata/SPSS), and Rahmenbedingungen (duration, home office, pay). [06:45]\n- Keywords vs. skills: build a mix of skills, software, and keywords; mine your existing documents/LinkedIn/resume/old job ads; for new keywords choose 3-5 job titles, pull 10-15 descriptions, paste into **Voyant Tools**, and read the word bubble for common + unique terms. [07:49]\n- German ATS reality check: many German companies (especially small ones) don't use ATS - humans or departments read applications directly, so keyword stuffing is counterproductive; optimization should be invisible (\"they should simply get the impression you understood the job description\"). [09:56]\n- Reading descriptions: internships have more flexibility than jobs; apply even if overqualified (a valid strategy), but skip postings requiring German-context credentials like the Staatsexamen. [11:49]\n- Job boards vs. search engines: a search engine AGGREGATES listings from boards and employer sites (a repository); a job board posts jobs supplied by employers directly. Germany has an estimated 1,500-2,500 of them; the main search engine is the **Jobb\u00f6rse** of the Bundesagentur f\u00fcr Arbeit. [13:35]\n- Why employer research matters: Germans read company tenure as a performance indicator - job hopping after 3 years/4 employers makes subsequent companies skeptical; identify 10-20 target companies you can add value to, using industry magazines and online lists (often German-language). [16:10]\n- Don't fixate on DAX multinationals: competition there is brutal; the employer landscape spans large/mid/small companies, family businesses, startups, public service, and academia - SMEs are the backbone of the economy. [17:33]\n- Hidden champions: 99.6% of German companies are Mittelstand (\u224835-36% of total sales); ~60% of German jobs come from SMEs - so look at hidden champions in your neighborhood. Use Glassdoor and Kununu for company research. [18:32]\n- Evaluation tip: if Glassdoor/Kununu don't settle it, ask the employer to make you an **internship plan** - it reveals whether they've actually structured the internship around you. [19:53]\n- Two employers for a split internship is fine; large companies and government organizations require starting EARLY and mostly want German speakers; for industry changers keep the search horizontal and craft a **roter Faden** (common thread) told identically in cover letter, resume summary, and LinkedIn. [20:18]\n\n## Frameworks & Templates\n- **Intelligent & Bounded Search Strategy:** intelligent = trusted/known resources; bounded = designated endpoints per search activity (e.g., 2-3 engines checked daily). [01:32]\n- **ICMS Search Activity tab:** 5-field \u00d7 5-minute exploratory search table logging position + discovery method, compared against Jessica's and prior cohorts' strategies. [02:18]\n- **Keyword research pipeline:** goal \u2192 3-5 job titles (Berufenet) \u2192 10-15 job descriptions \u2192 paste into Voyant Tools \u2192 extract common + unique keywords \u2192 track German AND English terms in the ICMS keywords tab. [08:56]\n- **ICMS gap analysis:** how-to article (linked below video) plus an example gap analysis and a blank analysis sheet in the ICMS, ideally completed BEFORE the search to align education/experience/skills with the German labor market. [11:23]\n- **Job-board taxonomy:** categories include international, national, regional, local city, profession/field-specific, internship/mini-job specific, purpose-driven, niche. [13:35]\n- **Target employer list:** 10-30 employers (elsewhere stated 10-20 target companies) in your placement city; narrow a 15-20 site list down to your top 5 search engines/boards. [00:43]\n- **Ongoing-posting anatomy:** Aufgaben / Voraussetzungen / Rahmenbedingungen as the three-part structure of fortlaufende internship ads. [07:01]\n\n## Resources\n- **Jobb\u00f6rse** (Bundesagentur f\u00fcr Arbeit / German Federal Employment Agency) - the main German job search engine; filters by work type, location+radius, keyword/title, field. [14:25]\n- **Berufenet** (also Federal Employment Agency) - exact official position titles/terminology; tutorial provided. [14:47]\n- **Voyant Tools** - text-analysis tool for keyword extraction from job descriptions. [09:11]\n- **IHK (Industrie- und Handelskammer)** - company databases/lists and international-talent events. [04:23]\n- **Berufsverb\u00e4nde / Dachorganisationen** - specialized professional associations. [04:10]\n- **Glassdoor** and **Kununu** - employer review sites for fit research. [19:42]\n- Gap-analysis how-to article (linked below the video).\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- The \"Sunday stroll\": physically walking your city and reading building signs can surface internships at brand-new companies with no web presence - a genuinely non-digital search avenue that has worked. [05:44]\n- Company employment pages are forgotten: not all jobs get posted to LinkedIn or aggregators - check employer sites directly. [03:58]\n- Pitch an internship off an ENTRY-LEVEL job listing: if you see a listed position you'd like, pitch them an internship version instead. [03:46]\n- A keyword-stuffed application annoys the human reader - the best optimization is the kind the reader never notices. [10:29]\n- Ask for an \"internship plan\" as an employer-vetting move: their ability to produce one instantly tells you whether they've thought about hosting you at all. [20:09]\n- \"Roter Faden\" discipline: career changers must tell the exact same transition story in the cover letter, resume summary, and LinkedIn - any inconsistency undermines the narrative. [21:03]\n- The same three search words repeated everywhere is the #1 reason people \"can't find anything\" - keyword variety is a search skill, not a resume skill. [05:16]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]Now we're going to talk about planning your Germany internship search.
\n
[00:03]So getting started with your search, there's a couple of different factors I want you to keep
\n
[00:07]in mind. Consider different search strategies. We're going to be going over these in this lesson.
\n
[00:13]You need to gather keywords for yourself in German and in English. The keywords are useful both for
\n
[00:17]your search as well as for your application documents later on. Then there's lots of different
\n
[00:23]job search engines and job boards. You don't need to check all of them all the time. You can really
\n
[00:28]stick to two or three that you then visit on a regular basis. And then finally, employer research.
\n
[00:34]So for those of you who are looking for internships in English, targeting certain employers with
\n
[00:39]initiative applications is going to be a great strategy for you. So it's going to be helpful
\n
[00:43]for you to look at, let's say, 10 to 30 different employers in your placement city who might be
\n
[00:49]able to offer you an internship. All right. There's different methods for finding an internship in
\n
[00:55]Germany. I've seen students use spray and pray all the time. This is something I come across in a lot
\n
[01:03]of the workshops I do across the country. So spray and pray is basically, and I'm sure many of you've
\n
[01:07]heard of this, you take your application and you spray it at a bunch of employers and then you pray and
\n
[01:12]hope that one of them will pick up your application. It's like throwing spaghetti at the wall and
\n
[01:16]seeing what sticks. We're not going to do that, right? We're going to have a strategy and we're going to
\n
[01:21]also make sure that our strategy is bound to certain aspects so that we're not getting lost in the abyss
\n
[01:26]that could happen in an internship search. And so in order to do this, we're going to get started
\n
[01:32]with your internship search in a very targeted way. It's important to develop a strategy that's
\n
[01:38]intelligent and bounded. Intelligent means that you use existing and known or trusted resources.
\n
[01:44]You're not reinventing the wheel. And I'm going to give you some of those resources.
\n
[01:47]Bounded means that every part of your search has a designated endpoint. You should always have a
\n
[01:52]restricted list of things that you're working on or towards so the search does not feel endless
\n
[01:56]or all-consuming. This means, for example, choosing two to three search engines to check once a day
\n
[02:01]instead of checking 20 sites all day long. To teach you how to develop an intelligent bounded search
\n
[02:07]strategy that fits your unique search, I'll have you practice doing a search for five different
\n
[02:11]internships. So this is how this is going to work. Within your international career management system,
\n
[02:18]you'll find a tab at the bottom with the name search activity. Open that tab up and it looks
\n
[02:23]like a table on this slide. This activity will help you spot potential blind spots and how you should go
\n
[02:29]about searching for an internship. Learn strategies for searching by looking for internships outside of your
\n
[02:34]field and prepare you to diversify your own search. There's five areas or fields in which you'll need to
\n
[02:40]find internship positions. You'll spend about five minutes looking for internships in each field,
\n
[02:45]25 minutes in total. In the table, you'll document both the positions you find and how you found them.
\n
[02:52]Once you have filled out the table, there's a tutorial below this video to help you compare your results
\n
[02:57]with different possible search strategies that I would use and that people in previous CBOX cohorts have
\n
[03:03]used. Here's a summary of different search avenues for finding an internship in Germany.
\n
[03:09]You can use LinkedIn and Sing for networking and outreach. You can reach out to the career service
\n
[03:14]of your local university. You can also see if they have any job boards just for people who go to that
\n
[03:20]university. You can go to local, regional, or national career fairs and events. You can check out adjacent
\n
[03:26]organizations and positions, so not just those in your exact field but maybe around it. You can use job search
\n
[03:33]engines specific to certain areas and you'll see that in the search activity. You can use listed positions
\n
[03:39]as a jumping off point to ask for an internship. So if you see an entry-level position listed and you
\n
[03:46]would like to do an internship with that company, you can pitch it to them. This one sounds simple but
\n
[03:52]many people nowadays with LinkedIn and all these other job search engines forget to check the company
\n
[03:58]employment pages. Not all companies post all the jobs that are available. And then you can also check out
\n
[04:04]specialized professional organizations, Berufsverb\u00e4nde or Dachorganisationen. You'll also see some of
\n
[04:10]that in the search activity. Company databases or F\u00f6mmendatenbanken are lists of companies in a certain
\n
[04:16]area. Either your career service at the university or the local IHK, Industrie- und Handelskammer, will have
\n
[04:23]such lists. Then there's also going to be job search engines specific to certain areas that you can check
\n
[04:29]out. You can also reach out to international students and alumni from your German universities
\n
[04:35]and see if they have any ideas or if they can help connect you with people in your field. Then when you
\n
[04:42]do the keyword search, you can look at different T\u00e4tigkeitswerder, T\u00e4tigkeitsbereiche, Arbeitgeber,
\n
[04:47]keywords, and then you can put these into Google and do a variety of searches to find different
\n
[04:52]opportunities. You can also check with the alumni from your U.S. university who are living in Germany.
\n
[04:58]LinkedIn makes it really easy to figure out who those people are. The local IHK, what I previously
\n
[05:04]mentioned, might have lists of companies that are looking for interns or they might have events that
\n
[05:09]connect international talents to companies. Keyword variety is really important. So sometimes people
\n
[05:16]come to me and they're like, I can't find anything. And then I ask them what they're putting into their
\n
[05:19]search engines and it's the same three words. We want to stay away from that. Your host family and
\n
[05:24]any personal connections you have can, of course, be used in your search. And then something very
\n
[05:29]simple, but this has worked, especially for those of you who might be in very customer-facing
\n
[05:34]industries, if you're working in the restaurant industry or similar, doing a Google map search
\n
[05:39]for different organizations or the Sunday stroll approach, walking through the city. And I've even had
\n
[05:44]students find internships this way because they see a sign on the side of a building. Oh, it's a
\n
[05:49]marketing agency that maybe doesn't have a website yet because they're so brand new and they really
\n
[05:53]need someone to come in and do an internship with them. So just get creative in the way you're going
\n
[05:57]about searching for your internship. For those of you who are interested in internships in research
\n
[06:04]and academia, of course, the best place to start is your host university or universities in the region
\n
[06:09]or in the area. Keep in mind with your emails to professors that they should be short to the point
\n
[06:13]and have a very concrete ask. If you need an example of that, please feel free to reach out to me.
\n
[06:18]You may also want to look at research institutes that are in your host city or host region. Those also
\n
[06:25]tend to be places where you can find internships. And then, of course, you may be interested in doing
\n
[06:30]some type of internship within university administration. Maybe you want to work in an
\n
[06:33]international office or whatever it may be. That avenue can easily be approached by simply reaching
\n
[06:40]out to the head of the office or the person that you would be working with. Sometimes companies will
\n
[06:45]also have ongoing or in German fortlaufende, like you see here on the screen, internship application
\n
[06:51]periods. This advertisement, for example, defines generally what an internship could look like at
\n
[06:56]this research organization. So let's just take a second here and let's walk through the advertisement.
\n
[07:01]So at the top, it says beginning in fall 2022, ongoing, we are offering internships for students who
\n
[07:08]are in the area of quantitative empirical education research. So in Aufgaben, like these would be your
\n
[07:16]task. For Aussatzungen, what you have to bring with. So for example, they're looking for people who are
\n
[07:23]familiar with Stata or SPSS. And then the Rahmenbedingungen. So this is basically telling you how long it's going
\n
[07:30]to take, that they would also offer home office and what they would pay. So this is something when you're
\n
[07:36]looking at company or institutional websites that you can also be on the lookout for, even if it's
\n
[07:40]dated October, 2022, if it has the word fortlaufende, that means they're continuously looking for people.
\n
[07:49]All right. So onto finding your keywords in German and in English. Keywords versus skills. I want to
\n
[07:55]give you a brief overview. Most people do not have a clear search strategy when they use job search
\n
[07:59]engines. They are oftentimes just throwing terms in. Again, this is not a strategy. Finding keywords does not
\n
[08:07]need to be challenging or cumbersome. So first consider that you want a mix of skills, software and
\n
[08:11]keywords. Then where to look for keywords. Look back at keywords that already work on your application
\n
[08:20]documents, on your LinkedIn profile, etc. Then you can brainstorm what keywords come to mind when you think
\n
[08:26]about your current profile or what you're looking for. Then review your resume. This includes what is on the
\n
[08:34]resume, but also that you do further research of the position titles and corresponding keywords.
\n
[08:39]After that, check the position descriptions of previous jobs and internships you've had if you
\n
[08:43]still have the ads. And you can also look at other profiles for inspiration. Just be really careful
\n
[08:48]that you're not copying. When it comes to finding new or enhanced keywords, once you've exhausted all
\n
[08:56]the above mentioned options, you can do keyword research in the following steps. So obviously, you're going to
\n
[09:01]think about what's your goal. Choose three to five job titles. Berufennet, which you'll have a tutorial
\n
[09:06]about. We'll show you how to use that. Select 10 to 15 job descriptions based on those titles.
\n
[09:11]Then you're going to go and copy and paste the main body of the job description into Voyant tools.
\n
[09:16]Using the output from Voyant, consider the most important or commonly listed keywords, but make sure to
\n
[09:22]check the list for any unique terms you may also want to include. And looking at the word bubble can help
\n
[09:26]you. This will also be shown in the tutorial. When it comes to finding keywords in German and English,
\n
[09:31]regardless of which language you will be applying in, it's important to have a base of keywords in
\n
[09:36]German and in English. It will be helpful if you keep track of the keywords you want and need
\n
[09:40]to use in both languages. So there is a tab in your international career management system that will be
\n
[09:46]there for you to develop a list of keywords and position titles if you'd like. You can use
\n
[09:51]berufennet for the German terms and position descriptions for both languages.
\n
[09:56]And just a few notes here on how keyword optimization is different in Germany.
\n
[10:00]First, it's important to note that many companies in Germany do not use applicant tracking systems to
\n
[10:05]manage their applications. Most companies have HR departments or even subject expert staff
\n
[10:10]reviewing applications. Sometimes even larger, medium-sized companies send applications directly
\n
[10:15]to departments. It depends immensely on the company, so it would be incorrect to assume that all
\n
[10:19]companies are using applicant tracking systems. Most small German companies are not.
\n
[10:25]Therefore, stuffing your application with keywords to try to game the system
\n
[10:29]may be counterproductive. If a real person is reading your application and getting distracted by all
\n
[10:34]the needless, over-the-top keyword placement, that's going to be annoying. This is why it is
\n
[10:39]important to use keywords effectively throughout your application and throughout your search,
\n
[10:43]but to not go overboard. Make sure your resume and cover letters are still readable. In fact,
\n
[10:48]someone reading your application should not notice that you have gone through the extra step of
\n
[10:51]keyword optimization. They should simply get the impression that you have understood the job
\n
[10:56]description, you're a suitable candidate, and you have done a good job articulating why you are a good
\n
[11:00]fit. I'm going to talk a little bit more about finding keywords in the tutorial about finding keywords
\n
[11:05]in German where I show you how to use Behoofennet, but I think it's just important that we cover these
\n
[11:10]points because finding keywords is both about using them in your search strategy and about then using them in your
\n
[11:16]application later on. Okay, so now let's take a look at reading and understanding internship descriptions.
\n
[11:23]Let's start with labor market alignment. Part of determining your fit into the German labor
\n
[11:27]market, including as an intern, is learning about alignment and conducting a gap analysis, ideally
\n
[11:32]prior to your search. Doing this one thing can ensure that your education, experience, and skill set
\n
[11:37]aligns with the labor market. I'm going to link to a how-to article for conducting a gap analysis below,
\n
[11:44]and you can find an example gap analysis as well as a blank analysis sheet in your international career
\n
[11:49]management system. Internship versus job descriptions. One of the key differences between internship and
\n
[11:56]job descriptions is flexibility. Whereas a job description often has clear-cut requirements and
\n
[12:01]expectations, an internship description is likely to include some flexibility in terms of educational
\n
[12:07]background and work experience. Otherwise, the general structure of the job advertisements is fairly
\n
[12:11]similar. Learning to read job descriptions from the German context involves understanding some of the
\n
[12:17]nuances between can and must criteria. For this, I'm going to link to two articles that I recommend you
\n
[12:23]consult as you're looking for internship opportunities and learning about how to analyze job advertisements.
\n
[12:28]Two things to keep in mind. It is absolutely okay to apply for internships that you are technically
\n
[12:33]overqualified for and you may even use this as a strategy. However, on the other hand, if there's something
\n
[12:39]specific the employer is asking for that's just super specific to the German context such as a Staatsexamen
\n
[12:45]or a state examination, it likely does not make sense to bother with an application. As you review position
\n
[12:51]descriptions, if something comes up that's unclear, just reach out to me or the CBYX team for help.
\n
[12:56]Okay, job search engines and job boards in Germany. Naturally, job search engines and job boards are
\n
[13:03]important aspects of looking for work anywhere in the world. Searching for jobs online can be very time
\n
[13:08]consuming. Whether you can remember your last internship or job search, you know it was not
\n
[13:13]necessarily a fun task. Not everyone likes this stuff as much as I do. Many of the clients I work
\n
[13:19]with tell me when we first work together that they follow the same strategy of looking for work on
\n
[13:25]certain websites every day. While this absolutely can work, it does not hurt to consider which sites
\n
[13:30]you are using and how and in general to be aware of the job search sites in Germany. There's a variety of
\n
[13:35]categories of job search boards and engines. These include international, national, regional,
\n
[13:40]local city, profession or field specific, internship or mini job search specific, purpose driven,
\n
[13:45]niche, etc. There is a difference between job boards and job search engines that you should know about,
\n
[13:51]especially because you may include where you find a position in the cover letter or in the interview.
\n
[13:57]A job search engine aggregates job listings from job boards and employer websites across the web.
\n
[14:03]You can think of it as a depository of jobs. A job board is a website that posts jobs supplied by
\n
[14:08]employers. Whereas a job search engine would include postings from job boards, the posting on the job
\n
[14:13]search board may have originally only been posted on that specific job board site. It's unclear how many
\n
[14:19]job boards and engines there are across Germany, but estimates range from 1500 to 2500.
\n
[14:25]The main job search engine in Germany is the German Federal Employment Agency's or the Bundesagentur f\u00fcr Arbeit's
\n
[14:31]Jobb\u00f6se. I'll link to this below. It allows you to search by type of work, full-time internship,
\n
[14:37]location, including within a certain radius, keyword or title, and branch or field. Basically everything
\n
[14:42]you need. If you want to use keywords or titles of positions, I recommend consulting another site
\n
[14:47]offered by the German Federal Employment Agency that's called Berufennet, which will be in the tutorial,
\n
[14:52]because it lists the exact terms of the positions. While there are great internship opportunities
\n
[14:58]posted on niche websites and websites focused on specific locations or industries, it's important
\n
[15:03]to integrate the Jobb\u00f6se into your search since it's so comprehensive and allows you to understand
\n
[15:08]your market on a national level. It's not as important which type you're using, whether it's a job board or
\n
[15:14]job search engine, as long as it works for you. Most times you can use only a job portal to find work,
\n
[15:21]especially if you're using it strategically, such as with diversifying your application strategy.
\n
[15:25]It depends on what type of internship you're looking for, how soon you want to start, how flexible you
\n
[15:31]are, and what your applicant profile is. When it comes to your strategic use though, if you're just
\n
[15:36]starting with your internship search though, job boards and job search engines are a great place
\n
[15:40]to start. Strategically, it makes sense to review the different types of job search boards and sites
\n
[15:44]and then create a plan for what fits to your specific scenario based on what type of internship you want
\n
[15:49]to do, the location that you're looking in, and even perhaps a specific niche that you have. I do
\n
[15:55]recommend you take a look at the list I provide below and narrow it down at first to 15 to 20 sites
\n
[16:00]maximum and then streamline your search after you've looked at each of the pages to decide which five
\n
[16:05]you're going to focus on. All right, finding your target employers and internship positions.
\n
[16:10]So first things first, why research matters in the German context.
\n
[16:13]I've seen internationals take whatever internship or job they can find at first and then end up job
\n
[16:19]hopping. After three years and four previous employers, the companies they approach are
\n
[16:23]skeptical about hiring someone with such a track record. While gaining experience at multiple
\n
[16:27]companies can be beneficial and attitudes towards this certainly have changed in Germany in the past 20
\n
[16:31]years, the tendency is still to look for length at a company as a high performance indicator.
\n
[16:37]All this is to say that you need to do your research before you apply and before you take a job,
\n
[16:41]and this also applies to internships. The company team and manager fit matters and will influence
\n
[16:47]whether or not you're truly happy in your internship. Of course the position fit is also super important,
\n
[16:52]but that's a different type of research with different aims. We need to focus first on companies
\n
[16:57]because ideally your internship search strategy includes identifying 10 to 20 target companies that
\n
[17:02]you're interested in and believe that you can add value to. In identifying your target companies in
\n
[17:08]Germany, one of the best ways is to use industry magazines to find out about companies in your
\n
[17:12]target area or to use different online lists. Naturally many of the relevant publications or lists in your
\n
[17:18]field are going to be in German, which is why the keyword search in German is also very important,
\n
[17:22]but at first this won't matter because it just matters that you're able to understand the employer
\n
[17:26]landscape. So the lists will be there in German, but you'll be able to look at each of the employers individually.
\n
[17:33]The landscape of German employers. It can be easy to fall into the habit of always looking for
\n
[17:37]companies with an international presence and this tends to be something I also see among interns
\n
[17:41]who are looking in English. So this is primarily companies that I list on the docks or just large
\n
[17:46]multinational corporations where you assume that you'll be able to find an internship in English.
\n
[17:50]This may be the case for some of you, but not for all of you because competition at those
\n
[17:53]types of organizations is really high for those types of positions. Remember that the landscape of
\n
[17:58]German employers is incredibly diverse. It includes, like I said, international corporations and large
\n
[18:04]companies, large medium-sized companies, small and medium-sized companies, small and medium-sized
\n
[18:10]family businesses and startups, as well as public service, including at the local, state, federal,
\n
[18:14]regional, and international levels, and then academia and research. Small and medium-sized companies make up
\n
[18:20]the backbone of the German economy, so including them in your search should be a no-brainer. Some field-specific
\n
[18:26]exceptions exist, but for the vast majority of us, including a variety of these diverse employer types,
\n
[18:32]will help the internship start to be way more successful. And then, one of my favorite parts,
\n
[18:39]hidden champions and hidden opportunities. In Germany, 99.6 percent of German companies belong
\n
[18:44]to what is called the Mittelstand, which contributes about 35 to 36 percent to total sales in Germany.
\n
[18:50]The German word Mittelstand, which refers to medium-sized businesses or the middle class of the
\n
[18:56]companies, is a rather contested term by academics, companies, and citizens, but basically it signifies
\n
[19:01]that it's a German company, that it's primarily medium-sized, that it's a world leader in a
\n
[19:07]highly specific niche, and that it's family owned. Since nearly 60 percent of jobs in Germany are
\n
[19:13]created by small and medium-sized enterprises, it's critical to look beyond these large German
\n
[19:18]companies in your internship search. This is because with 60 percent of these jobs created by SMEs,
\n
[19:23]the large companies in the docks, while very important to the German economy, are not the main
\n
[19:27]contributor to employment opportunities in the country. And especially since you are going to
\n
[19:31]have a placement-based search, you'll want to look at which hidden champions might be in your
\n
[19:35]neighborhood. You can also use Glassdoor and Kununu in your Germany company research. So, finally,
\n
[19:42]I know I mentioned this before, but I think it's worth saying again that you should always use these
\n
[19:46]sites in your search. They can be both helpful in identifying potential internship sites, but also
\n
[19:50]determining whether an organization may be the right fit for you and your values.
\n
[19:53]So, a couple of things here. When it comes to evaluating employers, sometimes I've been asked,
\n
[19:59]or people have said to me, I'm not sure how to evaluate a company if it would be a good or bad
\n
[20:03]internship provider. I would say if you're looking at Glassdoor and Kununu and you're still not sure,
\n
[20:09]I would have them make you an internship plan. This basically helps you figure out, do they have
\n
[20:13]an idea of how they're going to structure their internship around you? Two employers. Some of you may
\n
[20:18]need to split your internship time at two employers, and that's okay, and you may even want to do that.
\n
[20:24]Large companies. If you are looking for large companies, you're just going to need to start
\n
[20:28]earlier, and you're just going to need to know that process normally takes a little bit longer.
\n
[20:34]Government organizations are the same. So, if you're going to be looking at any type of public
\n
[20:39]service or government organization, they're normally open to interns, primarily interns who speak German.
\n
[20:46]But again, here you're going to want to start as early as possible and reach out to them right away.
\n
[20:49]For those of you who are looking to do your internship in a new industry, as I've mentioned before,
\n
[20:54]you're going to want to have some type of connection with what you did before. It's really
\n
[20:59]best to make your search horizontal and fit the level that you were at before.
\n
[21:03]The Router Faden or the common theme is super important in Germany, so you're going to need
\n
[21:08]to somehow find a way to craft a cohesive profile despite your transition. And put your transition
\n
[21:15]info into your cover letter, resume summary, and your LinkedIn profile just so that it's very clear
\n
[21:19]that you're telling the same story everywhere. And for those of you who may want to find something
\n
[21:25]outside of your field, this is something that should be discussed on a case-by-case basis with CBYX.
\n
[21:31]You should really be pursuing multiple options and avenues first.
\n
[21:35]All right, quits and canap. Based on the search avenue activity, determine which strategies make
\n
[21:40]the most sense for you. Research and decide on the keywords you will use in your search,
\n
[21:44]and remember to incorporate both English and German terms. Decide on one to two job search engines
\n
[21:50]or boards to start with and develop a list of targeted employers in your placement city.
\n
[21:55]This brings us to the end of module two. Here are your house of gum. Set a realistic goal for your
\n
[22:01]internship based on what we discussed. Determine which language you'll apply in, start your search
\n
[22:06]right away using the strategies you learned in this module, and begin tracking your target
\n
[22:11]companies and interesting internship position openings in your ICMS.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/862969032?h=aa215cf045", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/862969032.mp4", "search": "planning your germany internship search module #2: designing your internship in germany key takeaways copy \n the \"sunday stroll\": physically walking your city and reading building signs can surface internships at brand-new companies with no web presence - a genuinely non-digital search avenue that has worked. [05:44] \n company employment pages are forgotten: not all jobs get posted to linkedin or aggregators - check employer sites directly. [03:58] \n pitch an internship off an entry-level job listing: if you see a listed position you'd like, pitch them an internship version instead. [03:46] \n a keyword-stuffed application annoys the human reader - the best optimization is the kind the reader never notices. [10:29] \n ask for an \"internship plan\" as an employer-vetting move: their ability to produce one instantly tells you whether they've thought about hosting you at all. [20:09] \n \"roter faden\" discipline: career changers must tell the exact same transition story in the cover letter, resume summary, and linkedin - any inconsistency undermines the narrative. [21:03] \n the same three search words repeated everywhere is the #1 reason people \"can't find anything\" - keyword variety is a search skill, not a resume skill. [05:16] \n planning your germany internship search \n \n module: #2 designing \n lesson url: /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/planning-your-germany-internship-search \n \n overview \n this lesson teaches how to build an \"intelligent and bounded\" internship search strategy instead of resorting to \"spray and pray.\" jessica covers gathering keywords in german and english, choosing 2-3 search engines/boards to check regularly (not 20 sites all day), and researching 10-30 target employers in your placement city. she catalogs the full range of search avenues - from linkedin/xing and university career services to berufsverb\u00e4nde, firmen-datenbanken, and even google maps strolls - then explains keyword research using berufenet and voyant tools, how to read internship descriptions (can vs. must criteria, fortlaufende postings), and how to build a diverse target-employer list that includes the mittelstand, not just the dax giants. the lesson closes with module 2's hausaufgaben. \n key points \n \n reject \"spray and pray\" (throwing spaghetti at the wall); build a strategy that is intelligent (use existing, trusted resources - don't reinvent the wheel) and bounded (every part has a designated endpoint; check 2-3 search engines once a day, not 20 sites endlessly). [00:55] \n practice activity: the icms \"search activity\" tab - find internships in 5 different fields, ~5 minutes each (25 min total), documenting positions and how you found them; a tutorial below the video helps you compare against strategies jessica and past cbyx cohorts used. [02:07] \n search avenues summary: linkedin/xing networking, university career services + their job boards, career fairs, adjacent organizations/positions, field-specific search engines, pitching internships off listed entry-level jobs, company employment pages directly (often overlooked - not all jobs are posted elsewhere), berufsverb\u00e4nde/dachorganisationen, firmen-datenbanken (via career service or ihk), german university students/alumni, keyword variety in google, us-university alumni in germany (easy to find on linkedin), ihk intern lists and talent events, host family/personal connections, google maps searches, and the \"sunday stroll\" (walking the city reading building signs - has actually landed internships at brand-new agencies with no website). [03:03] \n research/academia internships: start with your host university and regional research institutes; emails to professors must be short with a very concrete ask; university administration roles can be approached directly via the office head. [05:57] \n \"fortlaufende\" (ongoing) internship postings stay open continuously - even a dated ad with that word means they're still recruiting; ads typically show aufgaben (tasks), voraussetzungen (requirements, e.g., stata/spss), and rahmenbedingungen (duration, home office, pay). [06:45] \n keywords vs. skills: build a mix of skills, software, and keywords; mine your existing documents/linkedin/resume/old job ads; for new keywords choose 3-5 job titles, pull 10-15 descriptions, paste into voyant tools , and read the word bubble for common + unique terms. [07:49] \n german ats reality check: many german companies (especially small ones) don't use ats - humans or departments read applications directly, so keyword stuffing is counterproductive; optimization should be invisible (\"they should simply get the impression you understood the job description\"). [09:56] \n reading descriptions: internships have more flexibility than jobs; apply even if overqualified (a valid strategy), but skip postings requiring german-context credentials like the staatsexamen. [11:49] \n job boards vs. search engines: a search engine aggregates listings from boards and employer sites (a repository); a job board posts jobs supplied by employers directly. germany has an estimated 1,500-2,500 of them; the main search engine is the jobb\u00f6rse of the bundesagentur f\u00fcr arbeit. [13:35] \n why employer research matters: germans read company tenure as a performance indicator - job hopping after 3 years/4 employers makes subsequent companies skeptical; identify 10-20 target companies you can add value to, using industry magazines and online lists (often german-language). [16:10] \n don't fixate on dax multinationals: competition there is brutal; the employer landscape spans large/mid/small companies, family businesses, startups, public service, and academia - smes are the backbone of the economy. [17:33] \n hidden champions: 99.6% of german companies are mittelstand (\u224835-36% of total sales); ~60% of german jobs come from smes - so look at hidden champions in your neighborhood. use glassdoor and kununu for company research. [18:32] \n evaluation tip: if glassdoor/kununu don't settle it, ask the employer to make you an internship plan - it reveals whether they've actually structured the internship around you. [19:53] \n two employers for a split internship is fine; large companies and government organizations require starting early and mostly want german speakers; for industry changers keep the search horizontal and craft a roter faden (common thread) told identically in cover letter, resume summary, and linkedin. [20:18] \n \n frameworks & templates \n \n intelligent & bounded search strategy: intelligent = trusted/known resources; bounded = designated endpoints per search activity (e.g., 2-3 engines checked daily). [01:32] \n icms search activity tab: 5-field \u00d7 5-minute exploratory search table logging position + discovery method, compared against jessica's and prior cohorts' strategies. [02:18] \n keyword research pipeline: goal \u2192 3-5 job titles (berufenet) \u2192 10-15 job descriptions \u2192 paste into voyant tools \u2192 extract common + unique keywords \u2192 track german and english terms in the icms keywords tab. [08:56] \n icms gap analysis: how-to article (linked below video) plus an example gap analysis and a blank analysis sheet in the icms, ideally completed before the search to align education/experience/skills with the german labor market. [11:23] \n job-board taxonomy: categories include international, national, regional, local city, profession/field-specific, internship/mini-job specific, purpose-driven, niche. [13:35] \n target employer list: 10-30 employers (elsewhere stated 10-20 target companies) in your placement city; narrow a 15-20 site list down to your top 5 search engines/boards. [00:43] \n ongoing-posting anatomy: aufgaben / voraussetzungen / rahmenbedingungen as the three-part structure of fortlaufende internship ads. [07:01] \n \n resources \n \n jobb\u00f6rse (bundesagentur f\u00fcr arbeit / german federal employment agency) - the main german job search engine; filters by work type, location+radius, keyword/title, field. [14:25] \n berufenet (also federal employment agency) - exact official position titles/terminology; tutorial provided. [14:47] \n voyant tools - text-analysis tool for keyword extraction from job descriptions. [09:11] \n ihk (industrie- und handelskammer) - company databases/lists and international-talent events. [04:23] \n berufsverb\u00e4nde / dachorganisationen - specialized professional associations. [04:10] \n glassdoor and kununu - employer review sites for fit research. [19:42] \n gap-analysis how-to article (linked below the video). \n [00:00] now we're going to talk about planning your germany internship search. \n [00:03] so getting started with your search, there's a couple of different factors i want you to keep \n [00:07] in mind. consider different search strategies. we're going to be going over these in this lesson. \n [00:13] you need to gather keywords for yourself in german and in english. the keywords are useful both for \n [00:17] your search as well as for your application documents later on. then there's lots of different \n [00:23] job search engines and job boards. you don't need to check all of them all the time. you can really \n [00:28] stick to two or three that you then visit on a regular basis. and then finally, employer research. \n [00:34] so for those of you who are looking for internships in english, targeting certain employers with \n [00:39] initiative applications is going to be a great strategy for you. so it's going to be helpful \n [00:43] for you to look at, let's say, 10 to 30 different employers in your placement city who might be \n [00:49] able to offer you an internship. all right. there's different methods for finding an internship in \n [00:55] germany. i've seen students use spray and pray all the time. this is something i come across in a lot \n [01:03] of the workshops i do across the country. so spray and pray is basically, and i'm sure many of you've \n [01:07] heard of this, you take your application and you spray it at a bunch of employers and then you pray and \n [01:12] hope that one of them will pick up your application. it's like throwing spaghetti at the wall and \n [01:16] seeing what sticks. we're not going to do that, right? we're going to have a strategy and we're going to \n [01:21] also make sure that our strategy is bound to certain aspects so that we're not getting lost in the abyss \n [01:26] that could happen in an internship search. and so in order to do this, we're going to get started \n [01:32] with your internship search in a very targeted way. it's important to develop a strategy that's \n [01:38] intelligent and bounded. intelligent means that you use existing and known or trusted resources. \n [01:44] you're not reinventing the wheel. and i'm going to give you some of those resources. \n [01:47] bounded means that every part of your search has a designated endpoint. you should always have a \n [01:52] restricted list of things that you're working on or towards so the search does not feel endless \n [01:56] or all-consuming. this means, for example, choosing two to three search engines to check once a day \n [02:01] instead of checking 20 sites all day long. to teach you how to develop an intelligent bounded search \n [02:07] strategy that fits your unique search, i'll have you practice doing a search for five different \n [02:11] internships. so this is how this is going to work. within your international career management system, \n [02:18] you'll find a tab at the bottom with the name search activity. open that tab up and it looks \n [02:23] like a table on this slide. this activity will help you spot potential blind spots and how you should go \n [02:29] about searching for an internship. learn strategies for searching by looking for internships outside of your \n [02:34] field and prepare you to diversify your own search. there's five areas or fields in which you'll need to \n [02:40] find internship positions. you'll spend about five minutes looking for internships in each field, \n [02:45] 25 minutes in total. in the table, you'll document both the positions you find and how you found them. \n [02:52] once you have filled out the table, there's a tutorial below this video to help you compare your results \n [02:57] with different possible search strategies that i would use and that people in previous cbox cohorts have \n [03:03] used. here's a summary of different search avenues for finding an internship in germany. \n [03:09] you can use linkedin and sing for networking and outreach. you can reach out to the career service \n [03:14] of your local university. you can also see if they have any job boards just for people who go to that \n [03:20] university. you can go to local, regional, or national career fairs and events. you can check out adjacent \n [03:26] organizations and positions, so not just those in your exact field but maybe around it. you can use job search \n [03:33] engines specific to certain areas and you'll see that in the search activity. you can use listed positions \n [03:39] as a jumping off point to ask for an internship. so if you see an entry-level position listed and you \n [03:46] would like to do an internship with that company, you can pitch it to them. this one sounds simple but \n [03:52] many people nowadays with linkedin and all these other job search engines forget to check the company \n [03:58] employment pages. not all companies post all the jobs that are available. and then you can also check out \n [04:04] specialized professional organizations, berufsverb\u00e4nde or dachorganisationen. you'll also see some of \n [04:10] that in the search activity. company databases or f\u00f6mmendatenbanken are lists of companies in a certain \n [04:16] area. either your career service at the university or the local ihk, industrie- und handelskammer, will have \n [04:23] such lists. then there's also going to be job search engines specific to certain areas that you can check \n [04:29] out. you can also reach out to international students and alumni from your german universities \n [04:35] and see if they have any ideas or if they can help connect you with people in your field. then when you \n [04:42] do the keyword search, you can look at different t\u00e4tigkeitswerder, t\u00e4tigkeitsbereiche, arbeitgeber, \n [04:47] keywords, and then you can put these into google and do a variety of searches to find different \n [04:52] opportunities. you can also check with the alumni from your u.s. university who are living in germany. \n [04:58] linkedin makes it really easy to figure out who those people are. the local ihk, what i previously \n [05:04] mentioned, might have lists of companies that are looking for interns or they might have events that \n [05:09] connect international talents to companies. keyword variety is really important. so sometimes people \n [05:16] come to me and they're like, i can't find anything. and then i ask them what they're putting into their \n [05:19] search engines and it's the same three words. we want to stay away from that. your host family and \n [05:24] any personal connections you have can, of course, be used in your search. and then something very \n [05:29] simple, but this has worked, especially for those of you who might be in very customer-facing \n [05:34] industries, if you're working in the restaurant industry or similar, doing a google map search \n [05:39] for different organizations or the sunday stroll approach, walking through the city. and i've even had \n [05:44] students find internships this way because they see a sign on the side of a building. oh, it's a \n [05:49] marketing agency that maybe doesn't have a website yet because they're so brand new and they really \n [05:53] need someone to come in and do an internship with them. so just get creative in the way you're going \n [05:57] about searching for your internship. for those of you who are interested in internships in research \n [06:04] and academia, of course, the best place to start is your host university or universities in the region \n [06:09] or in the area. keep in mind with your emails to professors that they should be short to the point \n [06:13] and have a very concrete ask. if you need an example of that, please feel free to reach out to me. \n [06:18] you may also want to look at research institutes that are in your host city or host region. those also \n [06:25] tend to be places where you can find internships. and then, of course, you may be interested in doing \n [06:30] some type of internship within university administration. maybe you want to work in an \n [06:33] international office or whatever it may be. that avenue can easily be approached by simply reaching \n [06:40] out to the head of the office or the person that you would be working with. sometimes companies will \n [06:45] also have ongoing or in german fortlaufende, like you see here on the screen, internship application \n [06:51] periods. this advertisement, for example, defines generally what an internship could look like at \n [06:56] this research organization. so let's just take a second here and let's walk through the advertisement. \n [07:01] so at the top, it says beginning in fall 2022, ongoing, we are offering internships for students who \n [07:08] are in the area of quantitative empirical education research. so in aufgaben, like these would be your \n [07:16] task. for aussatzungen, what you have to bring with. so for example, they're looking for people who are \n [07:23] familiar with stata or spss. and then the rahmenbedingungen. so this is basically telling you how long it's going \n [07:30] to take, that they would also offer home office and what they would pay. so this is something when you're \n [07:36] looking at company or institutional websites that you can also be on the lookout for, even if it's \n [07:40] dated october, 2022, if it has the word fortlaufende, that means they're continuously looking for people. \n [07:49] all right. so onto finding your keywords in german and in english. keywords versus skills. i want to \n [07:55] give you a brief overview. most people do not have a clear search strategy when they use job search \n [07:59] engines. they are oftentimes just throwing terms in. again, this is not a strategy. finding keywords does not \n [08:07] need to be challenging or cumbersome. so first consider that you want a mix of skills, software and \n [08:11] keywords. then where to look for keywords. look back at keywords that already work on your application \n [08:20] documents, on your linkedin profile, etc. then you can brainstorm what keywords come to mind when you think \n [08:26] about your current profile or what you're looking for. then review your resume. this includes what is on the \n [08:34] resume, but also that you do further research of the position titles and corresponding keywords. \n [08:39] after that, check the position descriptions of previous jobs and internships you've had if you \n [08:43] still have the ads. and you can also look at other profiles for inspiration. just be really careful \n [08:48] that you're not copying. when it comes to finding new or enhanced keywords, once you've exhausted all \n [08:56] the above mentioned options, you can do keyword research in the following steps. so obviously, you're going to \n [09:01] think about what's your goal. choose three to five job titles. berufennet, which you'll have a tutorial \n [09:06] about. we'll show you how to use that. select 10 to 15 job descriptions based on those titles. \n [09:11] then you're going to go and copy and paste the main body of the job description into voyant tools. \n [09:16] using the output from voyant, consider the most important or commonly listed keywords, but make sure to \n [09:22] check the list for any unique terms you may also want to include. and looking at the word bubble can help \n [09:26] you. this will also be shown in the tutorial. when it comes to finding keywords in german and english, \n [09:31] regardless of which language you will be applying in, it's important to have a base of keywords in \n [09:36] german and in english. it will be helpful if you keep track of the keywords you want and need \n [09:40] to use in both languages. so there is a tab in your international career management system that will be \n [09:46] there for you to develop a list of keywords and position titles if you'd like. you can use \n [09:51] berufennet for the german terms and position descriptions for both languages. \n [09:56] and just a few notes here on how keyword optimization is different in germany. \n [10:00] first, it's important to note that many companies in germany do not use applicant tracking systems to \n [10:05] manage their applications. most companies have hr departments or even subject expert staff \n [10:10] reviewing applications. sometimes even larger, medium-sized companies send applications directly \n [10:15] to departments. it depends immensely on the company, so it would be incorrect to assume that all \n [10:19] companies are using applicant tracking systems. most small german companies are not. \n [10:25] therefore, stuffing your application with keywords to try to game the system \n [10:29] may be counterproductive. if a real person is reading your application and getting distracted by all \n [10:34] the needless, over-the-top keyword placement, that's going to be annoying. this is why it is \n [10:39] important to use keywords effectively throughout your application and throughout your search, \n [10:43] but to not go overboard. make sure your resume and cover letters are still readable. in fact, \n [10:48] someone reading your application should not notice that you have gone through the extra step of \n [10:51] keyword optimization. they should simply get the impression that you have understood the job \n [10:56] description, you're a suitable candidate, and you have done a good job articulating why you are a good \n [11:00] fit. i'm going to talk a little bit more about finding keywords in the tutorial about finding keywords \n [11:05] in german where i show you how to use behoofennet, but i think it's just important that we cover these \n [11:10] points because finding keywords is both about using them in your search strategy and about then using them in your \n [11:16] application later on. okay, so now let's take a look at reading and understanding internship descriptions. \n [11:23] let's start with labor market alignment. part of determining your fit into the german labor \n [11:27] market, including as an intern, is learning about alignment and conducting a gap analysis, ideally \n [11:32] prior to your search. doing this one thing can ensure that your education, experience, and skill set \n [11:37] aligns with the labor market. i'm going to link to a how-to article for conducting a gap analysis below, \n [11:44] and you can find an example gap analysis as well as a blank analysis sheet in your international career \n [11:49] management system. internship versus job descriptions. one of the key differences between internship and \n [11:56] job descriptions is flexibility. whereas a job description often has clear-cut requirements and \n [12:01] expectations, an internship description is likely to include some flexibility in terms of educational \n [12:07] background and work experience. otherwise, the general structure of the job advertisements is fairly \n [12:11] similar. learning to read job descriptions from the german context involves understanding some of the \n [12:17] nuances between can and must criteria. for this, i'm going to link to two articles that i recommend you \n [12:23] consult as you're looking for internship opportunities and learning about how to analyze job advertisements. \n [12:28] two things to keep in mind. it is absolutely okay to apply for internships that you are technically \n [12:33] overqualified for and you may even use this as a strategy. however, on the other hand, if there's something \n [12:39] specific the employer is asking for that's just super specific to the german context such as a staatsexamen \n [12:45] or a state examination, it likely does not make sense to bother with an application. as you review position \n [12:51] descriptions, if something comes up that's unclear, just reach out to me or the cbyx team for help. \n [12:56] okay, job search engines and job boards in germany. naturally, job search engines and job boards are \n [13:03] important aspects of looking for work anywhere in the world. searching for jobs online can be very time \n [13:08] consuming. whether you can remember your last internship or job search, you know it was not \n [13:13] necessarily a fun task. not everyone likes this stuff as much as i do. many of the clients i work \n [13:19] with tell me when we first work together that they follow the same strategy of looking for work on \n [13:25] certain websites every day. while this absolutely can work, it does not hurt to consider which sites \n [13:30] you are using and how and in general to be aware of the job search sites in germany. there's a variety of \n [13:35] categories of job search boards and engines. these include international, national, regional, \n [13:40] local city, profession or field specific, internship or mini job search specific, purpose driven, \n [13:45] niche, etc. there is a difference between job boards and job search engines that you should know about, \n [13:51] especially because you may include where you find a position in the cover letter or in the interview. \n [13:57] a job search engine aggregates job listings from job boards and employer websites across the web. \n [14:03] you can think of it as a depository of jobs. a job board is a website that posts jobs supplied by \n [14:08] employers. whereas a job search engine would include postings from job boards, the posting on the job \n [14:13] search board may have originally only been posted on that specific job board site. it's unclear how many \n [14:19] job boards and engines there are across germany, but estimates range from 1500 to 2500. \n [14:25] the main job search engine in germany is the german federal employment agency's or the bundesagentur f\u00fcr arbeit's \n [14:31] jobb\u00f6se. i'll link to this below. it allows you to search by type of work, full-time internship, \n [14:37] location, including within a certain radius, keyword or title, and branch or field. basically everything \n [14:42] you need. if you want to use keywords or titles of positions, i recommend consulting another site \n [14:47] offered by the german federal employment agency that's called berufennet, which will be in the tutorial, \n [14:52] because it lists the exact terms of the positions. while there are great internship opportunities \n [14:58] posted on niche websites and websites focused on specific locations or industries, it's important \n [15:03] to integrate the jobb\u00f6se into your search since it's so comprehensive and allows you to understand \n [15:08] your market on a national level. it's not as important which type you're using, whether it's a job board or \n [15:14] job search engine, as long as it works for you. most times you can use only a job portal to find work, \n [15:21] especially if you're using it strategically, such as with diversifying your application strategy. \n [15:25] it depends on what type of internship you're looking for, how soon you want to start, how flexible you \n [15:31] are, and what your applicant profile is. when it comes to your strategic use though, if you're just \n [15:36] starting with your internship search though, job boards and job search engines are a great place \n [15:40] to start. strategically, it makes sense to review the different types of job search boards and sites \n [15:44] and then create a plan for what fits to your specific scenario based on what type of internship you want \n [15:49] to do, the location that you're looking in, and even perhaps a specific niche that you have. i do \n [15:55] recommend you take a look at the list i provide below and narrow it down at first to 15 to 20 sites \n [16:00] maximum and then streamline your search after you've looked at each of the pages to decide which five \n [16:05] you're going to focus on. all right, finding your target employers and internship positions. \n [16:10] so first things first, why research matters in the german context. \n [16:13] i've seen internationals take whatever internship or job they can find at first and then end up job \n [16:19] hopping. after three years and four previous employers, the companies they approach are \n [16:23] skeptical about hiring someone with such a track record. while gaining experience at multiple \n [16:27] companies can be beneficial and attitudes towards this certainly have changed in germany in the past 20 \n [16:31] years, the tendency is still to look for length at a company as a high performance indicator. \n [16:37] all this is to say that you need to do your research before you apply and before you take a job, \n [16:41] and this also applies to internships. the company team and manager fit matters and will influence \n [16:47] whether or not you're truly happy in your internship. of course the position fit is also super important, \n [16:52] but that's a different type of research with different aims. we need to focus first on companies \n [16:57] because ideally your internship search strategy includes identifying 10 to 20 target companies that \n [17:02] you're interested in and believe that you can add value to. in identifying your target companies in \n [17:08] germany, one of the best ways is to use industry magazines to find out about companies in your \n [17:12] target area or to use different online lists. naturally many of the relevant publications or lists in your \n [17:18] field are going to be in german, which is why the keyword search in german is also very important, \n [17:22] but at first this won't matter because it just matters that you're able to understand the employer \n [17:26] landscape. so the lists will be there in german, but you'll be able to look at each of the employers individually. \n [17:33] the landscape of german employers. it can be easy to fall into the habit of always looking for \n [17:37] companies with an international presence and this tends to be something i also see among interns \n [17:41] who are looking in english. so this is primarily companies that i list on the docks or just large \n [17:46] multinational corporations where you assume that you'll be able to find an internship in english. \n [17:50] this may be the case for some of you, but not for all of you because competition at those \n [17:53] types of organizations is really high for those types of positions. remember that the landscape of \n [17:58] german employers is incredibly diverse. it includes, like i said, international corporations and large \n [18:04] companies, large medium-sized companies, small and medium-sized companies, small and medium-sized \n [18:10] family businesses and startups, as well as public service, including at the local, state, federal, \n [18:14] regional, and international levels, and then academia and research. small and medium-sized companies make up \n [18:20] the backbone of the german economy, so including them in your search should be a no-brainer. some field-specific \n [18:26] exceptions exist, but for the vast majority of us, including a variety of these diverse employer types, \n [18:32] will help the internship start to be way more successful. and then, one of my favorite parts, \n [18:39] hidden champions and hidden opportunities. in germany, 99.6 percent of german companies belong \n [18:44] to what is called the mittelstand, which contributes about 35 to 36 percent to total sales in germany. \n [18:50] the german word mittelstand, which refers to medium-sized businesses or the middle class of the \n [18:56] companies, is a rather contested term by academics, companies, and citizens, but basically it signifies \n [19:01] that it's a german company, that it's primarily medium-sized, that it's a world leader in a \n [19:07] highly specific niche, and that it's family owned. since nearly 60 percent of jobs in germany are \n [19:13] created by small and medium-sized enterprises, it's critical to look beyond these large german \n [19:18] companies in your internship search. this is because with 60 percent of these jobs created by smes, \n [19:23] the large companies in the docks, while very important to the german economy, are not the main \n [19:27] contributor to employment opportunities in the country. and especially since you are going to \n [19:31] have a placement-based search, you'll want to look at which hidden champions might be in your \n [19:35] neighborhood. you can also use glassdoor and kununu in your germany company research. so, finally, \n [19:42] i know i mentioned this before, but i think it's worth saying again that you should always use these \n [19:46] sites in your search. they can be both helpful in identifying potential internship sites, but also \n [19:50] determining whether an organization may be the right fit for you and your values. \n [19:53] so, a couple of things here. when it comes to evaluating employers, sometimes i've been asked, \n [19:59] or people have said to me, i'm not sure how to evaluate a company if it would be a good or bad \n [20:03] internship provider. i would say if you're looking at glassdoor and kununu and you're still not sure, \n [20:09] i would have them make you an internship plan. this basically helps you figure out, do they have \n [20:13] an idea of how they're going to structure their internship around you? two employers. some of you may \n [20:18] need to split your internship time at two employers, and that's okay, and you may even want to do that. \n [20:24] large companies. if you are looking for large companies, you're just going to need to start \n [20:28] earlier, and you're just going to need to know that process normally takes a little bit longer. \n [20:34] government organizations are the same. so, if you're going to be looking at any type of public \n [20:39] service or government organization, they're normally open to interns, primarily interns who speak german. \n [20:46] but again, here you're going to want to start as early as possible and reach out to them right away. \n [20:49] for those of you who are looking to do your internship in a new industry, as i've mentioned before, \n [20:54] you're going to want to have some type of connection with what you did before. it's really \n [20:59] best to make your search horizontal and fit the level that you were at before. \n [21:03] the router faden or the common theme is super important in germany, so you're going to need \n [21:08] to somehow find a way to craft a cohesive profile despite your transition. and put your transition \n [21:15] info into your cover letter, resume summary, and your linkedin profile just so that it's very clear \n [21:19] that you're telling the same story everywhere. and for those of you who may want to find something \n [21:25] outside of your field, this is something that should be discussed on a case-by-case basis with cbyx. \n [21:31] you should really be pursuing multiple options and avenues first. \n [21:35] all right, quits and canap. based on the search avenue activity, determine which strategies make \n [21:40] the most sense for you. research and decide on the keywords you will use in your search, \n [21:44] and remember to incorporate both english and german terms. decide on one to two job search engines \n [21:50] or boards to start with and develop a list of targeted employers in your placement city. \n [21:55] this brings us to the end of module two. here are your house of gum. set a realistic goal for your \n [22:01] internship based on what we discussed. determine which language you'll apply in, start your search \n [22:06] right away using the strategies you learned in this module, and begin tracking your target \n [22:11] companies and interesting internship position openings in your icms. "}, {"id": "L3-0", "key": "862691465", "vid": "862691465", "title": "Building a Network in Germany", "module": "Module #3: Cultivating Connections and Networking", "mi": 3, "li": 0, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/building-a-network-in-germany", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Building a Network in Germany

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Overview

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This lesson opens Module 3 by framing German networking as trust-building grounded in ability, integrity, and benevolence. Jessica lays out four components of cultural savviness (personal networking, professional networking, cultural reading, German language practice) and catalogs concrete avenues: Vereine, Berufsverb\u00e4nde, Fachschaften, VHS courses, informational interviews, volunteering, and company/alumni events. She then presents curated cultural resources - from Deutschperfekt to \"More Than Manners\" - plus DEI-in-Germany materials, before pivoting to LinkedIn and Xing strategy with her \"Intentionally Professional Triad\" of modesty, authenticity, and consistency. The lesson ends with a system for discovering your Germany career niche and the Module 3 Hausaufgaben.

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Key Points

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Frameworks & Templates

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Resources

\n", "md": "# Building a Network in Germany\n\n- **Module:** #3 Networking\n- **Lesson URL:** /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/building-a-network-in-germany\n\n## Overview\nThis lesson opens Module 3 by framing German networking as trust-building grounded in ability, integrity, and benevolence. Jessica lays out four components of cultural savviness (personal networking, professional networking, cultural reading, German language practice) and catalogs concrete avenues: Vereine, Berufsverb\u00e4nde, Fachschaften, VHS courses, informational interviews, volunteering, and company/alumni events. She then presents curated cultural resources - from Deutschperfekt to \"More Than Manners\" - plus DEI-in-Germany materials, before pivoting to LinkedIn and Xing strategy with her \"Intentionally Professional Triad\" of modesty, authenticity, and consistency. The lesson ends with a system for discovering your Germany career niche and the Module 3 Hausaufgaben.\n\n## Key Points\n- Networking in Germany = building trust via three qualities: clarity about your ability, integrity, and benevolence - practiced sustainably. [00:21]\n- Four components of cultural savviness: (1) personal networking - start with host family and university friends (ask what their parents/friends do); (2) professional networking events/meetings; (3) reading cultural/professional materials; (4) learning and practicing German - \"without the language, you will not understand the culture\" - including regional/dialect differences. [00:45]\n- Professional avenues: Vereine (clubs), Berufsverband (professional association), German-American business clubs in larger cities; academic: Fachschaften (student groups), career/alumni services (company visits!), student clubs, international office events/German buddies, professors. [02:14]\n- Personal gem: take a **VHS course** (adult community education) - a cooking class can introduce you to a regional CEO more naturally than any networking event. [03:05]\n- **Informational interviews:** 25-30 min (up to an hour in person) asking about their job and path; relatively new to Germany so expect some non-responses - send 5-10 invites, expect 1-2 back; it's about them, but you can kindly ask for feedback on your resume/cover letter. [03:44]\n- **Volunteering** at a German organization: fastest route to German work experience on your resume, leads to recommendations and contacts, integrates you locally, and forces German practice since someone won't speak English. [04:37]\n- More avenues: company events (speakers, workshops, shadowing days), conferences, job fairs, alumni networks, mining participant lists of online events for people at target companies, expat networks (deliberately LAST - avoid retreating into an American bubble; e.g., International Women in Munich, Internations - best found on Facebook). [05:37]\n- German employers look you up: studies since 2018 show professional online presence matters and consistently ranks top-10 in what employers check. [12:23]\n- **Xing** = the German-speaking world's LinkedIn; a basic profile suffices, postings concentrate in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). **LinkedIn** is the world's largest professional network, used by German recruiters too, needs careful curation, and now carries many purely German openings as well. [12:53]\n- LinkedIn Quick Start training (below video): profile walkthrough with per-section checklist, summary writing + worksheet, keyword optimization in headline/experience, posting/audience building, job-search checklist, Open-to-Work - zero to optimized in ~30 min, then 30 min to implement; get in and out fast, LinkedIn \"can really be a rabbit hole.\" [18:30]\n- Xing training comes AFTER LinkedIn so you can copy-paste across platforms. [19:21]\n- Module 3 Hausaufgaben: read one cultural resource, pick \u22652 networking strategies, track networking in the ICMS tracker, complete your LinkedIn AND Xing profiles. [20:00]\n\n## Frameworks & Templates\n- **Trust triad:** Ability \u2192 Integrity \u2192 Benevolence (recap at [11:57]).\n- **Intentionally Professional Triad** (personal branding for Germany): **Modesty** (truthful skill levels - beginner German stays beginner; don't post about yourself constantly), **Authenticity** (profile and posting tone match who you are in person - a somber tone from a bubbly person is a red flag), **Consistency** (profile tells one story consistent with your resume; posting stays on-topic and on a consistent schedule). [13:39]\n- **Germany career niche discovery system:** (1) research positions in your field on LinkedIn/Indeed/Xing; (2) find correct search terms with Berufenet in German AND English; (3) use industry/field association sites for niche postings; (4) gather data into the ICMS and conduct a gap analysis; (5) draw your niche in a **Venn diagram**; (6) add niche language to your Germany career narrative; (7) brand the niche across digital profiles and application documents. [16:42]\n- **\"Niche three times down\":** career coach \u2192 career coach for internationals \u2192 career coach for internationals in Germany (specializing doesn't exclude other work). [17:38]\n- **ICMS networking tab/tracker** - log who you contact and how many to see progress. [02:03]\n\n## Resources\n- **Deutschperfekt** - \"my all-time favorite resource ever\"; German newspaper texts color-coded at A/B/C levels with side vocabulary; at newsstands and libraries. [07:15]\n- **Wie man deutscher wird in 50 Schritten / \"How to be German\"** - bilingual 50-step cultural guide (Hausschuhe, L\u00fcften). [07:43]\n- **Why the Germans Do It Better** (Notes from a Grown-up Country) - one of several similar British-authored titles found at train-station newsstands. [07:56]\n- **Culture-wise Germany** (as spoken) - older but granular expat explainer; Jessica used it during her own CBYX year. [08:39]\n- **Culture-Smart Germany** - newer, covers big-C and little-c culture (composers etc.). [09:05]\n- **Zeit Germany** - free online/PDF magazine on studying, researching, working in Germany for internationals; past editions include internship vocabulary. [09:19]\n- **Facts about Germany** - government-website resource of facts/statistics. [09:42]\n- **More Than Manners** - print + Kindle editions (don't be confused by the covers); do's and don'ts of working in Germany, \"required reading\" note, though pre-COVID (dress codes, no hybrid/email etiquette). [09:57]\n- **EY report on diversity in Germany** - what DEI means in the German context and its distinct challenges. [11:05]\n- **DEI in Germany event series with Ola Jungeria (as spoken)** - Berlin-based DE&I expert; free videos on YouTube/her website; mentions the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency. [11:28]\n- LinkedIn Quick Start training + summary worksheet; Xing Quick Start training (do LinkedIn first). [18:30]\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Meet the CEO at the cooking class, not the networking event - sidestep formal networking by joining ordinary community activities (VHS). [03:25]\n- Volunteering even \"pushing boxes around\" converts directly into German resume experience, references, and forced language practice - a triple win. [04:55]\n- Informational interviewing is still novel in Germany, so a 5-10 invite \u2192 1-2 response ratio is normal, not failure. [04:12]\n- Expat networks are ranked deliberately last: they're fine for a \"lay of the land\" but becoming an American bubble undermines the whole point. [06:28]\n- Never inflate your German level on LinkedIn - the modesty rule applies equally to profiles and posting frequency. [14:05]\n- A Germany niche often comes from asymmetries: German startup software can't easily export to the US (competition), US software can't easily land in Germany (data privacy/culture) - the gap IS the niche. [16:07]\n- Your niche is a now-tool, not a life sentence: pick what fits this search and change it later. [18:12]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]Hello and welcome back to Finding an Internship in Germany. Welcome to the third module,
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[00:05]Cultivating Connections and Networking with the Germans. Let's get started by discussing what
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[00:10]you'll need to focus on to build a network in Germany. With building a network in Germany,
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[00:15]there's a couple of things I'd like you to keep in mind. Building a network in Germany is all
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[00:21]about building trust. Building trust in Germany is about being very clear about what your ability
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[00:28]is, working with integrity, and exercising benevolence. Keep these three things in mind
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[00:34]as you build and cultivate your network, which will help you to do so with sustainability and
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[00:39]trust in mind. Now, concretely, building your Germany network and cultural savviness before
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[00:45]you need it involves four main components. These include, first of all, personal networking. Start
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[00:51]with your host family. Start with friends that you have at university and go from there. You can ask
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[00:57]your friends what their parents do for work or what their friends do. You can talk to your host family
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[01:02]about who they know in the local area. Second, professional networking. All right, this might
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[01:09]be where you're going to be going to like actual networking events or business meetings. Third,
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[01:15]reading cultural books and professional materials. So it also is helpful to spend a bit of time on our own
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[01:22]either researching or reading about German work culture or just German cultural in general so
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[01:28]that we are better prepared for the search and for the workplace. And then fourth, of course, learning and
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[01:34]practicing German. Without the language, you will not understand the culture. I think most of you will
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[01:40]understand that, at least by this point. And so that definitely also counts in building your cultural
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[01:45]savviness, especially if you're in certain areas of the country where dialects are spoken or where there's
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[01:51]very, I guess, all parts of the country have very specific things. So also familiarize yourself with
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[01:55]the regional differences. So plan and track your networking. Remember to use the networking tab in
\n
[02:03]your international career management system to track your networking progress. It's great to just be aware
\n
[02:08]of who you're contacting and how many, and it can really help you see your progress. But then there's
\n
[02:14]three components here I also want you to think about. With professional networking, you can get
\n
[02:18]involved with Vereine or clubs or the local or national Berufsverband, professional association,
\n
[02:24]or even German-American business clubs if you're in larger cities. Academically, you can get involved
\n
[02:31]with the Fachschaften, like student groups at the university. You can reach out to the career and alumni
\n
[02:37]services who might have networking events or they might actually be doing visits to companies in the
\n
[02:42]area. You can join student clubs. You can go to the international office events and get yourself a German
\n
[02:48]buddy or whatever they may be doing. And then you can also, of course, meet with professors at the
\n
[02:53]class or other teaching staff and ask them about different companies or opportunities that would
\n
[02:58]be helpful as you pursue your internship search. And then on a personal level, one thing I'd love to
\n
[03:05]recommend is taking a VHS course. So VHS is Hochschule, which is like an adult community education
\n
[03:11]center. Of course, you can take a class related to your field, your industry, or some type of skill
\n
[03:16]development that you want to work on. Or you can just take like a cooking class and get to know
\n
[03:20]people that way too. You don't really know who you're going to run into. And sometimes meeting the
\n
[03:25]CEO of that company in your region at the cooking class is a way better way to get to know them than
\n
[03:31]meeting them at some networking event. So just keep these three areas in mind as you're planning and
\n
[03:37]tracking your networking. Now, some further practical networking strategies include conducting
\n
[03:44]informational interviews. So an informational interview is when you sit down for 25 to 30 minutes
\n
[03:51]with someone, it might even be up to an hour if you're going to meet them in person. And then you
\n
[03:54]ask them about their jobs and how they got there and what they do. It's really a great way to get to
\n
[04:02]know people and also for people to get to know you and that you're interested in an internship in
\n
[04:07]Germany or in their specific organization. It's a practice that's relatively new to Germany. So you can
\n
[04:12]definitely expect to get people who don't answer or who decline, but go ahead and try. A lot of people
\n
[04:19]are open to it. I generally say aim for five to 10 ahead of your search, like invites that you're
\n
[04:24]sending out. You might get one or two back and then show them your documents to get feedback, right?
\n
[04:28]The informational interview is about them, but you can definitely also use that space to kindly ask if
\n
[04:33]they could take a look at your resume and cover letter and give you feedback.
\n
[04:37]Volunteering at a German organization. This is something that I recommend to students who are
\n
[04:44]starting off studying in Germany because it's a great way to get Germany experience on your resume
\n
[04:49]right away. People are normally very happy to have hands on deck, even if it just means you're pushing
\n
[04:55]boxes around for the first couple of weeks. Helps you get to know an organization. It could lead to a
\n
[05:00]recommendation for an internship at that organization or a similar one or just other opportunities and
\n
[05:05]contacts. It also helps you integrate into local society and culture. So I know a lot of students
\n
[05:09]like to do this just to meet new people and get integrated. And it also helps you practice your
\n
[05:15]German because undoubtedly there will be someone there who does not speak English or not speak it
\n
[05:20]well, or isn't confident. And then you will be forced to use your German, which is good.
\n
[05:25]And then connect with recruiters and companies. Connect with or follow recruiters,
\n
[05:30]companies and people in your industry on LinkedIn and sing. All right. And then there's also, you know,
\n
[05:37]learning with others. So there's some networking opportunities that I want to mention beyond what
\n
[05:42]I already talked about. These include things like company events. So if there's companies in your
\n
[05:46]area, you can look and see, are they having public speakers or workshops or shadowing days?
\n
[05:51]Check again with career services. So they might be doing company visits or networking events. Like I
\n
[05:55]mentioned, there might be conferences in your area. You can go to or job fairs. There also might be
\n
[06:02]activity in the university's alumni network. Perhaps you reach out to a professional association
\n
[06:07]and see what they have going on. Again, here, personal groups, clubs, programs, the Vereine or the
\n
[06:13]FAHOIS. You can also use LinkedIn, Sing and online events. You can also mine the participant list to see
\n
[06:19]who else is at a certain online event that might work at a company in your area that you're,
\n
[06:23]you could potentially do an internship at. And then of course there's expat networks. This comes
\n
[06:28]towards the bottom of the list for a reason. I don't want you to get into too much of a American
\n
[06:33]community, but sometimes those expat networks are really great for just getting a lay of the land.
\n
[06:40]And also if you're looking to build community on a personal level and you're at that place in your
\n
[06:44]year, that's fair. And then you might want to reach out to one of those. There's different ones,
\n
[06:49]international women in Munich, internations, et cetera. The best place to find those
\n
[06:53]is actually still Facebook. And then of course, host family and friends.
\n
[06:58]Now, for those of you who are like, I've got enough social contact going on,
\n
[07:02]you might want to do some things to learn on your own, right? You might want to
\n
[07:07]use some of your downtime to read and spend some time learning on your own.
\n
[07:12]So I do have a couple of resources that I recommend for that.
\n
[07:15]These include Deutschperfekt, my all-time favorite resource ever. It provides texts in German from
\n
[07:23]German newspapers, but at the A, B, and C levels, color-coded. So you can choose what you want.
\n
[07:29]And it's one of the main ways I learned German. So just looking at the words and reading them and
\n
[07:34]they explain the vocabulary to you on the side. You can find this at newsstands,
\n
[07:39]but you can also find it at your local library to check out.
\n
[07:43]Wie man deutscher wird? I think it's called it how to be German.
\n
[07:46]That gives you 50 steps. It's bilingual, German, English, a description of, yeah,
\n
[07:51]basically how to be German. So how to wear your Hausschuhe or how to do the L\u00fcften.
\n
[07:56]And that is just a really fun cultural resource. I've never had someone tell me they didn't like it.
\n
[08:01]It's just really enjoyable to read and helps you reflect on your experiences
\n
[08:05]and also will prepare you for experiences you have not yet had that may be surprising or will then
\n
[08:11]not be surprising once they come along. Why the Germans do it better? I think it's notes from a
\n
[08:17]grown-up country. Yeah, so any types of books along these lines, there's quite a few that have
\n
[08:21]come out, especially from British authors in the last couple of years. I actually really like to look
\n
[08:26]at the train stations, newsstands. They tend to have a lot of those, I guess, for travelers who are
\n
[08:30]traveling through Germany and want to read about Germany and English. So there's a variety that are
\n
[08:34]along the same lines as that. They can also just be really good cultural resources.
\n
[08:39]Culture-wise Germany, that is a, I don't think they've done a revised edition. So it's quite
\n
[08:44]old at this point, but it's still, a lot of the information is definitely, it hasn't expired. It's
\n
[08:49]one of the first things that I used actually during my CBYX year. And it explains things in granular
\n
[08:54]detail. For example, trash or the trash trucks or whatever that clean the streets or just, it just
\n
[09:00]really breaks things down for expats, really. If you're interested, that might be a good resource
\n
[09:05]for you. Again, though, it's a bit older. And then there's Culture-Smart Germany. That's going to
\n
[09:09]include more around both big C and little c culture. So you'll also learn about the different composers
\n
[09:15]in Germany. So if you want more of that, and that's a little bit newer, of course, that's a good
\n
[09:19]option. Zeit Germany is a magazine for free available online or PDF. A university might have it in print
\n
[09:27]too. And that's just all about studying, researching, and working in Germany for internationals. So I do
\n
[09:33]recommend you take a look at those. They sometimes do like vocabulary for your internship in Germany or
\n
[09:38]something similar, right? So you can take a look at those past editions. And then there's other
\n
[09:42]resources that are available on the governmental website, such as facts about Germany. So that's
\n
[09:47]basically just literally facts and statistics about Germany in a written form. But if that's what
\n
[09:52]you're interested in, that's fine. And that's a resource for you about that. And then one of the
\n
[09:57]books that I really recommend, it is a bit older at this point, but it's still really good. And it
\n
[10:02]definitely crosses this kind of US-German transatlantic cultural space is the book More Than Manners.
\n
[10:11]The edition on the left-hand side is the print edition. And on the right-hand side is the
\n
[10:15]Amazon Kindle edition. So don't be confused by the two covers of the same text. And that is,
\n
[10:21]it's a pretty quick read, but it's going to really give you the do's and don'ts of working
\n
[10:26]in Germany. And most of it is still definitely super accurate today. Some things, for example,
\n
[10:32]have changed with COVID such as like professional dress. So you don't need to wear a suit. Like that's
\n
[10:37]not required in the vast majority of environments anymore. And obviously there's nothing in there
\n
[10:42]about like hybrid working and manners around email. So just keep that in mind, but it still is a really
\n
[10:48]great resource. And I honestly think it should be required reading for people doing an internship or
\n
[10:52]even just starting their first job, because it'll help you avoid a lot of cultural issues or mistakes
\n
[10:57]or blunders. And then importantly, I think it's also good to just mention that there are resources
\n
[11:05]that you can check out regarding diversity at work in Germany. And there's a report from EY that really
\n
[11:11]talks about what is diversity in Germany and breaks that down. Also breaks down the challenges that we
\n
[11:17]have with that right now in the German context, which yes, are different than in the U.S. context
\n
[11:22]because of historical sociopolitical reasons. Right. And so there's a DEI in Germany event series
\n
[11:28]with Ola Jungeria. She's based in Berlin and she's an expert on DE&I. And she really talks about in the
\n
[11:36]series, which is in a video formats for free on YouTube, or I think on her website as well. I'll
\n
[11:40]link to it in the video below. Talks about what does DEI mean in Germany? And she'll also bring up
\n
[11:45]resources such as the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency. So that kind of gives you a good crash course
\n
[11:50]into what that looks like in Germany. Quits and Knopp. Building a network in Germany is about ability,
\n
[11:57]integrity, and benevolence. Consider adding some of the books and or the personal and professional
\n
[12:02]networking activities we discussed into your schedule over the next few weeks to accelerate
\n
[12:06]your search and your understanding of German work culture. Now, moving on to leveraging LinkedIn to
\n
[12:12]establish a Germany niche. So I'm going to give you some kind of overview information here about
\n
[12:18]LinkedIn and SYNC, but just know that there's going to be two extra trainings that will be available as
\n
[12:23]well in this module that will be walkthroughs of both of those platforms. First things first, German
\n
[12:29]employers will look you up. We know from studies dating back now to 2018 that a professional online
\n
[12:36]presence is important and increasingly important in the job search in Germany. Recent surveys have
\n
[12:41]also shown that it's consistently in the top 10 of things that employers look at when they look at
\n
[12:46]employees. Now, LinkedIn and SYNC are what are used in Germany. So LinkedIn, you have likely heard of,
\n
[12:53]SYNC maybe not. SYNC is basically the German-speaking world's version of LinkedIn. It's where you're going
\n
[12:58]to have a basic profile that will suffice. And there's some good internship and job postings on there,
\n
[13:03]but they're primarily concentrated in the Dach region. So that's Germany, Austria, Switzerland.
\n
[13:09]LinkedIn is the number one professional social network in the world. It's the largest. It's used by
\n
[13:14]recruiters and hiring managers everywhere, including in Germany. Importantly, your profile on LinkedIn
\n
[13:20]needs to be carefully curated. And the job postings are tending to be especially for international
\n
[13:26]positions, but this has changed quite dramatically. In the past couple of years, you'll also find a lot
\n
[13:31]of just pure German-speaking, German organization job openings on there. Now, importantly in Germany,
\n
[13:39]when it comes to using social media, I have developed what I refer to as the intentionally professional
\n
[13:44]tryout of personal branding. This is modesty, authenticity, and consistency. And what I want
\n
[13:50]you to keep in mind here, okay, is that it's really important that you remember these three components as
\n
[13:58]you are doing both your profiles and your posting. So what do I mean by that? Modesty means if you don't
\n
[14:05]know how to speak German yet, you're going to put beginner German on your profile. You're not going
\n
[14:10]to put intermediate. It sounds simple, but people tend to do weird things when they put together
\n
[14:16]their LinkedIn profile because they want it to look a certain way. Same thing with posting. You're not
\n
[14:20]going to be posting all the time about yourself. You're going to post about yourself when it makes
\n
[14:24]sense. Otherwise, you're going to post in a way that adds value to the people who are in your network.
\n
[14:28]Authenticity. Your profile should represent who you actually are and also give a good idea of,
\n
[14:35]especially in that presentation part at the beginning, which I'll talk about in the tutorial,
\n
[14:39]what you stand for, what you look like, and the background should also give me a certain idea of
\n
[14:44]how you are. With posting, you'll want to make sure that your tone is just like how you are in person.
\n
[14:50]So I'm very friendly. I'm very bubbly. I'm very upbeat. If I all of a sudden start having a really
\n
[14:55]somber tone in my LinkedIn post, that would be strange, right? And it's a red flag.
\n
[15:00]Okay. So just keep that in mind. And then consistency. So your profiles would be consistent
\n
[15:05]within itself. It should tell a consistent story. It should also be consistent with what you have on
\n
[15:10]your resume and your other documents. And then your posting should be consistent in that you're
\n
[15:15]always writing or posting about the same topics and that you also have a consistent time at which
\n
[15:20]you're posting. Okay. We want to make sure that we're staying relatively consistent, modest,
\n
[15:26]and authentic in all things that we do on these platforms in order to make it really attractive to
\n
[15:31]German employers. All right. And then just a little kind of X course here. I think it's important to
\n
[15:37]think about when you're developing your summary and I'll give you a handout for this that I talk about
\n
[15:42]in the tutorial. I want you to also think about slowly developing your Germany niche, right? So
\n
[15:47]sometimes I've seen interns who, CBYX interns who come to me later on, they're like, oh, I realized
\n
[15:52]that I can really bring this asset to a German company because I learned this in my studies or in
\n
[15:57]my program. I'm just really good at this thing, right? So really a niche specific to Germany and
\n
[16:02]it will be different than what you find in the U.S. because the context is different. Okay. The way a
\n
[16:07]startup works in Germany is different than the way a startup works in the U.S. It's really hard to
\n
[16:10]take a German startup software system and export it to the U.S. because there might already be five
\n
[16:15]competitors. It's really hard to take a U.S. software and bring it to Germany because of the
\n
[16:19]cultural components and data privacy. So there's always something extra you can add. And this is
\n
[16:24]your German niche. So I want you to just be thinking about this. It's something that you can use now
\n
[16:29]already for your internship search if you have an idea about it, or you can use it as something maybe
\n
[16:33]later on if you consider staying in Germany. So what labor market gap do your skills, experience,
\n
[16:38]and education fill in Germany is the first question. And then the system that I recommend
\n
[16:42]for discovering your Germany career niche is like first to research positions in your field
\n
[16:46]using sites like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Sing. Then find the correct search terms using Berufennet
\n
[16:51]and make use of both German and English terms. Then make use of industry and field-specific
\n
[16:58]association sites since many of them have niche job postings that can give you an idea of what's out
\n
[17:02]there. And gather all this data into your Excel sheet or your ICMS and conduct a gap analysis.
\n
[17:08]Then you literally draw out your niche in a Venn diagram and add language demonstrating this
\n
[17:13]niche to your Germany career connection and narrative. You can begin by solidifying this
\n
[17:18]niche and using it to brand yourself across digital profiles and application documents.
\n
[17:22]So I've seen some people say like, I connect companies between the Middle East and Germany,
\n
[17:25]right? That becomes their Germany niche. Now, obviously yours is not going to be that advanced
\n
[17:29]as an intern, but I just want to get you thinking in this direction because some of you,
\n
[17:33]this might be relevant for, and others, this might spark your thinking. And then when you niche,
\n
[17:38]think about niching three times down. This is good career advice, no matter where you end up.
\n
[17:42]For example, I'm not just a career coach. All right. I am a career coach. That's level one. I'm a career
\n
[17:47]coach for internationals, level two, and I'm a career coach for internationals in Germany, level three.
\n
[17:53]Now, niching down specializes you. You get known in a certain area, but it doesn't mean
\n
[17:58]that you can't do other things. So I also work with just Germans who need career coaching,
\n
[18:02]or I do career coaching for internationals in the U.S. because I also have that as my skill set,
\n
[18:06]even though my niche is technically three times down into the German market.
\n
[18:12]And you don't have to stay with your niche or what you're choosing to put on your profile
\n
[18:15]in the next couple of months forever. Pick what fits for now or for this next internship search.
\n
[18:21]There's more information about this in a blog post that I wrote about how to determine your
\n
[18:24]German labor market alignment and how to conduct gap analysis. All right. And then just some quick
\n
[18:30]infos here below this video, you'll find a LinkedIn quick start training. It's a tutorial where I walk
\n
[18:35]you through a LinkedIn profile and also show you checklist wise, what you need to watch out for
\n
[18:40]in each section. I talk about how to write a summary. There's a worksheet for that. We talk about
\n
[18:45]keyword optimization in the headline and the experience section, a little bit about posting and building
\n
[18:51]an audience on LinkedIn. And then I also show you the job search strategies checklist, as well as the
\n
[18:56]open to work functionality. So it takes you from zero to having a more optimized profile within about
\n
[19:02]a half an hour. Then you can use the other half an hour to make those changes. I want to make sure
\n
[19:06]you're getting in and out of LinkedIn as quick as possible because it can really be a rabbit hole.
\n
[19:11]You want to have a good social media presence, but you also have a lot of other things to consider
\n
[19:15]right now. Use that quick start training to get going. And then beyond LinkedIn, there's also
\n
[19:21]Zing, right? In the Germany internship search. So for this, I developed a Zing quick start training.
\n
[19:27]Now, importantly, I ask that you do all the LinkedIn stuff first, and then you can watch
\n
[19:32]the Zing videos and they will provide you with literally like step-by-step how to build out your
\n
[19:38]Zing profile and what to watch out for. Now, remember I told you a basic profile will suffice,
\n
[19:42]and that's definitely the case. So that's why you do your LinkedIn first. So you have all of that
\n
[19:46]already to go on LinkedIn. And that's where you literally can do some copying and pasting
\n
[19:51]across or from LinkedIn to Zing. So for Module 3, Cultivate, here are your house outcome.
\n
[20:00]Select one cultural resource to consult or read. Select at least two networking strategies. For
\n
[20:06]example, you maybe do the LinkedIn informational interviews and you attend a local event
\n
[20:09]to start building your network. Track your networking in the ICMS networking tracker.
\n
[20:15]Complete your LinkedIn profile and complete your Zing profile.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/862691465?h=4eff6cb98d", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/862691465.mp4", "search": "building a network in germany module #3: cultivating connections and networking key takeaways copy \n meet the ceo at the cooking class, not the networking event - sidestep formal networking by joining ordinary community activities (vhs). [03:25] \n volunteering even \"pushing boxes around\" converts directly into german resume experience, references, and forced language practice - a triple win. [04:55] \n informational interviewing is still novel in germany, so a 5-10 invite \u2192 1-2 response ratio is normal, not failure. [04:12] \n expat networks are ranked deliberately last: they're fine for a \"lay of the land\" but becoming an american bubble undermines the whole point. [06:28] \n never inflate your german level on linkedin - the modesty rule applies equally to profiles and posting frequency. [14:05] \n a germany niche often comes from asymmetries: german startup software can't easily export to the us (competition), us software can't easily land in germany (data privacy/culture) - the gap is the niche. [16:07] \n your niche is a now-tool, not a life sentence: pick what fits this search and change it later. [18:12] \n building a network in germany \n \n module: #3 networking \n lesson url: /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/building-a-network-in-germany \n \n overview \n this lesson opens module 3 by framing german networking as trust-building grounded in ability, integrity, and benevolence. jessica lays out four components of cultural savviness (personal networking, professional networking, cultural reading, german language practice) and catalogs concrete avenues: vereine, berufsverb\u00e4nde, fachschaften, vhs courses, informational interviews, volunteering, and company/alumni events. she then presents curated cultural resources - from deutschperfekt to \"more than manners\" - plus dei-in-germany materials, before pivoting to linkedin and xing strategy with her \"intentionally professional triad\" of modesty, authenticity, and consistency. the lesson ends with a system for discovering your germany career niche and the module 3 hausaufgaben. \n key points \n \n networking in germany = building trust via three qualities: clarity about your ability, integrity, and benevolence - practiced sustainably. [00:21] \n four components of cultural savviness: (1) personal networking - start with host family and university friends (ask what their parents/friends do); (2) professional networking events/meetings; (3) reading cultural/professional materials; (4) learning and practicing german - \"without the language, you will not understand the culture\" - including regional/dialect differences. [00:45] \n professional avenues: vereine (clubs), berufsverband (professional association), german-american business clubs in larger cities; academic: fachschaften (student groups), career/alumni services (company visits!), student clubs, international office events/german buddies, professors. [02:14] \n personal gem: take a vhs course (adult community education) - a cooking class can introduce you to a regional ceo more naturally than any networking event. [03:05] \n informational interviews: 25-30 min (up to an hour in person) asking about their job and path; relatively new to germany so expect some non-responses - send 5-10 invites, expect 1-2 back; it's about them, but you can kindly ask for feedback on your resume/cover letter. [03:44] \n volunteering at a german organization: fastest route to german work experience on your resume, leads to recommendations and contacts, integrates you locally, and forces german practice since someone won't speak english. [04:37] \n more avenues: company events (speakers, workshops, shadowing days), conferences, job fairs, alumni networks, mining participant lists of online events for people at target companies, expat networks (deliberately last - avoid retreating into an american bubble; e.g., international women in munich, internations - best found on facebook). [05:37] \n german employers look you up: studies since 2018 show professional online presence matters and consistently ranks top-10 in what employers check. [12:23] \n xing = the german-speaking world's linkedin; a basic profile suffices, postings concentrate in the dach region (germany, austria, switzerland). linkedin is the world's largest professional network, used by german recruiters too, needs careful curation, and now carries many purely german openings as well. [12:53] \n linkedin quick start training (below video): profile walkthrough with per-section checklist, summary writing + worksheet, keyword optimization in headline/experience, posting/audience building, job-search checklist, open-to-work - zero to optimized in ~30 min, then 30 min to implement; get in and out fast, linkedin \"can really be a rabbit hole.\" [18:30] \n xing training comes after linkedin so you can copy-paste across platforms. [19:21] \n module 3 hausaufgaben: read one cultural resource, pick \u22652 networking strategies, track networking in the icms tracker, complete your linkedin and xing profiles. [20:00] \n \n frameworks & templates \n \n trust triad: ability \u2192 integrity \u2192 benevolence (recap at [11:57]). \n intentionally professional triad (personal branding for germany): modesty (truthful skill levels - beginner german stays beginner; don't post about yourself constantly), authenticity (profile and posting tone match who you are in person - a somber tone from a bubbly person is a red flag), consistency (profile tells one story consistent with your resume; posting stays on-topic and on a consistent schedule). [13:39] \n germany career niche discovery system: (1) research positions in your field on linkedin/indeed/xing; (2) find correct search terms with berufenet in german and english; (3) use industry/field association sites for niche postings; (4) gather data into the icms and conduct a gap analysis; (5) draw your niche in a venn diagram ; (6) add niche language to your germany career narrative; (7) brand the niche across digital profiles and application documents. [16:42] \n \"niche three times down\": career coach \u2192 career coach for internationals \u2192 career coach for internationals in germany (specializing doesn't exclude other work). [17:38] \n icms networking tab/tracker - log who you contact and how many to see progress. [02:03] \n \n resources \n \n deutschperfekt - \"my all-time favorite resource ever\"; german newspaper texts color-coded at a/b/c levels with side vocabulary; at newsstands and libraries. [07:15] \n wie man deutscher wird in 50 schritten / \"how to be german\" - bilingual 50-step cultural guide (hausschuhe, l\u00fcften). [07:43] \n why the germans do it better (notes from a grown-up country) - one of several similar british-authored titles found at train-station newsstands. [07:56] \n culture-wise germany (as spoken) - older but granular expat explainer; jessica used it during her own cbyx year. [08:39] \n culture-smart germany - newer, covers big-c and little-c culture (composers etc.). [09:05] \n zeit germany - free online/pdf magazine on studying, researching, working in germany for internationals; past editions include internship vocabulary. [09:19] \n facts about germany - government-website resource of facts/statistics. [09:42] \n more than manners - print + kindle editions (don't be confused by the covers); do's and don'ts of working in germany, \"required reading\" note, though pre-covid (dress codes, no hybrid/email etiquette). [09:57] \n ey report on diversity in germany - what dei means in the german context and its distinct challenges. [11:05] \n dei in germany event series with ola jungeria (as spoken) - berlin-based de&i expert; free videos on youtube/her website; mentions the federal anti-discrimination agency. [11:28] \n linkedin quick start training + summary worksheet; xing quick start training (do linkedin first). [18:30] \n [00:00] hello and welcome back to finding an internship in germany. welcome to the third module, \n [00:05] cultivating connections and networking with the germans. let's get started by discussing what \n [00:10] you'll need to focus on to build a network in germany. with building a network in germany, \n [00:15] there's a couple of things i'd like you to keep in mind. building a network in germany is all \n [00:21] about building trust. building trust in germany is about being very clear about what your ability \n [00:28] is, working with integrity, and exercising benevolence. keep these three things in mind \n [00:34] as you build and cultivate your network, which will help you to do so with sustainability and \n [00:39] trust in mind. now, concretely, building your germany network and cultural savviness before \n [00:45] you need it involves four main components. these include, first of all, personal networking. start \n [00:51] with your host family. start with friends that you have at university and go from there. you can ask \n [00:57] your friends what their parents do for work or what their friends do. you can talk to your host family \n [01:02] about who they know in the local area. second, professional networking. all right, this might \n [01:09] be where you're going to be going to like actual networking events or business meetings. third, \n [01:15] reading cultural books and professional materials. so it also is helpful to spend a bit of time on our own \n [01:22] either researching or reading about german work culture or just german cultural in general so \n [01:28] that we are better prepared for the search and for the workplace. and then fourth, of course, learning and \n [01:34] practicing german. without the language, you will not understand the culture. i think most of you will \n [01:40] understand that, at least by this point. and so that definitely also counts in building your cultural \n [01:45] savviness, especially if you're in certain areas of the country where dialects are spoken or where there's \n [01:51] very, i guess, all parts of the country have very specific things. so also familiarize yourself with \n [01:55] the regional differences. so plan and track your networking. remember to use the networking tab in \n [02:03] your international career management system to track your networking progress. it's great to just be aware \n [02:08] of who you're contacting and how many, and it can really help you see your progress. but then there's \n [02:14] three components here i also want you to think about. with professional networking, you can get \n [02:18] involved with vereine or clubs or the local or national berufsverband, professional association, \n [02:24] or even german-american business clubs if you're in larger cities. academically, you can get involved \n [02:31] with the fachschaften, like student groups at the university. you can reach out to the career and alumni \n [02:37] services who might have networking events or they might actually be doing visits to companies in the \n [02:42] area. you can join student clubs. you can go to the international office events and get yourself a german \n [02:48] buddy or whatever they may be doing. and then you can also, of course, meet with professors at the \n [02:53] class or other teaching staff and ask them about different companies or opportunities that would \n [02:58] be helpful as you pursue your internship search. and then on a personal level, one thing i'd love to \n [03:05] recommend is taking a vhs course. so vhs is hochschule, which is like an adult community education \n [03:11] center. of course, you can take a class related to your field, your industry, or some type of skill \n [03:16] development that you want to work on. or you can just take like a cooking class and get to know \n [03:20] people that way too. you don't really know who you're going to run into. and sometimes meeting the \n [03:25] ceo of that company in your region at the cooking class is a way better way to get to know them than \n [03:31] meeting them at some networking event. so just keep these three areas in mind as you're planning and \n [03:37] tracking your networking. now, some further practical networking strategies include conducting \n [03:44] informational interviews. so an informational interview is when you sit down for 25 to 30 minutes \n [03:51] with someone, it might even be up to an hour if you're going to meet them in person. and then you \n [03:54] ask them about their jobs and how they got there and what they do. it's really a great way to get to \n [04:02] know people and also for people to get to know you and that you're interested in an internship in \n [04:07] germany or in their specific organization. it's a practice that's relatively new to germany. so you can \n [04:12] definitely expect to get people who don't answer or who decline, but go ahead and try. a lot of people \n [04:19] are open to it. i generally say aim for five to 10 ahead of your search, like invites that you're \n [04:24] sending out. you might get one or two back and then show them your documents to get feedback, right? \n [04:28] the informational interview is about them, but you can definitely also use that space to kindly ask if \n [04:33] they could take a look at your resume and cover letter and give you feedback. \n [04:37] volunteering at a german organization. this is something that i recommend to students who are \n [04:44] starting off studying in germany because it's a great way to get germany experience on your resume \n [04:49] right away. people are normally very happy to have hands on deck, even if it just means you're pushing \n [04:55] boxes around for the first couple of weeks. helps you get to know an organization. it could lead to a \n [05:00] recommendation for an internship at that organization or a similar one or just other opportunities and \n [05:05] contacts. it also helps you integrate into local society and culture. so i know a lot of students \n [05:09] like to do this just to meet new people and get integrated. and it also helps you practice your \n [05:15] german because undoubtedly there will be someone there who does not speak english or not speak it \n [05:20] well, or isn't confident. and then you will be forced to use your german, which is good. \n [05:25] and then connect with recruiters and companies. connect with or follow recruiters, \n [05:30] companies and people in your industry on linkedin and sing. all right. and then there's also, you know, \n [05:37] learning with others. so there's some networking opportunities that i want to mention beyond what \n [05:42] i already talked about. these include things like company events. so if there's companies in your \n [05:46] area, you can look and see, are they having public speakers or workshops or shadowing days? \n [05:51] check again with career services. so they might be doing company visits or networking events. like i \n [05:55] mentioned, there might be conferences in your area. you can go to or job fairs. there also might be \n [06:02] activity in the university's alumni network. perhaps you reach out to a professional association \n [06:07] and see what they have going on. again, here, personal groups, clubs, programs, the vereine or the \n [06:13] fahois. you can also use linkedin, sing and online events. you can also mine the participant list to see \n [06:19] who else is at a certain online event that might work at a company in your area that you're, \n [06:23] you could potentially do an internship at. and then of course there's expat networks. this comes \n [06:28] towards the bottom of the list for a reason. i don't want you to get into too much of a american \n [06:33] community, but sometimes those expat networks are really great for just getting a lay of the land. \n [06:40] and also if you're looking to build community on a personal level and you're at that place in your \n [06:44] year, that's fair. and then you might want to reach out to one of those. there's different ones, \n [06:49] international women in munich, internations, et cetera. the best place to find those \n [06:53] is actually still facebook. and then of course, host family and friends. \n [06:58] now, for those of you who are like, i've got enough social contact going on, \n [07:02] you might want to do some things to learn on your own, right? you might want to \n [07:07] use some of your downtime to read and spend some time learning on your own. \n [07:12] so i do have a couple of resources that i recommend for that. \n [07:15] these include deutschperfekt, my all-time favorite resource ever. it provides texts in german from \n [07:23] german newspapers, but at the a, b, and c levels, color-coded. so you can choose what you want. \n [07:29] and it's one of the main ways i learned german. so just looking at the words and reading them and \n [07:34] they explain the vocabulary to you on the side. you can find this at newsstands, \n [07:39] but you can also find it at your local library to check out. \n [07:43] wie man deutscher wird? i think it's called it how to be german. \n [07:46] that gives you 50 steps. it's bilingual, german, english, a description of, yeah, \n [07:51] basically how to be german. so how to wear your hausschuhe or how to do the l\u00fcften. \n [07:56] and that is just a really fun cultural resource. i've never had someone tell me they didn't like it. \n [08:01] it's just really enjoyable to read and helps you reflect on your experiences \n [08:05] and also will prepare you for experiences you have not yet had that may be surprising or will then \n [08:11] not be surprising once they come along. why the germans do it better? i think it's notes from a \n [08:17] grown-up country. yeah, so any types of books along these lines, there's quite a few that have \n [08:21] come out, especially from british authors in the last couple of years. i actually really like to look \n [08:26] at the train stations, newsstands. they tend to have a lot of those, i guess, for travelers who are \n [08:30] traveling through germany and want to read about germany and english. so there's a variety that are \n [08:34] along the same lines as that. they can also just be really good cultural resources. \n [08:39] culture-wise germany, that is a, i don't think they've done a revised edition. so it's quite \n [08:44] old at this point, but it's still, a lot of the information is definitely, it hasn't expired. it's \n [08:49] one of the first things that i used actually during my cbyx year. and it explains things in granular \n [08:54] detail. for example, trash or the trash trucks or whatever that clean the streets or just, it just \n [09:00] really breaks things down for expats, really. if you're interested, that might be a good resource \n [09:05] for you. again, though, it's a bit older. and then there's culture-smart germany. that's going to \n [09:09] include more around both big c and little c culture. so you'll also learn about the different composers \n [09:15] in germany. so if you want more of that, and that's a little bit newer, of course, that's a good \n [09:19] option. zeit germany is a magazine for free available online or pdf. a university might have it in print \n [09:27] too. and that's just all about studying, researching, and working in germany for internationals. so i do \n [09:33] recommend you take a look at those. they sometimes do like vocabulary for your internship in germany or \n [09:38] something similar, right? so you can take a look at those past editions. and then there's other \n [09:42] resources that are available on the governmental website, such as facts about germany. so that's \n [09:47] basically just literally facts and statistics about germany in a written form. but if that's what \n [09:52] you're interested in, that's fine. and that's a resource for you about that. and then one of the \n [09:57] books that i really recommend, it is a bit older at this point, but it's still really good. and it \n [10:02] definitely crosses this kind of us-german transatlantic cultural space is the book more than manners. \n [10:11] the edition on the left-hand side is the print edition. and on the right-hand side is the \n [10:15] amazon kindle edition. so don't be confused by the two covers of the same text. and that is, \n [10:21] it's a pretty quick read, but it's going to really give you the do's and don'ts of working \n [10:26] in germany. and most of it is still definitely super accurate today. some things, for example, \n [10:32] have changed with covid such as like professional dress. so you don't need to wear a suit. like that's \n [10:37] not required in the vast majority of environments anymore. and obviously there's nothing in there \n [10:42] about like hybrid working and manners around email. so just keep that in mind, but it still is a really \n [10:48] great resource. and i honestly think it should be required reading for people doing an internship or \n [10:52] even just starting their first job, because it'll help you avoid a lot of cultural issues or mistakes \n [10:57] or blunders. and then importantly, i think it's also good to just mention that there are resources \n [11:05] that you can check out regarding diversity at work in germany. and there's a report from ey that really \n [11:11] talks about what is diversity in germany and breaks that down. also breaks down the challenges that we \n [11:17] have with that right now in the german context, which yes, are different than in the u.s. context \n [11:22] because of historical sociopolitical reasons. right. and so there's a dei in germany event series \n [11:28] with ola jungeria. she's based in berlin and she's an expert on de&i. and she really talks about in the \n [11:36] series, which is in a video formats for free on youtube, or i think on her website as well. i'll \n [11:40] link to it in the video below. talks about what does dei mean in germany? and she'll also bring up \n [11:45] resources such as the federal anti-discrimination agency. so that kind of gives you a good crash course \n [11:50] into what that looks like in germany. quits and knopp. building a network in germany is about ability, \n [11:57] integrity, and benevolence. consider adding some of the books and or the personal and professional \n [12:02] networking activities we discussed into your schedule over the next few weeks to accelerate \n [12:06] your search and your understanding of german work culture. now, moving on to leveraging linkedin to \n [12:12] establish a germany niche. so i'm going to give you some kind of overview information here about \n [12:18] linkedin and sync, but just know that there's going to be two extra trainings that will be available as \n [12:23] well in this module that will be walkthroughs of both of those platforms. first things first, german \n [12:29] employers will look you up. we know from studies dating back now to 2018 that a professional online \n [12:36] presence is important and increasingly important in the job search in germany. recent surveys have \n [12:41] also shown that it's consistently in the top 10 of things that employers look at when they look at \n [12:46] employees. now, linkedin and sync are what are used in germany. so linkedin, you have likely heard of, \n [12:53] sync maybe not. sync is basically the german-speaking world's version of linkedin. it's where you're going \n [12:58] to have a basic profile that will suffice. and there's some good internship and job postings on there, \n [13:03] but they're primarily concentrated in the dach region. so that's germany, austria, switzerland. \n [13:09] linkedin is the number one professional social network in the world. it's the largest. it's used by \n [13:14] recruiters and hiring managers everywhere, including in germany. importantly, your profile on linkedin \n [13:20] needs to be carefully curated. and the job postings are tending to be especially for international \n [13:26] positions, but this has changed quite dramatically. in the past couple of years, you'll also find a lot \n [13:31] of just pure german-speaking, german organization job openings on there. now, importantly in germany, \n [13:39] when it comes to using social media, i have developed what i refer to as the intentionally professional \n [13:44] tryout of personal branding. this is modesty, authenticity, and consistency. and what i want \n [13:50] you to keep in mind here, okay, is that it's really important that you remember these three components as \n [13:58] you are doing both your profiles and your posting. so what do i mean by that? modesty means if you don't \n [14:05] know how to speak german yet, you're going to put beginner german on your profile. you're not going \n [14:10] to put intermediate. it sounds simple, but people tend to do weird things when they put together \n [14:16] their linkedin profile because they want it to look a certain way. same thing with posting. you're not \n [14:20] going to be posting all the time about yourself. you're going to post about yourself when it makes \n [14:24] sense. otherwise, you're going to post in a way that adds value to the people who are in your network. \n [14:28] authenticity. your profile should represent who you actually are and also give a good idea of, \n [14:35] especially in that presentation part at the beginning, which i'll talk about in the tutorial, \n [14:39] what you stand for, what you look like, and the background should also give me a certain idea of \n [14:44] how you are. with posting, you'll want to make sure that your tone is just like how you are in person. \n [14:50] so i'm very friendly. i'm very bubbly. i'm very upbeat. if i all of a sudden start having a really \n [14:55] somber tone in my linkedin post, that would be strange, right? and it's a red flag. \n [15:00] okay. so just keep that in mind. and then consistency. so your profiles would be consistent \n [15:05] within itself. it should tell a consistent story. it should also be consistent with what you have on \n [15:10] your resume and your other documents. and then your posting should be consistent in that you're \n [15:15] always writing or posting about the same topics and that you also have a consistent time at which \n [15:20] you're posting. okay. we want to make sure that we're staying relatively consistent, modest, \n [15:26] and authentic in all things that we do on these platforms in order to make it really attractive to \n [15:31] german employers. all right. and then just a little kind of x course here. i think it's important to \n [15:37] think about when you're developing your summary and i'll give you a handout for this that i talk about \n [15:42] in the tutorial. i want you to also think about slowly developing your germany niche, right? so \n [15:47] sometimes i've seen interns who, cbyx interns who come to me later on, they're like, oh, i realized \n [15:52] that i can really bring this asset to a german company because i learned this in my studies or in \n [15:57] my program. i'm just really good at this thing, right? so really a niche specific to germany and \n [16:02] it will be different than what you find in the u.s. because the context is different. okay. the way a \n [16:07] startup works in germany is different than the way a startup works in the u.s. it's really hard to \n [16:10] take a german startup software system and export it to the u.s. because there might already be five \n [16:15] competitors. it's really hard to take a u.s. software and bring it to germany because of the \n [16:19] cultural components and data privacy. so there's always something extra you can add. and this is \n [16:24] your german niche. so i want you to just be thinking about this. it's something that you can use now \n [16:29] already for your internship search if you have an idea about it, or you can use it as something maybe \n [16:33] later on if you consider staying in germany. so what labor market gap do your skills, experience, \n [16:38] and education fill in germany is the first question. and then the system that i recommend \n [16:42] for discovering your germany career niche is like first to research positions in your field \n [16:46] using sites like linkedin, indeed, and sing. then find the correct search terms using berufennet \n [16:51] and make use of both german and english terms. then make use of industry and field-specific \n [16:58] association sites since many of them have niche job postings that can give you an idea of what's out \n [17:02] there. and gather all this data into your excel sheet or your icms and conduct a gap analysis. \n [17:08] then you literally draw out your niche in a venn diagram and add language demonstrating this \n [17:13] niche to your germany career connection and narrative. you can begin by solidifying this \n [17:18] niche and using it to brand yourself across digital profiles and application documents. \n [17:22] so i've seen some people say like, i connect companies between the middle east and germany, \n [17:25] right? that becomes their germany niche. now, obviously yours is not going to be that advanced \n [17:29] as an intern, but i just want to get you thinking in this direction because some of you, \n [17:33] this might be relevant for, and others, this might spark your thinking. and then when you niche, \n [17:38] think about niching three times down. this is good career advice, no matter where you end up. \n [17:42] for example, i'm not just a career coach. all right. i am a career coach. that's level one. i'm a career \n [17:47] coach for internationals, level two, and i'm a career coach for internationals in germany, level three. \n [17:53] now, niching down specializes you. you get known in a certain area, but it doesn't mean \n [17:58] that you can't do other things. so i also work with just germans who need career coaching, \n [18:02] or i do career coaching for internationals in the u.s. because i also have that as my skill set, \n [18:06] even though my niche is technically three times down into the german market. \n [18:12] and you don't have to stay with your niche or what you're choosing to put on your profile \n [18:15] in the next couple of months forever. pick what fits for now or for this next internship search. \n [18:21] there's more information about this in a blog post that i wrote about how to determine your \n [18:24] german labor market alignment and how to conduct gap analysis. all right. and then just some quick \n [18:30] infos here below this video, you'll find a linkedin quick start training. it's a tutorial where i walk \n [18:35] you through a linkedin profile and also show you checklist wise, what you need to watch out for \n [18:40] in each section. i talk about how to write a summary. there's a worksheet for that. we talk about \n [18:45] keyword optimization in the headline and the experience section, a little bit about posting and building \n [18:51] an audience on linkedin. and then i also show you the job search strategies checklist, as well as the \n [18:56] open to work functionality. so it takes you from zero to having a more optimized profile within about \n [19:02] a half an hour. then you can use the other half an hour to make those changes. i want to make sure \n [19:06] you're getting in and out of linkedin as quick as possible because it can really be a rabbit hole. \n [19:11] you want to have a good social media presence, but you also have a lot of other things to consider \n [19:15] right now. use that quick start training to get going. and then beyond linkedin, there's also \n [19:21] zing, right? in the germany internship search. so for this, i developed a zing quick start training. \n [19:27] now, importantly, i ask that you do all the linkedin stuff first, and then you can watch \n [19:32] the zing videos and they will provide you with literally like step-by-step how to build out your \n [19:38] zing profile and what to watch out for. now, remember i told you a basic profile will suffice, \n [19:42] and that's definitely the case. so that's why you do your linkedin first. so you have all of that \n [19:46] already to go on linkedin. and that's where you literally can do some copying and pasting \n [19:51] across or from linkedin to zing. so for module 3, cultivate, here are your house outcome. \n [20:00] select one cultural resource to consult or read. select at least two networking strategies. for \n [20:06] example, you maybe do the linkedin informational interviews and you attend a local event \n [20:09] to start building your network. track your networking in the icms networking tracker. \n [20:15] complete your linkedin profile and complete your zing profile. 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Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Xing in the Germany Internship Search

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Overview

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This is the settings-walkthrough part of the Xing training, taking students section-by-section through Xing's member account, privacy, and notification settings. Jessica's overarching advice during profile setup is to maximize visibility and contact-ability (public profile, portfolio-first standard view, messages open to all members) while keeping activity broadcasts OFF so you don't spam your new network with every small edit. She explains each toggle - findability, contact visibility, groups display, activity feed, network news, search-engine indexing, data disclosure, and even posthumous data deletion - and closes with a notification strategy: turn everything on at first, prune after a week or two.

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Key Points

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Frameworks & Templates

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Resources

\n", "md": "# Xing in the Germany Internship Search\n\n- **Module:** #3 Networking\n- **Lesson URL:** /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/xing-in-the-germany-internship-search\n\n## Overview\nThis is the settings-walkthrough part of the Xing training, taking students section-by-section through Xing's member account, privacy, and notification settings. Jessica's overarching advice during profile setup is to maximize visibility and contact-ability (public profile, portfolio-first standard view, messages open to all members) while keeping activity broadcasts OFF so you don't spam your new network with every small edit. She explains each toggle - findability, contact visibility, groups display, activity feed, network news, search-engine indexing, data disclosure, and even posthumous data deletion - and closes with a notification strategy: turn everything on at first, prune after a week or two.\n\n## Key Points\n- Settings has four areas; **Member Account** covers username/email/password/time zone basics and profile deactivation (not recommended). [00:04]\n- **Privacy \u2192 Findability:** turn ON \"make my profile publicly visible\" - your Xing profile will then appear on page one of a Google search of your name (unless it's super common), shaping what employers find. [00:44]\n- **Standard view:** change the default from \"profile details\" to **portfolio** - visitors should see your standout portfolio first, not the boring basics; make the portfolio visible to all members. [01:04]\n- **Direct contact visibility:** she prefers protecting her own contact list from being harvested (a LinkedIn behavior she's seen), but showing contacts to all members is fine for students - personal preference and situation-dependent. [01:42]\n- **Groups section:** can display on your profile; Jessica keeps hers off (\"adds to the noise\") but recommends turning it ON if you're in profession-relevant groups, especially while your profile is still thin. [02:15]\n- **Activity feed:** set to VISIBLE while you're building the profile, then switch to \"my direct contacts only\" once done - otherwise every skill added pings your network; wrongly-posted activity items can be deleted. [02:51]\n- **Network news updates:** turn ALL off while building the profile; revisit afterward to choose what your network gets notified about - don't annoy newly found contacts. [03:39]\n- **Search engines finding posts/comments:** optional, no strong rule either way. [04:11]\n- **Messages:** set to ALL members (not direct contacts only) so anyone can reach you; read-receipt (red confirmation) choice is optional. [04:24]\n- **Invitations to groups:** leave enabled; a data disclosure report shows what info Xing holds on you; tracking = cookie settings; address book sync governs email-contact matching; \"passing on your Xing data\" lets you decide posthumous deletion (Jessica chose delete). [04:38]\n- **Notifications:** activate a broad set initially (all three job-email types matter for international job seekers), tolerate the email flood for 1-2 weeks, then return to the notifications tab and keep only the useful ones; deactivate job emails once employed. [05:24]\n- Purchases tab shows invoices for LinkedIn Premium (sic) or other upgrades. [06:20]\n\n## Frameworks & Templates\n- **Xing settings map:** Member Account (basics) / Privacy (findability, standard view, contact visibility, groups, activity, network news, search engines, messages, invitations, data disclosure, tracking, address book sync, data passing) / Notifications / Purchases. [00:04]\n- **Build-then-quiet protocol:** during profile construction \u2192 activity VISIBLE, network news ALL OFF; after completion \u2192 activity = direct contacts only, re-enable chosen network news; notifications = all-on trial \u2192 prune after 1-2 weeks. [02:59]\n\n## Resources\n- Xing settings area itself (member account / privacy / notifications / purchases)\n- LinkedIn Premium (referenced under Purchases upgrades)\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Set your Xing standard view to PORTFOLIO so recruiters see your work, not boilerplate details - most users never touch this default. [01:10]\n- Keep activity broadcasting off during profile building: every added skill becomes a network-wide update that \"can get super annoying pretty quickly.\" [03:18]\n- Run an \"all notifications on\" trial for 1-2 weeks, then prune - cheaper than guessing which alerts matter, and job emails should be killed the day you're hired. [06:13]\n- Public visibility is a branding move: an indexed Xing profile occupies Google page one for your name, crowding what employers see. [00:51]\n- Protecting your contact list from contact-harvesting is a real threat model she's observed on LinkedIn - decide visibility with that in mind. [01:57]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]Okay, so when it comes to your settings,
\n
[00:02]you can come up here and go to your settings.
\n
[00:07]And there are four different options
\n
[00:09]and Sync makes it really clear
\n
[00:10]and easy and simple for users.
\n
[00:12]So let's go to member account.
\n
[00:14]This is going to be your basic information
\n
[00:17]about username, email, password, things like that.
\n
[00:21]There really shouldn't be anything
\n
[00:23]that isn't self-explanatory here, time zone.
\n
[00:25]If you wanna deactivate your profile,
\n
[00:26]I don't recommend that, but it is something that you can do.
\n
[00:28]So they have these basic options.
\n
[00:30]What I want you to pay more attention to
\n
[00:32]is privacy and then notification.
\n
[00:34]So privacy, findability.
\n
[00:36]Again, this is another cute translation from German.
\n
[00:41]It's more about like visibility, I guess you could say.
\n
[00:44]So here, make my profile publicly visible.
\n
[00:47]I do recommend that you do this
\n
[00:48]because then when someone Googles you, it will show up.
\n
[00:51]It just helps also kind of tell
\n
[00:53]what people are shown when they Google you in general.
\n
[00:56]So it's another thing that's going to probably show up
\n
[00:59]in the first page when someone Googles your name,
\n
[01:01]unless you have a super common name.
\n
[01:03]Then standard view.
\n
[01:04]So here you can choose which part of your profile
\n
[01:06]you'd like to show visitors first.
\n
[01:07]And this is automatically actually going to be on profile details.
\n
[01:10]And I want you to change that to portfolio
\n
[01:13]because as I talked about, portfolio is going to be something
\n
[01:15]that you can use to make yourself stand out.
\n
[01:17]And you wanna make sure that visitors see that first
\n
[01:19]and not those boring profile details.
\n
[01:22]Then your portfolio obviously needs to be visible to all members.
\n
[01:25]Otherwise, I mean, visible to no one doesn't make any sense.
\n
[01:27]And then direct contact is only okay,
\n
[01:29]but they're already your contacts.
\n
[01:30]So it could be only recruiters in direct contacts
\n
[01:32]or only recruiters.
\n
[01:33]But in general, I would just say, make it so that it's visible
\n
[01:36]to everyone.
\n
[01:37]What's on the internet stays on the internet.
\n
[01:38]So there's no reason why you shouldn't just make something
\n
[01:40]that is available to the public.
\n
[01:42]Contactless.
\n
[01:44]You have the option to make it visible to no one,
\n
[01:46]to direct contacts, contacts in their contacts for all members.
\n
[01:48]I personally like to protect my contacts as much as possible
\n
[01:52]because I want to prohibit people from going through my contacts
\n
[01:55]and then just like adding all of them.
\n
[01:57]Sometimes I see that happening on LinkedIn,
\n
[02:00]but it really depends.
\n
[02:01]I'm in a special situation in that with what I do professionally.
\n
[02:05]So maybe that's not the case for you.
\n
[02:06]And then yeah, you're fine showing it to all members.
\n
[02:10]It's really a personal preference
\n
[02:11]and it depends on your situation.
\n
[02:15]The group section will show on your profile if you allow it to.
\n
[02:19]So I actually don't have that activated.
\n
[02:22]I don't, there's no reason why you shouldn't.
\n
[02:24]So the thing is that if you're involved in groups
\n
[02:26]that has something to do with your profession
\n
[02:27]or what you want to be doing,
\n
[02:28]then I definitely think you should just go ahead
\n
[02:31]and show those on your profile.
\n
[02:34]I personally think there's enough going on
\n
[02:35]on my profile page in general,
\n
[02:37]that this just adds to the noise, I guess, if you will.
\n
[02:39]So I don't have that on,
\n
[02:41]but there really is nothing wrong with having that on.
\n
[02:43]So you can definitely go for it.
\n
[02:45]And especially if your profile doesn't have too much on it yet,
\n
[02:47]then you can go ahead and show the groups that you're in activity.
\n
[02:51]So this is something where I would say there's no reason
\n
[02:55]why anyone needs to really be looking at this
\n
[02:57]when you are changing your profile.
\n
[02:59]So while you're updating your profile now,
\n
[03:01]I recommend you put this to visible.
\n
[03:03]And then once you have everything set and you're like very sure
\n
[03:06]that you're not going to be adding like education
\n
[03:08]or skills or something like that,
\n
[03:10]then you can go ahead and change it to my direct contacts only
\n
[03:13]because then they'll be updated.
\n
[03:14]For example, when you change a job
\n
[03:15]or when you graduate, something like that, right?
\n
[03:18]Now for the moment, you're going to want to keep that off
\n
[03:20]so that your network is not being updated
\n
[03:24]every time you add a skill or change something really small
\n
[03:26]that can get super annoying pretty quickly.
\n
[03:32]If you forgot to change that activity
\n
[03:34]and it's showing up in your section,
\n
[03:35]you can go ahead and delete that so you no longer see it.
\n
[03:39]Then network news updates.
\n
[03:41]Oh, sorry about that.
\n
[03:42]So network news updates.
\n
[03:44]These are going to be things that show up to your contacts
\n
[03:47]in their team feed.
\n
[03:49]Again here, I would just turn all of these off
\n
[03:52]while you're working on your profile.
\n
[03:54]I think once you have created your profile
\n
[03:58]and it's good to go, then you can come back through here
\n
[04:00]and choose, okay, what do you want them,
\n
[04:02]what do you want your network to be updated about
\n
[04:04]when you change things moving forward?
\n
[04:05]But for the moment, keep it all off.
\n
[04:07]You don't want to annoy your network
\n
[04:08]or your newly found contacts.
\n
[04:11]Allow search engines to find my posts and comments.
\n
[04:14]This is totally up to you
\n
[04:15]and there's really no like real thumb about it.
\n
[04:17]It's just if you want to have it, go for it.
\n
[04:18]If you don't, then you don't need to include that
\n
[04:21]and it's nice that they offer that as an option.
\n
[04:24]Messages, make sure you have this with all members
\n
[04:26]and not direct contacts only or contacts of contacts.
\n
[04:29]And here you can choose if you want them
\n
[04:30]to see the red confirmations or not.
\n
[04:33]Just make sure you have it on all members
\n
[04:35]because obviously you want anyone to be able to contact you.
\n
[04:38]Invitations to groups allows you to be invited
\n
[04:40]to different group sensing.
\n
[04:42]There's no reason why not to have that on there.
\n
[04:44]Here you can request a data disclosure report,
\n
[04:46]which tells you like which information they have on you.
\n
[04:50]Tracking is about cookie settings on LinkedIn.
\n
[04:56]You can check that out if that's something
\n
[04:57]that's important to you.
\n
[04:58]Address book sync has to do with like,
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[05:00]can they use information from your email
\n
[05:02]in order to sync it with sync?
\n
[05:04]And then passing on your sync data
\n
[05:05]is actually like what happens if you pass away
\n
[05:09]and then what will come of your sync data?
\n
[05:12]Like should it be deleted or not?
\n
[05:14]And I think for me personally, I have it okay.
\n
[05:17]My sync data should just be deleted if I pass away.
\n
[05:20]It's an interesting setting, but it's there for you.
\n
[05:24]And then with your notifications.
\n
[05:25]So I'm not gonna go through each of these individually
\n
[05:28]because that's something that you can definitely check out
\n
[05:30]on your own and that's gonna be offered different things
\n
[05:32]for different people.
\n
[05:33]But what I recommend is that these offer you different emails
\n
[05:37]or notifications that you can have active.
\n
[05:39]And I personally think at the beginning,
\n
[05:40]you should try out a bunch of them.
\n
[05:42]So it might mean that you're getting a bunch of email at first,
\n
[05:44]but it will help you figure out
\n
[05:45]which ones are particularly interesting to you.
\n
[05:48]So you might wanna have job emails open.
\n
[05:51]I don't have those open right now
\n
[05:52]because I'm not job searching and I'm not looking for a job.
\n
[05:55]So I don't need that.
\n
[05:56]And once you have your job, you don't need that.
\n
[05:58]But the majority of you are international job seekers
\n
[06:00]and you're gonna wanna have probably all three
\n
[06:02]of those emails active, right?
\n
[06:04]So just go through each of these
\n
[06:06]and choose which emails and which notifications
\n
[06:08]you wanna get, tips and recommendations.
\n
[06:10]Just know that if you turn all of them on,
\n
[06:11]you're gonna get a ton of emails.
\n
[06:13]And you might wanna do that for the first week or two
\n
[06:15]and then come back in here and see which ones you want
\n
[06:17]to keep for good and which ones you wanna deactivate.
\n
[06:20]You can do that anytime from this notifications tab.
\n
[06:23]Purchases just shows you your invoices and your accounts
\n
[06:25]if you have purchased LinkedIn Premium
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[06:27]or any of their other upgrade options.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/775823994?h=e11db3e8b8", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/775823994.mp4", "search": "xing in the germany internship search module #3: cultivating connections and networking key takeaways copy \n set your xing standard view to portfolio so recruiters see your work, not boilerplate details - most users never touch this default. [01:10] \n keep activity broadcasting off during profile building: every added skill becomes a network-wide update that \"can get super annoying pretty quickly.\" [03:18] \n run an \"all notifications on\" trial for 1-2 weeks, then prune - cheaper than guessing which alerts matter, and job emails should be killed the day you're hired. [06:13] \n public visibility is a branding move: an indexed xing profile occupies google page one for your name, crowding what employers see. [00:51] \n protecting your contact list from contact-harvesting is a real threat model she's observed on linkedin - decide visibility with that in mind. [01:57] \n xing in the germany internship search \n \n module: #3 networking \n lesson url: /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/xing-in-the-germany-internship-search \n \n overview \n this is the settings-walkthrough part of the xing training, taking students section-by-section through xing's member account, privacy, and notification settings. jessica's overarching advice during profile setup is to maximize visibility and contact-ability (public profile, portfolio-first standard view, messages open to all members) while keeping activity broadcasts off so you don't spam your new network with every small edit. she explains each toggle - findability, contact visibility, groups display, activity feed, network news, search-engine indexing, data disclosure, and even posthumous data deletion - and closes with a notification strategy: turn everything on at first, prune after a week or two. \n key points \n \n settings has four areas; member account covers username/email/password/time zone basics and profile deactivation (not recommended). [00:04] \n privacy \u2192 findability: turn on \"make my profile publicly visible\" - your xing profile will then appear on page one of a google search of your name (unless it's super common), shaping what employers find. [00:44] \n standard view: change the default from \"profile details\" to portfolio - visitors should see your standout portfolio first, not the boring basics; make the portfolio visible to all members. [01:04] \n direct contact visibility: she prefers protecting her own contact list from being harvested (a linkedin behavior she's seen), but showing contacts to all members is fine for students - personal preference and situation-dependent. [01:42] \n groups section: can display on your profile; jessica keeps hers off (\"adds to the noise\") but recommends turning it on if you're in profession-relevant groups, especially while your profile is still thin. [02:15] \n activity feed: set to visible while you're building the profile, then switch to \"my direct contacts only\" once done - otherwise every skill added pings your network; wrongly-posted activity items can be deleted. [02:51] \n network news updates: turn all off while building the profile; revisit afterward to choose what your network gets notified about - don't annoy newly found contacts. [03:39] \n search engines finding posts/comments: optional, no strong rule either way. [04:11] \n messages: set to all members (not direct contacts only) so anyone can reach you; read-receipt (red confirmation) choice is optional. [04:24] \n invitations to groups: leave enabled; a data disclosure report shows what info xing holds on you; tracking = cookie settings; address book sync governs email-contact matching; \"passing on your xing data\" lets you decide posthumous deletion (jessica chose delete). [04:38] \n notifications: activate a broad set initially (all three job-email types matter for international job seekers), tolerate the email flood for 1-2 weeks, then return to the notifications tab and keep only the useful ones; deactivate job emails once employed. [05:24] \n purchases tab shows invoices for linkedin premium (sic) or other upgrades. [06:20] \n \n frameworks & templates \n \n xing settings map: member account (basics) / privacy (findability, standard view, contact visibility, groups, activity, network news, search engines, messages, invitations, data disclosure, tracking, address book sync, data passing) / notifications / purchases. [00:04] \n build-then-quiet protocol: during profile construction \u2192 activity visible, network news all off; after completion \u2192 activity = direct contacts only, re-enable chosen network news; notifications = all-on trial \u2192 prune after 1-2 weeks. [02:59] \n \n resources \n \n xing settings area itself (member account / privacy / notifications / purchases) \n linkedin premium (referenced under purchases upgrades) \n [00:00] okay, so when it comes to your settings, \n [00:02] you can come up here and go to your settings. \n [00:07] and there are four different options \n [00:09] and sync makes it really clear \n [00:10] and easy and simple for users. \n [00:12] so let's go to member account. \n [00:14] this is going to be your basic information \n [00:17] about username, email, password, things like that. \n [00:21] there really shouldn't be anything \n [00:23] that isn't self-explanatory here, time zone. \n [00:25] if you wanna deactivate your profile, \n [00:26] i don't recommend that, but it is something that you can do. \n [00:28] so they have these basic options. \n [00:30] what i want you to pay more attention to \n [00:32] is privacy and then notification. \n [00:34] so privacy, findability. \n [00:36] again, this is another cute translation from german. \n [00:41] it's more about like visibility, i guess you could say. \n [00:44] so here, make my profile publicly visible. \n [00:47] i do recommend that you do this \n [00:48] because then when someone googles you, it will show up. \n [00:51] it just helps also kind of tell \n [00:53] what people are shown when they google you in general. \n [00:56] so it's another thing that's going to probably show up \n [00:59] in the first page when someone googles your name, \n [01:01] unless you have a super common name. \n [01:03] then standard view. \n [01:04] so here you can choose which part of your profile \n [01:06] you'd like to show visitors first. \n [01:07] and this is automatically actually going to be on profile details. \n [01:10] and i want you to change that to portfolio \n [01:13] because as i talked about, portfolio is going to be something \n [01:15] that you can use to make yourself stand out. \n [01:17] and you wanna make sure that visitors see that first \n [01:19] and not those boring profile details. \n [01:22] then your portfolio obviously needs to be visible to all members. \n [01:25] otherwise, i mean, visible to no one doesn't make any sense. \n [01:27] and then direct contact is only okay, \n [01:29] but they're already your contacts. \n [01:30] so it could be only recruiters in direct contacts \n [01:32] or only recruiters. \n [01:33] but in general, i would just say, make it so that it's visible \n [01:36] to everyone. \n [01:37] what's on the internet stays on the internet. \n [01:38] so there's no reason why you shouldn't just make something \n [01:40] that is available to the public. \n [01:42] contactless. \n [01:44] you have the option to make it visible to no one, \n [01:46] to direct contacts, contacts in their contacts for all members. \n [01:48] i personally like to protect my contacts as much as possible \n [01:52] because i want to prohibit people from going through my contacts \n [01:55] and then just like adding all of them. \n [01:57] sometimes i see that happening on linkedin, \n [02:00] but it really depends. \n [02:01] i'm in a special situation in that with what i do professionally. \n [02:05] so maybe that's not the case for you. \n [02:06] and then yeah, you're fine showing it to all members. \n [02:10] it's really a personal preference \n [02:11] and it depends on your situation. \n [02:15] the group section will show on your profile if you allow it to. \n [02:19] so i actually don't have that activated. \n [02:22] i don't, there's no reason why you shouldn't. \n [02:24] so the thing is that if you're involved in groups \n [02:26] that has something to do with your profession \n [02:27] or what you want to be doing, \n [02:28] then i definitely think you should just go ahead \n [02:31] and show those on your profile. \n [02:34] i personally think there's enough going on \n [02:35] on my profile page in general, \n [02:37] that this just adds to the noise, i guess, if you will. \n [02:39] so i don't have that on, \n [02:41] but there really is nothing wrong with having that on. \n [02:43] so you can definitely go for it. \n [02:45] and especially if your profile doesn't have too much on it yet, \n [02:47] then you can go ahead and show the groups that you're in activity. \n [02:51] so this is something where i would say there's no reason \n [02:55] why anyone needs to really be looking at this \n [02:57] when you are changing your profile. \n [02:59] so while you're updating your profile now, \n [03:01] i recommend you put this to visible. \n [03:03] and then once you have everything set and you're like very sure \n [03:06] that you're not going to be adding like education \n [03:08] or skills or something like that, \n [03:10] then you can go ahead and change it to my direct contacts only \n [03:13] because then they'll be updated. \n [03:14] for example, when you change a job \n [03:15] or when you graduate, something like that, right? \n [03:18] now for the moment, you're going to want to keep that off \n [03:20] so that your network is not being updated \n [03:24] every time you add a skill or change something really small \n [03:26] that can get super annoying pretty quickly. \n [03:32] if you forgot to change that activity \n [03:34] and it's showing up in your section, \n [03:35] you can go ahead and delete that so you no longer see it. \n [03:39] then network news updates. \n [03:41] oh, sorry about that. \n [03:42] so network news updates. \n [03:44] these are going to be things that show up to your contacts \n [03:47] in their team feed. \n [03:49] again here, i would just turn all of these off \n [03:52] while you're working on your profile. \n [03:54] i think once you have created your profile \n [03:58] and it's good to go, then you can come back through here \n [04:00] and choose, okay, what do you want them, \n [04:02] what do you want your network to be updated about \n [04:04] when you change things moving forward? \n [04:05] but for the moment, keep it all off. \n [04:07] you don't want to annoy your network \n [04:08] or your newly found contacts. \n [04:11] allow search engines to find my posts and comments. \n [04:14] this is totally up to you \n [04:15] and there's really no like real thumb about it. \n [04:17] it's just if you want to have it, go for it. \n [04:18] if you don't, then you don't need to include that \n [04:21] and it's nice that they offer that as an option. \n [04:24] messages, make sure you have this with all members \n [04:26] and not direct contacts only or contacts of contacts. \n [04:29] and here you can choose if you want them \n [04:30] to see the red confirmations or not. \n [04:33] just make sure you have it on all members \n [04:35] because obviously you want anyone to be able to contact you. \n [04:38] invitations to groups allows you to be invited \n [04:40] to different group sensing. \n [04:42] there's no reason why not to have that on there. \n [04:44] here you can request a data disclosure report, \n [04:46] which tells you like which information they have on you. \n [04:50] tracking is about cookie settings on linkedin. \n [04:56] you can check that out if that's something \n [04:57] that's important to you. \n [04:58] address book sync has to do with like, \n [05:00] can they use information from your email \n [05:02] in order to sync it with sync? \n [05:04] and then passing on your sync data \n [05:05] is actually like what happens if you pass away \n [05:09] and then what will come of your sync data? \n [05:12] like should it be deleted or not? \n [05:14] and i think for me personally, i have it okay. \n [05:17] my sync data should just be deleted if i pass away. \n [05:20] it's an interesting setting, but it's there for you. \n [05:24] and then with your notifications. \n [05:25] so i'm not gonna go through each of these individually \n [05:28] because that's something that you can definitely check out \n [05:30] on your own and that's gonna be offered different things \n [05:32] for different people. \n [05:33] but what i recommend is that these offer you different emails \n [05:37] or notifications that you can have active. \n [05:39] and i personally think at the beginning, \n [05:40] you should try out a bunch of them. \n [05:42] so it might mean that you're getting a bunch of email at first, \n [05:44] but it will help you figure out \n [05:45] which ones are particularly interesting to you. \n [05:48] so you might wanna have job emails open. \n [05:51] i don't have those open right now \n [05:52] because i'm not job searching and i'm not looking for a job. \n [05:55] so i don't need that. \n [05:56] and once you have your job, you don't need that. \n [05:58] but the majority of you are international job seekers \n [06:00] and you're gonna wanna have probably all three \n [06:02] of those emails active, right? \n [06:04] so just go through each of these \n [06:06] and choose which emails and which notifications \n [06:08] you wanna get, tips and recommendations. \n [06:10] just know that if you turn all of them on, \n [06:11] you're gonna get a ton of emails. \n [06:13] and you might wanna do that for the first week or two \n [06:15] and then come back in here and see which ones you want \n [06:17] to keep for good and which ones you wanna deactivate. \n [06:20] you can do that anytime from this notifications tab. \n [06:23] purchases just shows you your invoices and your accounts \n [06:25] if you have purchased linkedin premium \n [06:27] or any of their other upgrade options. "}, {"id": "L4-0", "key": "864705843", "vid": "864705843", "title": "Getting Started: What Makes Applications in Germany Unique", "module": "Module #4: Creating an Application that impresses German Employers", "mi": 4, "li": 0, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/getting-started-what-makes-applications-in-germany-unique", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Getting Started: What Makes Applications in Germany Unique

\n

Module: Module #4 - Creating an Application that Impresses German Employers

\n

Lesson URL: /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/getting-started-what-makes-applications-in-germany-unique

\n

Vimeo ID: 864705843

\n
\n

Overview

\n

This short kickoff lesson for Module 4 introduces the anatomy of a German application and previews the module's focus. The German application has three main components: the resume (Lebenslauf), the cover letter, and attachments. References are historically not requested in Germany - instead the country traditionally uses the work certificate (Arbeitszeugnis) system - though some companies are now moving toward references, which is why the course covers both. The lesson also introduces the initiative application (unsolicited/speculative application), presented as the #1 strategy for applicants searching for internships in English.

\n
\n

Key Points

\n\n
\n

Frameworks & Templates

\n

The Initiative Application (a.k.a. Unsolicited / Speculative Application)

\n\n
    \n
  1. Think about your goals.
    2. \n
  2. Research your target companies - \"maybe 10, 20 of them maximum. You can also just start with five.\"
    3. \n
  3. Find their contact information / who you would reach out to.
    4. \n
  4. Craft a cover letter that articulates why you want to do an internship with them.
    5. \n
\n\n
\n

Resources

\n\n
", "md": "# Getting Started: What Makes Applications in Germany Unique\n\n**Module:** Module #4 - Creating an Application that Impresses German Employers\n**Lesson URL:** /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/getting-started-what-makes-applications-in-germany-unique\n**Vimeo ID:** 864705843\n\n---\n\n## Overview\n\nThis short kickoff lesson for Module 4 introduces the anatomy of a German application and previews the module's focus. The German application has **three main components**: the resume (Lebenslauf), the cover letter, and attachments. References are historically not requested in Germany - instead the country traditionally uses the *work certificate* (Arbeitszeugnis) system - though some companies are now moving toward references, which is why the course covers both. The lesson also introduces the **initiative application** (unsolicited/speculative application), presented as the #1 strategy for applicants searching for internships in English.\n\n---\n\n## Key Points\n\n- **[00:20]** The German application has three main components: the resume, the cover letter, and attachments. References are \"also being asked for\" in some cases and this is changing, but historically German companies have not asked for references.\n- **[00:34]** How references work in the German context: there is a thing called a **work certificate** - \"a piece of paper that clarifies what you did and how well you did it,\" signed by your former employers. Future employers get to read all of those work certificates; \"They don't have to call all the employers to see how you were as an employee.\"\n- **[00:55]** Some German companies are now moving to references, which is why the course includes both attachments and references.\n- **[01:08]** The most important documents are the resume and cover letter - the ones you send - plus LinkedIn and Xing, \"the ones that anyone can see at any point in time.\"\n- **[01:20]** \"Most recruiters start by looking at the resume, which is why it's important to put some time, thought, and energy into that. It's really the heart of the application.\"\n- **[01:34]** The cover letter **acts as a bridge**: \"the cover letter builds a bridge between the CV or the resume and their job description. It's your way of communicating to them how you understood your experience and how it relates to what they're looking for.\"\n- **[01:51]** For compelling applications: \"being able to show the employer that you've understood what they're looking for and or where you are able to add value.\"\n\n---\n\n## Frameworks & Templates\n\n### The Initiative Application (a.k.a. Unsolicited / Speculative Application)\n\n- **[02:03]** \"My number one tip\" for finding an internship in English is the **initiative application** - also called an **unsolicited** or **speculative application**: \"there's no advertised internship or job posting, but instead you are writing to the company and saying, hey, I think I could add value in areas A, B, and C, and then you attach your application. And this is a common thing done in the German context.\"\n- **[02:31]** \"There are even specific boxes for initiative applications on many employment sites of German companies.\"\n- **[02:37]** Planning your initiative applications:\n 1. Think about your goals.\n 2. Research your target companies - \"maybe 10, 20 of them maximum. You can also just start with five.\"\n 3. Find their contact information / who you would reach out to.\n 4. Craft a cover letter that articulates why you want to do an internship with them.\n- **[03:14]** Two sending options when researching: (a) open initiative application boxes on company sites, or (b) cold applications / cold emails - \"I provide some templates for that as well.\"\n- **[03:34]** Email + attachments convention: include a **short email**, attach your cover letter and resume, \"ideally in one PDF document.\"\n- **[03:40]** With the cover letter and the email, \"you want to really get to the point with emphasizing why you want to do an internship for them and why you think you'd be a value add or why you think that there's some type of mutual benefit.\" Get straight to the point.\n- **[04:01]** Example shown on screen: a company page saying \"unsolicited application, intern or working student\" - telling you they are open to unsolicited applications, what skills they're looking for, and a little about the company.\n- **[04:18]** Tip: searching LinkedIn for \"unsolicited application\" plus a top keyword \"and see what pops up.\"\n\n---\n\n## Resources\n\n- Templates for cold/unsolicited application emails (provided by the course).\n- German company career pages with dedicated \"unsolicited application\" (intern/working student) boxes, shown as an on-screen example.\n\n---\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n- **Three-part German application: resume + cover letter + attachments** (references historically replaced by the signed *work certificate*).\n- **The resume is the heart of the application; the cover letter is the bridge** between the CV and the job description.\n- **The initiative (unsolicited/speculative) application is the #1 strategy for finding an internship in English** in Germany - write to companies that aren't advertising, articulate where you add value, and attach your application.\n- Keep the application email short and direct: mutual benefit, one PDF, straight to the point.\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]All right, hello everyone and welcome back to finding an internship in Germany.
\n
[00:05]This is module four, create, creating an application that impresses German employers.
\n
[00:11]So we're going to get started by looking at what makes applications in Germany unique and what you
\n
[00:15]should watch out for as you create your own application materials. First things first, the
\n
[00:20]application in Germany technically has three main components, the resume, the cover letter,
\n
[00:25]and attachments. In some cases, and this is changing, references are also being asked for,
\n
[00:31]but this has historically not been something that companies ask for. So the way in which
\n
[00:34]references work in the German context is that there's actually this thing called a work
\n
[00:38]certificate, which is a piece of paper that clarifies what you did and how well you did it.
\n
[00:43]And that's signed by your former employers. And then your future employers get to read all of those
\n
[00:49]work certificates. They don't have to call all the employers to see how you were as an employee.
\n
[00:55]Some German companies, however, now are moving to references, which is why I include both
\n
[00:58]attachments and references in it. But in general, three main parts, resume, cover letter, and
\n
[01:03]attachments. An overview of applications in Germany. Let's look at some of the most important
\n
[01:08]components that we need to think about here. The most important documents are your resume and cover
\n
[01:14]letter. These are the ones that you send and then LinkedIn and SING. These are the ones that anyone
\n
[01:19]can see at any point in time. Most recruiters start by looking at the resume, which is why it's important
\n
[01:25]to put some time, thought, and energy into that. It's really the heart of the application and helps
\n
[01:29]the recruiter or the hiring manager understand if you're a good fit for the internship.
\n
[01:34]The cover letter acts as a bridge. So what this means is that the cover letter builds a bridge
\n
[01:39]between the CV or the resume and their job description. It's your way of communicating to them
\n
[01:44]how you understood your experience and how it relates to what they're looking for. And then when it comes
\n
[01:51]to compelling applications, what's really important is being able to show the employer that you've
\n
[01:55]understood what they're looking for and or where you are able to add value. So for those of you who
\n
[02:03]are wondering, what can I do to find an internship in English? My number one tip for doing this is
\n
[02:09]something called an unsolicited or an initiative application, also sometimes referred to as a
\n
[02:14]speculative application. Basically what this means is there's no advertised internship or job posting,
\n
[02:20]but instead you are writing to the company and saying, hey, I think I could add value in areas A, B,
\n
[02:25]and C, and then you attach your application. And this is a common thing done in the German context.
\n
[02:31]There are even specific boxes for initiative applications on many employment sites of German
\n
[02:37]companies, and I will show you one of these here in just a second. When you plan out your
\n
[02:42]initiative applications, you're going to start by obviously thinking about what are your goals,
\n
[02:47]researching your target companies, so maybe 10, 20 of them maximum. You can also just start with five.
\n
[02:53]And then you'll really want to think about, okay, where's their contact information? Who would you
\n
[02:57]be reaching out to? And then when you're researching and looking at the contacts, you're also going to
\n
[03:02]be thinking about how you could be crafting a cover letter that articulates why you want to do an
\n
[03:07]internship with them. So when it comes to sending an initiative application, while you're doing your
\n
[03:14]research, you basically will see two different options. There's either going to be open initiative
\n
[03:19]application boxes, like I just mentioned, and I'll show you here in just a second, or you're going to be
\n
[03:23]sending cold applications or basically cold emails. And I provide some templates for that as well for
\n
[03:28]you. Now with the cover letter versus the email, you'll want to make sure that you're including a short
\n
[03:34]email, attaching your cover letter and your resume, ideally in one PDF document. And what's important
\n
[03:40]here is with the cover letter and the email, you want to really get to the point with emphasizing
\n
[03:44]why you want to do an internship for them and why you think you'd be a value add or why you think that
\n
[03:50]there's some type of mutual benefit out of you doing an internship with the company. Really just get
\n
[03:54]straight to the point. So here's the example I was just mentioning. This is what you will see on
\n
[04:01]some company pages. It'll say unsolicited application, intern or working student. And
\n
[04:05]they're just basically telling you here that they are open to unsolicited applications for people who
\n
[04:10]are interested in internship or working student. And they'll tell you what skills they're looking for.
\n
[04:14]They'll tell you a little bit about the company, et cetera. It's also perfectly fine to put into
\n
[04:18]LinkedIn like unsolicited application, plus your maybe top keyword and see what pops up.
\n
[04:26]All right. So the application in Germany includes three main things, the resume, the cover letter,
\n
[04:30]and attachments, sometimes references. And an initiative application is a really great and
\n
[04:34]unique strategy for landing an internship in Germany, especially if you are searching for one in English.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/864705843?h=192d5ca8d6", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/864705843.mp4", "search": "getting started: what makes applications in germany unique module #4: creating an application that impresses german employers key takeaways copy \n three-part german application: resume + cover letter + attachments (references historically replaced by the signed work certificate ). \n the resume is the heart of the application; the cover letter is the bridge between the cv and the job description. \n the initiative (unsolicited/speculative) application is the #1 strategy for finding an internship in english in germany - write to companies that aren't advertising, articulate where you add value, and attach your application. \n keep the application email short and direct: mutual benefit, one pdf, straight to the point. \n getting started: what makes applications in germany unique \n module: module #4 - creating an application that impresses german employers \n lesson url: /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/getting-started-what-makes-applications-in-germany-unique \n vimeo id: 864705843 \n \n overview \n this short kickoff lesson for module 4 introduces the anatomy of a german application and previews the module's focus. the german application has three main components : the resume (lebenslauf), the cover letter, and attachments. references are historically not requested in germany - instead the country traditionally uses the work certificate (arbeitszeugnis) system - though some companies are now moving toward references, which is why the course covers both. the lesson also introduces the initiative application (unsolicited/speculative application), presented as the #1 strategy for applicants searching for internships in english. \n \n key points \n \n [00:20] the german application has three main components: the resume, the cover letter, and attachments. references are \"also being asked for\" in some cases and this is changing, but historically german companies have not asked for references. \n [00:34] how references work in the german context: there is a thing called a work certificate - \"a piece of paper that clarifies what you did and how well you did it,\" signed by your former employers. future employers get to read all of those work certificates; \"they don't have to call all the employers to see how you were as an employee.\" \n [00:55] some german companies are now moving to references, which is why the course includes both attachments and references. \n [01:08] the most important documents are the resume and cover letter - the ones you send - plus linkedin and xing, \"the ones that anyone can see at any point in time.\" \n [01:20] \"most recruiters start by looking at the resume, which is why it's important to put some time, thought, and energy into that. it's really the heart of the application.\" \n [01:34] the cover letter acts as a bridge : \"the cover letter builds a bridge between the cv or the resume and their job description. it's your way of communicating to them how you understood your experience and how it relates to what they're looking for.\" \n [01:51] for compelling applications: \"being able to show the employer that you've understood what they're looking for and or where you are able to add value.\" \n \n \n frameworks & templates \n the initiative application (a.k.a. unsolicited / speculative application) \n \n [02:03] \"my number one tip\" for finding an internship in english is the initiative application - also called an unsolicited or speculative application : \"there's no advertised internship or job posting, but instead you are writing to the company and saying, hey, i think i could add value in areas a, b, and c, and then you attach your application. and this is a common thing done in the german context.\" \n [02:31] \"there are even specific boxes for initiative applications on many employment sites of german companies.\" \n [02:37] planning your initiative applications: \n \n \n think about your goals. \n research your target companies - \"maybe 10, 20 of them maximum. you can also just start with five.\" \n find their contact information / who you would reach out to. \n craft a cover letter that articulates why you want to do an internship with them. \n \n \n [03:14] two sending options when researching: (a) open initiative application boxes on company sites, or (b) cold applications / cold emails - \"i provide some templates for that as well.\" \n [03:34] email + attachments convention: include a short email , attach your cover letter and resume, \"ideally in one pdf document.\" \n [03:40] with the cover letter and the email, \"you want to really get to the point with emphasizing why you want to do an internship for them and why you think you'd be a value add or why you think that there's some type of mutual benefit.\" get straight to the point. \n [04:01] example shown on screen: a company page saying \"unsolicited application, intern or working student\" - telling you they are open to unsolicited applications, what skills they're looking for, and a little about the company. \n [04:18] tip: searching linkedin for \"unsolicited application\" plus a top keyword \"and see what pops up.\" \n \n \n resources \n \n templates for cold/unsolicited application emails (provided by the course). \n german company career pages with dedicated \"unsolicited application\" (intern/working student) boxes, shown as an on-screen example. \n \n [00:00] all right, hello everyone and welcome back to finding an internship in germany. \n [00:05] this is module four, create, creating an application that impresses german employers. \n [00:11] so we're going to get started by looking at what makes applications in germany unique and what you \n [00:15] should watch out for as you create your own application materials. first things first, the \n [00:20] application in germany technically has three main components, the resume, the cover letter, \n [00:25] and attachments. in some cases, and this is changing, references are also being asked for, \n [00:31] but this has historically not been something that companies ask for. so the way in which \n [00:34] references work in the german context is that there's actually this thing called a work \n [00:38] certificate, which is a piece of paper that clarifies what you did and how well you did it. \n [00:43] and that's signed by your former employers. and then your future employers get to read all of those \n [00:49] work certificates. they don't have to call all the employers to see how you were as an employee. \n [00:55] some german companies, however, now are moving to references, which is why i include both \n [00:58] attachments and references in it. but in general, three main parts, resume, cover letter, and \n [01:03] attachments. an overview of applications in germany. let's look at some of the most important \n [01:08] components that we need to think about here. the most important documents are your resume and cover \n [01:14] letter. these are the ones that you send and then linkedin and sing. these are the ones that anyone \n [01:19] can see at any point in time. most recruiters start by looking at the resume, which is why it's important \n [01:25] to put some time, thought, and energy into that. it's really the heart of the application and helps \n [01:29] the recruiter or the hiring manager understand if you're a good fit for the internship. \n [01:34] the cover letter acts as a bridge. so what this means is that the cover letter builds a bridge \n [01:39] between the cv or the resume and their job description. it's your way of communicating to them \n [01:44] how you understood your experience and how it relates to what they're looking for. and then when it comes \n [01:51] to compelling applications, what's really important is being able to show the employer that you've \n [01:55] understood what they're looking for and or where you are able to add value. so for those of you who \n [02:03] are wondering, what can i do to find an internship in english? my number one tip for doing this is \n [02:09] something called an unsolicited or an initiative application, also sometimes referred to as a \n [02:14] speculative application. basically what this means is there's no advertised internship or job posting, \n [02:20] but instead you are writing to the company and saying, hey, i think i could add value in areas a, b, \n [02:25] and c, and then you attach your application. and this is a common thing done in the german context. \n [02:31] there are even specific boxes for initiative applications on many employment sites of german \n [02:37] companies, and i will show you one of these here in just a second. when you plan out your \n [02:42] initiative applications, you're going to start by obviously thinking about what are your goals, \n [02:47] researching your target companies, so maybe 10, 20 of them maximum. you can also just start with five. \n [02:53] and then you'll really want to think about, okay, where's their contact information? who would you \n [02:57] be reaching out to? and then when you're researching and looking at the contacts, you're also going to \n [03:02] be thinking about how you could be crafting a cover letter that articulates why you want to do an \n [03:07] internship with them. so when it comes to sending an initiative application, while you're doing your \n [03:14] research, you basically will see two different options. there's either going to be open initiative \n [03:19] application boxes, like i just mentioned, and i'll show you here in just a second, or you're going to be \n [03:23] sending cold applications or basically cold emails. and i provide some templates for that as well for \n [03:28] you. now with the cover letter versus the email, you'll want to make sure that you're including a short \n [03:34] email, attaching your cover letter and your resume, ideally in one pdf document. and what's important \n [03:40] here is with the cover letter and the email, you want to really get to the point with emphasizing \n [03:44] why you want to do an internship for them and why you think you'd be a value add or why you think that \n [03:50] there's some type of mutual benefit out of you doing an internship with the company. really just get \n [03:54] straight to the point. so here's the example i was just mentioning. this is what you will see on \n [04:01] some company pages. it'll say unsolicited application, intern or working student. and \n [04:05] they're just basically telling you here that they are open to unsolicited applications for people who \n [04:10] are interested in internship or working student. and they'll tell you what skills they're looking for. \n [04:14] they'll tell you a little bit about the company, et cetera. it's also perfectly fine to put into \n [04:18] linkedin like unsolicited application, plus your maybe top keyword and see what pops up. \n [04:26] all right. so the application in germany includes three main things, the resume, the cover letter, \n [04:30] and attachments, sometimes references. and an initiative application is a really great and \n [04:34] unique strategy for landing an internship in germany, especially if you are searching for one in english. "}, {"id": "L4-1", "key": "865292040", "vid": "865292040", "title": "Resumes, CVs and The German Lebenslauf", "module": "Module #4: Creating an Application that impresses German Employers", "mi": 4, "li": 1, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/resumes-cvs-and-the-german-lebenslauf", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Resumes, CVs and The German Lebenslauf

\n

Lesson: /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/resumes-cvs-and-the-german-lebenslauf (Vimeo ID 865292040)

\n

Note: task brief labeled this as \"Bonus Interview #1,\" but the transcript is the Lebenslauf lesson; summary reflects actual content.

\n

Core Concept

\n

The Lebenslauf (German resume) is \"the heart of your application\" and takes the longest to build [03:18-03:47]. Cover letters are easier because you match resume content to the job description [03:25-03:32].

\n

Two Resume Styles

\n\n

Provided Templates & Tools

\n\n

The 3-Step Creation Process [03:47-03:56]

\n
    \n
  1. Master template: collect all career documents in one place; ensure dates match across LinkedIn, resume, and attachments - recruiters check consistency [03:55-04:32]. Clean/edit, then choose style/template.
    2. \n
  2. Review each section for content & clarity: cut unnecessary info (e.g., non-prestigious tuition-discount scholarships don't translate to Germany [05:10-05:44]); simplify language; \"Germanize\" terms (e.g., include \"Abitur\" alongside high school diploma [06:27-06:45]); put bullets in ATARA format [06:46-06:57].
    3. \n
  3. Check formatting & fine details: structure/order, design serves content (don't squeeze content into a template [07:50-08:15]), consistent dashes (M-dash vs N-dash - \"Germans care about these details\") [08:31-08:41], then Vier-Augen-Prinzip: have 1-3 others (Mentor:in, host family, German friend) review [08:43-08:54].
    4. \n
\n

Lebenslauf Basics [09:08-12:46]

\n\n

Section Order - Bare Minimum [15:29-15:59]

\n

Name, picture, contact info, education, professional/practical experience, skills (IT + languages), hobbies/interests (optional), signature + location + date. Technically minimum three sections: education, experience, skills.

\n\n

ATARA Format [17:28-18:59]

\n\n

Section-by-Section Details

\n", "md": "# Resumes, CVs and The German Lebenslauf\n\n**Lesson:** `/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/resumes-cvs-and-the-german-lebenslauf` (Vimeo ID 865292040)\n*Note: task brief labeled this as \"Bonus Interview #1,\" but the transcript is the Lebenslauf lesson; summary reflects actual content.*\n\n## Core Concept\nThe Lebenslauf (German resume) is \"the heart of your application\" and takes the longest to build [03:18-03:47]. Cover letters are easier because you match resume content to the job description [03:25-03:32].\n\n## Two Resume Styles\n- **Modern (two-column, icons/color/bars):** best made with Canva or self-built [00:21-00:30]. \u26a0\ufe0f Avoid for large companies - ATS/AMS scanners can't read two-column layouts [00:42-00:53]. Skip skill bars entirely: unreadable by systems AND by humans (\"glass half-full/half-empty\" ambiguity) [00:55-01:23]. Many online modern templates are outdated [00:55].\n- **Traditional (single column):** the safe bet, vast majority of German applications; make with Word or Google Docs [01:33-01:59].\n\n## Provided Templates & Tools\n- **Resume.io** (Berlin startup) for modern style: German-format templates, imports your LinkedIn data, pre-checked for ATS/AMS compatibility [02:06-02:51].\n- **CBYX traditional template** (Google Docs + Word versions): preloaded sections, plug-and-play [01:59-02:03, 02:53-03:12].\n- Anabin - resource to translate foreign grades/degrees into the German system; print out and include in attachments [27:47-27:59].\n- Application photo service (linked below video): ~30 min appointment, multiple outfits, ~\u20ac50, 2-11 pictures; 2 is enough; reuse across social media [20:47-21:17].\n- t-online.de - open a German email address if you want [22:43-22:50].\n- PowerPoint background-removal trick to create a reusable scanned signature [39:53-40:05].\n\n## The 3-Step Creation Process [03:47-03:56]\n1. **Master template:** collect all career documents in one place; ensure dates match across LinkedIn, resume, and attachments - recruiters check consistency [03:55-04:32]. Clean/edit, then choose style/template.\n2. **Review each section for content & clarity:** cut unnecessary info (e.g., non-prestigious tuition-discount scholarships don't translate to Germany [05:10-05:44]); simplify language; \"Germanize\" terms (e.g., include \"Abitur\" alongside high school diploma [06:27-06:45]); put bullets in ATARA format [06:46-06:57].\n3. **Check formatting & fine details:** structure/order, design serves content (don't squeeze content into a template [07:50-08:15]), consistent dashes (M-dash vs N-dash - \"Germans care about these details\") [08:31-08:41], then **Vier-Augen-Prinzip**: have 1-3 others (Mentor:in, host family, German friend) review [08:43-08:54].\n\n## Lebenslauf Basics [09:08-12:46]\n- 1-2 pages max - even with 20 years' experience, two pages [09:22-09:36].\n- Dates left-aligned, entries indented; month/year only, numeric format [09:36-09:39, 11:47-11:56].\n- Font minimum 10.5pt; avoid scripts and overused Calibri/Times New Roman [09:44-09:56].\n- White space matters; traditional format breathes better than packed two-column [10:06-10:22].\n- Section order: education \u2192 experience \u2192 skills \u2192 additional; everything reverse chronological [10:25-10:31].\n- Color: black/white base; if any, neutrals/dark tones (dark magenta, dark green, burnt orange max) [10:39-11:03].\n- **Gaps (L\u00fccken):** \u22656 months outside education/employment must be accounted for. Natural gaps (bachelor's \u2192 CBYX) are fine; unnatural gaps (5 years work \u2192 2 years nothing) need explanation (caregiving, parental leave - discuss case-by-case) [11:03-11:10, 13:36-14:40].\n- Contract/gig work: one overarching \"freelance\" category spanning the time frame, projects listed underneath [14:42-15:02]. **Never extend dates to fill gaps** - attachments will expose it [15:02-15:28].\n- DIN A4 page size (not US Letter) so printing works [11:56-12:09].\n- Bullet hierarchy: most important accomplishment first; \"writing emails\" shouldn't be a bullet at all [13:07-13:29].\n\n## Section Order - Bare Minimum [15:29-15:59]\nName, picture, contact info, education, professional/practical experience, skills (IT + languages), hobbies/interests (optional), signature + location + date. Technically minimum three sections: education, experience, skills.\n- Section-heading translation table (EN/DE) is in the roadmap [16:03-16:17]. Useful special sections: \"Work during studies\" (studiumbegleitende T\u00e4tigkeiten) for work-study jobs; \"Praktika\" for internships [16:21-16:37].\n- Six near-identical formatting styles provided - the point is consistency (dash vs comma, italics, capitalization) [16:54-17:21].\n\n## ATARA Format [17:28-18:59]\n- Action verb + Task + Action + Result + Accomplishment. Show results, not tasks.\n- Example upgrade: \"Designed and coordinated marketing campaign\" \u2192 \"Designed and coordinated an email marketing campaign using ConvertKit that resulted in 250% increased engagement and 5,000 new subscribers\" [18:08-18:27].\n- Fewer, punchier bullets: 2-3 per job is fine; \"less is more\" in German resumes [18:27-18:59]. Guide with EN/DE action verbs provided [17:33-17:42].\n\n## Section-by-Section Details\n- **Name:** no \"CV\"/\"Lebenslauf\" title at top (outdated) [19:18-19:31]; font 16-35pt; legal first+last name, no nicknames [19:31-19:51].\n- **Photo:** not legally required but expected - most German employers are unhappy without one [20:13-20:33]. No passport photos, no DIY; use a professional photo (US one OK if recent). Under the General Act on Equal Treatment, photo, age, place of birth, marital status are all voluntary [20:33-21:57].\n- **Contact:** address (or just city), phone, professional email, personalized LinkedIn/Xing URLs (delete the trailing numbers), portfolio/GitHub as relevant [22:10-23:08].\n- **Headline + Summary (optional):** headline = professional title (keyword optimization); summary \u22645 sentences. Recommended CBYXer structure: CBYX reference + education/experience + the internship you're seeking [24:01-26:38]. Elevator-pitch alternative: currently doing \u2192 previously did \u2192 want next [26:49-26:54]. Every application material should reference CBYX and the 6-month internship phase clearly [26:29-26:38].\n- **Education:** start with CBYX university, then bachelor's, then high school. Never elementary/middle school [27:04-27:28]. Consistent degree naming (all \"Bachelor of Science\" or all \"BS\") [27:31-27:40]. Skip grades/test scores on the resume; if included, attach Anabin translation [27:40-28:06]. Majors, minors, thesis, coursework, extracurriculars OK - nest study abroad under the degree, no separate entry [28:21-29:01].\n- **Experience:** first entry = CBYX description (use the provided PPP description advice link) [29:53-30:07]. Optional 1-2 line company/project description + ATARA bullets; listing position+company alone is outdated [30:10-30:53]. Mark freelance/contract/self-employed after the title if relevant [30:53-31:04]. Don't over-quantify - reads as arrogant in Germany except finance/sales; max 2 quantified bullets per entry [31:34-32:06]. Integrate international experience into experience section with city + country (no US state abbreviations - Germans don't know them) [32:06-32:35]. German bullets: use the \"plus von\" construction [32:35-32:54].\n- **Language skills:** native language first, then best\u2192worst; each with description + CEFR level (A1, A2\u2026); optional test score; comprehensive blog post linked [33:02-33:41].\n- **IT/subject skills:** skill + level (beginner/intermediate/advanced) + description; folding certificates into the skills section beats a busy separate certificates section [33:41-34:54].\n- **Projects & publications:** publications in APA/MLA; projects = anything showcasing experience (semester paper, side programming, engineering builds), paid or unpaid - great section if light on work experience [34:54-35:55].\n- **Hobbies/interests:** optional but common; 3-5, choose distinctive ones (\"classical Indian dance\" > \"reading, running\"); skip if boring [35:55-37:06]. Check German perception: golfing carries class connotations in Germany; pole dance is seen as erotic dance there, not sport [37:12-38:24]. Same formatting works for memberships/affiliations/top skills [38:44-39:04].\n- **Signature block:** location + date + signature (right side), certifying accuracy; must match the cover letter's block [39:08-39:53].\n- **References:** don't list quotes or referees' contact info (too private for German norms); if requested, provide a separate references page in attachments; academia is the exception (recommendation letters common) [40:12-41:28].\n- **Additional sections** (further training, volunteer, military\u2026): use sparingly - fold into education/experience/skills where possible; be careful with scholarships/awards section [41:30-42:17].\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- The master-template-first workflow prevents LinkedIn/resume date mismatches that recruiters catch [04:07-04:32].\n- Two-column modern resumes break ATS scanning - use Resume.io if you want modern, traditional template for large employers [00:42-02:51].\n- Skill bars are dead: unreadable by machines and ambiguous to humans [00:55-01:23].\n- ATARA: every bullet = action verb + task + result + accomplishment; ConvertKit example [17:28-18:27].\n- Vier-Augen-Prinzip: 1-3 native reviewers before sending [08:43-08:54, 42:48-43:03].\n- Gaps \u22656 months need explaining; natural transitions don't; never inflate dates [13:36-15:28].\n- Photo, age, birthplace, marital status are legally voluntary (AGG) but a professional photo is still expected in practice [20:33-21:57].\n- Don't over-quantify - arrogance risk; \u22642 quantified bullets per entry [31:34-32:06].\n- City + country only; no state abbreviations [32:23-32:35].", "res": [["edit", "https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OgwpCGWwFPThH7T1T0-OHwh5toCAt6oJ/edit?ouid=106566947846218448774&rtpof=true&sd=true&usp=sharing"], ["edit", "https://docs.google.com/document/d/17HEKpg3LhvIzqOTCUN8ogIjkVf2HooT_CVOMHZKcuN4/edit?usp=sharing"], ["edit", "https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qkcqMluuZCP7SZBw3XCr6LQNb1GoHJo_/edit?ouid=106566947846218448774&rtpof=true&sd=true&usp=sharing"], ["edit", "https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X5sckVACQaJs2_OLhTC_TFzPZVEwnb0mIlQmB7t30o8/edit?usp=sharing"], ["example-applications.pdf", "templates/example-applications.pdf"], ["welkmu-broschuere.pdf", "templates/welkmu-broschuere.pdf"]], "transcript": "
[00:00]In this section, we're going to take a look at resumes, CVs, and the German Liebenslauf.
\n
[00:04]So let's dive into looking at resumes, CVs, and the German Liebenslauf, the heart of your
\n
[00:08]application.
\n
[00:09]Let's start by talking about resume terminology.
\n
[00:12]So what's a resume versus a CV, as well as different resume styles.
\n
[00:17]All right, let's look at the two main Liebenslauf or resume styles.
\n
[00:21]So first of all, we have on the left-hand side here, a modern style.
\n
[00:26]This is best made with Canva, or you build it on your own.
\n
[00:30]A modern style is going to maybe include icons or bars or color, as you're seeing here in
\n
[00:35]the example.
\n
[00:36]We have to be really careful, though, with the modern two-column style because it doesn't
\n
[00:40]work for everyone and what you're applying for.
\n
[00:42]For example, if you're going to be applying at larger companies, it's something that actually
\n
[00:46]would tell you to stay away from because ETS or AMS systems are not going to be able
\n
[00:51]to scan it properly in the vast majority of cases.
\n
[00:53]I will show you one workaround for that.
\n
[00:55]Also, a lot of the templates you might find online for modern resumes are already all dated.
\n
[01:01]The one here is showing you bars that are filled in to a certain extent for skills.
\n
[01:05]We would not use this anymore, primarily because the bars cannot be read by a system, but they
\n
[01:11]also cannot be read by a human.
\n
[01:13]It's like the glass half-empty, half-full concept.
\n
[01:16]If I look at that bar and see it's almost all the way full, I might think, wow, that person's
\n
[01:19]really good.
\n
[01:20]Someone else may be like, they're not exactly what we need them to be yet, right?
\n
[01:23]So it's something to think about.
\n
[01:24]A lot of people like the two-column look.
\n
[01:26]It's more similar to what we see a lot of in the U.S.
\n
[01:29]So if that's your style, I will provide you with an option for that.
\n
[01:33]And then the traditional.
\n
[01:34]So the traditional is like the one that you're going to see vast majority of the time in
\n
[01:38]application rounds, which you'll see in a lot of the books about applying in Germany.
\n
[01:42]And it's the safe bet.
\n
[01:43]It's where you know that regardless of where you're sending it, it's going to come across
\n
[01:47]professional.
\n
[01:48]It's going to be easy for people to understand.
\n
[01:49]They're going to be able to look at it and comprehend what you're trying to tell them.
\n
[01:53]It's best made with Microsoft Word or Google Sheets.
\n
[01:57]And you can just really keep it super simple.
\n
[01:59]And I'll provide you with a Google Docs and a Microsoft Word version of a template for this.
\n
[02:06]And these are actually the template options here.
\n
[02:07]The modern for this, I have a program that I recommend called Resume, and that's actually
\n
[02:13]a startup out of Berlin's.
\n
[02:15]What's important about that is that we have a template that's in the German format and
\n
[02:19]standard, and they basically have a system where you can link to your LinkedIn profile
\n
[02:24]and you can basically import all of your LinkedIn data.
\n
[02:28]And that will preload then into the resume's templates.
\n
[02:31]Then you can play around with which types of templates you like.
\n
[02:34]You can change different things about it.
\n
[02:36]You can't change everything because it's a template, which is where I see the restriction.
\n
[02:39]But if you prefer that two-column look, that's the way to go.
\n
[02:43]And that's the program that's already been checked for ATFs and EMS compatibility.
\n
[02:47]So you can feel safe also sending that one to larger employers.
\n
[02:51]So that's one option to consider.
\n
[02:53]And then the other option that I give you all access to is a traditional CDYX template.
\n
[02:58]So this is the one that I think works for the vast majority of you.
\n
[03:01]It's very simple to the point and gets across what you need to get across.
\n
[03:04]It already is preloaded with a bunch of different sections.
\n
[03:07]The formatting is already there for you.
\n
[03:09]So you really just need to plug and play your information in there.
\n
[03:12]And I'm going to be showing you screenshots of that template as we're working throughout
\n
[03:15]this lesson.
\n
[03:18]The resume is the heart of your application.
\n
[03:20]And I would say it probably takes the longest to put together.
\n
[03:25]Some people might say the cover letters are harder.
\n
[03:27]I think the cover letters are pretty simple because you can do a lot of matching in between
\n
[03:30]your resume and the job description.
\n
[03:32]So I find that to be a little bit easier, but the resume can really be this monster of
\n
[03:37]a project because you need to figure out how do I display my information?
\n
[03:40]What do I put on there?
\n
[03:41]What's okay in the German context?
\n
[03:42]So there's just a lot that's happening, but we're going to break it down into a three-step
\n
[03:45]creation process.
\n
[03:47]I'm going to show you now an overview of all these three steps, and then we're going
\n
[03:50]to go through each one of the steps one by one.
\n
[03:52]The first step is going to be to create a master template.
\n
[03:55]Basically for this, you're going to collect all of your career documents.
\n
[03:58]So in your digital or your print folders, basically everything that you have about
\n
[04:01]yourself. Some of you may already have this because you put everything on LinkedIn, but
\n
[04:04]in general, I want you to have everything in one place.
\n
[04:07]This is so important, and I cannot stress this enough.
\n
[04:10]It is incredibly important that, for example, your dates match across your LinkedIn and your
\n
[04:15]resume, or that your LinkedIn doesn't include an extra position that your resume doesn't
\n
[04:19]have on it.
\n
[04:20]Recruiters, hiring managers will look at things like that.
\n
[04:22]So let's just make sure that we're being consistent.
\n
[04:24]And looking at all of your documents at once and putting them into a master document basically
\n
[04:29]will help you avoid any of those issues.
\n
[04:32]So then you're going to open up a Word or Google document and add everything.
\n
[04:36]You can honestly just do this in the template that I give you, or you can do it in a blank
\n
[04:39]document. You just want to have everything in one place.
\n
[04:42]Then, however, you will be cleaning and editing this master template so that we have an idea
\n
[04:46]of what goes where, what are the different categories.
\n
[04:49]And then from there, you're going to choose a style and a template, add your information
\n
[04:53]from the master template so you have something to work off of.
\n
[04:56]Step two, review each section for content and clarity.
\n
[05:00]So I'm going to be going through each of the sections with you all here in just a second.
\n
[05:03]And then I also want you to go through these sections on your own once you have all of your
\n
[05:07]content in place.
\n
[05:08]So things that you're going to want to look out for.
\n
[05:10]Content.
\n
[05:11]Is there any unnecessary information?
\n
[05:13]So the biggest thing I see with American students, especially those who are fresh out of
\n
[05:16]school, is that they have so much like scholarship information.
\n
[05:20]If you have really prestigious scholarships that you've won in the U.S. that can be Googled,
\n
[05:26]there's like a website for the scholarship.
\n
[05:28]That's fine.
\n
[05:29]But like Dean scholarship or like all these scholarships that are basically tuition discounting, those
\n
[05:35]are really hard to translate to the German context because we don't have something like
\n
[05:39]that here.
\n
[05:39]And it's just unnecessary information.
\n
[05:41]It doesn't really tell me about you and the quality of work that you can do.
\n
[05:44]So that's just one example, but really think about if there's any areas that require more
\n
[05:47]detail.
\n
[05:49]Then clarity.
\n
[05:49]Does the context translate well to the German context?
\n
[05:52]Once you have looked for content and taken some things out, then you go back over and
\n
[05:56]you look at, all right, could I simplify the language?
\n
[05:59]Could I maybe use a more Germanized term for certain things?
\n
[06:03]Okay.
\n
[06:04]And as you're going through your document, if you have any questions, you're also welcome
\n
[06:07]to reach out if you're unsure of something.
\n
[06:09]But it's also really helpful just to bounce it off of your host family members or your friends
\n
[06:13]who are Germans and just see if they would understand it or how they would understand
\n
[06:17]certain things.
\n
[06:17]So I normally tell people to stay away from any terminology that's very specific to a
\n
[06:23]certain country context.
\n
[06:24]And if we're going to use it, then we're going to need to translate it to the German
\n
[06:26]context.
\n
[06:27]One of the things that I tell students is when you do your application in German, a lot
\n
[06:33]of times we see students who will put their high school diploma as their abitur, right?
\n
[06:37]Just to make sure.
\n
[06:38]And they'll maybe include both terms, but they'll at least include the German term so
\n
[06:42]it's clear what that level of education is, all right?
\n
[06:45]Just as an example.
\n
[06:46]Then Atara, and we'll talk about this in detail here in just a second, but each of your bullet
\n
[06:52]points or sentences should be in an Atara format when it is possible.
\n
[06:57]So Atara is a format that basically focuses on showing the results and accomplishments for
\n
[07:02]each of the things that you've done instead of listing the tasks that you had.
\n
[07:06]So for the vast majority of your bullet points, we're going to try to put them into the Atara
\n
[07:12]format, but sometimes it won't be possible.
\n
[07:14]If you worked at Amazon and you pushed boxes around, you're not going to make that into
\n
[07:18]a results and accomplishment style bullet point.
\n
[07:22]And that's okay.
\n
[07:22]But when it is possible, we want to have all the bullet points in Atara format.
\n
[07:26]Step three, check the formatting and the find list.
\n
[07:29]Structure.
\n
[07:29]Are the sections ordered correctly?
\n
[07:32]Is everything in a purposeful hierarchy?
\n
[07:33]I will give you a structure and I will show you the sections that you should put one after
\n
[07:37]another, but things might move around as you're moving things around yourself.
\n
[07:41]And you will want to, with the additional sections that come after education, experience, and
\n
[07:46]skills, you may want to think about what's the most important.
\n
[07:49]Then design.
\n
[07:50]Does the design that you chose still fit the content that needs to be presented?
\n
[07:54]Or are you trying to fit your content into a design?
\n
[07:57]Obviously, we want that your design works wonderfully for your content and not that you're trying
\n
[08:01]trying to squeeze your content into some template.
\n
[08:04]That's why I normally don't like to work with templates because that's normally what students
\n
[08:08]end up doing.
\n
[08:08]I've even had students who come to me and say, oh, I need an extra bullet point because
\n
[08:11]the template won't let me delete the bullet point.
\n
[08:13]This is why templates are not great.
\n
[08:15]So try the resume, see if it works for you.
\n
[08:17]But just remember that at the end of the day, your content is what matters and the design
\n
[08:22]should support how the content is represented and translated to the reader, not the other way
\n
[08:26]around.
\n
[08:31]So emphasize this enough, small aspects, are you using an M dash versus an N dash with
\n
[08:37]your dates?
\n
[08:38]Stay consistent.
\n
[08:39]Germans care about these details.
\n
[08:41]And then the vier albumprinzip.
\n
[08:43]So after proofreading and editing and going through all of this on your own, have one to
\n
[08:47]three others also review your resume.
\n
[08:49]This can be your mentorin.
\n
[08:50]This could be someone from your host family.
\n
[08:52]This could be a German friend that you...
\n
[08:54]So now let's dive into using the template and working with the section by section checklist.
\n
[08:58]So this is step one, creating your master template, like we went through, collecting all of your
\n
[09:03]documents, merging your experiences, creating and editing, and choosing a style.
\n
[09:08]The basics of German Lebenslauf or Lebensl\u00e4ufe.
\n
[09:13]Here are the very basics that you need to know in order to start putting together your resume.
\n
[09:17]So you're seeing here on the right hand side, the template that you're going to get for the
\n
[09:21]CBOX program.
\n
[09:22]Basics of this are your resume should be one to two pages long.
\n
[09:25]If it's only one page, that's fine.
\n
[09:27]All right.
\n
[09:28]If it's two pages, that's fine, too.
\n
[09:30]It should not be more than two pages ever.
\n
[09:32]Even people who have 20 years of experience when they work with me, two pages.
\n
[09:36]Dates are left aligned and entries are indented.
\n
[09:39]You'll see this in the formatting throughout the template.
\n
[09:42]The font size and style matter.
\n
[09:44]So the minimum font size is 10.5.
\n
[09:47]And then font style you can really play around with.
\n
[09:49]Just don't use scripts or anything that's overused like Calibri or Times New Roman.
\n
[09:56]So I will give you two options when I show you the tutorial that for those of you who maybe
\n
[10:00]want to go for a more modern or fresh look like this one or who want to go for something
\n
[10:03]that's maybe a more elegant look.
\n
[10:06]Then you will need to keep distance between entries and really focus on white space.
\n
[10:11]That's incredibly important.
\n
[10:12]We're not trying to pack as much as we can onto the resume, which is why the traditional
\n
[10:15]format here tends to be more well received than the two column one, which packs a lot into
\n
[10:20]one page.
\n
[10:22]The section names and hierarchy is important.
\n
[10:25]You will want to start with your education and what you're doing right now.
\n
[10:29]Everything is in reverse chronological order.
\n
[10:31]And then you'll move on to experience and then your skills and then additional sections.
\n
[10:35]The template is already set up for you in this way.
\n
[10:39]Now, with the templates, I have them all in black and white.
\n
[10:42]I will, however, show you a little bit about how to play around with color and mix that into
\n
[10:46]there if that's something that you would like to do.
\n
[10:48]However, I don't recommend you go crazy with the color.
\n
[10:52]You're going to want to stick to neutrals and to darker versions.
\n
[10:54]So think dark magenta, a dark green, maybe a burnt orange would be like the craziest that
\n
[10:59]I would get.
\n
[11:00]But we're not going to go for fluorescent color or something like that.
\n
[11:03]So gaps are if you were not obviously in employment or education for six months or
\n
[11:09]more.
\n
[11:10]So if that's your case, then we'll have to take a look at what that means on your resume.
\n
[11:13]Germans pay a lot of attention to that.
\n
[11:16]And then gray areas.
\n
[11:17]What I mean by that is I'm going to give you all general advice, but I don't know every
\n
[11:21]single one of you and your backgrounds.
\n
[11:23]So when I'm giving general advice and telling you do this, do that for your resume, obviously
\n
[11:28]you need to then reflect on if it makes sense for your particular case or if you maybe need
\n
[11:33]to format something differently or if you maybe need to articulate something differently
\n
[11:37]on your resume.
\n
[11:38]At the end of the day, the document should represent you.
\n
[11:40]I'm just giving you a way in which to do it.
\n
[11:42]So it's also fitting with the German format and standards and what employers are expecting.
\n
[11:47]Now, with the dates, only include month, year.
\n
[11:51]So you don't need to put an exact day in.
\n
[11:53]And I recommend you do it in a numerical format.
\n
[11:56]Then make sure the document is in Dean A4.
\n
[11:59]OK, the templates that I give you already are.
\n
[12:02]But this is important so that if they go to print it off, it doesn't print off weird
\n
[12:05]if you have your Microsoft Word set to eight and a half by 11, the American style.
\n
[12:09]I already mentioned everything's in reverse chronological order.
\n
[12:13]So within every single entry, education, experience, et cetera, you're always starting with what
\n
[12:18]you did last and going to what you did furthest back.
\n
[12:21]Make sure to keep the same structure and formatting throughout the entire document.
\n
[12:29]Consistency looks clean.
\n
[12:31]All right.
\n
[12:32]So I will show you what this looks like in the template.
\n
[12:34]But basically, you're going to have the same formatting regardless of if you're putting
\n
[12:38]in work experience or volunteer experience or memberships will have very similar formatting
\n
[12:43]so people don't have to jump around with their eyes as they're reading through your document.
\n
[12:46]They can easily see everything at once, understand it.
\n
[12:50]And then, of course, always think about priority.
\n
[12:52]OK, so when it comes to the section order, maybe you actually, I don't know, we're working
\n
[12:58]for one year prior to this.
\n
[13:00]Maybe you do put experience first.
\n
[13:02]OK, it's not common.
\n
[13:03]All right.
\n
[13:04]But there might be one or two of you where that might make sense.
\n
[13:07]Or another example that's really important is all of your bullet points need to be checked
\n
[13:11]for priority in terms of hierarchy.
\n
[13:14]So you should always start with the most important thing that you accomplished or did.
\n
[13:17]That should be your first bullet point.
\n
[13:19]And the least important should go down.
\n
[13:21]So writing emails should not be your first bullet point, right?
\n
[13:23]Shouldn't be a bullet point at all.
\n
[13:25]So you'll want to think about priority and how you're presenting things as you look at
\n
[13:29]both kind of the bird's eye view of the resume as well as the smaller components such as
\n
[13:33]with the bullet points.
\n
[13:36]Now, I mentioned gaps.
\n
[13:38]So gaps are L\u00fccken in German.
\n
[13:40]This is basically if you spend six months or more outside of education or employment.
\n
[13:45]You need to somehow account for that on your resume.
\n
[13:48]Now, there's natural gaps and unnatural gaps.
\n
[13:50]A natural gap is, for example, if you finish your bachelor's degree and six months later
\n
[13:55]you start CBYX.
\n
[13:56]That's perfectly fine.
\n
[13:58]You don't need to account for that because it's a natural gap in which you're transitioning
\n
[14:01]from education to employment.
\n
[14:03]If, however, you worked for five years and then you didn't work for two years and then
\n
[14:08]you started CBYX, that would be an unnatural gap.
\n
[14:10]I, as the employer, would want to know what were you doing during that time, OK?
\n
[14:14]You'll need to account for that time.
\n
[14:16]And that's something that we can talk about on a case-by-case basis.
\n
[14:18]It's perfectly fine if you took off time to care for an elderly parent or for a sick
\n
[14:24]relative or in Germany you also have a lot of people who take parental leave.
\n
[14:29]We can account for all these things on your resume.
\n
[14:31]So if you feel like this fits to your case where you need some extra support on this,
\n
[14:34]please reach out to me and we can look at this on a case-by-case basis.
\n
[14:37]It's not the end of the world.
\n
[14:38]We just need to account for it in your resume.
\n
[14:40]So we're not raising any red flakes.
\n
[14:42]If you do a lot of contract or gig work, there are ways in which you'll want to represent
\n
[14:47]that.
\n
[14:48]For example, you might want to have an overarching category that spans a certain time frame in
\n
[14:52]which you put freelance projects or freelance work and then you list all the projects underneath
\n
[14:57]it instead of putting a bunch of different projects on your resume, which also might show
\n
[15:00]different gaps.
\n
[15:02]However, never ever extend dates to fill gaps.
\n
[15:05]This goes back to what I said at the very beginning.
\n
[15:07]You want to make sure that the dates that you have on your LinkedIn, on your documents and
\n
[15:11]on your resume are all matching.
\n
[15:14]They should all correspond because at the end of the day, you're going to have to also submit
\n
[15:18]some attachments and they will then at the very latest see that there was some fitting that
\n
[15:24]took place when it came to dates, for example.
\n
[15:28]All right.
\n
[15:29]Section order.
\n
[15:30]The different sections are like education, experience, skills.
\n
[15:34]Some things here to keep in mind.
\n
[15:36]The bare minimum that you need, you're seeing here up on the left-hand side of the screen.
\n
[15:40]Name, picture, contact, information, education, professional or practical experience, skills,
\n
[15:46]IT plus language skills, hobbies and interests.
\n
[15:49]That's optional.
\n
[15:50]And then signature, location and date.
\n
[15:52]All right.
\n
[15:52]So technically you need minimum of three, education, experience and skills.
\n
[15:57]And then hobbies and interests, of course, if you want.
\n
[15:59]Now in your roadmap, you will find this table that you see here on the right-hand side of
\n
[16:03]the screen, this is showing you the translations, English and German for the different section
\n
[16:07]heading title options.
\n
[16:09]So if you want to add extra ones, and I put some other ones in the template too for you
\n
[16:13]to play around with, then you have these here to guide you as far as what to call things.
\n
[16:17]I would just like to bring your attention to one particular option.
\n
[16:21]That's work during studies or studium begleiten der T\u00e4tigkeiten.
\n
[16:25]If you had a lot of work study jobs, that would be a good section for you to consider in addition
\n
[16:31]to maybe a section of your internships.
\n
[16:33]And you can also just do a section with your internships, so Praktika, if you feel like
\n
[16:37]that's more fitting than writing professional or practical experience.
\n
[16:41]So you have a lot of flexibility here.
\n
[16:43]The basic thing is they need to know what's your educational background, what type of experience
\n
[16:46]you have, and what skills do you bring with.
\n
[16:50]And then for all those things, you have a few different formatting options.
\n
[16:54]I'm providing you with six different styles here.
\n
[16:57]They look very similar at first glance, and I do that on purpose to basically also bring
\n
[17:04]across the point that it is incredibly important you stay consistent with the style, okay?
\n
[17:09]So things like a horizontal dash versus a comma or italicized font versus non-italicized font,
\n
[17:16]that matters, if we're going to capitalize things or not.
\n
[17:19]So these are different options for you.
\n
[17:21]They will, however, all look a lot similar because it's also sticking with the format that
\n
[17:25]I'm using in the template for you all.
\n
[17:28]Now, each of your bullet points should be in an Atara format, and I'll provide some extra
\n
[17:33]information and a guide of how to put together your Atara format, in which I also have action
\n
[17:40]verbs in English and in German compiled for you.
\n
[17:42]But the basic idea behind the Atara format is that you have an action verb, task, action,
\n
[17:48]result, and accomplishment.
\n
[17:49]Most people make the mistake that they just write the task that they had at a certain job.
\n
[17:54]That's actually not super helpful because it doesn't tell the future employer what you're
\n
[17:57]capable of accomplishing once you're given a task.
\n
[18:00]It just tells them what you were tasked with.
\n
[18:02]The example that you'll see in the blog post that I will link to below this video shows you
\n
[18:08]the transition between design and coordinated and marketing campaign resulted in 250% increased
\n
[18:14]engagement.
\n
[18:14]That's already a pretty good bullet point.
\n
[18:17]But with Atara, we can bring it to designed and coordinated and email marketing campaign
\n
[18:22]using ConvertKit that resulted in 250% increased engagement and 5,000 new subscribers.
\n
[18:27]So it's better to have fewer bullet points that pack more of a punch and really tell the employer what
\n
[18:36]you are capable of accomplishing, what the results of your past work are, than to have a bunch of
\n
[18:42]blah, blah, blah, bullet points of all of your tasks.
\n
[18:45]No, it's perfectly fine to have just two or three bullet points for each job that you put on your resume.
\n
[18:51]Less is definitely more in the German resume style.
\n
[18:55]All right, and now to the fun part.
\n
[19:00]Let's take a look at the different Leem's Lauf sections step by step.
\n
[19:04]So this is the part, step two, where we're going to review each section for content and clarity.
\n
[19:09]We're going to look at the content of each section, how to be clear about it.
\n
[19:13]We'll talk a little bit more about the bullet points, and then we will also talk about choosing
\n
[19:16]the style.
\n
[19:18]With your name, first things first, don't put CV or Leem's Lauf at the top.
\n
[19:23]You might have a host family member who tells you that.
\n
[19:26]Don't do that.
\n
[19:27]We don't do that anymore.
\n
[19:28]We've definitely adopted the American style.
\n
[19:31]The font size for your name should be between 16 and 35.
\n
[19:34]I think I have it at 16 in the template.
\n
[19:36]You really should just have your first and last name.
\n
[19:39]Your middle initial is fine, but it's not necessary.
\n
[19:42]Most Germans will just have their first and last name.
\n
[19:45]Then stay away from any nicknames or any other pet names.
\n
[19:49]You'll want to make sure just to use your legal name.
\n
[19:51]If you have multiple names, maybe you have like Portuguese or Spanish ancestors, whatever
\n
[19:57]it may be, and you have four different names, try to consider taking the first and the last
\n
[20:02]name.
\n
[20:02]I've seen people do that a lot.
\n
[20:03]So the one that you use on a daily basis, plus the last name that's most important to
\n
[20:07]you, or make it clear with bolding what's your first name and what's your last name.
\n
[20:12]Okay.
\n
[20:13]When it comes to the application picture, this is something that's not required, but you
\n
[20:18]will find that the vast majority of German employers are still happy to see an application
\n
[20:22]picture.
\n
[20:23]And some of them are honestly not happy if you don't include it.
\n
[20:27]So there's particular dimensions for these pictures.
\n
[20:30]But honestly, the best thing is, first of all, no passport pictures.
\n
[20:33]You're going to have to do professional pictures.
\n
[20:36]I would not DIY this.
\n
[20:37]If you have a professional picture from the US, bring that with or use that.
\n
[20:41]That should be perfectly fine.
\n
[20:43]Even if it's a year too old, as long as it still looks like you, otherwise there's really
\n
[20:47]great options and relatively affordable options to get your application picture taken in Germany.
\n
[20:52]And I'll link to one of my favorites below, where you can literally go in for a half an
\n
[20:57]hour appointment, take your pictures and change your outfit a few times.
\n
[21:01]And then you'll spend about a half an hour picking out your pictures and it costs 50 euros.
\n
[21:05]So it's really decent.
\n
[21:07]I think you get anywhere between two and 11 pictures, depending on the package that you buy.
\n
[21:10]And two pictures is totally enough.
\n
[21:12]And then you have that for all your applications and you can put it across all of your social
\n
[21:15]media profiles, too, so that matches.
\n
[21:17]Now, some of you might be thinking, whoa, I don't want to put my picture on there because
\n
[21:23]we don't do that in the US, right?
\n
[21:24]And in fact, there's a lot of really good reasons why we don't.
\n
[21:28]If you don't want to adhere to this part of the application culture that is relatively
\n
[21:34]standard, you don't have to.
\n
[21:36]So within the general act on equal treatment, your application picture, age, place of birth
\n
[21:41]and marital status are completely voluntary.
\n
[21:44]So you do not technically have to include this.
\n
[21:48]I just highly recommend that you do because there will be other people, especially if you're
\n
[21:51]applying to an open advertisement, who will be applying with applications with their pictures
\n
[21:57]on it.
\n
[21:57]So that's something to keep in mind.
\n
[22:00]And I'm happy to answer any other questions or concerns you may have about that aspect, because
\n
[22:04]I know that tends to be something that people sometimes freak out a little bit about.
\n
[22:09]All right.
\n
[22:10]Personal information.
\n
[22:12]So I'm a huge fan of don't give them any more information than they need.
\n
[22:16]So on the previous slide, I mentioned that not only is the application picture technically
\n
[22:21]not required, but neither is like marital status or place of birth.
\n
[22:26]You will find examples, though, where people put that on there.
\n
[22:29]However, the very basic information that you need to include is your address.
\n
[22:34]And you can even just put your location if you don't feel comfortable putting your address
\n
[22:38]on there, your phone number, your email.
\n
[22:41]Make sure you're thinking professional about your email.
\n
[22:43]You may even want to just open up a tonline.de account to have a German email address.
\n
[22:48]That's perfectly fine to do, too.
\n
[22:50]And then your LinkedIn saying or your personal website or personal portfolio or your GitHub,
\n
[22:55]depending on which field you're in.
\n
[22:56]OK, just make sure the URL for LinkedIn and Sing is personalized.
\n
[23:01]You're deleting those numbers at the end.
\n
[23:03]And I talk about that in both the LinkedIn and the Sing trainings and hyperlinked.
\n
[23:08]That's a bare minimum.
\n
[23:10]Now, of course, you can provide more information.
\n
[23:12]You can provide your U.S. nationality.
\n
[23:16]You can provide your place of birth.
\n
[23:17]You can provide your birth date, whether or not you're married.
\n
[23:20]You can you can put your religion, your political affiliation on there.
\n
[23:23]I've seen all the things.
\n
[23:24]And sometimes religion and political affiliation are needed because of the organizations that
\n
[23:28]people are applying at or they're wanted as things that people put on their application.
\n
[23:32]However, it would be very uncommon for that to be something that's included in just a
\n
[23:36]run of the mill like marketing internship application.
\n
[23:38]So technically, you can go wild.
\n
[23:41]If something here is really important for you to include, I don't see why not.
\n
[23:44]If you have any questions, though, about that or if it really would make sense, the German
\n
[23:48]context to include certain personal information, please just reach out to me or your CDYX
\n
[23:53]coordinators.
\n
[23:55]All right.
\n
[23:55]And then after your name and your personal information, you'll find your summary.
\n
[24:01]So there's actually two things here that I want you to look at.
\n
[24:03]Yes, you're seeing underneath the name headline optional.
\n
[24:06]You can basically choose to do a headline or summary or neither or both.
\n
[24:12]I'm just giving you some different options here.
\n
[24:13]They're great ways to integrate keywords, both of the headline and the summary.
\n
[24:17]But really, you have to think about what your goals are with the application.
\n
[24:20]I think, and this would be my personal opinion for CDYXers, that it makes the most sense for
\n
[24:26]you all to include a short summary.
\n
[24:29]And I actually am providing you with how I would structure it.
\n
[24:32]So I would make some reference to CDYX and then a reference to your previous education
\n
[24:37]and experience and then a reference to what internship you're looking at and in which
\n
[24:40]company.
\n
[24:40]OK, so it's very clear from the beginning who you are, what background you have and what
\n
[24:46]you're looking for.
\n
[24:47]I think for CDYXers, that makes a lot of sense.
\n
[24:50]Whether or not you go with a headline is totally up to you and if that makes sense for what you're
\n
[24:54]going to be doing.
\n
[24:55]But backing up here for a second, a headline is more or less like project manager or instructional
\n
[25:02]designer.
\n
[25:02]It's basically the professional title that you would carry.
\n
[25:08]And that helps keyword optimization, but it also helps the person reading your application
\n
[25:11]understand how do you understand yourself as a professional.
\n
[25:16]And then we have professional profile summaries and objectives.
\n
[25:19]A professional profile or a summary is they're very similar, but basically they're going to
\n
[25:24]summarize what it is that you are about as a professional, what you've done and where
\n
[25:29]you're looking to go.
\n
[25:30]And the objective is very similar in that it's going to also summarize you and your background,
\n
[25:35]but it's then going to put a very specific emphasis on what you are now trying to achieve.
\n
[25:39]Are you trying to get an internship?
\n
[25:40]Are you trying to move into a different field, et cetera?
\n
[25:43]For the longest time, this was not a thing in Germany, neither the headlines nor this profile
\n
[25:48]summary objective.
\n
[25:49]We've really seen this kind of come across in the last five years or so, but it goes through
\n
[25:54]being trendy, not trendy.
\n
[25:55]All right.
\n
[25:56]The idea behind this and the reason why I think it got so popular is it's really great.
\n
[26:00]To provide the generalist viewer with kind of a basic idea of who you are as a person.
\n
[26:07]So maybe let's think about the HR representative or the local recruiter or whatever it may be,
\n
[26:13]who maybe doesn't know the technical details of what you do.
\n
[26:16]And then the specialist who's reading your application can look at like the very detailed
\n
[26:20]bullet points to understand what your background is.
\n
[26:22]So that's where this helps.
\n
[26:24]But I think for CBYXers in particular, it's going to be really helpful just to make sure
\n
[26:29]that every single one of your application materials has a CBYX reference and where it's really
\n
[26:33]clear that you're looking for a six-month internship during the internship phase.
\n
[26:38]The length of this should be really no longer than five sentences maximum.
\n
[26:42]And if you choose to go with a different structure, what you could also consider doing is like an
\n
[26:49]elevator pitch style, what you're currently doing, what you did previously, and what you're
\n
[26:53]looking to do next.
\n
[26:54]Just some things to think about there when it comes to the professional summary.
\n
[26:58]And if you don't want to include it, you can just delete that part out of the resume
\n
[27:01]and move right on to the next section.
\n
[27:03]That's fine, too.
\n
[27:04]And the next section is education.
\n
[27:07]So you're seeing here on the right-hand side of the screen an example from the template.
\n
[27:11]You're going to start with your CBYX description of the university that you're at.
\n
[27:15]Then wherever you got your bachelor's degree and your high school diploma.
\n
[27:18]You're not going to include elementary school or middle school, not even if your German host
\n
[27:23]grandma tells you that you should do that.
\n
[27:25]Because we used to do that in Germany, but we don't do that anymore.
\n
[27:28]And make sure that you're naming everything in a very consistent manner.
\n
[27:31]So if you have one thing that's called Bachelor of Science and the next thing is called MS,
\n
[27:35]try to put them all either in the abbreviated form or in the longhand form.
\n
[27:40]Don't worry too much about grades and test scores.
\n
[27:42]And if you do want to include them, then you're going to have to provide a translation into
\n
[27:46]the German context.
\n
[27:47]I will provide a link to a resource called Anabin, which helps you translate grades across
\n
[27:53]different school systems and university systems with the German system.
\n
[27:56]So you can provide that printout in your attachments.
\n
[27:59]If you do want to include grades or test scores, however, I normally tell people to just stay
\n
[28:04]away from putting that on their resume.
\n
[28:06]You can include those things in your attachments.
\n
[28:10]Then don't get crazy here with scholarships.
\n
[28:13]If you have important scholarships, like I mentioned earlier, go ahead and include them,
\n
[28:17]but they should really be things that are Google-able.
\n
[28:21]Majors, minors, theses, coursework, extracurriculars.
\n
[28:24]Here you can go quite crazy.
\n
[28:25]With these, that's perfectly fine.
\n
[28:27]I show you an example here in the second entry under name of degree in a subject area.
\n
[28:31]You have a line for thesis, for relevant coursework, for extracurriculars or study abroad.
\n
[28:36]It's fine to include those.
\n
[28:38]And the best thing to do is just include it under the degree program or activity to which
\n
[28:43]it corresponds.
\n
[28:44]So you wouldn't have an extra entry for study abroad, right?
\n
[28:47]You would just include that underneath there.
\n
[28:49]And if you want to include extra dates, you can add those in on the left-hand side.
\n
[28:52]That's not a problem.
\n
[28:53]Otherwise, you can include them after study abroad, Spain, and then you can put in parentheses
\n
[28:58]September to December 2014 or whatever it was.
\n
[29:01]If you have other types of education, when you're looking at this and you're like, I did
\n
[29:05]an apprenticeship or I did a training course or something, the same formatting goes for
\n
[29:10]that.
\n
[29:11]And you should be able to work with the basic template here for that.
\n
[29:14]If you have questions, though, maybe your educational background is a bit more complicated.
\n
[29:20]Maybe you went to 10 different universities like I did, whatever it may be.
\n
[29:25]Please reach out and I can help you on a case-by-case basis, troubleshoot what that might look like
\n
[29:29]on your resume.
\n
[29:33]Experience.
\n
[29:34]So with experience, when you name positions, try to do so in a way that is consistent and clear
\n
[29:40]to German.
\n
[29:42]So I do recommend you bounce your position names off of your host family members.
\n
[29:47]You may need to provide a little bit of a kind of Germanized translation, not necessarily
\n
[29:51]into German, but something that's a little bit simpler if you had some type of complicated
\n
[29:55]position name.
\n
[29:56]Your first position should be your CDYX description.
\n
[29:59]And there I will link below to the PPP description advice that they have.
\n
[30:04]So you can use that unadapted for your purposes.
\n
[30:07]Then you can choose if you want to include an optional one or two line description of the
\n
[30:14]company or the project, plus your bullet points.
\n
[30:16]You can also, like I showed you in the formatting examples, just write sentences or you can just
\n
[30:20]write bullet points.
\n
[30:21]It's not as common just to write sentences, though I have seen that, but it is quite common
\n
[30:26]just to have bullet points and not to have a description.
\n
[30:28]So you can really choose what makes the most sense for you there.
\n
[30:30]But whatever you do with your bullet points, make sure that they are in the ATARA format
\n
[30:35]and make sure that you at least include some type of description of what you did or accomplished
\n
[30:40]at each of the companies.
\n
[30:42]It's no longer the case that you're just listing the position and the name of the company.
\n
[30:47]You will see that on older examples, but that is definitely not the case anymore.
\n
[30:53]If it's important, you can include the type of employment and you can basically do that
\n
[30:57]after the position title.
\n
[30:59]So if you want to include that it was freelance or self-employment or contract, that's perfectly
\n
[31:04]fine.
\n
[31:04]Otherwise, you don't necessarily need to do that.
\n
[31:08]Then, and I mentioned this before, expect and prepare to write less text and bullet points
\n
[31:15]than in a U.S. resume.
\n
[31:16]Your bullet point should be super short and to the point and will want to have less bullet
\n
[31:21]points that are more to the point than more bullet points that are just blah, blah, blah.
\n
[31:25]Okay.
\n
[31:25]So it's not uncommon looking at the example here to have a bullet point that's so short
\n
[31:30]it doesn't even go on to the next line.
\n
[31:32]Another thing to watch out for here is in the U.S.
\n
[31:34]Everything is quantified.
\n
[31:35]I also was redoing it in the U.S. format and the person who was looking over my resume was
\n
[31:40]like, you need to quantify this and quantify that.
\n
[31:42]And in the German context, you definitely don't want to go overboard with that because it can
\n
[31:46]come across as arrogant.
\n
[31:47]Unless you're working in finance or sales where it's very KPI driven, I don't want
\n
[31:54]to see, and even in those cases, you have to be careful.
\n
[31:57]But otherwise, I don't want to see too much quantification.
\n
[32:00]So per entry, you shouldn't have more than two quantified bullet points.
\n
[32:06]And then international experience.
\n
[32:07]Sometimes people will list that separately.
\n
[32:09]Your international experience, whether you did an internship abroad or you were an outpair,
\n
[32:14]you're just going to integrate that into your experience section.
\n
[32:16]And it doesn't get its own section.
\n
[32:18]You'll include the city and the country.
\n
[32:20]And so that will tell them enough that you did that while you were abroad.
\n
[32:23]Importantly here too, now that I'm seeing this, don't put the state abbreviation.
\n
[32:28]Germans will not necessarily know what that means.
\n
[32:31]So just include the city and the country.
\n
[32:35]And for those of you who are going to be running your resume in German, I recommend for
\n
[32:39]your bullet points, you use the combination plus von.
\n
[32:41]That tends to be the easiest way to put together your bullet points, especially if you're just
\n
[32:51]starting out with learning German or it's the first time you were put together a resume
\n
[32:54]in German.
\n
[32:57]When it comes to your language skills, there's a very simple way of putting this together.
\n
[33:02]We have the language, the level, and then a description and sometimes an optional test
\n
[33:06]score.
\n
[33:07]So you're seeing here before and after, and I will link to a very comprehensive blog post
\n
[33:11]below about how to represent your language skills, how to figure out what your language
\n
[33:15]level is if you don't know it.
\n
[33:17]The basic thing here is start with your native language.
\n
[33:20]Then you'll list your languages from what you can do the best to what you can do the least
\n
[33:24]best.
\n
[33:25]And then you'll always put not only a description, but also the actual CEFR level, the A1, A2,
\n
[33:32]et cetera.
\n
[33:32]All of the information you need to know about listing language skills will be provided in
\n
[33:37]the blog post.
\n
[33:38]I'll link to that below for you.
\n
[33:41]All right.
\n
[33:41]And then we have IT skills here.
\n
[33:43]Similar to language skills, you're going to list the skill, you're going to list the level,
\n
[33:45]and you're going to list the description.
\n
[33:47]This is because we want to be very clear about where you're at with your different skills.
\n
[33:50]Here you're seeing a list of language skills, IT skills, social media skills.
\n
[33:54]For each of them, the language skills we already talked about, but for the IT skills, we're
\n
[33:57]going to have intermediate, advanced, beginner.
\n
[33:59]Same thing for social media skills, or maybe you have like instructional design skills or
\n
[34:04]whatever it may be.
\n
[34:05]You're going to put the actual level so that the employer is aware of what you are able
\n
[34:09]to do with each of those skills.
\n
[34:11]Again, for IT skills, I've written up a very comprehensive article on how to present them,
\n
[34:16]including the different scalas for beginner, advanced, beginner, intermediate, high.
\n
[34:21]So I will link to that in the additional resources for you.
\n
[34:25]Here's the example that you'll find in the template.
\n
[34:28]So I provide language skills, IT skills, and then I provide a section called subject skills.
\n
[34:34]You'll need to rename that to whatever you need to rename it to.
\n
[34:37]I just wanted to point out here, this is also a great place to put in any certificates that
\n
[34:41]you may have if it corresponds to a skill.
\n
[34:43]So if you did a teaching certificate in instructional design, instead of putting together a different
\n
[34:48]category for certificates, which can get a bit busy on your resume, just incorporate that
\n
[34:53]into your skills section.
\n
[34:54]Then we have projects and publications.
\n
[34:56]So publications will be listed in APA or NLA format.
\n
[35:00]That's pretty clear and straight to the point.
\n
[35:02]And I know many of you are not quite to that point yet either.
\n
[35:04]So that's why I don't provide a lot of examples about that.
\n
[35:06]But projects are important.
\n
[35:08]So projects can be anything from an end of semester paper to a project you did with a
\n
[35:14]company in one of your classes to a side project you did when you programmed someone's
\n
[35:18]website.
\n
[35:19]Anything that showcases your experiences can be listed as a project.
\n
[35:23]Unpaid, paid, personal, professional.
\n
[35:26]It should be related to work, but it could also just be something that you did on the
\n
[35:29]side.
\n
[35:29]So I'm thinking of those of you who are working in like IT or something similar.
\n
[35:32]You might be doing side projects or sometimes engineers are building like something on the
\n
[35:37]side and then they list that in there too.
\n
[35:39]That's perfectly fine.
\n
[35:40]So use that space in order to describe it.
\n
[35:42]I only have a line and description of the project, but of course, if you want, you can include
\n
[35:46]bullet points as well.
\n
[35:47]This is also a really great section to incorporate if you don't have a lot of work experience.
\n
[35:55]Hobbies and interests.
\n
[35:56]You do not have to include hobbies and interests if you don't want to, but it is common that
\n
[36:00]we do so in Germany.
\n
[36:03]And for this, I recommend you choose three to five hobbies or interests and you make them
\n
[36:08]unique.
\n
[36:09]What I mean by that is you don't have to make up your hobbies or interests, obviously, but
\n
[36:14]you'll want to choose the ones that will make you stand out.
\n
[36:17]So if your hobbies and interests are like mine, which is reading, running, listening
\n
[36:21]to music, doing home fitness videos, just like very basic things.
\n
[36:27]I don't put my hobbies and interests on there because they're just basic.
\n
[36:30]They don't really make me stand apart.
\n
[36:32]But I've seen some people have like classical Indian dance or making Brazilian cheese balls
\n
[36:38]for my brother's company or whatever.
\n
[36:41]Like just really interesting things that you will remember that person then because you
\n
[36:45]remember their hobbies and interests.
\n
[36:47]If that's something that you like and that you're open to adding, then definitely go for
\n
[36:51]it.
\n
[36:51]Choose three to five different hobbies or interests to list.
\n
[36:54]And I have them here with just a bullet point in between to save space more or less.
\n
[36:59]And if you don't want to include hobbies and interests because you have boring hobbies like
\n
[37:02]me, but you don't need to.
\n
[37:04]You can just delete that section.
\n
[37:06]OK, the only other thing I would say here is hobbies and interests is when you are thinking
\n
[37:12]about hobbies.
\n
[37:14]It can be helpful to think about how they are perceived in Germany.
\n
[37:19]So that's another point at which you'll want to ask your mentor or your host family if
\n
[37:23]you're unsure.
\n
[37:25]So golfing is one of them that was surprising to me in the U.S.
\n
[37:29]Golfing is actually quite approachable for people from different social classes, at least in many
\n
[37:35]parts of the country.
\n
[37:37]And I didn't see it as something that necessarily, obviously, there's a certain type of class
\n
[37:41]connotation to it, but it's also something that a bunch of us from rural Wisconsin can
\n
[37:47]go and do.
\n
[37:48]Right.
\n
[37:48]So I didn't see that as an issue, but I learned that has a very specific cultural and class
\n
[37:54]connotation in the German context.
\n
[37:55]And so I wouldn't include something like that on my hobbies and interests.
\n
[37:59]Same thing for things that might be more widely accepted in the U.S.
\n
[38:04]So another example that I saw, I think that was actually from a CBYX or two, was pole dance.
\n
[38:10]So pole dance is considered a sport in the U.S.
\n
[38:14]And that's all good and fine.
\n
[38:16]In Germany, it's definitely still at that state where it's considered erotic dance.
\n
[38:21]Right.
\n
[38:21]And so you wouldn't want to have that on your resume.
\n
[38:24]So just be careful with certain hobbies and interests if you choose to put them on your
\n
[38:29]resume, consider how they might translate to the German context or how they might be perceived.
\n
[38:34]If you're unsure, talk to your mentor or CBYX coordinators, your host family, or reach
\n
[38:39]out to me and I can give you a general idea of yes or no, definitely not.
\n
[38:44]And then this formatting, you can copy and paste and you can also use it to list memberships
\n
[38:49]or different affiliations if you'd want to do that.
\n
[38:51]Or for anything else that you want to just list things, maybe even just put like top
\n
[38:56]skills and you want to list them that way, too, or top accomplishments.
\n
[38:59]That's fine.
\n
[39:00]It's basically just to have a category, but in a way that saves space.
\n
[39:04]So we're not listing those things one after another.
\n
[39:08]All right.
\n
[39:08]And then you already saw the next part, which is the location, date and signature.
\n
[39:12]So your end point in your resume is going to be dating and signing your resume.
\n
[39:18]Yes, this is still necessary and people like to see this.
\n
[39:22]And what it means when you sign the resume is that you're certifying that the information
\n
[39:25]you're providing on the resume is the most accurate to the best of your knowledge and
\n
[39:30]ability to put it together.
\n
[39:31]And so you'll put this on the right-hand side.
\n
[39:35]Some people sign left-hand side, doesn't really matter, but I prefer the right-hand side.
\n
[39:38]You'll put Augsburg, October 5th, 2023, and then you will sign it below.
\n
[39:45]And basically, for both your resume and your cover letter, you need to make sure that you're
\n
[39:49]putting the same location and date and signature.
\n
[39:53]And the signature, you can just sign a piece of paper and then you can take a picture of
\n
[39:58]it.
\n
[39:58]You can go to PowerPoint and you can remove the background and voila, you'll have your
\n
[40:02]signature that you can just use across all of your times.
\n
[40:05]All right.
\n
[40:05]So you'll match it with your cover letter as well.
\n
[40:09]So I'm going to just cover briefly here because sometimes this comes up with the resume
\n
[40:12]recommendations.
\n
[40:13]Sometimes people want to list them.
\n
[40:14]I spoke a little bit earlier about work certificates and how we've historically used them in this
\n
[40:19]country.
\n
[40:19]And right now we're seeing references starting to trend a little bit.
\n
[40:24]I have a whole lesson on work certificates that will be part of this module.
\n
[40:27]So you can check that out for further information.
\n
[40:30]The bottom line here is that you don't need to list recommendations or references on your
\n
[40:35]resume.
\n
[40:36]So don't include like quotes from people of how great you are or list their personal contact
\n
[40:41]information.
\n
[40:42]That would actually be probably quite strange for most German employers because it's also
\n
[40:45]it's just a very private piece of information to be handing out to employers about somebody
\n
[40:50]else.
\n
[40:51]So don't include that.
\n
[40:52]However, of course, if they ask for it or if they say in the job description that they're
\n
[40:56]going to want to talk to your previous employers and you might want to preemptively
\n
[40:59]include that information.
\n
[41:00]However, I do recommend if they ask for it, that you just provide a separate piece of
\n
[41:05]paper in the attachments with your references.
\n
[41:08]If that's the case for any of you, you can reach out to me and I can show you also how
\n
[41:12]that looks.
\n
[41:12]That's probably not going to be the case for the vast majority of you, though.
\n
[41:15]If you're applying in academia, however, and is a little bit different than in kind of
\n
[41:20]the broader economy.
\n
[41:21]So you will normally want to include maybe a recommendation letter or two if you have
\n
[41:26]one, if you don't worry about it.
\n
[41:28]And then, of course, there's a lot of other additional sections.
\n
[41:30]So I showed you this screenshot you're seeing here on the right hand side has all the other
\n
[41:35]different section heading title options in German and English.
\n
[41:38]So you can put things on like further training, continuing education, your apprenticeship, volunteer
\n
[41:43]experience.
\n
[41:44]Maybe some of you spent some time in the military, whatever it may be.
\n
[41:48]Be careful with the scholarships and awards one.
\n
[41:50]Sometimes that makes sense for people, but be careful with that one.
\n
[41:53]Otherwise, just go through these and see if any of them makes sense for you.
\n
[41:56]But you'll be able to tell once you've put together your master templates if you need extra
\n
[42:01]sections or separate sections or not.
\n
[42:03]However, my main piece of advice is less is more.
\n
[42:06]So if you can put things into an education experience or skills section, please do instead
\n
[42:12]of creating a brand new section because we just want to keep things as streamlined as
\n
[42:16]possible.
\n
[42:17]All right.
\n
[42:17]And then finally, step three.
\n
[42:18]So once you've gone through making your master template, then you've gone section by section
\n
[42:22]through your resume.
\n
[42:23]And now you're at the point where you're just putting kind of the fine schliff or the
\n
[42:26]details on it.
\n
[42:27]You'll want to go back and look at are the sections ordered correctly?
\n
[42:31]Is everything in a purposeful hierarchy?
\n
[42:32]Look at the structure.
\n
[42:33]Then look at the design again.
\n
[42:34]You may decide, I don't like the modern style.
\n
[42:38]I'm actually going to move everything over to a traditional style because it's better for
\n
[42:41]my content that I need to present.
\n
[42:43]Formatting.
\n
[42:44]Does everything align and are the small aspects consistent as well?
\n
[42:48]And then the final step is show this to one to three other people to review your resume.
\n
[42:53]Host, family member, your mentor, a German friend or family member.
\n
[42:57]You can obviously also show it to your American friends and family as well if you're doing this
\n
[43:00]in English.
\n
[43:03]All right.
\n
[43:03]It's best to stick to basic German standards when it comes to your resume.
\n
[43:09]Include the sections education, experience, and skills at the bare minimum, and pay attention
\n
[43:14]to consistent structure, formatting, and design.
\n
[43:16]Try one or both of the provided options to get started.
\n
[43:19]Get started.
\n
[43:21]Turn.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/865292040?h=e19d6106ba", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/865292040.mp4", "search": "resumes, cvs and the german lebenslauf module #4: creating an application that impresses german employers key takeaways copy \n the master-template-first workflow prevents linkedin/resume date mismatches that recruiters catch [04:07-04:32]. \n two-column modern resumes break ats scanning - use resume.io if you want modern, traditional template for large employers [00:42-02:51]. \n skill bars are dead: unreadable by machines and ambiguous to humans [00:55-01:23]. \n atara: every bullet = action verb + task + result + accomplishment; convertkit example [17:28-18:27]. \n vier-augen-prinzip: 1-3 native reviewers before sending [08:43-08:54, 42:48-43:03]. \n gaps \u22656 months need explaining; natural transitions don't; never inflate dates [13:36-15:28]. \n photo, age, birthplace, marital status are legally voluntary (agg) but a professional photo is still expected in practice [20:33-21:57]. \n don't over-quantify - arrogance risk; \u22642 quantified bullets per entry [31:34-32:06]. \n city + country only; no state abbreviations [32:23-32:35]. \n resumes, cvs and the german lebenslauf \n lesson: /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/resumes-cvs-and-the-german-lebenslauf (vimeo id 865292040) \n note: task brief labeled this as \"bonus interview #1,\" but the transcript is the lebenslauf lesson; summary reflects actual content. \n core concept \n the lebenslauf (german resume) is \"the heart of your application\" and takes the longest to build [03:18-03:47]. cover letters are easier because you match resume content to the job description [03:25-03:32]. \n two resume styles \n \n modern (two-column, icons/color/bars): best made with canva or self-built [00:21-00:30]. \u26a0\ufe0f avoid for large companies - ats/ams scanners can't read two-column layouts [00:42-00:53]. skip skill bars entirely: unreadable by systems and by humans (\"glass half-full/half-empty\" ambiguity) [00:55-01:23]. many online modern templates are outdated [00:55]. \n traditional (single column): the safe bet, vast majority of german applications; make with word or google docs [01:33-01:59]. \n \n provided templates & tools \n \n resume.io (berlin startup) for modern style: german-format templates, imports your linkedin data, pre-checked for ats/ams compatibility [02:06-02:51]. \n cbyx traditional template (google docs + word versions): preloaded sections, plug-and-play [01:59-02:03, 02:53-03:12]. \n anabin - resource to translate foreign grades/degrees into the german system; print out and include in attachments [27:47-27:59]. \n application photo service (linked below video): ~30 min appointment, multiple outfits, ~\u20ac50, 2-11 pictures; 2 is enough; reuse across social media [20:47-21:17]. \n t-online.de - open a german email address if you want [22:43-22:50]. \n powerpoint background-removal trick to create a reusable scanned signature [39:53-40:05]. \n \n the 3-step creation process [03:47-03:56] \n \n master template: collect all career documents in one place; ensure dates match across linkedin, resume, and attachments - recruiters check consistency [03:55-04:32]. clean/edit, then choose style/template. \n review each section for content & clarity: cut unnecessary info (e.g., non-prestigious tuition-discount scholarships don't translate to germany [05:10-05:44]); simplify language; \"germanize\" terms (e.g., include \"abitur\" alongside high school diploma [06:27-06:45]); put bullets in atara format [06:46-06:57]. \n check formatting & fine details: structure/order, design serves content (don't squeeze content into a template [07:50-08:15]), consistent dashes (m-dash vs n-dash - \"germans care about these details\") [08:31-08:41], then vier-augen-prinzip : have 1-3 others (mentor:in, host family, german friend) review [08:43-08:54]. \n \n lebenslauf basics [09:08-12:46] \n \n 1-2 pages max - even with 20 years' experience, two pages [09:22-09:36]. \n dates left-aligned, entries indented; month/year only, numeric format [09:36-09:39, 11:47-11:56]. \n font minimum 10.5pt; avoid scripts and overused calibri/times new roman [09:44-09:56]. \n white space matters; traditional format breathes better than packed two-column [10:06-10:22]. \n section order: education \u2192 experience \u2192 skills \u2192 additional; everything reverse chronological [10:25-10:31]. \n color: black/white base; if any, neutrals/dark tones (dark magenta, dark green, burnt orange max) [10:39-11:03]. \n gaps (l\u00fccken): \u22656 months outside education/employment must be accounted for. natural gaps (bachelor's \u2192 cbyx) are fine; unnatural gaps (5 years work \u2192 2 years nothing) need explanation (caregiving, parental leave - discuss case-by-case) [11:03-11:10, 13:36-14:40]. \n contract/gig work: one overarching \"freelance\" category spanning the time frame, projects listed underneath [14:42-15:02]. never extend dates to fill gaps - attachments will expose it [15:02-15:28]. \n din a4 page size (not us letter) so printing works [11:56-12:09]. \n bullet hierarchy: most important accomplishment first; \"writing emails\" shouldn't be a bullet at all [13:07-13:29]. \n \n section order - bare minimum [15:29-15:59] \n name, picture, contact info, education, professional/practical experience, skills (it + languages), hobbies/interests (optional), signature + location + date. technically minimum three sections: education, experience, skills. \n \n section-heading translation table (en/de) is in the roadmap [16:03-16:17]. useful special sections: \"work during studies\" (studiumbegleitende t\u00e4tigkeiten) for work-study jobs; \"praktika\" for internships [16:21-16:37]. \n six near-identical formatting styles provided - the point is consistency (dash vs comma, italics, capitalization) [16:54-17:21]. \n \n atara format [17:28-18:59] \n \n action verb + task + action + result + accomplishment. show results, not tasks. \n example upgrade: \"designed and coordinated marketing campaign\" \u2192 \"designed and coordinated an email marketing campaign using convertkit that resulted in 250% increased engagement and 5,000 new subscribers\" [18:08-18:27]. \n fewer, punchier bullets: 2-3 per job is fine; \"less is more\" in german resumes [18:27-18:59]. guide with en/de action verbs provided [17:33-17:42]. \n \n section-by-section details \n \n name: no \"cv\"/\"lebenslauf\" title at top (outdated) [19:18-19:31]; font 16-35pt; legal first+last name, no nicknames [19:31-19:51]. \n photo: not legally required but expected - most german employers are unhappy without one [20:13-20:33]. no passport photos, no diy; use a professional photo (us one ok if recent). under the general act on equal treatment, photo, age, place of birth, marital status are all voluntary [20:33-21:57]. \n contact: address (or just city), phone, professional email, personalized linkedin/xing urls (delete the trailing numbers), portfolio/github as relevant [22:10-23:08]. \n headline + summary (optional): headline = professional title (keyword optimization); summary \u22645 sentences. recommended cbyxer structure: cbyx reference + education/experience + the internship you're seeking [24:01-26:38]. elevator-pitch alternative: currently doing \u2192 previously did \u2192 want next [26:49-26:54]. every application material should reference cbyx and the 6-month internship phase clearly [26:29-26:38]. \n education: start with cbyx university, then bachelor's, then high school. never elementary/middle school [27:04-27:28]. consistent degree naming (all \"bachelor of science\" or all \"bs\") [27:31-27:40]. skip grades/test scores on the resume; if included, attach anabin translation [27:40-28:06]. majors, minors, thesis, coursework, extracurriculars ok - nest study abroad under the degree, no separate entry [28:21-29:01]. \n experience: first entry = cbyx description (use the provided ppp description advice link) [29:53-30:07]. optional 1-2 line company/project description + atara bullets; listing position+company alone is outdated [30:10-30:53]. mark freelance/contract/self-employed after the title if relevant [30:53-31:04]. don't over-quantify - reads as arrogant in germany except finance/sales; max 2 quantified bullets per entry [31:34-32:06]. integrate international experience into experience section with city + country (no us state abbreviations - germans don't know them) [32:06-32:35]. german bullets: use the \"plus von\" construction [32:35-32:54]. \n language skills: native language first, then best\u2192worst; each with description + cefr level (a1, a2\u2026); optional test score; comprehensive blog post linked [33:02-33:41]. \n it/subject skills: skill + level (beginner/intermediate/advanced) + description; folding certificates into the skills section beats a busy separate certificates section [33:41-34:54]. \n projects & publications: publications in apa/mla; projects = anything showcasing experience (semester paper, side programming, engineering builds), paid or unpaid - great section if light on work experience [34:54-35:55]. \n hobbies/interests: optional but common; 3-5, choose distinctive ones (\"classical indian dance\" > \"reading, running\"); skip if boring [35:55-37:06]. check german perception: golfing carries class connotations in germany; pole dance is seen as erotic dance there, not sport [37:12-38:24]. same formatting works for memberships/affiliations/top skills [38:44-39:04]. \n signature block: location + date + signature (right side), certifying accuracy; must match the cover letter's block [39:08-39:53]. \n references: don't list quotes or referees' contact info (too private for german norms); if requested, provide a separate references page in attachments; academia is the exception (recommendation letters common) [40:12-41:28]. \n additional sections (further training, volunteer, military\u2026): use sparingly - fold into education/experience/skills where possible; be careful with scholarships/awards section [41:30-42:17]. \n [00:00] in this section, we're going to take a look at resumes, cvs, and the german liebenslauf. \n [00:04] so let's dive into looking at resumes, cvs, and the german liebenslauf, the heart of your \n [00:08] application. \n [00:09] let's start by talking about resume terminology. \n [00:12] so what's a resume versus a cv, as well as different resume styles. \n [00:17] all right, let's look at the two main liebenslauf or resume styles. \n [00:21] so first of all, we have on the left-hand side here, a modern style. \n [00:26] this is best made with canva, or you build it on your own. \n [00:30] a modern style is going to maybe include icons or bars or color, as you're seeing here in \n [00:35] the example. \n [00:36] we have to be really careful, though, with the modern two-column style because it doesn't \n [00:40] work for everyone and what you're applying for. \n [00:42] for example, if you're going to be applying at larger companies, it's something that actually \n [00:46] would tell you to stay away from because ets or ams systems are not going to be able \n [00:51] to scan it properly in the vast majority of cases. \n [00:53] i will show you one workaround for that. \n [00:55] also, a lot of the templates you might find online for modern resumes are already all dated. \n [01:01] the one here is showing you bars that are filled in to a certain extent for skills. \n [01:05] we would not use this anymore, primarily because the bars cannot be read by a system, but they \n [01:11] also cannot be read by a human. \n [01:13] it's like the glass half-empty, half-full concept. \n [01:16] if i look at that bar and see it's almost all the way full, i might think, wow, that person's \n [01:19] really good. \n [01:20] someone else may be like, they're not exactly what we need them to be yet, right? \n [01:23] so it's something to think about. \n [01:24] a lot of people like the two-column look. \n [01:26] it's more similar to what we see a lot of in the u.s. \n [01:29] so if that's your style, i will provide you with an option for that. \n [01:33] and then the traditional. \n [01:34] so the traditional is like the one that you're going to see vast majority of the time in \n [01:38] application rounds, which you'll see in a lot of the books about applying in germany. \n [01:42] and it's the safe bet. \n [01:43] it's where you know that regardless of where you're sending it, it's going to come across \n [01:47] professional. \n [01:48] it's going to be easy for people to understand. \n [01:49] they're going to be able to look at it and comprehend what you're trying to tell them. \n [01:53] it's best made with microsoft word or google sheets. \n [01:57] and you can just really keep it super simple. \n [01:59] and i'll provide you with a google docs and a microsoft word version of a template for this. \n [02:06] and these are actually the template options here. \n [02:07] the modern for this, i have a program that i recommend called resume, and that's actually \n [02:13] a startup out of berlin's. \n [02:15] what's important about that is that we have a template that's in the german format and \n [02:19] standard, and they basically have a system where you can link to your linkedin profile \n [02:24] and you can basically import all of your linkedin data. \n [02:28] and that will preload then into the resume's templates. \n [02:31] then you can play around with which types of templates you like. \n [02:34] you can change different things about it. \n [02:36] you can't change everything because it's a template, which is where i see the restriction. \n [02:39] but if you prefer that two-column look, that's the way to go. \n [02:43] and that's the program that's already been checked for atfs and ems compatibility. \n [02:47] so you can feel safe also sending that one to larger employers. \n [02:51] so that's one option to consider. \n [02:53] and then the other option that i give you all access to is a traditional cdyx template. \n [02:58] so this is the one that i think works for the vast majority of you. \n [03:01] it's very simple to the point and gets across what you need to get across. \n [03:04] it already is preloaded with a bunch of different sections. \n [03:07] the formatting is already there for you. \n [03:09] so you really just need to plug and play your information in there. \n [03:12] and i'm going to be showing you screenshots of that template as we're working throughout \n [03:15] this lesson. \n [03:18] the resume is the heart of your application. \n [03:20] and i would say it probably takes the longest to put together. \n [03:25] some people might say the cover letters are harder. \n [03:27] i think the cover letters are pretty simple because you can do a lot of matching in between \n [03:30] your resume and the job description. \n [03:32] so i find that to be a little bit easier, but the resume can really be this monster of \n [03:37] a project because you need to figure out how do i display my information? \n [03:40] what do i put on there? \n [03:41] what's okay in the german context? \n [03:42] so there's just a lot that's happening, but we're going to break it down into a three-step \n [03:45] creation process. \n [03:47] i'm going to show you now an overview of all these three steps, and then we're going \n [03:50] to go through each one of the steps one by one. \n [03:52] the first step is going to be to create a master template. \n [03:55] basically for this, you're going to collect all of your career documents. \n [03:58] so in your digital or your print folders, basically everything that you have about \n [04:01] yourself. some of you may already have this because you put everything on linkedin, but \n [04:04] in general, i want you to have everything in one place. \n [04:07] this is so important, and i cannot stress this enough. \n [04:10] it is incredibly important that, for example, your dates match across your linkedin and your \n [04:15] resume, or that your linkedin doesn't include an extra position that your resume doesn't \n [04:19] have on it. \n [04:20] recruiters, hiring managers will look at things like that. \n [04:22] so let's just make sure that we're being consistent. \n [04:24] and looking at all of your documents at once and putting them into a master document basically \n [04:29] will help you avoid any of those issues. \n [04:32] so then you're going to open up a word or google document and add everything. \n [04:36] you can honestly just do this in the template that i give you, or you can do it in a blank \n [04:39] document. you just want to have everything in one place. \n [04:42] then, however, you will be cleaning and editing this master template so that we have an idea \n [04:46] of what goes where, what are the different categories. \n [04:49] and then from there, you're going to choose a style and a template, add your information \n [04:53] from the master template so you have something to work off of. \n [04:56] step two, review each section for content and clarity. \n [05:00] so i'm going to be going through each of the sections with you all here in just a second. \n [05:03] and then i also want you to go through these sections on your own once you have all of your \n [05:07] content in place. \n [05:08] so things that you're going to want to look out for. \n [05:10] content. \n [05:11] is there any unnecessary information? \n [05:13] so the biggest thing i see with american students, especially those who are fresh out of \n [05:16] school, is that they have so much like scholarship information. \n [05:20] if you have really prestigious scholarships that you've won in the u.s. that can be googled, \n [05:26] there's like a website for the scholarship. \n [05:28] that's fine. \n [05:29] but like dean scholarship or like all these scholarships that are basically tuition discounting, those \n [05:35] are really hard to translate to the german context because we don't have something like \n [05:39] that here. \n [05:39] and it's just unnecessary information. \n [05:41] it doesn't really tell me about you and the quality of work that you can do. \n [05:44] so that's just one example, but really think about if there's any areas that require more \n [05:47] detail. \n [05:49] then clarity. \n [05:49] does the context translate well to the german context? \n [05:52] once you have looked for content and taken some things out, then you go back over and \n [05:56] you look at, all right, could i simplify the language? \n [05:59] could i maybe use a more germanized term for certain things? \n [06:03] okay. \n [06:04] and as you're going through your document, if you have any questions, you're also welcome \n [06:07] to reach out if you're unsure of something. \n [06:09] but it's also really helpful just to bounce it off of your host family members or your friends \n [06:13] who are germans and just see if they would understand it or how they would understand \n [06:17] certain things. \n [06:17] so i normally tell people to stay away from any terminology that's very specific to a \n [06:23] certain country context. \n [06:24] and if we're going to use it, then we're going to need to translate it to the german \n [06:26] context. \n [06:27] one of the things that i tell students is when you do your application in german, a lot \n [06:33] of times we see students who will put their high school diploma as their abitur, right? \n [06:37] just to make sure. \n [06:38] and they'll maybe include both terms, but they'll at least include the german term so \n [06:42] it's clear what that level of education is, all right? \n [06:45] just as an example. \n [06:46] then atara, and we'll talk about this in detail here in just a second, but each of your bullet \n [06:52] points or sentences should be in an atara format when it is possible. \n [06:57] so atara is a format that basically focuses on showing the results and accomplishments for \n [07:02] each of the things that you've done instead of listing the tasks that you had. \n [07:06] so for the vast majority of your bullet points, we're going to try to put them into the atara \n [07:12] format, but sometimes it won't be possible. \n [07:14] if you worked at amazon and you pushed boxes around, you're not going to make that into \n [07:18] a results and accomplishment style bullet point. \n [07:22] and that's okay. \n [07:22] but when it is possible, we want to have all the bullet points in atara format. \n [07:26] step three, check the formatting and the find list. \n [07:29] structure. \n [07:29] are the sections ordered correctly? \n [07:32] is everything in a purposeful hierarchy? \n [07:33] i will give you a structure and i will show you the sections that you should put one after \n [07:37] another, but things might move around as you're moving things around yourself. \n [07:41] and you will want to, with the additional sections that come after education, experience, and \n [07:46] skills, you may want to think about what's the most important. \n [07:49] then design. \n [07:50] does the design that you chose still fit the content that needs to be presented? \n [07:54] or are you trying to fit your content into a design? \n [07:57] obviously, we want that your design works wonderfully for your content and not that you're trying \n [08:01] trying to squeeze your content into some template. \n [08:04] that's why i normally don't like to work with templates because that's normally what students \n [08:08] end up doing. \n [08:08] i've even had students who come to me and say, oh, i need an extra bullet point because \n [08:11] the template won't let me delete the bullet point. \n [08:13] this is why templates are not great. \n [08:15] so try the resume, see if it works for you. \n [08:17] but just remember that at the end of the day, your content is what matters and the design \n [08:22] should support how the content is represented and translated to the reader, not the other way \n [08:26] around. \n [08:31] so emphasize this enough, small aspects, are you using an m dash versus an n dash with \n [08:37] your dates? \n [08:38] stay consistent. \n [08:39] germans care about these details. \n [08:41] and then the vier albumprinzip. \n [08:43] so after proofreading and editing and going through all of this on your own, have one to \n [08:47] three others also review your resume. \n [08:49] this can be your mentorin. \n [08:50] this could be someone from your host family. \n [08:52] this could be a german friend that you... \n [08:54] so now let's dive into using the template and working with the section by section checklist. \n [08:58] so this is step one, creating your master template, like we went through, collecting all of your \n [09:03] documents, merging your experiences, creating and editing, and choosing a style. \n [09:08] the basics of german lebenslauf or lebensl\u00e4ufe. \n [09:13] here are the very basics that you need to know in order to start putting together your resume. \n [09:17] so you're seeing here on the right hand side, the template that you're going to get for the \n [09:21] cbox program. \n [09:22] basics of this are your resume should be one to two pages long. \n [09:25] if it's only one page, that's fine. \n [09:27] all right. \n [09:28] if it's two pages, that's fine, too. \n [09:30] it should not be more than two pages ever. \n [09:32] even people who have 20 years of experience when they work with me, two pages. \n [09:36] dates are left aligned and entries are indented. \n [09:39] you'll see this in the formatting throughout the template. \n [09:42] the font size and style matter. \n [09:44] so the minimum font size is 10.5. \n [09:47] and then font style you can really play around with. \n [09:49] just don't use scripts or anything that's overused like calibri or times new roman. \n [09:56] so i will give you two options when i show you the tutorial that for those of you who maybe \n [10:00] want to go for a more modern or fresh look like this one or who want to go for something \n [10:03] that's maybe a more elegant look. \n [10:06] then you will need to keep distance between entries and really focus on white space. \n [10:11] that's incredibly important. \n [10:12] we're not trying to pack as much as we can onto the resume, which is why the traditional \n [10:15] format here tends to be more well received than the two column one, which packs a lot into \n [10:20] one page. \n [10:22] the section names and hierarchy is important. \n [10:25] you will want to start with your education and what you're doing right now. \n [10:29] everything is in reverse chronological order. \n [10:31] and then you'll move on to experience and then your skills and then additional sections. \n [10:35] the template is already set up for you in this way. \n [10:39] now, with the templates, i have them all in black and white. \n [10:42] i will, however, show you a little bit about how to play around with color and mix that into \n [10:46] there if that's something that you would like to do. \n [10:48] however, i don't recommend you go crazy with the color. \n [10:52] you're going to want to stick to neutrals and to darker versions. \n [10:54] so think dark magenta, a dark green, maybe a burnt orange would be like the craziest that \n [10:59] i would get. \n [11:00] but we're not going to go for fluorescent color or something like that. \n [11:03] so gaps are if you were not obviously in employment or education for six months or \n [11:09] more. \n [11:10] so if that's your case, then we'll have to take a look at what that means on your resume. \n [11:13] germans pay a lot of attention to that. \n [11:16] and then gray areas. \n [11:17] what i mean by that is i'm going to give you all general advice, but i don't know every \n [11:21] single one of you and your backgrounds. \n [11:23] so when i'm giving general advice and telling you do this, do that for your resume, obviously \n [11:28] you need to then reflect on if it makes sense for your particular case or if you maybe need \n [11:33] to format something differently or if you maybe need to articulate something differently \n [11:37] on your resume. \n [11:38] at the end of the day, the document should represent you. \n [11:40] i'm just giving you a way in which to do it. \n [11:42] so it's also fitting with the german format and standards and what employers are expecting. \n [11:47] now, with the dates, only include month, year. \n [11:51] so you don't need to put an exact day in. \n [11:53] and i recommend you do it in a numerical format. \n [11:56] then make sure the document is in dean a4. \n [11:59] ok, the templates that i give you already are. \n [12:02] but this is important so that if they go to print it off, it doesn't print off weird \n [12:05] if you have your microsoft word set to eight and a half by 11, the american style. \n [12:09] i already mentioned everything's in reverse chronological order. \n [12:13] so within every single entry, education, experience, et cetera, you're always starting with what \n [12:18] you did last and going to what you did furthest back. \n [12:21] make sure to keep the same structure and formatting throughout the entire document. \n [12:29] consistency looks clean. \n [12:31] all right. \n [12:32] so i will show you what this looks like in the template. \n [12:34] but basically, you're going to have the same formatting regardless of if you're putting \n [12:38] in work experience or volunteer experience or memberships will have very similar formatting \n [12:43] so people don't have to jump around with their eyes as they're reading through your document. \n [12:46] they can easily see everything at once, understand it. \n [12:50] and then, of course, always think about priority. \n [12:52] ok, so when it comes to the section order, maybe you actually, i don't know, we're working \n [12:58] for one year prior to this. \n [13:00] maybe you do put experience first. \n [13:02] ok, it's not common. \n [13:03] all right. \n [13:04] but there might be one or two of you where that might make sense. \n [13:07] or another example that's really important is all of your bullet points need to be checked \n [13:11] for priority in terms of hierarchy. \n [13:14] so you should always start with the most important thing that you accomplished or did. \n [13:17] that should be your first bullet point. \n [13:19] and the least important should go down. \n [13:21] so writing emails should not be your first bullet point, right? \n [13:23] shouldn't be a bullet point at all. \n [13:25] so you'll want to think about priority and how you're presenting things as you look at \n [13:29] both kind of the bird's eye view of the resume as well as the smaller components such as \n [13:33] with the bullet points. \n [13:36] now, i mentioned gaps. \n [13:38] so gaps are l\u00fccken in german. \n [13:40] this is basically if you spend six months or more outside of education or employment. \n [13:45] you need to somehow account for that on your resume. \n [13:48] now, there's natural gaps and unnatural gaps. \n [13:50] a natural gap is, for example, if you finish your bachelor's degree and six months later \n [13:55] you start cbyx. \n [13:56] that's perfectly fine. \n [13:58] you don't need to account for that because it's a natural gap in which you're transitioning \n [14:01] from education to employment. \n [14:03] if, however, you worked for five years and then you didn't work for two years and then \n [14:08] you started cbyx, that would be an unnatural gap. \n [14:10] i, as the employer, would want to know what were you doing during that time, ok? \n [14:14] you'll need to account for that time. \n [14:16] and that's something that we can talk about on a case-by-case basis. \n [14:18] it's perfectly fine if you took off time to care for an elderly parent or for a sick \n [14:24] relative or in germany you also have a lot of people who take parental leave. \n [14:29] we can account for all these things on your resume. \n [14:31] so if you feel like this fits to your case where you need some extra support on this, \n [14:34] please reach out to me and we can look at this on a case-by-case basis. \n [14:37] it's not the end of the world. \n [14:38] we just need to account for it in your resume. \n [14:40] so we're not raising any red flakes. \n [14:42] if you do a lot of contract or gig work, there are ways in which you'll want to represent \n [14:47] that. \n [14:48] for example, you might want to have an overarching category that spans a certain time frame in \n [14:52] which you put freelance projects or freelance work and then you list all the projects underneath \n [14:57] it instead of putting a bunch of different projects on your resume, which also might show \n [15:00] different gaps. \n [15:02] however, never ever extend dates to fill gaps. \n [15:05] this goes back to what i said at the very beginning. \n [15:07] you want to make sure that the dates that you have on your linkedin, on your documents and \n [15:11] on your resume are all matching. \n [15:14] they should all correspond because at the end of the day, you're going to have to also submit \n [15:18] some attachments and they will then at the very latest see that there was some fitting that \n [15:24] took place when it came to dates, for example. \n [15:28] all right. \n [15:29] section order. \n [15:30] the different sections are like education, experience, skills. \n [15:34] some things here to keep in mind. \n [15:36] the bare minimum that you need, you're seeing here up on the left-hand side of the screen. \n [15:40] name, picture, contact, information, education, professional or practical experience, skills, \n [15:46] it plus language skills, hobbies and interests. \n [15:49] that's optional. \n [15:50] and then signature, location and date. \n [15:52] all right. \n [15:52] so technically you need minimum of three, education, experience and skills. \n [15:57] and then hobbies and interests, of course, if you want. \n [15:59] now in your roadmap, you will find this table that you see here on the right-hand side of \n [16:03] the screen, this is showing you the translations, english and german for the different section \n [16:07] heading title options. \n [16:09] so if you want to add extra ones, and i put some other ones in the template too for you \n [16:13] to play around with, then you have these here to guide you as far as what to call things. \n [16:17] i would just like to bring your attention to one particular option. \n [16:21] that's work during studies or studium begleiten der t\u00e4tigkeiten. \n [16:25] if you had a lot of work study jobs, that would be a good section for you to consider in addition \n [16:31] to maybe a section of your internships. \n [16:33] and you can also just do a section with your internships, so praktika, if you feel like \n [16:37] that's more fitting than writing professional or practical experience. \n [16:41] so you have a lot of flexibility here. \n [16:43] the basic thing is they need to know what's your educational background, what type of experience \n [16:46] you have, and what skills do you bring with. \n [16:50] and then for all those things, you have a few different formatting options. \n [16:54] i'm providing you with six different styles here. \n [16:57] they look very similar at first glance, and i do that on purpose to basically also bring \n [17:04] across the point that it is incredibly important you stay consistent with the style, okay? \n [17:09] so things like a horizontal dash versus a comma or italicized font versus non-italicized font, \n [17:16] that matters, if we're going to capitalize things or not. \n [17:19] so these are different options for you. \n [17:21] they will, however, all look a lot similar because it's also sticking with the format that \n [17:25] i'm using in the template for you all. \n [17:28] now, each of your bullet points should be in an atara format, and i'll provide some extra \n [17:33] information and a guide of how to put together your atara format, in which i also have action \n [17:40] verbs in english and in german compiled for you. \n [17:42] but the basic idea behind the atara format is that you have an action verb, task, action, \n [17:48] result, and accomplishment. \n [17:49] most people make the mistake that they just write the task that they had at a certain job. \n [17:54] that's actually not super helpful because it doesn't tell the future employer what you're \n [17:57] capable of accomplishing once you're given a task. \n [18:00] it just tells them what you were tasked with. \n [18:02] the example that you'll see in the blog post that i will link to below this video shows you \n [18:08] the transition between design and coordinated and marketing campaign resulted in 250% increased \n [18:14] engagement. \n [18:14] that's already a pretty good bullet point. \n [18:17] but with atara, we can bring it to designed and coordinated and email marketing campaign \n [18:22] using convertkit that resulted in 250% increased engagement and 5,000 new subscribers. \n [18:27] so it's better to have fewer bullet points that pack more of a punch and really tell the employer what \n [18:36] you are capable of accomplishing, what the results of your past work are, than to have a bunch of \n [18:42] blah, blah, blah, bullet points of all of your tasks. \n [18:45] no, it's perfectly fine to have just two or three bullet points for each job that you put on your resume. \n [18:51] less is definitely more in the german resume style. \n [18:55] all right, and now to the fun part. \n [19:00] let's take a look at the different leem's lauf sections step by step. \n [19:04] so this is the part, step two, where we're going to review each section for content and clarity. \n [19:09] we're going to look at the content of each section, how to be clear about it. \n [19:13] we'll talk a little bit more about the bullet points, and then we will also talk about choosing \n [19:16] the style. \n [19:18] with your name, first things first, don't put cv or leem's lauf at the top. \n [19:23] you might have a host family member who tells you that. \n [19:26] don't do that. \n [19:27] we don't do that anymore. \n [19:28] we've definitely adopted the american style. \n [19:31] the font size for your name should be between 16 and 35. \n [19:34] i think i have it at 16 in the template. \n [19:36] you really should just have your first and last name. \n [19:39] your middle initial is fine, but it's not necessary. \n [19:42] most germans will just have their first and last name. \n [19:45] then stay away from any nicknames or any other pet names. \n [19:49] you'll want to make sure just to use your legal name. \n [19:51] if you have multiple names, maybe you have like portuguese or spanish ancestors, whatever \n [19:57] it may be, and you have four different names, try to consider taking the first and the last \n [20:02] name. \n [20:02] i've seen people do that a lot. \n [20:03] so the one that you use on a daily basis, plus the last name that's most important to \n [20:07] you, or make it clear with bolding what's your first name and what's your last name. \n [20:12] okay. \n [20:13] when it comes to the application picture, this is something that's not required, but you \n [20:18] will find that the vast majority of german employers are still happy to see an application \n [20:22] picture. \n [20:23] and some of them are honestly not happy if you don't include it. \n [20:27] so there's particular dimensions for these pictures. \n [20:30] but honestly, the best thing is, first of all, no passport pictures. \n [20:33] you're going to have to do professional pictures. \n [20:36] i would not diy this. \n [20:37] if you have a professional picture from the us, bring that with or use that. \n [20:41] that should be perfectly fine. \n [20:43] even if it's a year too old, as long as it still looks like you, otherwise there's really \n [20:47] great options and relatively affordable options to get your application picture taken in germany. \n [20:52] and i'll link to one of my favorites below, where you can literally go in for a half an \n [20:57] hour appointment, take your pictures and change your outfit a few times. \n [21:01] and then you'll spend about a half an hour picking out your pictures and it costs 50 euros. \n [21:05] so it's really decent. \n [21:07] i think you get anywhere between two and 11 pictures, depending on the package that you buy. \n [21:10] and two pictures is totally enough. \n [21:12] and then you have that for all your applications and you can put it across all of your social \n [21:15] media profiles, too, so that matches. \n [21:17] now, some of you might be thinking, whoa, i don't want to put my picture on there because \n [21:23] we don't do that in the us, right? \n [21:24] and in fact, there's a lot of really good reasons why we don't. \n [21:28] if you don't want to adhere to this part of the application culture that is relatively \n [21:34] standard, you don't have to. \n [21:36] so within the general act on equal treatment, your application picture, age, place of birth \n [21:41] and marital status are completely voluntary. \n [21:44] so you do not technically have to include this. \n [21:48] i just highly recommend that you do because there will be other people, especially if you're \n [21:51] applying to an open advertisement, who will be applying with applications with their pictures \n [21:57] on it. \n [21:57] so that's something to keep in mind. \n [22:00] and i'm happy to answer any other questions or concerns you may have about that aspect, because \n [22:04] i know that tends to be something that people sometimes freak out a little bit about. \n [22:09] all right. \n [22:10] personal information. \n [22:12] so i'm a huge fan of don't give them any more information than they need. \n [22:16] so on the previous slide, i mentioned that not only is the application picture technically \n [22:21] not required, but neither is like marital status or place of birth. \n [22:26] you will find examples, though, where people put that on there. \n [22:29] however, the very basic information that you need to include is your address. \n [22:34] and you can even just put your location if you don't feel comfortable putting your address \n [22:38] on there, your phone number, your email. \n [22:41] make sure you're thinking professional about your email. \n [22:43] you may even want to just open up a tonline.de account to have a german email address. \n [22:48] that's perfectly fine to do, too. \n [22:50] and then your linkedin saying or your personal website or personal portfolio or your github, \n [22:55] depending on which field you're in. \n [22:56] ok, just make sure the url for linkedin and sing is personalized. \n [23:01] you're deleting those numbers at the end. \n [23:03] and i talk about that in both the linkedin and the sing trainings and hyperlinked. \n [23:08] that's a bare minimum. \n [23:10] now, of course, you can provide more information. \n [23:12] you can provide your u.s. nationality. \n [23:16] you can provide your place of birth. \n [23:17] you can provide your birth date, whether or not you're married. \n [23:20] you can you can put your religion, your political affiliation on there. \n [23:23] i've seen all the things. \n [23:24] and sometimes religion and political affiliation are needed because of the organizations that \n [23:28] people are applying at or they're wanted as things that people put on their application. \n [23:32] however, it would be very uncommon for that to be something that's included in just a \n [23:36] run of the mill like marketing internship application. \n [23:38] so technically, you can go wild. \n [23:41] if something here is really important for you to include, i don't see why not. \n [23:44] if you have any questions, though, about that or if it really would make sense, the german \n [23:48] context to include certain personal information, please just reach out to me or your cdyx \n [23:53] coordinators. \n [23:55] all right. \n [23:55] and then after your name and your personal information, you'll find your summary. \n [24:01] so there's actually two things here that i want you to look at. \n [24:03] yes, you're seeing underneath the name headline optional. \n [24:06] you can basically choose to do a headline or summary or neither or both. \n [24:12] i'm just giving you some different options here. \n [24:13] they're great ways to integrate keywords, both of the headline and the summary. \n [24:17] but really, you have to think about what your goals are with the application. \n [24:20] i think, and this would be my personal opinion for cdyxers, that it makes the most sense for \n [24:26] you all to include a short summary. \n [24:29] and i actually am providing you with how i would structure it. \n [24:32] so i would make some reference to cdyx and then a reference to your previous education \n [24:37] and experience and then a reference to what internship you're looking at and in which \n [24:40] company. \n [24:40] ok, so it's very clear from the beginning who you are, what background you have and what \n [24:46] you're looking for. \n [24:47] i think for cdyxers, that makes a lot of sense. \n [24:50] whether or not you go with a headline is totally up to you and if that makes sense for what you're \n [24:54] going to be doing. \n [24:55] but backing up here for a second, a headline is more or less like project manager or instructional \n [25:02] designer. \n [25:02] it's basically the professional title that you would carry. \n [25:08] and that helps keyword optimization, but it also helps the person reading your application \n [25:11] understand how do you understand yourself as a professional. \n [25:16] and then we have professional profile summaries and objectives. \n [25:19] a professional profile or a summary is they're very similar, but basically they're going to \n [25:24] summarize what it is that you are about as a professional, what you've done and where \n [25:29] you're looking to go. \n [25:30] and the objective is very similar in that it's going to also summarize you and your background, \n [25:35] but it's then going to put a very specific emphasis on what you are now trying to achieve. \n [25:39] are you trying to get an internship? \n [25:40] are you trying to move into a different field, et cetera? \n [25:43] for the longest time, this was not a thing in germany, neither the headlines nor this profile \n [25:48] summary objective. \n [25:49] we've really seen this kind of come across in the last five years or so, but it goes through \n [25:54] being trendy, not trendy. \n [25:55] all right. \n [25:56] the idea behind this and the reason why i think it got so popular is it's really great. \n [26:00] to provide the generalist viewer with kind of a basic idea of who you are as a person. \n [26:07] so maybe let's think about the hr representative or the local recruiter or whatever it may be, \n [26:13] who maybe doesn't know the technical details of what you do. \n [26:16] and then the specialist who's reading your application can look at like the very detailed \n [26:20] bullet points to understand what your background is. \n [26:22] so that's where this helps. \n [26:24] but i think for cbyxers in particular, it's going to be really helpful just to make sure \n [26:29] that every single one of your application materials has a cbyx reference and where it's really \n [26:33] clear that you're looking for a six-month internship during the internship phase. \n [26:38] the length of this should be really no longer than five sentences maximum. \n [26:42] and if you choose to go with a different structure, what you could also consider doing is like an \n [26:49] elevator pitch style, what you're currently doing, what you did previously, and what you're \n [26:53] looking to do next. \n [26:54] just some things to think about there when it comes to the professional summary. \n [26:58] and if you don't want to include it, you can just delete that part out of the resume \n [27:01] and move right on to the next section. \n [27:03] that's fine, too. \n [27:04] and the next section is education. \n [27:07] so you're seeing here on the right-hand side of the screen an example from the template. \n [27:11] you're going to start with your cbyx description of the university that you're at. \n [27:15] then wherever you got your bachelor's degree and your high school diploma. \n [27:18] you're not going to include elementary school or middle school, not even if your german host \n [27:23] grandma tells you that you should do that. \n [27:25] because we used to do that in germany, but we don't do that anymore. \n [27:28] and make sure that you're naming everything in a very consistent manner. \n [27:31] so if you have one thing that's called bachelor of science and the next thing is called ms, \n [27:35] try to put them all either in the abbreviated form or in the longhand form. \n [27:40] don't worry too much about grades and test scores. \n [27:42] and if you do want to include them, then you're going to have to provide a translation into \n [27:46] the german context. \n [27:47] i will provide a link to a resource called anabin, which helps you translate grades across \n [27:53] different school systems and university systems with the german system. \n [27:56] so you can provide that printout in your attachments. \n [27:59] if you do want to include grades or test scores, however, i normally tell people to just stay \n [28:04] away from putting that on their resume. \n [28:06] you can include those things in your attachments. \n [28:10] then don't get crazy here with scholarships. \n [28:13] if you have important scholarships, like i mentioned earlier, go ahead and include them, \n [28:17] but they should really be things that are google-able. \n [28:21] majors, minors, theses, coursework, extracurriculars. \n [28:24] here you can go quite crazy. \n [28:25] with these, that's perfectly fine. \n [28:27] i show you an example here in the second entry under name of degree in a subject area. \n [28:31] you have a line for thesis, for relevant coursework, for extracurriculars or study abroad. \n [28:36] it's fine to include those. \n [28:38] and the best thing to do is just include it under the degree program or activity to which \n [28:43] it corresponds. \n [28:44] so you wouldn't have an extra entry for study abroad, right? \n [28:47] you would just include that underneath there. \n [28:49] and if you want to include extra dates, you can add those in on the left-hand side. \n [28:52] that's not a problem. \n [28:53] otherwise, you can include them after study abroad, spain, and then you can put in parentheses \n [28:58] september to december 2014 or whatever it was. \n [29:01] if you have other types of education, when you're looking at this and you're like, i did \n [29:05] an apprenticeship or i did a training course or something, the same formatting goes for \n [29:10] that. \n [29:11] and you should be able to work with the basic template here for that. \n [29:14] if you have questions, though, maybe your educational background is a bit more complicated. \n [29:20] maybe you went to 10 different universities like i did, whatever it may be. \n [29:25] please reach out and i can help you on a case-by-case basis, troubleshoot what that might look like \n [29:29] on your resume. \n [29:33] experience. \n [29:34] so with experience, when you name positions, try to do so in a way that is consistent and clear \n [29:40] to german. \n [29:42] so i do recommend you bounce your position names off of your host family members. \n [29:47] you may need to provide a little bit of a kind of germanized translation, not necessarily \n [29:51] into german, but something that's a little bit simpler if you had some type of complicated \n [29:55] position name. \n [29:56] your first position should be your cdyx description. \n [29:59] and there i will link below to the ppp description advice that they have. \n [30:04] so you can use that unadapted for your purposes. \n [30:07] then you can choose if you want to include an optional one or two line description of the \n [30:14] company or the project, plus your bullet points. \n [30:16] you can also, like i showed you in the formatting examples, just write sentences or you can just \n [30:20] write bullet points. \n [30:21] it's not as common just to write sentences, though i have seen that, but it is quite common \n [30:26] just to have bullet points and not to have a description. \n [30:28] so you can really choose what makes the most sense for you there. \n [30:30] but whatever you do with your bullet points, make sure that they are in the atara format \n [30:35] and make sure that you at least include some type of description of what you did or accomplished \n [30:40] at each of the companies. \n [30:42] it's no longer the case that you're just listing the position and the name of the company. \n [30:47] you will see that on older examples, but that is definitely not the case anymore. \n [30:53] if it's important, you can include the type of employment and you can basically do that \n [30:57] after the position title. \n [30:59] so if you want to include that it was freelance or self-employment or contract, that's perfectly \n [31:04] fine. \n [31:04] otherwise, you don't necessarily need to do that. \n [31:08] then, and i mentioned this before, expect and prepare to write less text and bullet points \n [31:15] than in a u.s. resume. \n [31:16] your bullet point should be super short and to the point and will want to have less bullet \n [31:21] points that are more to the point than more bullet points that are just blah, blah, blah. \n [31:25] okay. \n [31:25] so it's not uncommon looking at the example here to have a bullet point that's so short \n [31:30] it doesn't even go on to the next line. \n [31:32] another thing to watch out for here is in the u.s. \n [31:34] everything is quantified. \n [31:35] i also was redoing it in the u.s. format and the person who was looking over my resume was \n [31:40] like, you need to quantify this and quantify that. \n [31:42] and in the german context, you definitely don't want to go overboard with that because it can \n [31:46] come across as arrogant. \n [31:47] unless you're working in finance or sales where it's very kpi driven, i don't want \n [31:54] to see, and even in those cases, you have to be careful. \n [31:57] but otherwise, i don't want to see too much quantification. \n [32:00] so per entry, you shouldn't have more than two quantified bullet points. \n [32:06] and then international experience. \n [32:07] sometimes people will list that separately. \n [32:09] your international experience, whether you did an internship abroad or you were an outpair, \n [32:14] you're just going to integrate that into your experience section. \n [32:16] and it doesn't get its own section. \n [32:18] you'll include the city and the country. \n [32:20] and so that will tell them enough that you did that while you were abroad. \n [32:23] importantly here too, now that i'm seeing this, don't put the state abbreviation. \n [32:28] germans will not necessarily know what that means. \n [32:31] so just include the city and the country. \n [32:35] and for those of you who are going to be running your resume in german, i recommend for \n [32:39] your bullet points, you use the combination plus von. \n [32:41] that tends to be the easiest way to put together your bullet points, especially if you're just \n [32:51] starting out with learning german or it's the first time you were put together a resume \n [32:54] in german. \n [32:57] when it comes to your language skills, there's a very simple way of putting this together. \n [33:02] we have the language, the level, and then a description and sometimes an optional test \n [33:06] score. \n [33:07] so you're seeing here before and after, and i will link to a very comprehensive blog post \n [33:11] below about how to represent your language skills, how to figure out what your language \n [33:15] level is if you don't know it. \n [33:17] the basic thing here is start with your native language. \n [33:20] then you'll list your languages from what you can do the best to what you can do the least \n [33:24] best. \n [33:25] and then you'll always put not only a description, but also the actual cefr level, the a1, a2, \n [33:32] et cetera. \n [33:32] all of the information you need to know about listing language skills will be provided in \n [33:37] the blog post. \n [33:38] i'll link to that below for you. \n [33:41] all right. \n [33:41] and then we have it skills here. \n [33:43] similar to language skills, you're going to list the skill, you're going to list the level, \n [33:45] and you're going to list the description. \n [33:47] this is because we want to be very clear about where you're at with your different skills. \n [33:50] here you're seeing a list of language skills, it skills, social media skills. \n [33:54] for each of them, the language skills we already talked about, but for the it skills, we're \n [33:57] going to have intermediate, advanced, beginner. \n [33:59] same thing for social media skills, or maybe you have like instructional design skills or \n [34:04] whatever it may be. \n [34:05] you're going to put the actual level so that the employer is aware of what you are able \n [34:09] to do with each of those skills. \n [34:11] again, for it skills, i've written up a very comprehensive article on how to present them, \n [34:16] including the different scalas for beginner, advanced, beginner, intermediate, high. \n [34:21] so i will link to that in the additional resources for you. \n [34:25] here's the example that you'll find in the template. \n [34:28] so i provide language skills, it skills, and then i provide a section called subject skills. \n [34:34] you'll need to rename that to whatever you need to rename it to. \n [34:37] i just wanted to point out here, this is also a great place to put in any certificates that \n [34:41] you may have if it corresponds to a skill. \n [34:43] so if you did a teaching certificate in instructional design, instead of putting together a different \n [34:48] category for certificates, which can get a bit busy on your resume, just incorporate that \n [34:53] into your skills section. \n [34:54] then we have projects and publications. \n [34:56] so publications will be listed in apa or nla format. \n [35:00] that's pretty clear and straight to the point. \n [35:02] and i know many of you are not quite to that point yet either. \n [35:04] so that's why i don't provide a lot of examples about that. \n [35:06] but projects are important. \n [35:08] so projects can be anything from an end of semester paper to a project you did with a \n [35:14] company in one of your classes to a side project you did when you programmed someone's \n [35:18] website. \n [35:19] anything that showcases your experiences can be listed as a project. \n [35:23] unpaid, paid, personal, professional. \n [35:26] it should be related to work, but it could also just be something that you did on the \n [35:29] side. \n [35:29] so i'm thinking of those of you who are working in like it or something similar. \n [35:32] you might be doing side projects or sometimes engineers are building like something on the \n [35:37] side and then they list that in there too. \n [35:39] that's perfectly fine. \n [35:40] so use that space in order to describe it. \n [35:42] i only have a line and description of the project, but of course, if you want, you can include \n [35:46] bullet points as well. \n [35:47] this is also a really great section to incorporate if you don't have a lot of work experience. \n [35:55] hobbies and interests. \n [35:56] you do not have to include hobbies and interests if you don't want to, but it is common that \n [36:00] we do so in germany. \n [36:03] and for this, i recommend you choose three to five hobbies or interests and you make them \n [36:08] unique. \n [36:09] what i mean by that is you don't have to make up your hobbies or interests, obviously, but \n [36:14] you'll want to choose the ones that will make you stand out. \n [36:17] so if your hobbies and interests are like mine, which is reading, running, listening \n [36:21] to music, doing home fitness videos, just like very basic things. \n [36:27] i don't put my hobbies and interests on there because they're just basic. \n [36:30] they don't really make me stand apart. \n [36:32] but i've seen some people have like classical indian dance or making brazilian cheese balls \n [36:38] for my brother's company or whatever. \n [36:41] like just really interesting things that you will remember that person then because you \n [36:45] remember their hobbies and interests. \n [36:47] if that's something that you like and that you're open to adding, then definitely go for \n [36:51] it. \n [36:51] choose three to five different hobbies or interests to list. \n [36:54] and i have them here with just a bullet point in between to save space more or less. \n [36:59] and if you don't want to include hobbies and interests because you have boring hobbies like \n [37:02] me, but you don't need to. \n [37:04] you can just delete that section. \n [37:06] ok, the only other thing i would say here is hobbies and interests is when you are thinking \n [37:12] about hobbies. \n [37:14] it can be helpful to think about how they are perceived in germany. \n [37:19] so that's another point at which you'll want to ask your mentor or your host family if \n [37:23] you're unsure. \n [37:25] so golfing is one of them that was surprising to me in the u.s. \n [37:29] golfing is actually quite approachable for people from different social classes, at least in many \n [37:35] parts of the country. \n [37:37] and i didn't see it as something that necessarily, obviously, there's a certain type of class \n [37:41] connotation to it, but it's also something that a bunch of us from rural wisconsin can \n [37:47] go and do. \n [37:48] right. \n [37:48] so i didn't see that as an issue, but i learned that has a very specific cultural and class \n [37:54] connotation in the german context. \n [37:55] and so i wouldn't include something like that on my hobbies and interests. \n [37:59] same thing for things that might be more widely accepted in the u.s. \n [38:04] so another example that i saw, i think that was actually from a cbyx or two, was pole dance. \n [38:10] so pole dance is considered a sport in the u.s. \n [38:14] and that's all good and fine. \n [38:16] in germany, it's definitely still at that state where it's considered erotic dance. \n [38:21] right. \n [38:21] and so you wouldn't want to have that on your resume. \n [38:24] so just be careful with certain hobbies and interests if you choose to put them on your \n [38:29] resume, consider how they might translate to the german context or how they might be perceived. \n [38:34] if you're unsure, talk to your mentor or cbyx coordinators, your host family, or reach \n [38:39] out to me and i can give you a general idea of yes or no, definitely not. \n [38:44] and then this formatting, you can copy and paste and you can also use it to list memberships \n [38:49] or different affiliations if you'd want to do that. \n [38:51] or for anything else that you want to just list things, maybe even just put like top \n [38:56] skills and you want to list them that way, too, or top accomplishments. \n [38:59] that's fine. \n [39:00] it's basically just to have a category, but in a way that saves space. \n [39:04] so we're not listing those things one after another. \n [39:08] all right. \n [39:08] and then you already saw the next part, which is the location, date and signature. \n [39:12] so your end point in your resume is going to be dating and signing your resume. \n [39:18] yes, this is still necessary and people like to see this. \n [39:22] and what it means when you sign the resume is that you're certifying that the information \n [39:25] you're providing on the resume is the most accurate to the best of your knowledge and \n [39:30] ability to put it together. \n [39:31] and so you'll put this on the right-hand side. \n [39:35] some people sign left-hand side, doesn't really matter, but i prefer the right-hand side. \n [39:38] you'll put augsburg, october 5th, 2023, and then you will sign it below. \n [39:45] and basically, for both your resume and your cover letter, you need to make sure that you're \n [39:49] putting the same location and date and signature. \n [39:53] and the signature, you can just sign a piece of paper and then you can take a picture of \n [39:58] it. \n [39:58] you can go to powerpoint and you can remove the background and voila, you'll have your \n [40:02] signature that you can just use across all of your times. \n [40:05] all right. \n [40:05] so you'll match it with your cover letter as well. \n [40:09] so i'm going to just cover briefly here because sometimes this comes up with the resume \n [40:12] recommendations. \n [40:13] sometimes people want to list them. \n [40:14] i spoke a little bit earlier about work certificates and how we've historically used them in this \n [40:19] country. \n [40:19] and right now we're seeing references starting to trend a little bit. \n [40:24] i have a whole lesson on work certificates that will be part of this module. \n [40:27] so you can check that out for further information. \n [40:30] the bottom line here is that you don't need to list recommendations or references on your \n [40:35] resume. \n [40:36] so don't include like quotes from people of how great you are or list their personal contact \n [40:41] information. \n [40:42] that would actually be probably quite strange for most german employers because it's also \n [40:45] it's just a very private piece of information to be handing out to employers about somebody \n [40:50] else. \n [40:51] so don't include that. \n [40:52] however, of course, if they ask for it or if they say in the job description that they're \n [40:56] going to want to talk to your previous employers and you might want to preemptively \n [40:59] include that information. \n [41:00] however, i do recommend if they ask for it, that you just provide a separate piece of \n [41:05] paper in the attachments with your references. \n [41:08] if that's the case for any of you, you can reach out to me and i can show you also how \n [41:12] that looks. \n [41:12] that's probably not going to be the case for the vast majority of you, though. \n [41:15] if you're applying in academia, however, and is a little bit different than in kind of \n [41:20] the broader economy. \n [41:21] so you will normally want to include maybe a recommendation letter or two if you have \n [41:26] one, if you don't worry about it. \n [41:28] and then, of course, there's a lot of other additional sections. \n [41:30] so i showed you this screenshot you're seeing here on the right hand side has all the other \n [41:35] different section heading title options in german and english. \n [41:38] so you can put things on like further training, continuing education, your apprenticeship, volunteer \n [41:43] experience. \n [41:44] maybe some of you spent some time in the military, whatever it may be. \n [41:48] be careful with the scholarships and awards one. \n [41:50] sometimes that makes sense for people, but be careful with that one. \n [41:53] otherwise, just go through these and see if any of them makes sense for you. \n [41:56] but you'll be able to tell once you've put together your master templates if you need extra \n [42:01] sections or separate sections or not. \n [42:03] however, my main piece of advice is less is more. \n [42:06] so if you can put things into an education experience or skills section, please do instead \n [42:12] of creating a brand new section because we just want to keep things as streamlined as \n [42:16] possible. \n [42:17] all right. \n [42:17] and then finally, step three. \n [42:18] so once you've gone through making your master template, then you've gone section by section \n [42:22] through your resume. \n [42:23] and now you're at the point where you're just putting kind of the fine schliff or the \n [42:26] details on it. \n [42:27] you'll want to go back and look at are the sections ordered correctly? \n [42:31] is everything in a purposeful hierarchy? \n [42:32] look at the structure. \n [42:33] then look at the design again. \n [42:34] you may decide, i don't like the modern style. \n [42:38] i'm actually going to move everything over to a traditional style because it's better for \n [42:41] my content that i need to present. \n [42:43] formatting. \n [42:44] does everything align and are the small aspects consistent as well? \n [42:48] and then the final step is show this to one to three other people to review your resume. \n [42:53] host, family member, your mentor, a german friend or family member. \n [42:57] you can obviously also show it to your american friends and family as well if you're doing this \n [43:00] in english. \n [43:03] all right. \n [43:03] it's best to stick to basic german standards when it comes to your resume. \n [43:09] include the sections education, experience, and skills at the bare minimum, and pay attention \n [43:14] to consistent structure, formatting, and design. \n [43:16] try one or both of the provided options to get started. \n [43:19] get started. \n [43:21] turn. "}, {"id": "L4-2", "key": "864692415", "vid": "864692415", "title": "Cover Letters, Motivation Letters, and Emails to Employers", "module": "Module #4: Creating an Application that impresses German Employers", "mi": 4, "li": 2, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/cover-letters-motivation-letters-and-emails-to-employers", "tldr": "", "summary": "
\ud83d\udcdd No written summary for this lesson yet - only the video has been archived so far.
", "md": "", "res": [["edit", "https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KXvdYNr3JsNLn9QeWT0BSRIkX5qMkl5M/edit?ouid=106566947846218448774&rtpof=true&sd=true&usp=sharing"], ["edit", "https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f237iQelbasNvTUZOEUzIPmZao851QcIuY8DPmc-0F4/edit?usp=sharing"]], "transcript": "
No transcript for this lesson’s video yet - it is still being transcribed.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/864692415?h=d113d79dec", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/864692415.mp4", "search": "cover letters, motivation letters, and emails to employers module #4: creating an application that impresses german employers \ud83d\udcdd no written summary for this lesson yet - only the video has been archived so far. no transcript for this lesson’s video yet - it is still being transcribed. "}, {"id": "L4-3", "key": "864696047", "vid": "864696047", "title": "Attachments, Certificates, and References", "module": "Module #4: Creating an Application that impresses German Employers", "mi": 4, "li": 3, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/attachments-certificates-and-references", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
    \n
  1. Every resume claim needs a certificate - German applications are trust documents, not marketing documents.
    2. \n
  2. Arbeitszeugnisse replace reference calls - performance is graded in writing, in a coded language; learn to decode it.
    3. \n
  3. Write your own certificate and let the employer sign it - the DIY template converts US experience into a German-recognizable format.
    4. \n
  4. Prioritize ruthlessly - attachments are the last mile; a submitted application with standard documents beats a stalled one waiting for certificates.
    5. \n
", "summary": "

Attachments, Certificates, and References

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Module: Module #4 - Create (Application Documents)

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Lesson URL: https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/attachments-certificates-and-references

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Overview

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Lesson on the third part of a German application: the attachments section (Anlagen). Covers certificate types, the German work certificate (Arbeitszeugnis) used in lieu of US-style reference calls, what CBYXers must include, and a do-it-yourself template for getting German-style work certificates from American employers.

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Key Points

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Frameworks & Templates

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German Phrases / Vocab

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Resources

\n", "md": "# Attachments, Certificates, and References\n\n**Module:** Module #4 - Create (Application Documents)\n**Lesson URL:** https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/attachments-certificates-and-references\n\n## Overview\nLesson on the third part of a German application: the attachments section (Anlagen). Covers certificate types, the German work certificate (Arbeitszeugnis) used in lieu of US-style reference calls, what CBYXers must include, and a do-it-yourself template for getting German-style work certificates from American employers.\n\n## Key Points\n- [00:10] German applications end with an attachments section. Types: school certificates, university diplomas, internship certificates, exam certificates, employment/work certificates (most important), and course/skill/training certificates.\n- [00:34] Core principle: provide a certificate for every resume entry - proving the resume is a truthful depiction of skills and accomplishments.\n- [01:05] CBYX-specific must-include attachments: resume, cover letter, optional letters of recommendation, the Cultural Vistas **certificate of participation**, the **Praxisvordruck** (internship form), and the **Arbeitgeberprofil** (employer information).\n- [01:25] Guidance on how to select, order, and present attachments is in a linked article; optional extras include copies of school/university documents.\n- [02:03] **Work certificates (Arbeitszeugnisse)** replace US reference calls: they state how long you worked, your position, tasks/responsibilities - AND how well you did the job.\n- [02:38] Work certificates contain a \"secret language\" - positive-sounding wording with hidden negative meaning; there are basic and qualified types.\n- [03:22] Deep-dive article (co-written with Career Coach M\u00fcnchen, a company specializing in reviewing work certificates) covers decoding performance phrases, challenges, and getting certificates from international employers.\n- [04:02] A DIY template is provided: fill it with your own information, send to former US employers to put on letterhead, sign and date - now you have German-style work certificates.\n- [04:42] Priority warning: don't make certificates your top task - only do it if employers are reachable and the relationship is good. Otherwise include what you have: Cultural Vistas certificate, transcripts, diplomas, training certificates.\n- [05:47] **Quotes & Connect (application package):** brief email (if applicable) + resume + cover letter + Cultural Vistas certificate of participation + attachments.\n- [06:14] Hausaufgaben (Module 4): develop your resume; draft 2-5 cover letters for positions you feel most connected to; organize/obtain references and certificates; begin submitting applications using Module 1-2 strategies.\n\n## Frameworks & Templates\n- **German application structure (three parts):** (1) brief email/cover note, (2) resume + cover letter, (3) attachments/Anlagen - certificates backing every resume entry.\n- **CBYX attachment checklist:** resume, cover letter, Cultural Vistas certificate of participation, Praxisvordruck (internship plan form), Arbeitgeberprofil (employer info), plus optional recommendation letters, transcripts, diplomas, skill certificates.\n- **DIY Arbeitszeugnis workflow:** use the provided template \u2192 fill in position, dates, tasks, performance \u2192 send to former US employer \u2192 employer prints on company letterhead, signs, dates \u2192 include in German applications.\n- **Prioritization rule:** work certificates are a nice-to-have; if getting them is complicated, ship the application with what you have and keep moving on resume/cover letters.\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- **Anlagen** - attachments (the third part of a German application).\n- **Arbeitszeugnis / Arbeitszeugnisse** - work certificate(s): description of role, tasks, AND performance quality; replaces US reference calls.\n- **Einfaches / qualifiziertes Arbeitszeugnis** - basic vs. qualified work certificate (the qualified one includes performance evaluation).\n- **Praxisvordruck** - the CBYX internship plan/form.\n- **Arbeitgeberprofil** - employer profile/information document.\n- **Bescheinigung** - certificate/confirmation document.\n- **Hausaufgaben** - homework/assignments.\n\n## Resources\n- Article: importance of attachments in German applications - selection, ordering, presentation, accuracy.\n- Article (with Career Coach M\u00fcnchen): A-to-Z of Arbeitszeugnisse for internationals - decoding coded phrases, basic vs. qualified types, getting certificates from international employers.\n- Downloadable work-certificate template (for American employers to sign on letterhead).\n\n## Key Takeaways\n1. **Every resume claim needs a certificate** - German applications are trust documents, not marketing documents.\n2. **Arbeitszeugnisse replace reference calls** - performance is graded in writing, in a coded language; learn to decode it.\n3. **Write your own certificate and let the employer sign it** - the DIY template converts US experience into a German-recognizable format.\n4. **Prioritize ruthlessly** - attachments are the last mile; a submitted application with standard documents beats a stalled one waiting for certificates.\n", "res": [["notenumrechnung-usa-de.pdf", "templates/notenumrechnung-usa-de.pdf"]], "transcript": "
[00:00]All right, let's now turn to talk about the last part of an application in Germany.
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[00:04]This is the attachment certificates or references that you might be familiar with in the U.S. context.
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[00:10]In Germany, it is common to provide a section of attachments at the end of your application, and there are several types of attachments that might be required.
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[00:20]These include school certificates, university diplomas, internship certificates, exam certificates, employment and work certificates.
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[00:28]Those tend to be the most important.
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[00:31]And then any types of course, skill or training certificates.
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[00:34]The basic idea is to provide a certificate for every credential or entry on your resume to basically certify that with what you put on your resume is really truthful and an accurate depiction of your skills, experiences and accomplishments.
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[00:49]Now, for you CDYXers, it's not going to be as critical that you go out and get a bunch of different certificates from previous employers.
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[00:56]I want to give you a bird's eye overview of what's normally expected.
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[00:59]I'm going to also link to some resources that are important.
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[01:02]But what you need to be aware of are the following.
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[01:05]This is also in your handbook.
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[01:06]But basically, when you're applying, and CDYX tells you this too, you'll have your resume, your cover letter, any letters of recommendation if you want to include them.
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[01:14]And then importantly, your cultural visa's certificate of participation, as well as the Praxisvormblatt and the employer information, the Arbeitgeber Partid.
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[01:22]So those are going to be attachments that you are definitely including.
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[01:25]Now, some of you may have other attachments that you want to include.
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[01:29]And so for this reason, I put together an article that you can reference below this video in which I talk about the importance of attachments and applications in Germany, how to select and order them, how to present them in a job application, and basically what it means to ensure accuracy with the attachments and kind of just prepare this in general.
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[01:49]All right.
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[01:50]So that will give you a general idea of how to put together your attachments if you do want to include, for example, copies of your school and university documents.
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[01:57]And then one of the main attachments that's really important is the work certificate.
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[02:03]So a work certificate is what is used in lieu of a recommendation or a phone call to a former employer like you are probably familiar with in the U.S.
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[02:13]Instead, in Germany, we have traditionally or historically worked with work certificates.
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[02:17]So they're called Arbeitszeugnisse or an Arbeitszeugnis in German.
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[02:21]And basically what this is, a description not only of how long you worked for the company, what your position was, what your tasks and responsibilities were, but it also is a description of how well you did your job.
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[02:34]And there's actually a secret language that's built into this work certificate.
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[02:38]Now, much of this is not going to be super important for you because to get an internship in Germany, especially considering the CDOX program context, you're not going to need to worry too much about these work certificates.
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[02:49]However, again, here I've created an article, actually one of the most read blog posts on my website, all about work certificates.
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[02:59]And it's super detailed.
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[03:00]And I did it actually in collaboration with Career Coach M\u00fcnchen or Career Coach Munich, which is a company that specializes in reviewing work certificates.
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[03:10]And so we wrote this together, and it's basically A to Z of what internationals need to know about work certificates.
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[03:16]So why it's critical, the importance of it, what's the goal of it, issues and challenges with it.
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[03:22]So if the employer writes something in a nice tone, but it actually has a negative meaning about you, what do you do?
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[03:29]The different types, there's a basic type of work certificate and then a qualified type.
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[03:33]What one should, what should you include in it and then decoding these kind of typical phrases that are used to evaluate performance.
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[03:40]So it provides some information in there about it and then how to get work certificates from international employers.
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[03:47]All right.
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[03:47]So that's all really spelled out there for you in the article that I'll link to below this video.
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[03:51]But importantly, there's also an extra guide, which I will also link to for you.
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[03:56]So you don't have to go to the website and download it in the article.
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[03:58]You'll see it in the article, but you don't need to download it.
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[04:00]I'll just include it in this video below for you.
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[04:02]And so if you do have time or you are thinking of Germany long term or you just want to be able to include this because it's important to you or because it's really easy for you to get your work certificates from your past, like free internships.
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[04:15]Then I actually have designed a guide in which I have a template here and you're seeing this up on the screen for a work certificate that you can basically fill out with your own information and then send to the employers that you've had, have them put it on their letterhead, sign it and deed it.
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[04:32]And then voila, you have your own work certificates from your American employers.
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[04:35]So this is, again, you have a lot of things to consider and to be working on.
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[04:42]Don't make this your priority.
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[04:43]But if it is simple enough for you, if you've had three different employment experiences, you're still in good contact with your employers or with the managers that you have, then go ahead and go through the article, look at the guide, write up basic certificates for yourself and send it to your employers.
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[04:58]And while they're working on that and doing that for you, then you can keep moving forward with your resume and your cover letter.
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[05:04]Maybe you don't have a good relationship to your former employers or it's just for whatever reason going to be really complicated for you to get these work certificates.
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[05:12]Don't worry about it.
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[05:13]Include the things that you do have from Cultural Vista.
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[05:16]If you do have copies of your high school transcript of diploma and you can include that and then you can include your university transcripts and diploma as well as any other type of documentation you do have access to.
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[05:26]If you did a training program or if you did a skills course or something.
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[05:30]Okay.
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[05:31]So just know that this is a thing that it exists, that you're going to see this in applications that they say like any relevant attachments or any relevant documents.
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[05:40]And that's what they're referring to here.
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[05:42]All of these certificates that are normally included in the third part of the application.
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[05:47]Quotes and connect.
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[05:48]When you submit your applications, include the following.
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[05:51]The brief email, if applicable.
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[05:52]Resume, cover letter, Cultural Visa, Certificate of Participation.
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[05:56]And that brings us to the end of Module 4, Create.
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[06:13]And here are your House of Gun.
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[06:14]Of course, develop your resume.
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[06:16]Draft cover letters for the positions you feel most connected to or interested in.
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[06:20]Choose between 2 to 5 to start with.
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[06:22]Organize and or obtain your references and certificates.
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[06:26]And begin submitting your applications.
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[06:28]So this is the point in time in which you put together your applications and get all of your documents in order.
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[06:33]And you can begin applying using the strategies that we talked about in Modules 1 and 2.
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[06:38]Good luck.
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[06:39]Good luck.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/864696047?h=58546361d0", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/864696047.mp4", "search": "attachments, certificates, and references module #4: creating an application that impresses german employers key takeaways copy \n every resume claim needs a certificate - german applications are trust documents, not marketing documents. \n arbeitszeugnisse replace reference calls - performance is graded in writing, in a coded language; learn to decode it. \n write your own certificate and let the employer sign it - the diy template converts us experience into a german-recognizable format. \n prioritize ruthlessly - attachments are the last mile; a submitted application with standard documents beats a stalled one waiting for certificates. \n attachments, certificates, and references \n module: module #4 - create (application documents) \n lesson url: https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/attachments-certificates-and-references \n overview \n lesson on the third part of a german application: the attachments section (anlagen). covers certificate types, the german work certificate (arbeitszeugnis) used in lieu of us-style reference calls, what cbyxers must include, and a do-it-yourself template for getting german-style work certificates from american employers. \n key points \n \n [00:10] german applications end with an attachments section. types: school certificates, university diplomas, internship certificates, exam certificates, employment/work certificates (most important), and course/skill/training certificates. \n [00:34] core principle: provide a certificate for every resume entry - proving the resume is a truthful depiction of skills and accomplishments. \n [01:05] cbyx-specific must-include attachments: resume, cover letter, optional letters of recommendation, the cultural vistas certificate of participation , the praxisvordruck (internship form), and the arbeitgeberprofil (employer information). \n [01:25] guidance on how to select, order, and present attachments is in a linked article; optional extras include copies of school/university documents. \n [02:03] work certificates (arbeitszeugnisse) replace us reference calls: they state how long you worked, your position, tasks/responsibilities - and how well you did the job. \n [02:38] work certificates contain a \"secret language\" - positive-sounding wording with hidden negative meaning; there are basic and qualified types. \n [03:22] deep-dive article (co-written with career coach m\u00fcnchen, a company specializing in reviewing work certificates) covers decoding performance phrases, challenges, and getting certificates from international employers. \n [04:02] a diy template is provided: fill it with your own information, send to former us employers to put on letterhead, sign and date - now you have german-style work certificates. \n [04:42] priority warning: don't make certificates your top task - only do it if employers are reachable and the relationship is good. otherwise include what you have: cultural vistas certificate, transcripts, diplomas, training certificates. \n [05:47] quotes & connect (application package): brief email (if applicable) + resume + cover letter + cultural vistas certificate of participation + attachments. \n [06:14] hausaufgaben (module 4): develop your resume; draft 2-5 cover letters for positions you feel most connected to; organize/obtain references and certificates; begin submitting applications using module 1-2 strategies. \n \n frameworks & templates \n \n german application structure (three parts): (1) brief email/cover note, (2) resume + cover letter, (3) attachments/anlagen - certificates backing every resume entry. \n cbyx attachment checklist: resume, cover letter, cultural vistas certificate of participation, praxisvordruck (internship plan form), arbeitgeberprofil (employer info), plus optional recommendation letters, transcripts, diplomas, skill certificates. \n diy arbeitszeugnis workflow: use the provided template \u2192 fill in position, dates, tasks, performance \u2192 send to former us employer \u2192 employer prints on company letterhead, signs, dates \u2192 include in german applications. \n prioritization rule: work certificates are a nice-to-have; if getting them is complicated, ship the application with what you have and keep moving on resume/cover letters. \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n anlagen - attachments (the third part of a german application). \n arbeitszeugnis / arbeitszeugnisse - work certificate(s): description of role, tasks, and performance quality; replaces us reference calls. \n einfaches / qualifiziertes arbeitszeugnis - basic vs. qualified work certificate (the qualified one includes performance evaluation). \n praxisvordruck - the cbyx internship plan/form. \n arbeitgeberprofil - employer profile/information document. \n bescheinigung - certificate/confirmation document. \n hausaufgaben - homework/assignments. \n \n resources \n \n article: importance of attachments in german applications - selection, ordering, presentation, accuracy. \n article (with career coach m\u00fcnchen): a-to-z of arbeitszeugnisse for internationals - decoding coded phrases, basic vs. qualified types, getting certificates from international employers. \n downloadable work-certificate template (for american employers to sign on letterhead). \n [00:00] all right, let's now turn to talk about the last part of an application in germany. \n [00:04] this is the attachment certificates or references that you might be familiar with in the u.s. context. \n [00:10] in germany, it is common to provide a section of attachments at the end of your application, and there are several types of attachments that might be required. \n [00:20] these include school certificates, university diplomas, internship certificates, exam certificates, employment and work certificates. \n [00:28] those tend to be the most important. \n [00:31] and then any types of course, skill or training certificates. \n [00:34] the basic idea is to provide a certificate for every credential or entry on your resume to basically certify that with what you put on your resume is really truthful and an accurate depiction of your skills, experiences and accomplishments. \n [00:49] now, for you cdyxers, it's not going to be as critical that you go out and get a bunch of different certificates from previous employers. \n [00:56] i want to give you a bird's eye overview of what's normally expected. \n [00:59] i'm going to also link to some resources that are important. \n [01:02] but what you need to be aware of are the following. \n [01:05] this is also in your handbook. \n [01:06] but basically, when you're applying, and cdyx tells you this too, you'll have your resume, your cover letter, any letters of recommendation if you want to include them. \n [01:14] and then importantly, your cultural visa's certificate of participation, as well as the praxisvormblatt and the employer information, the arbeitgeber partid. \n [01:22] so those are going to be attachments that you are definitely including. \n [01:25] now, some of you may have other attachments that you want to include. \n [01:29] and so for this reason, i put together an article that you can reference below this video in which i talk about the importance of attachments and applications in germany, how to select and order them, how to present them in a job application, and basically what it means to ensure accuracy with the attachments and kind of just prepare this in general. \n [01:49] all right. \n [01:50] so that will give you a general idea of how to put together your attachments if you do want to include, for example, copies of your school and university documents. \n [01:57] and then one of the main attachments that's really important is the work certificate. \n [02:03] so a work certificate is what is used in lieu of a recommendation or a phone call to a former employer like you are probably familiar with in the u.s. \n [02:13] instead, in germany, we have traditionally or historically worked with work certificates. \n [02:17] so they're called arbeitszeugnisse or an arbeitszeugnis in german. \n [02:21] and basically what this is, a description not only of how long you worked for the company, what your position was, what your tasks and responsibilities were, but it also is a description of how well you did your job. \n [02:34] and there's actually a secret language that's built into this work certificate. \n [02:38] now, much of this is not going to be super important for you because to get an internship in germany, especially considering the cdox program context, you're not going to need to worry too much about these work certificates. \n [02:49] however, again, here i've created an article, actually one of the most read blog posts on my website, all about work certificates. \n [02:59] and it's super detailed. \n [03:00] and i did it actually in collaboration with career coach m\u00fcnchen or career coach munich, which is a company that specializes in reviewing work certificates. \n [03:10] and so we wrote this together, and it's basically a to z of what internationals need to know about work certificates. \n [03:16] so why it's critical, the importance of it, what's the goal of it, issues and challenges with it. \n [03:22] so if the employer writes something in a nice tone, but it actually has a negative meaning about you, what do you do? \n [03:29] the different types, there's a basic type of work certificate and then a qualified type. \n [03:33] what one should, what should you include in it and then decoding these kind of typical phrases that are used to evaluate performance. \n [03:40] so it provides some information in there about it and then how to get work certificates from international employers. \n [03:47] all right. \n [03:47] so that's all really spelled out there for you in the article that i'll link to below this video. \n [03:51] but importantly, there's also an extra guide, which i will also link to for you. \n [03:56] so you don't have to go to the website and download it in the article. \n [03:58] you'll see it in the article, but you don't need to download it. \n [04:00] i'll just include it in this video below for you. \n [04:02] and so if you do have time or you are thinking of germany long term or you just want to be able to include this because it's important to you or because it's really easy for you to get your work certificates from your past, like free internships. \n [04:15] then i actually have designed a guide in which i have a template here and you're seeing this up on the screen for a work certificate that you can basically fill out with your own information and then send to the employers that you've had, have them put it on their letterhead, sign it and deed it. \n [04:32] and then voila, you have your own work certificates from your american employers. \n [04:35] so this is, again, you have a lot of things to consider and to be working on. \n [04:42] don't make this your priority. \n [04:43] but if it is simple enough for you, if you've had three different employment experiences, you're still in good contact with your employers or with the managers that you have, then go ahead and go through the article, look at the guide, write up basic certificates for yourself and send it to your employers. \n [04:58] and while they're working on that and doing that for you, then you can keep moving forward with your resume and your cover letter. \n [05:04] maybe you don't have a good relationship to your former employers or it's just for whatever reason going to be really complicated for you to get these work certificates. \n [05:12] don't worry about it. \n [05:13] include the things that you do have from cultural vista. \n [05:16] if you do have copies of your high school transcript of diploma and you can include that and then you can include your university transcripts and diploma as well as any other type of documentation you do have access to. \n [05:26] if you did a training program or if you did a skills course or something. \n [05:30] okay. \n [05:31] so just know that this is a thing that it exists, that you're going to see this in applications that they say like any relevant attachments or any relevant documents. \n [05:40] and that's what they're referring to here. \n [05:42] all of these certificates that are normally included in the third part of the application. \n [05:47] quotes and connect. \n [05:48] when you submit your applications, include the following. \n [05:51] the brief email, if applicable. \n [05:52] resume, cover letter, cultural visa, certificate of participation. \n [05:56] and that brings us to the end of module 4, create. \n [06:13] and here are your house of gun. \n [06:14] of course, develop your resume. \n [06:16] draft cover letters for the positions you feel most connected to or interested in. \n [06:20] choose between 2 to 5 to start with. \n [06:22] organize and or obtain your references and certificates. \n [06:26] and begin submitting your applications. \n [06:28] so this is the point in time in which you put together your applications and get all of your documents in order. \n [06:33] and you can begin applying using the strategies that we talked about in modules 1 and 2. \n [06:38] good luck. \n [06:39] good luck. "}, {"id": "L5-0", "key": "862720732", "vid": "862720732", "title": "Interviews in Germany", "module": "Module #5: Preparing for the Interview", "mi": 5, "li": 0, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/interviews-in-germany", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
    \n
  1. Master the opener - the past-present-future self-presentation sets the stage and gives you navigational power over the whole interview.
    2. \n
  2. Structure beats rambling - STAR answers signal maturity; most candidates can't structure an answer.
    3. \n
  3. Get the offer before discussing pay - never raise logistics first; it's etiquette, not a trick.
    4. \n
  4. Answer \"Do you know SAP?\" honestly with a learning story - transparency about self-study is a winning move.
    5. \n
  5. You're screening them too - mocking, gossip, and \"you'd be so lucky\" are red flags; the General Equal Treatment Act backs you on no-go questions.
    6. \n
  6. Simple German sentences on modal verbs - don't think in English and translate; they already know you're a foreigner.
    7. \n
", "summary": "

Interviews in Germany

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Module: Module #5 - Preparing for the Interview

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Lesson URL: https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/interviews-in-germany

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Overview

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Core interview-prep lesson covering interview types in Germany, a step-by-step preparation checklist, the five-stage structure of the traditional one-hour German interview, common and behavioral questions, the STAR method, closing strategy and red-flag screening, illegal (no-go) questions, and managing nerves as a foreigner - including \"Ausl\u00e4nderness\" and German-language tactics.

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Key Points

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Frameworks & Templates

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n\n

Resources

\n", "md": "# Interviews in Germany\n\n**Module:** Module #5 - Preparing for the Interview\n**Lesson URL:** https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/interviews-in-germany\n\n## Overview\nCore interview-prep lesson covering interview types in Germany, a step-by-step preparation checklist, the five-stage structure of the traditional one-hour German interview, common and behavioral questions, the STAR method, closing strategy and red-flag screening, illegal (no-go) questions, and managing nerves as a foreigner - including \"Ausl\u00e4nderness\" and German-language tactics.\n\n## Key Points\n- [00:45] German interviews are quite similar to US interviews; the interview is two-sided - sell yourself AND interview them.\n- [01:06] Preparation is the #1 success factor; mock interviewing with 1-2 people is the best practice.\n- [01:31] If a job lists a skill (e.g., Excel for finance), brush it up before the interview.\n- [02:36] Prep step-by-step: identify the interview format (phone/in-person/coffee) \u2192 redo company + position research \u2192 review your own application materials (employers often ask you to walk through your resume) \u2192 brainstorm answers per job-description bullet point \u2192 minimum two practice rounds, ideally one with a German-work-context person \u2192 test tech / plan travel with a time buffer.\n- [06:15] The interview starts with the invitation: reply within 24 hours, check availability (never reschedule), keep replies short and simple, show gratitude.\n- [08:45] Interview types: 20-minute phone call, one-hour traditional, day-long assessment center, creative/task-based formats, video submissions, flash interviews at career fairs.\n- [09:53] Trends: multiple rounds, tricky/situational questions, growing personal branding/individualism (a US import), application videos.\n- [11:05] **Five stages of the one-hour German interview:** (1) arrival & greeting - small talk, drink offer, structure explanation, introductions (2-4 people typical); (2) self-presentation - \"tell us about yourself / why did you apply\"; (3) company presentation (sometimes flipped with stage 2); (4) Q&A - 5-10 questions (broad, situational, task, technical); (5) conclusion - your questions, logistics, next steps.\n- [14:40] The opener \"Tell me about yourself / why this position\" sets the stage for everything - master it.\n- [15:37] **Prepare, present, pause** - Past \u2192 Present \u2192 Future \u2192 Pause. Short and snappy; no life stories, but do sell yourself.\n- [17:12] Common questions are still asked in Germany even when considered redundant in the US - including strengths and weaknesses. Expect \"What is your view of overtime hours?\" (signals they expect overtime) and keep \"What do you do in your free time?\" basic.\n- [19:13] Pre-plan go-to examples for behavioral question categories: conflict, collaboration, struggle, emergency, success, supervision, failure.\n- [19:34] **STAR method:** Situation \u2192 Task \u2192 Action \u2192 Result (with a worked double-booked-room example). Structured answers alone put you ahead.\n- [20:46] Closing: don't raise logistics (pay!) unless they do - get the offer first. Ask about their challenges, internship goals, strategic plan, and \"what makes someone great as an intern here.\"\n- [21:41] Pro tips: bring visual proof (iPad project, brochure); for missing skills, honestly describe self-study (\"I haven't used SAP yet but I've been watching YouTube tutorials\"); for initiative applications, bring a concrete improvement idea.\n- [23:06] You're interviewing them too - red flags: mocking/gossiping about applicants or team members, fishing for personal info, interviewer talking about themselves the whole time, \"you'd be so lucky to work here,\" an offer within 30 minutes.\n- [25:15] **No-go (illegal) questions** in Germany: health, pregnancy, marital status, kids, criminal record (unless job-relevant), race/ethnicity/gender/religion/disability/age/sexual orientation/political views - violation of the General Equal Treatment Act (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz). Consult it or CBYX if in doubt.\n- [26:20] Nerves: \"Ausl\u00e4nderness\" = inadequacy + undervaluing yourself + desperation; plus German-language anxiety. Fix: simple sentences built on modal verbs (k\u00f6nnen, sollen, m\u00fcssen), don't mentally translate from English.\n- [27:11] They know you're a foreigner and they read your application - show up and show what you offer; no desperation needed.\n- [27:52] After the interview: send a thank-you email; follow up after ~1 week if silent; they usually tell you the timeline at the end.\n\n## Frameworks & Templates\n- **Five-stage one-hour interview structure:** Arrival & greeting \u2192 Self-presentation \u2192 Company presentation \u2192 Q&A \u2192 Conclusion.\n- **Self-presentation script (Past-Present-Future-Pause):** \"I have a bachelor's degree in [X] and work experience in [Y]. That's why I chose the CBYX program - I wanted to get work experience in Germany / get to know my field in the German context. When I came across this company, I knew it would be the right fit.\" [Pause - stop talking.]\n- **STAR method:** Situation (what happened) \u2192 Task (what you needed to achieve) \u2192 Action (what you did) \u2192 Result (outcome). Example verbatim: \"An hour before an event, we realized a room was double booked [S]. The task was to figure out who would get the room [T]. The action was discussing with the professor who also booked whether he could take his students elsewhere [A]. The result: we organized a different room and the event went ahead without a problem [R].\"\n- **Behavioral question pre-planner:** prepare one story per category - conflict, collaboration, struggle, emergency, success, supervision, failure.\n- **Good questions to ask them:** What challenges are you facing? What do you want to achieve with this internship role? What's your strategic plan? What makes someone great as an intern with you?\n- **Reply-to-invitation etiquette:** respond within 24h, short, grateful, availability double-checked.\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- **Ausl\u00e4nderness** (coined in course) - the extra nerves of interviewing abroad: feeling inadequate, undervalued, desperate.\n- **Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz** - General Equal Treatment Act; the anti-discrimination law governing illegal interview questions.\n- **Modal verbs** - k\u00f6nnen, sollen, m\u00fcssen, etc.; build simple German sentences on them instead of translating from English.\n- **Initiativbewerbung** - initiative application (bring an improvement idea to the interview).\n- **BWM in Deutschland** - referenced prep book with German interview questions and sample answers.\n- **Kununu** - German employer-review site (like Glassdoor) for company research.\n- **Viel Erfolg!** - good luck / much success!\n\n## Resources\n- Book: *Bewerbung in Deutschland* (BWM) - German interview questions + sample answers.\n- Research tools: LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Kununu, Google News alerts, company website/socials/press.\n- University career center mock interviews; German-American business clubs; career fairs.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n1. **Master the opener** - the past-present-future self-presentation sets the stage and gives you navigational power over the whole interview.\n2. **Structure beats rambling** - STAR answers signal maturity; most candidates can't structure an answer.\n3. **Get the offer before discussing pay** - never raise logistics first; it's etiquette, not a trick.\n4. **Answer \"Do you know SAP?\" honestly with a learning story** - transparency about self-study is a winning move.\n5. **You're screening them too** - mocking, gossip, and \"you'd be so lucky\" are red flags; the General Equal Treatment Act backs you on no-go questions.\n6. **Simple German sentences on modal verbs** - don't think in English and translate; they already know you're a foreigner.\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]Hello and welcome back to finding an internship in Germany. We have reached module 5, prepare,
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[00:06]preparing for the interview. So let's get started and dive right into interviews in Germany.
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[00:12]Here's what we'll cover. Information about the structure of interviews in Germany,
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[00:17]types of interviews and how to prepare, common interview questions, current trends and preparation,
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[00:23]and confidence in dealing with nerves. Internships and interviews. Let's look at the basics. When it
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[00:31]comes to preparing for the internship interview, here are a few pointers to keep in mind. Now,
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[00:36]interviews in the U.S. and Germany are quite similar. There's going to be a variety of different
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[00:41]interview types, but for the most part, if you've had an interview in the United States, you're going
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[00:45]to be able to approach a German interview in a relatively similar manner. Remember that the
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[00:50]interview is both about your expectations and their expectations. And a balance should be found
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[00:55]in finding room to talk about yourself and what you can add to the position, as well as asking them
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[01:00]about what they're looking for. The main thing here is that preparation ahead of the interview will
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[01:06]really help you master the interview itself. And it's the number one thing that will help you get
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[01:10]the job. In order to do this, mock interviewing is really the best thing that you can do ahead of
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[01:17]time. So mock interviewing is when you practice an interview with one to two other people.
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[01:22]And basically, you think ahead of time about what questions might be asked and how you would
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[01:26]answer them. This may also involve preparing for activities or quizzes, depending on what type of
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[01:31]job you have. So for example, if you're going to be doing an internship in finance, you may want to
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[01:36]consider brushing up on your Excel skills if that was a big skill that was asked for in the job
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[01:41]description. And then of course, you are also interviewing them, you will likely have more than one
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[01:46]interview, and it's your job to consider and also feel into the interview to see if it's really the
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[01:50]right fit for you. Like I mentioned, practice is incredibly important. Please take advantage of the
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[01:56]mock interviews that are available at your local university's career center. If you can read German, I
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[02:01]recommend the book BWM in Deutschland, which I'll link to below for preparation. And then also, while
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[02:08]you're waiting for the interviews or when you're in that interview phase, you can also be going to
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[02:12]different networking events, check out the German and American business clubs in your area, continue to do
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[02:17]informational interviews, connect with other students, maybe attend a local career fair, or just reach out
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[02:22]to contacts about your search. It's perfectly fine to keep that networking going like we talked about in
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[02:27]module three. Basics in preparing for the interview in Germany. So preparation step by step. First, get
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[02:36]familiar with the interview type. Is it going to be a phone interview where you can then take notes, or will
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[02:40]it be an in-person interview? Will you meet them in maybe a more relaxed atmosphere, such as for coffee or
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[02:46]something? There's a variety of different scenarios that you could come across. Then, make sure you
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[02:53]redo or refresh your company and job research. So look at the company in depth and in detail again, and
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[03:00]I'll show you here in just a second some ways in which you can go about that. And then also look at the
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[03:05]internship description or at the department that you'll be working in to see what they've been working
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[03:09]on recently. Review your own application materials. It's not uncommon that an employer will literally
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[03:16]pull up your resume or your entire application and ask you to walk them through it. So you don't
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[03:22]want to be surprised when you see maybe a mistake on your resume or you realize, I don't know, that you
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[03:28]don't really remember what you did at that one position. You don't want to be surprised like that. So
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[03:32]practice going through your resume. You can do that as part of the practice or mock interview as well.
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[03:37]Brainstorm answers to common questions. I'm going to give you some common questions to start with,
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[03:42]but of course you can Google different lists. And really the best way to go about it is actually to
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[03:47]look at the job description and for each bullet point to think of a question that they might ask.
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[03:52]Do at minimum two practice rounds, like I mentioned, with two other people, preferably
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[03:56]with at least one person who is familiar with the German work context. And then depending on if your
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[04:03]interview is going to be online or in person, set up your tech practice. Really, even if you're a Gen Z
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[04:08]or a millennial, please practice. You don't want to be that person on the day of the interview
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[04:12]and, and, or prep for the trip. So do you need to get a train ticket somewhere? Do you need to
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[04:17]plan out when you're going to take, which bus do all of that ahead of time? So you'll find in your
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[04:25]internship search roadmap, this preparation overview checklist, but I think it's important just to go
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[04:29]through the main steps here. So we have a bird's eye overview of what's going to be coming your way
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[04:34]once you're in the interview phase. First, prepare for the particular interview format. Have you been
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[04:40]invited to an online interview, a phone interview, assessment center, trial, or second interview?
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[04:45]Or is the company known for using the STAR method? Don't worry. We'll talk about that here in just a
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[04:49]second. Then find out in advance what to expect. Thoroughly inform yourself about the company and your
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[04:55]contact people. Both of these two things you can do using tools such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Kunono.
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[05:01]Familiarize yourself with the job advertisement and note parallels to your previous experience. This
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[05:05]is where the job description matching exercise can really come into play. Be prepared with typical
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[05:11]questions for applicants and meaningful follow-up questions. You should be able to list your strengths
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[05:15]and qualifications for the job, as well as your weaknesses. This is similar to the resume walkthrough
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[05:20]that I just talked about. Practice the interview with people to gain confidence for the real
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[05:24]interview. This is the mock interviewing. Make sure your answers are specific and meaningful. You can
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[05:31]also use short pauses to reflect. This is especially useful for stress questions or brain teasers. It's
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[05:35]not a problem to say, hey, I need a second to think about my answer to that. Show your motivation. Even if
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[05:41]you don't have all the required skills, you still have a chance of getting the internship. And here it can
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[05:46]just be really good to show that you are ready to have all hands on deck. Look into topics such as
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[05:52]salary negotiation and starting date. Those are going to be things that you naturally do. And we'll talk a little
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[05:56]bit about salary negotiation in this module as well. Organize your travel and plan a time buffer, as I just
\n
[06:02]mentioned. And test the technology for an online interview and find a suitable background. So these are the main
\n
[06:08]things that you need to keep in mind as you're preparing for your interview. Now, the interview starts with the
\n
[06:15]email or the phone call. So what this means is they will either email you and invite you to an interview or they
\n
[06:20]will call you. All right. Now, if they email you, make sure you're replying within 24 hours. However, when you do
\n
[06:27]double check your availability, when it comes to scheduling the interview, you don't want to have to reschedule
\n
[06:31]later on because in the rush and hecticness of things, you notice that you double booked yourself. Keep your
\n
[06:37]responses short and simple. No need to elaborate or be impressive or anything here in this part of the
\n
[06:42]process. And then just make sure to show your gratitude and say thank you. All right. So one
\n
[06:48]of the things that I mentioned was company research and how important it is. Even if you've done the
\n
[06:52]company research ahead of time, I want you to review things again ahead of your interview. It's just
\n
[06:56]going to make you feel so much more relaxed that you'll be able to answer questions or already know
\n
[07:00]what they're talking about or what they're alluding to and what they're mentioning. So you can use the
\n
[07:04]company website, their social media or press, LinkedIn, Wikipedia, Google, internet reviews. Make sure also to
\n
[07:10]check the Google news alerts on the company and just recall what does the company do or make.
\n
[07:15]If you've tried their product or service, what was your experience with it? What's the history of
\n
[07:18]the company? Who runs it today? How many clients or customers do they serve? What makes them different
\n
[07:24]than the competition? And what are the company's strengths and weaknesses? Now, similarly, you're also
\n
[07:29]going to want to do that position research. Now, if you did an initiative application, you'll want to,
\n
[07:34]instead of position research, do more of a departmental or team type of research. But for those of you
\n
[07:38]who direct apply to position openings, this is what you'll be doing. And obviously, you can check
\n
[07:42]the position description, the company website, social media, LinkedIn, and related positions to
\n
[07:47]do this. You're going to look at what are the main tasks and responsibilities? What are the secondary
\n
[07:52]tasks and responsibilities? What are the required versus preferred qualifications? What logistical
\n
[07:57]information is provided? What is unclear? And is it unclear because it's really unclear? Or are you able
\n
[08:03]to Google it? And that leads me to the next one? What open questions you have? Make sure that the
\n
[08:08]questions you ask cannot be Googled, right? They cannot be found somewhere else. Who is the contact
\n
[08:13]person listed? Or who are you corresponding with? And who is the team that you're going to be working
\n
[08:17]with? And then, of course, your profile. So review, again, what you sent then your resume, your cover
\n
[08:23]letter, email or text communication, people you will communicate with, or you already have any
\n
[08:28]attachments you sent, social media profiles, and then also just double check, Google yourself, see
\n
[08:33]if anything pops up that's irregular. Or so you just see what people see when they put your name
\n
[08:39]into Google on the first one or two pages. All right. So there's different types of interviews in
\n
[08:45]Germany, similar to the United States, right? You're going to have a very diverse landscape of the styles
\n
[08:50]that companies will choose depending on what point they are at in the process, depending on
\n
[08:55]how often they hire interns, how formal or informal they are, etc. So the length can vary from like 20
\n
[09:02]minute phone calls to a one hour traditional interview to a one day assessment center. The
\n
[09:07]structure may be traditional, and that's what I'll teach you in this lesson. Or it may be creative where
\n
[09:11]you have to submit a proposal, you have to do like the actual work ahead of time in order to show that you
\n
[09:17]can do it. You may also be asked to be active. So maybe they ask you to come to a meeting and
\n
[09:22]contribute your ideas, or they may ask you in the interview, like I mentioned earlier to
\n
[09:27]do some programming in Excel, if that's relevant to the position. And then of course, there's
\n
[09:32]different types as far as like phone, online, traditional, office visits, group assessment
\n
[09:37]centers, video submissions. I would say, however, for the vast majority of interviews that you are all
\n
[09:41]going to have, you're going to see a traditional kind of like maximum one hour interview with the
\n
[09:47]five phases that I'll be showing you. And then just to be aware, these interview trends are primarily
\n
[09:53]related to jobs in Germany. But I think it's important just so you know, in case it is something
\n
[09:57]that you're confronted with. We are seeing that companies are moving to multiple rounds. And so
\n
[10:03]what this means is that they oftentimes want to do more than one interview. That was not necessarily
\n
[10:08]the case 10 years ago. Then more and more, they're integrating tricky questions. So questions that might
\n
[10:15]seem a little bit silly, and maybe they're not even entirely able to ask them. But they're asking them to
\n
[10:22]see how you would respond in such a situation. And so there is an increasing focus on situational
\n
[10:28]questions, which is why I'll cover that in this lesson as well. And then the role of individualism
\n
[10:33]and personal branding has increased in Germany. So it wasn't something that we saw a lot of historically,
\n
[10:37]but we are seeing a lot of that from the US trickle over to Germany. So it's okay to bring a
\n
[10:43]little bit of that with for sure. Sometimes companies are asking for an application video ahead of
\n
[10:48]time. And sometimes if you're going to go to a career fair or an event, there might be a flash
\n
[10:52]interview that they do. Hey, come over here. Do you mind talking to me for half an hour about your
\n
[10:56]suitability for this internship?
\n
[10:59]All right. So let's take a look now at the typical interview structure in Germany.
\n
[11:05]So this is going to be for a one hour traditional interview. There's five different stages to be aware
\n
[11:09]of here. Stage one is arrival and greeting. Stage two is self-presentation. Stage three is company
\n
[11:14]presentation. Stage four is the Q&A or the task period. And stage five is the conclusion.
\n
[11:20]So stage one with the arrival and greeting. Here are some things that you can expect.
\n
[11:24]They're probably going to start off with some German style small talk. So maybe they'll talk about the
\n
[11:29]weather or how was it for you getting to the office? Did you find everything okay? Or sometimes they'll
\n
[11:36]even talk about current topics. Oh, did you see this one thing that happened in Stuttgart over the
\n
[11:40]weekend or whatever it may be? They'll also probably ask if you'd like to drink something.
\n
[11:45]Obviously, if you're referring to coffee or water here, and it's perfectly fine to say yes to that.
\n
[11:49]Naturally choose whatever makes sense for you. Don't pick a coffee if that's just going to
\n
[11:53]ramp up your nerves even more. They will normally then, once they get settled, talk to you a little
\n
[11:58]bit about the structure of the interview. Make sure you're listening during that part so you know
\n
[12:01]what's coming at you. And then there will almost always be introductions of everyone who's
\n
[12:06]present. I wouldn't say that you're going to see an interview or an internship with seven people
\n
[12:10]around a table like you might for a job. But it could be that there's three or four people in there,
\n
[12:14]maybe two people from your department and one person from human resources if we're talking about a
\n
[12:18]larger company. It may also just be that it's a one-on-one interview though. Okay, so stage two is
\n
[12:24]self-presentation. This is super important. This is the part where I see a lot of people falter and even
\n
[12:30]fail to a certain extent. There will be a little bit about the company. They'll briefly explain that
\n
[12:35]about the interviews, like I said, and then they're going to really turn it around to you.
\n
[12:38]Okay, pretty quickly. So can you please tell us a little bit about yourself while you apply for this
\n
[12:42]position? You need to spend time practicing this regardless of if you're doing your interview in
\n
[12:47]English or in German. You absolutely need to master your answer to this. And I will show you here in
\n
[12:52]just a second a structure in which you can do that. Stage three is the company presentation. So this is
\n
[12:57]where they're going to back up and then tell you a little bit more about the company or the team,
\n
[13:01]supervisor position. It could be that the company presentation comes first and then you
\n
[13:05]have the self-presentation. So those two might be flipped, but they normally will spend some time
\n
[13:09]talking about it and get away selling it to you. And that's normally a good sign. Then there'll be
\n
[13:13]a Q&A period. So you might be asked five to 10 questions about the job. Those may be broader
\n
[13:20]questions. They may be situational questions. They may be task-based questions or they may be
\n
[13:26]technical questions. So it's really going to depend on what you're applying for. And then there'll be some
\n
[13:31]type of conclusion or wrap-up where you're invited to ask questions. They might have some final
\n
[13:37]organizational questions for you, like when can you start? What are your salary expectations?
\n
[13:42]What does this look like with the CBYX program? Whatever that might be. And then they might talk
\n
[13:46]about steps moving forward. So what questions might they be asking in stage four? First things first,
\n
[13:55]practice. Know your answers. Bullet point them out. Answer questions before they ask. So if you know
\n
[14:01]there's something that they're probably going to ask, you can build that into your answers and then
\n
[14:05]practice in different ways. So you can practice alone in front of a mirror. Sometimes I like to
\n
[14:10]record myself and then listen to it. That can be really helpful to practice with a trusted friend,
\n
[14:15]with a colleague, a peer, a host, a family member, et cetera. And just remember, as you're going into the
\n
[14:20]interviews, every interview is a practice interview. No one is like the perfect interviewee. It
\n
[14:25]doesn't exist. Everyone's nervous. Even people who have great training on this. It's just a really
\n
[14:31]nerve wracking situation. So know that you're not alone and practice can really help you gain
\n
[14:36]confidence. So I did mention what's really important is this opener. Tell me about yourself.
\n
[14:40]Why did you apply for this position? And that you really need to focus on this and master this. So
\n
[14:45]here's what this looks like. We want to make sure that you're short and snappy. We really need to get
\n
[14:51]you to the point. All right. Big mistake people make is they like start with, hi, my name is
\n
[14:56]Jessica and I grew up in this place. No, we're not telling life stories here. That's not helpful. Okay.
\n
[15:02]We're doing a bit of storytelling. We're just not telling the whole story. Okay. And then we do want
\n
[15:08]to spotlight and shine a little bit. So you're definitely welcome to sell yourself. I know I've
\n
[15:12]said to be a little bit more conservative about kind of the personal branding aspect, but this is the
\n
[15:15]point to really be like, I bring with this and this, and I could see that being an asset for your team.
\n
[15:19]That's fine. And this question by which I mean your answer to it really sets the stage for the rest of
\n
[15:25]the interview. So you have a bit of navigational power here to set the tone for future questions
\n
[15:31]they may ask you and to get them excited about you as an applicant. So to present yourself, remember
\n
[15:37]prepare, present, pause. There is a certain structure that I recommend. You're going to start
\n
[15:42]with the past, where you've been or what you've been doing. Then you'll talk about what you're currently
\n
[15:47]doing. Then you'll talk about the future. So why this company? Why now? Where do you want to go with
\n
[15:52]this company? And how are you helping them to achieve their goal at the same time? And then
\n
[15:57]you'll pause. You'll stop talking and give them a chance to respond. That's so important. Don't
\n
[16:03]ramble. All right. Prepare. You're going to think about this ahead of time. You're going to take a deep
\n
[16:08]breath. You're going to present it past, present, future, pause. And you're going to pause, right?
\n
[16:13]Past. Where have you been or what have you been doing? You can start by saying, I have a bachelor's
\n
[16:20]degree in this and this and work experience in this area. And this is the reason why I chose to
\n
[16:25]do the CPYX program. I wanted to get work experience in Germany, or I wanted to get to know Germany
\n
[16:29]in whatever, or I wanted to get to know my field in the German context. And when I saw this advertisement
\n
[16:35]or when I came across this company, I knew that it would be the right fit for me. Now, obviously
\n
[16:41]I just totally took that off the top of my head. You're going to craft a much nicer or more well put
\n
[16:48]together past, present, future. But that's the general idea. So you're showing them what's your
\n
[16:52]background. What do you bring with? What are you currently doing? Obviously that's really driven
\n
[16:56]around the CPYX program. And then why or how does that company fit into what you've done in the past and
\n
[17:02]what you're currently doing? And then pause. So some typical questions that you may be confronted
\n
[17:08]with, and many of these you're likely to know if you've had an interview in the US before. So
\n
[17:12]obviously the police introduced yourself. Why did you apply for this position? Why are you the right
\n
[17:16]candidate? What expectations do you have yourself of us or the job? What connection can you make between
\n
[17:22]your previous experience in this job? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Where do you see your own
\n
[17:26]successes and failures? What about this position interests you? What makes you different from other
\n
[17:31]candidates? What would you have liked to achieved in five or 10 years? Why did you decide on this
\n
[17:36]profession, this industry, these studies, this program, CPYX? Why do you, what do you know about
\n
[17:40]our company? I doubt they're going to ask you why you left your current employer, but if they do,
\n
[17:45]you can obviously just talk about the transition to CPYX. What is your view of overtime hours? That's a
\n
[17:51]really interesting one because that normally tells you more so about the fact that they expect a bit of
\n
[17:57]overtime hours. And then what do you do in your free time? Be careful with that one. Keep that one
\n
[18:01]really basic because you don't want them prying for information about your personal life.
\n
[18:08]Now I show these questions, which for many of you are probably going to seem like very basic
\n
[18:12]interview questions. And that's because they know that you're an intern, right? They're not going to
\n
[18:16]hit you with a bunch of crazy hard questions. And so it is important to really think about these
\n
[18:20]things because sometimes people think, oh, the strengths and weaknesses question won't be asked
\n
[18:23]anymore. For example, in the U S in many interviews, it's not, it's considered redundant.
\n
[18:28]But in Germany, you're likely to still get that question. So do practice these. And for those of
\n
[18:33]you who are looking for the German language ones, again, check the BWM and Deutschland book.
\n
[18:38]In there, there's not only the questions, but also then potential answers you could think about.
\n
[18:44]Now, of course, we are seeing a movement more towards situational or behavioral questions. So if
\n
[18:48]you're going to be interviewing with a medium or large size company, this may be part of your interview
\n
[18:52]process. So some example behavioral questions include, imagine your boss does something
\n
[18:57]illegal. How do you respond? What irritates you about other people and how do you deal with that?
\n
[19:02]What is the largest conflict you face at work and how did you manage it? What are you most afraid
\n
[19:07]of and why? And tell us about a time when you led a successful collaboration. Now it's important here
\n
[19:13]to pre-plan your go-to examples for these different areas. Behavioral questions tend to fit into these
\n
[19:18]categories, conflict, collaboration, struggle, emergency, either your own emergency or managing
\n
[19:22]others' emergencies, success, supervision, and failure. So really what you'll want to do is go
\n
[19:28]through each of these and then just practice or pre-plan and then practice how you respond to them.
\n
[19:34]So the way you can approach these questions is with the STAR method. The STAR method basically
\n
[19:39]provides a structure so that you're again, not like rambling or like storytelling into an abyss.
\n
[19:45]You're really having structure to your answers, right? And this is really important for all of your
\n
[19:49]answers. But for the behavioral ones, you'll want to first explain what the situation was. So what was
\n
[19:54]the emergency? Then what was the task? What did you need to achieve? Then what was the action that you
\n
[20:00]took on that task? And then what were the results of the action that you took? Okay. So this is a
\n
[20:05]general method and you can really tell it in this way. An hour before an event, we realized that a room
\n
[20:09]was double booked. That was the situation. The task was to figure out who was going to get the room.
\n
[20:13]The action was discussing with the professor who had also booked the room at the same time,
\n
[20:18]whether or not he could take his students somewhere else so that we could still have the big event in
\n
[20:22]that room. And the results were that we organized a different room for him and we were able to move
\n
[20:26]forward with the event without a problem. Something as simple as that. And it's really showing them
\n
[20:30]that you're thinking about these four things, showing kind of the story arc. And it's also showing
\n
[20:34]them that you're able to structure an answer, which a lot of people can't do an interview. So if you're
\n
[20:38]able to master, that's going to put you in a pretty good place, not only for your internship
\n
[20:43]interview, but also for interviews down the road. And then closing the interview,
\n
[20:46]you can ask questions for them. So a couple of things here, just to keep in mind,
\n
[20:50]don't ask anything about logistics unless they bring it up. So don't all of a sudden ask,
\n
[20:54]how much is this internship going to pay me? Or what's the hourly wage or whatever it may be.
\n
[20:58]Okay. Unless they bring that up or it's like already in the job advertisement, don't ask about
\n
[21:03]that. You want to get the offer first, and then you can start that negotiation. That's not to trick
\n
[21:08]them. It's just because it's the etiquette around it. Then if you want to ask them interesting
\n
[21:14]questions, think about, for example, what challenges are they facing? What are they trying
\n
[21:18]to achieve with this internship role? Or what would they be interested in achieving with your time
\n
[21:22]with them? What's their strategic plan for the organization? What makes someone great at being
\n
[21:28]an intern with them? What are they looking for? Okay. And then just make sure that you're also
\n
[21:31]thanking them. So those are just some things to think about. And obviously it'll depend on the
\n
[21:35]organization and the specific role that you're interviewing for. And just a few pro tips,
\n
[21:41]things that I really like that I've seen in interviews that I've conducted is you can think
\n
[21:46]about leveling out. So how can you put that extra touch on your performance? So those of you who maybe
\n
[21:51]work in any type of field where you can show something on an iPad, that could be really helpful.
\n
[21:56]Oh, let me show you this project, this website I built on my iPad here, right? Or let me show you
\n
[22:02]a project brochure from a research project I conducted. Any of that. It can just show how you really
\n
[22:07]prepared. You thought ahead of time, not only about which examples you were going to bring in
\n
[22:10]and talk about, but you also have something visual for them to look at.
\n
[22:15]Then for those of you who are like, hmm, I'm feeling a little bit underqualified. I don't have
\n
[22:18]the skills that they're asking for, but they gave you an interview anyway. It's a great sign. And you
\n
[22:23]can just talk about how maybe you don't know how to use SAP yet, but you've been spending a lot of
\n
[22:27]time on YouTube, watching videos about it and getting yourself familiar with the user interface and the
\n
[22:32]different functionality. Okay. That's perfectly fine to say really about any of the skills, as long as
\n
[22:36]you've actually obviously been doing that. Honesty and transparency is the best policy there.
\n
[22:42]And then depending on what your role is, you may want to think about what might you bring with as
\n
[22:46]improvement or ideas. You don't want to come in and say, I'm going to change everything. But if you
\n
[22:51]have already, especially if you're doing an initiative application, an idea of what you would like to add
\n
[22:56]value with or to, then you can bring in like literally a printout or bring it in on your iPad.
\n
[23:01]These are the things that I could imagine working on that I think I would be really good at. And that
\n
[23:06]would really benefit you. Okay. So importantly, you are not just an interviewee recognize red flags.
\n
[23:15]If they are mocking or making fun of you or other applicants at any point in the process,
\n
[23:19]that is a huge red flag. It's a toxic work culture, red flag. Same thing. If they're gossiping
\n
[23:25]about other applicants or team members, literally, if they are talking about other applicants or team
\n
[23:30]members in front of you in the interview, super big red flag. All right. If they're fishing for
\n
[23:35]information. So if they're like, what are you doing the weekends? Okay. Keep your answers basic. Don't
\n
[23:40]be like, oh, you're fishing for information, right? Don't call them out on it, but keep your answers
\n
[23:43]very basic and just be alert to what they're asking you. If they're talking too much about themselves,
\n
[23:49]it likely is that they are not trained in how to conduct an interview. You can't always get around
\n
[23:55]that, unfortunately, but make sure that you also are switching it and asking them about the position
\n
[24:01]and more questions about that. And also making sure that they're hearing enough about you. Okay.
\n
[24:05]It could be that they are just really nervous. They don't know how to handle it. And they're talking
\n
[24:08]about themselves. I've seen this go really wild sometimes where the whole interview is like the
\n
[24:13]person talking and you're not saying anything. And then you get hired that could work out and that
\n
[24:17]could be fine, but it could also mean that they're not really putting a lot of thought into who's
\n
[24:21]being hired. And if they say anything around you would be so lucky to work here. Like this would
\n
[24:26]be such a win for you. Anything that's like that super red flag. It probably means that there's
\n
[24:32]actually a lot of issues with them in terms of finding people. And then if there's like a follow
\n
[24:36]up right away, that's a bit iffy. So it could be like, they love you, they want you, and they don't
\n
[24:42]want you to go somewhere else. That could be great. And that's not a red flag, right? But if it's
\n
[24:47]within 30 minutes of the interview or something, like I would really ask, are they spending time
\n
[24:53]thinking about if you're the right fit for them? Okay. So obviously all of this taken with a grain
\n
[24:58]of salt, but just be aware that you're likely to get multiple interviews and you should also be
\n
[25:04]screening yourself within the interviews to recognize these red flags. And then of course,
\n
[25:10]moving into beyond mocking and gossiping and those types of things, there's also issues that bump up
\n
[25:15]against the law in Germany. So there are some no-go questions such as, are you healthy or sick?
\n
[25:20]Are you pregnant? Are you married? Do you have kids? The criminal record, if they ask about that,
\n
[25:25]it's relevant to the position. And then questions related to like race or ethnic origin or gender,
\n
[25:30]religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, political views, other identity questions,
\n
[25:34]very similar to the situation in the United States. It's likely a violation of the General Equal
\n
[25:39]Treatment Act. It does depend a little bit on the job requirements. The example I give for
\n
[25:43]this is if they say in the internship description, you have to be able to lift 20 kilograms,
\n
[25:47]then they might be able to ask you something about, Hey, are you healthy enough to lift
\n
[25:51]this on a regular basis? When in doubt, consult the General Equal Treatment Act and see. And
\n
[25:57]obviously you can also reach out to CBYX or if it really gets to the point where you need to talk
\n
[26:01]to a lawyer, that's an option as well. Now dealing with nervousness. First of all, you've got this.
\n
[26:08]You can definitely do this. You have all the tools that you need. Practice, prepare. The very basics
\n
[26:15]that I'm giving you in this training. That's what you need to master this interview. Okay.
\n
[26:20]Beyond regular nervousness for interviews. So like we would have in the United States when we're
\n
[26:24]interviewing in English with American employers, there's kind of two extra aspects of interviewing
\n
[26:28]in a foreign country or in a foreign language. And these tend to be what I refer to as Ausl\u00e4nderness,
\n
[26:34]this like combined feeling of inadequacy, undervaluing yourself, and desperation. I have to get this.
\n
[26:41]And then there's also this added layer for many of you of your German skills. Am I going to be able
\n
[26:46]to speak German enough? Will I be able to answer their questions? Okay. For the German skills,
\n
[26:51]I recommend you stick with very simple sentences. Don't start thinking in English in your head and
\n
[26:57]trying to translate into German. Stick with simple sentences that are based on the module verbs,
\n
[27:03]the k\u00f6nnen, k\u00f6nnen, sollen, m\u00fcssen, all those. Okay. And then for the idea of like, just be nervous
\n
[27:11]beyond the regular nervousness. Remember that you're not expected to be perfect. They know that
\n
[27:19]you're a foreigner. They know that you don't speak German perfectly. They're not going to expect that
\n
[27:24]because if they're inviting you in, they've read your application. Hopefully, if not, that's a red flag.
\n
[27:29]And your job is to show up and be yourself. Your job is to show up and show them what you have to offer.
\n
[27:36]Don't worry about anything else around it. You have what it takes to do this internship. You are,
\n
[27:42]you have adequate skills and there's no need to be desperate because there's different options and
\n
[27:46]opportunities out there. And hopefully you're also at a good place in your timeline as well.
\n
[27:52]So when it comes to after the interview, it's good to send a thank you note or an email. And it's okay
\n
[27:57]to follow up after about, if you haven't heard anything within a week or so, it's okay to follow
\n
[28:02]up. They will normally tell you, however, at the end of the interview, when they will be contacting
\n
[28:06]people to let them know who got it or who didn't. All right. We've already made it to quits and knapp.
\n
[28:12]Interviews in Germany come in all shapes and sizes. Familiarize yourself with the type of interview
\n
[28:16]you're going to have. Prepare your answers ahead of time. Revisit your resume as well as the company
\n
[28:21]research you previously conducted and follow the preparation checklist to prepare thoroughly.
\n
[28:25]Viel Erfolg!
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/862720732?h=611c51be26", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/862720732.mp4", "search": "interviews in germany module #5: preparing for the interview key takeaways copy \n master the opener - the past-present-future self-presentation sets the stage and gives you navigational power over the whole interview. \n structure beats rambling - star answers signal maturity; most candidates can't structure an answer. \n get the offer before discussing pay - never raise logistics first; it's etiquette, not a trick. \n answer \"do you know sap?\" honestly with a learning story - transparency about self-study is a winning move. \n you're screening them too - mocking, gossip, and \"you'd be so lucky\" are red flags; the general equal treatment act backs you on no-go questions. \n simple german sentences on modal verbs - don't think in english and translate; they already know you're a foreigner. \n interviews in germany \n module: module #5 - preparing for the interview \n lesson url: https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/interviews-in-germany \n overview \n core interview-prep lesson covering interview types in germany, a step-by-step preparation checklist, the five-stage structure of the traditional one-hour german interview, common and behavioral questions, the star method, closing strategy and red-flag screening, illegal (no-go) questions, and managing nerves as a foreigner - including \"ausl\u00e4nderness\" and german-language tactics. \n key points \n \n [00:45] german interviews are quite similar to us interviews; the interview is two-sided - sell yourself and interview them. \n [01:06] preparation is the #1 success factor; mock interviewing with 1-2 people is the best practice. \n [01:31] if a job lists a skill (e.g., excel for finance), brush it up before the interview. \n [02:36] prep step-by-step: identify the interview format (phone/in-person/coffee) \u2192 redo company + position research \u2192 review your own application materials (employers often ask you to walk through your resume) \u2192 brainstorm answers per job-description bullet point \u2192 minimum two practice rounds, ideally one with a german-work-context person \u2192 test tech / plan travel with a time buffer. \n [06:15] the interview starts with the invitation: reply within 24 hours, check availability (never reschedule), keep replies short and simple, show gratitude. \n [08:45] interview types: 20-minute phone call, one-hour traditional, day-long assessment center, creative/task-based formats, video submissions, flash interviews at career fairs. \n [09:53] trends: multiple rounds, tricky/situational questions, growing personal branding/individualism (a us import), application videos. \n [11:05] five stages of the one-hour german interview: (1) arrival & greeting - small talk, drink offer, structure explanation, introductions (2-4 people typical); (2) self-presentation - \"tell us about yourself / why did you apply\"; (3) company presentation (sometimes flipped with stage 2); (4) q&a - 5-10 questions (broad, situational, task, technical); (5) conclusion - your questions, logistics, next steps. \n [14:40] the opener \"tell me about yourself / why this position\" sets the stage for everything - master it. \n [15:37] prepare, present, pause - past \u2192 present \u2192 future \u2192 pause. short and snappy; no life stories, but do sell yourself. \n [17:12] common questions are still asked in germany even when considered redundant in the us - including strengths and weaknesses. expect \"what is your view of overtime hours?\" (signals they expect overtime) and keep \"what do you do in your free time?\" basic. \n [19:13] pre-plan go-to examples for behavioral question categories: conflict, collaboration, struggle, emergency, success, supervision, failure. \n [19:34] star method: situation \u2192 task \u2192 action \u2192 result (with a worked double-booked-room example). structured answers alone put you ahead. \n [20:46] closing: don't raise logistics (pay!) unless they do - get the offer first. ask about their challenges, internship goals, strategic plan, and \"what makes someone great as an intern here.\" \n [21:41] pro tips: bring visual proof (ipad project, brochure); for missing skills, honestly describe self-study (\"i haven't used sap yet but i've been watching youtube tutorials\"); for initiative applications, bring a concrete improvement idea. \n [23:06] you're interviewing them too - red flags: mocking/gossiping about applicants or team members, fishing for personal info, interviewer talking about themselves the whole time, \"you'd be so lucky to work here,\" an offer within 30 minutes. \n [25:15] no-go (illegal) questions in germany: health, pregnancy, marital status, kids, criminal record (unless job-relevant), race/ethnicity/gender/religion/disability/age/sexual orientation/political views - violation of the general equal treatment act (allgemeines gleichbehandlungsgesetz). consult it or cbyx if in doubt. \n [26:20] nerves: \"ausl\u00e4nderness\" = inadequacy + undervaluing yourself + desperation; plus german-language anxiety. fix: simple sentences built on modal verbs (k\u00f6nnen, sollen, m\u00fcssen), don't mentally translate from english. \n [27:11] they know you're a foreigner and they read your application - show up and show what you offer; no desperation needed. \n [27:52] after the interview: send a thank-you email; follow up after ~1 week if silent; they usually tell you the timeline at the end. \n \n frameworks & templates \n \n five-stage one-hour interview structure: arrival & greeting \u2192 self-presentation \u2192 company presentation \u2192 q&a \u2192 conclusion. \n self-presentation script (past-present-future-pause): \"i have a bachelor's degree in [x] and work experience in [y]. that's why i chose the cbyx program - i wanted to get work experience in germany / get to know my field in the german context. when i came across this company, i knew it would be the right fit.\" [pause - stop talking.] \n star method: situation (what happened) \u2192 task (what you needed to achieve) \u2192 action (what you did) \u2192 result (outcome). example verbatim: \"an hour before an event, we realized a room was double booked [s]. the task was to figure out who would get the room [t]. the action was discussing with the professor who also booked whether he could take his students elsewhere [a]. the result: we organized a different room and the event went ahead without a problem [r].\" \n behavioral question pre-planner: prepare one story per category - conflict, collaboration, struggle, emergency, success, supervision, failure. \n good questions to ask them: what challenges are you facing? what do you want to achieve with this internship role? what's your strategic plan? what makes someone great as an intern with you? \n reply-to-invitation etiquette: respond within 24h, short, grateful, availability double-checked. \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n ausl\u00e4nderness (coined in course) - the extra nerves of interviewing abroad: feeling inadequate, undervalued, desperate. \n allgemeines gleichbehandlungsgesetz - general equal treatment act; the anti-discrimination law governing illegal interview questions. \n modal verbs - k\u00f6nnen, sollen, m\u00fcssen, etc.; build simple german sentences on them instead of translating from english. \n initiativbewerbung - initiative application (bring an improvement idea to the interview). \n bwm in deutschland - referenced prep book with german interview questions and sample answers. \n kununu - german employer-review site (like glassdoor) for company research. \n viel erfolg! - good luck / much success! \n \n resources \n \n book: bewerbung in deutschland (bwm) - german interview questions + sample answers. \n research tools: linkedin, glassdoor, kununu, google news alerts, company website/socials/press. \n university career center mock interviews; german-american business clubs; career fairs. \n [00:00] hello and welcome back to finding an internship in germany. we have reached module 5, prepare, \n [00:06] preparing for the interview. so let's get started and dive right into interviews in germany. \n [00:12] here's what we'll cover. information about the structure of interviews in germany, \n [00:17] types of interviews and how to prepare, common interview questions, current trends and preparation, \n [00:23] and confidence in dealing with nerves. internships and interviews. let's look at the basics. when it \n [00:31] comes to preparing for the internship interview, here are a few pointers to keep in mind. now, \n [00:36] interviews in the u.s. and germany are quite similar. there's going to be a variety of different \n [00:41] interview types, but for the most part, if you've had an interview in the united states, you're going \n [00:45] to be able to approach a german interview in a relatively similar manner. remember that the \n [00:50] interview is both about your expectations and their expectations. and a balance should be found \n [00:55] in finding room to talk about yourself and what you can add to the position, as well as asking them \n [01:00] about what they're looking for. the main thing here is that preparation ahead of the interview will \n [01:06] really help you master the interview itself. and it's the number one thing that will help you get \n [01:10] the job. in order to do this, mock interviewing is really the best thing that you can do ahead of \n [01:17] time. so mock interviewing is when you practice an interview with one to two other people. \n [01:22] and basically, you think ahead of time about what questions might be asked and how you would \n [01:26] answer them. this may also involve preparing for activities or quizzes, depending on what type of \n [01:31] job you have. so for example, if you're going to be doing an internship in finance, you may want to \n [01:36] consider brushing up on your excel skills if that was a big skill that was asked for in the job \n [01:41] description. and then of course, you are also interviewing them, you will likely have more than one \n [01:46] interview, and it's your job to consider and also feel into the interview to see if it's really the \n [01:50] right fit for you. like i mentioned, practice is incredibly important. please take advantage of the \n [01:56] mock interviews that are available at your local university's career center. if you can read german, i \n [02:01] recommend the book bwm in deutschland, which i'll link to below for preparation. and then also, while \n [02:08] you're waiting for the interviews or when you're in that interview phase, you can also be going to \n [02:12] different networking events, check out the german and american business clubs in your area, continue to do \n [02:17] informational interviews, connect with other students, maybe attend a local career fair, or just reach out \n [02:22] to contacts about your search. it's perfectly fine to keep that networking going like we talked about in \n [02:27] module three. basics in preparing for the interview in germany. so preparation step by step. first, get \n [02:36] familiar with the interview type. is it going to be a phone interview where you can then take notes, or will \n [02:40] it be an in-person interview? will you meet them in maybe a more relaxed atmosphere, such as for coffee or \n [02:46] something? there's a variety of different scenarios that you could come across. then, make sure you \n [02:53] redo or refresh your company and job research. so look at the company in depth and in detail again, and \n [03:00] i'll show you here in just a second some ways in which you can go about that. and then also look at the \n [03:05] internship description or at the department that you'll be working in to see what they've been working \n [03:09] on recently. review your own application materials. it's not uncommon that an employer will literally \n [03:16] pull up your resume or your entire application and ask you to walk them through it. so you don't \n [03:22] want to be surprised when you see maybe a mistake on your resume or you realize, i don't know, that you \n [03:28] don't really remember what you did at that one position. you don't want to be surprised like that. so \n [03:32] practice going through your resume. you can do that as part of the practice or mock interview as well. \n [03:37] brainstorm answers to common questions. i'm going to give you some common questions to start with, \n [03:42] but of course you can google different lists. and really the best way to go about it is actually to \n [03:47] look at the job description and for each bullet point to think of a question that they might ask. \n [03:52] do at minimum two practice rounds, like i mentioned, with two other people, preferably \n [03:56] with at least one person who is familiar with the german work context. and then depending on if your \n [04:03] interview is going to be online or in person, set up your tech practice. really, even if you're a gen z \n [04:08] or a millennial, please practice. you don't want to be that person on the day of the interview \n [04:12] and, and, or prep for the trip. so do you need to get a train ticket somewhere? do you need to \n [04:17] plan out when you're going to take, which bus do all of that ahead of time? so you'll find in your \n [04:25] internship search roadmap, this preparation overview checklist, but i think it's important just to go \n [04:29] through the main steps here. so we have a bird's eye overview of what's going to be coming your way \n [04:34] once you're in the interview phase. first, prepare for the particular interview format. have you been \n [04:40] invited to an online interview, a phone interview, assessment center, trial, or second interview? \n [04:45] or is the company known for using the star method? don't worry. we'll talk about that here in just a \n [04:49] second. then find out in advance what to expect. thoroughly inform yourself about the company and your \n [04:55] contact people. both of these two things you can do using tools such as linkedin, glassdoor, and kunono. \n [05:01] familiarize yourself with the job advertisement and note parallels to your previous experience. this \n [05:05] is where the job description matching exercise can really come into play. be prepared with typical \n [05:11] questions for applicants and meaningful follow-up questions. you should be able to list your strengths \n [05:15] and qualifications for the job, as well as your weaknesses. this is similar to the resume walkthrough \n [05:20] that i just talked about. practice the interview with people to gain confidence for the real \n [05:24] interview. this is the mock interviewing. make sure your answers are specific and meaningful. you can \n [05:31] also use short pauses to reflect. this is especially useful for stress questions or brain teasers. it's \n [05:35] not a problem to say, hey, i need a second to think about my answer to that. show your motivation. even if \n [05:41] you don't have all the required skills, you still have a chance of getting the internship. and here it can \n [05:46] just be really good to show that you are ready to have all hands on deck. look into topics such as \n [05:52] salary negotiation and starting date. those are going to be things that you naturally do. and we'll talk a little \n [05:56] bit about salary negotiation in this module as well. organize your travel and plan a time buffer, as i just \n [06:02] mentioned. and test the technology for an online interview and find a suitable background. so these are the main \n [06:08] things that you need to keep in mind as you're preparing for your interview. now, the interview starts with the \n [06:15] email or the phone call. so what this means is they will either email you and invite you to an interview or they \n [06:20] will call you. all right. now, if they email you, make sure you're replying within 24 hours. however, when you do \n [06:27] double check your availability, when it comes to scheduling the interview, you don't want to have to reschedule \n [06:31] later on because in the rush and hecticness of things, you notice that you double booked yourself. keep your \n [06:37] responses short and simple. no need to elaborate or be impressive or anything here in this part of the \n [06:42] process. and then just make sure to show your gratitude and say thank you. all right. so one \n [06:48] of the things that i mentioned was company research and how important it is. even if you've done the \n [06:52] company research ahead of time, i want you to review things again ahead of your interview. it's just \n [06:56] going to make you feel so much more relaxed that you'll be able to answer questions or already know \n [07:00] what they're talking about or what they're alluding to and what they're mentioning. so you can use the \n [07:04] company website, their social media or press, linkedin, wikipedia, google, internet reviews. make sure also to \n [07:10] check the google news alerts on the company and just recall what does the company do or make. \n [07:15] if you've tried their product or service, what was your experience with it? what's the history of \n [07:18] the company? who runs it today? how many clients or customers do they serve? what makes them different \n [07:24] than the competition? and what are the company's strengths and weaknesses? now, similarly, you're also \n [07:29] going to want to do that position research. now, if you did an initiative application, you'll want to, \n [07:34] instead of position research, do more of a departmental or team type of research. but for those of you \n [07:38] who direct apply to position openings, this is what you'll be doing. and obviously, you can check \n [07:42] the position description, the company website, social media, linkedin, and related positions to \n [07:47] do this. you're going to look at what are the main tasks and responsibilities? what are the secondary \n [07:52] tasks and responsibilities? what are the required versus preferred qualifications? what logistical \n [07:57] information is provided? what is unclear? and is it unclear because it's really unclear? or are you able \n [08:03] to google it? and that leads me to the next one? what open questions you have? make sure that the \n [08:08] questions you ask cannot be googled, right? they cannot be found somewhere else. who is the contact \n [08:13] person listed? or who are you corresponding with? and who is the team that you're going to be working \n [08:17] with? and then, of course, your profile. so review, again, what you sent then your resume, your cover \n [08:23] letter, email or text communication, people you will communicate with, or you already have any \n [08:28] attachments you sent, social media profiles, and then also just double check, google yourself, see \n [08:33] if anything pops up that's irregular. or so you just see what people see when they put your name \n [08:39] into google on the first one or two pages. all right. so there's different types of interviews in \n [08:45] germany, similar to the united states, right? you're going to have a very diverse landscape of the styles \n [08:50] that companies will choose depending on what point they are at in the process, depending on \n [08:55] how often they hire interns, how formal or informal they are, etc. so the length can vary from like 20 \n [09:02] minute phone calls to a one hour traditional interview to a one day assessment center. the \n [09:07] structure may be traditional, and that's what i'll teach you in this lesson. or it may be creative where \n [09:11] you have to submit a proposal, you have to do like the actual work ahead of time in order to show that you \n [09:17] can do it. you may also be asked to be active. so maybe they ask you to come to a meeting and \n [09:22] contribute your ideas, or they may ask you in the interview, like i mentioned earlier to \n [09:27] do some programming in excel, if that's relevant to the position. and then of course, there's \n [09:32] different types as far as like phone, online, traditional, office visits, group assessment \n [09:37] centers, video submissions. i would say, however, for the vast majority of interviews that you are all \n [09:41] going to have, you're going to see a traditional kind of like maximum one hour interview with the \n [09:47] five phases that i'll be showing you. and then just to be aware, these interview trends are primarily \n [09:53] related to jobs in germany. but i think it's important just so you know, in case it is something \n [09:57] that you're confronted with. we are seeing that companies are moving to multiple rounds. and so \n [10:03] what this means is that they oftentimes want to do more than one interview. that was not necessarily \n [10:08] the case 10 years ago. then more and more, they're integrating tricky questions. so questions that might \n [10:15] seem a little bit silly, and maybe they're not even entirely able to ask them. but they're asking them to \n [10:22] see how you would respond in such a situation. and so there is an increasing focus on situational \n [10:28] questions, which is why i'll cover that in this lesson as well. and then the role of individualism \n [10:33] and personal branding has increased in germany. so it wasn't something that we saw a lot of historically, \n [10:37] but we are seeing a lot of that from the us trickle over to germany. so it's okay to bring a \n [10:43] little bit of that with for sure. sometimes companies are asking for an application video ahead of \n [10:48] time. and sometimes if you're going to go to a career fair or an event, there might be a flash \n [10:52] interview that they do. hey, come over here. do you mind talking to me for half an hour about your \n [10:56] suitability for this internship? \n [10:59] all right. so let's take a look now at the typical interview structure in germany. \n [11:05] so this is going to be for a one hour traditional interview. there's five different stages to be aware \n [11:09] of here. stage one is arrival and greeting. stage two is self-presentation. stage three is company \n [11:14] presentation. stage four is the q&a or the task period. and stage five is the conclusion. \n [11:20] so stage one with the arrival and greeting. here are some things that you can expect. \n [11:24] they're probably going to start off with some german style small talk. so maybe they'll talk about the \n [11:29] weather or how was it for you getting to the office? did you find everything okay? or sometimes they'll \n [11:36] even talk about current topics. oh, did you see this one thing that happened in stuttgart over the \n [11:40] weekend or whatever it may be? they'll also probably ask if you'd like to drink something. \n [11:45] obviously, if you're referring to coffee or water here, and it's perfectly fine to say yes to that. \n [11:49] naturally choose whatever makes sense for you. don't pick a coffee if that's just going to \n [11:53] ramp up your nerves even more. they will normally then, once they get settled, talk to you a little \n [11:58] bit about the structure of the interview. make sure you're listening during that part so you know \n [12:01] what's coming at you. and then there will almost always be introductions of everyone who's \n [12:06] present. i wouldn't say that you're going to see an interview or an internship with seven people \n [12:10] around a table like you might for a job. but it could be that there's three or four people in there, \n [12:14] maybe two people from your department and one person from human resources if we're talking about a \n [12:18] larger company. it may also just be that it's a one-on-one interview though. okay, so stage two is \n [12:24] self-presentation. this is super important. this is the part where i see a lot of people falter and even \n [12:30] fail to a certain extent. there will be a little bit about the company. they'll briefly explain that \n [12:35] about the interviews, like i said, and then they're going to really turn it around to you. \n [12:38] okay, pretty quickly. so can you please tell us a little bit about yourself while you apply for this \n [12:42] position? you need to spend time practicing this regardless of if you're doing your interview in \n [12:47] english or in german. you absolutely need to master your answer to this. and i will show you here in \n [12:52] just a second a structure in which you can do that. stage three is the company presentation. so this is \n [12:57] where they're going to back up and then tell you a little bit more about the company or the team, \n [13:01] supervisor position. it could be that the company presentation comes first and then you \n [13:05] have the self-presentation. so those two might be flipped, but they normally will spend some time \n [13:09] talking about it and get away selling it to you. and that's normally a good sign. then there'll be \n [13:13] a q&a period. so you might be asked five to 10 questions about the job. those may be broader \n [13:20] questions. they may be situational questions. they may be task-based questions or they may be \n [13:26] technical questions. so it's really going to depend on what you're applying for. and then there'll be some \n [13:31] type of conclusion or wrap-up where you're invited to ask questions. they might have some final \n [13:37] organizational questions for you, like when can you start? what are your salary expectations? \n [13:42] what does this look like with the cbyx program? whatever that might be. and then they might talk \n [13:46] about steps moving forward. so what questions might they be asking in stage four? first things first, \n [13:55] practice. know your answers. bullet point them out. answer questions before they ask. so if you know \n [14:01] there's something that they're probably going to ask, you can build that into your answers and then \n [14:05] practice in different ways. so you can practice alone in front of a mirror. sometimes i like to \n [14:10] record myself and then listen to it. that can be really helpful to practice with a trusted friend, \n [14:15] with a colleague, a peer, a host, a family member, et cetera. and just remember, as you're going into the \n [14:20] interviews, every interview is a practice interview. no one is like the perfect interviewee. it \n [14:25] doesn't exist. everyone's nervous. even people who have great training on this. it's just a really \n [14:31] nerve wracking situation. so know that you're not alone and practice can really help you gain \n [14:36] confidence. so i did mention what's really important is this opener. tell me about yourself. \n [14:40] why did you apply for this position? and that you really need to focus on this and master this. so \n [14:45] here's what this looks like. we want to make sure that you're short and snappy. we really need to get \n [14:51] you to the point. all right. big mistake people make is they like start with, hi, my name is \n [14:56] jessica and i grew up in this place. no, we're not telling life stories here. that's not helpful. okay. \n [15:02] we're doing a bit of storytelling. we're just not telling the whole story. okay. and then we do want \n [15:08] to spotlight and shine a little bit. so you're definitely welcome to sell yourself. i know i've \n [15:12] said to be a little bit more conservative about kind of the personal branding aspect, but this is the \n [15:15] point to really be like, i bring with this and this, and i could see that being an asset for your team. \n [15:19] that's fine. and this question by which i mean your answer to it really sets the stage for the rest of \n [15:25] the interview. so you have a bit of navigational power here to set the tone for future questions \n [15:31] they may ask you and to get them excited about you as an applicant. so to present yourself, remember \n [15:37] prepare, present, pause. there is a certain structure that i recommend. you're going to start \n [15:42] with the past, where you've been or what you've been doing. then you'll talk about what you're currently \n [15:47] doing. then you'll talk about the future. so why this company? why now? where do you want to go with \n [15:52] this company? and how are you helping them to achieve their goal at the same time? and then \n [15:57] you'll pause. you'll stop talking and give them a chance to respond. that's so important. don't \n [16:03] ramble. all right. prepare. you're going to think about this ahead of time. you're going to take a deep \n [16:08] breath. you're going to present it past, present, future, pause. and you're going to pause, right? \n [16:13] past. where have you been or what have you been doing? you can start by saying, i have a bachelor's \n [16:20] degree in this and this and work experience in this area. and this is the reason why i chose to \n [16:25] do the cpyx program. i wanted to get work experience in germany, or i wanted to get to know germany \n [16:29] in whatever, or i wanted to get to know my field in the german context. and when i saw this advertisement \n [16:35] or when i came across this company, i knew that it would be the right fit for me. now, obviously \n [16:41] i just totally took that off the top of my head. you're going to craft a much nicer or more well put \n [16:48] together past, present, future. but that's the general idea. so you're showing them what's your \n [16:52] background. what do you bring with? what are you currently doing? obviously that's really driven \n [16:56] around the cpyx program. and then why or how does that company fit into what you've done in the past and \n [17:02] what you're currently doing? and then pause. so some typical questions that you may be confronted \n [17:08] with, and many of these you're likely to know if you've had an interview in the us before. so \n [17:12] obviously the police introduced yourself. why did you apply for this position? why are you the right \n [17:16] candidate? what expectations do you have yourself of us or the job? what connection can you make between \n [17:22] your previous experience in this job? what are your strengths and weaknesses? where do you see your own \n [17:26] successes and failures? what about this position interests you? what makes you different from other \n [17:31] candidates? what would you have liked to achieved in five or 10 years? why did you decide on this \n [17:36] profession, this industry, these studies, this program, cpyx? why do you, what do you know about \n [17:40] our company? i doubt they're going to ask you why you left your current employer, but if they do, \n [17:45] you can obviously just talk about the transition to cpyx. what is your view of overtime hours? that's a \n [17:51] really interesting one because that normally tells you more so about the fact that they expect a bit of \n [17:57] overtime hours. and then what do you do in your free time? be careful with that one. keep that one \n [18:01] really basic because you don't want them prying for information about your personal life. \n [18:08] now i show these questions, which for many of you are probably going to seem like very basic \n [18:12] interview questions. and that's because they know that you're an intern, right? they're not going to \n [18:16] hit you with a bunch of crazy hard questions. and so it is important to really think about these \n [18:20] things because sometimes people think, oh, the strengths and weaknesses question won't be asked \n [18:23] anymore. for example, in the u s in many interviews, it's not, it's considered redundant. \n [18:28] but in germany, you're likely to still get that question. so do practice these. and for those of \n [18:33] you who are looking for the german language ones, again, check the bwm and deutschland book. \n [18:38] in there, there's not only the questions, but also then potential answers you could think about. \n [18:44] now, of course, we are seeing a movement more towards situational or behavioral questions. so if \n [18:48] you're going to be interviewing with a medium or large size company, this may be part of your interview \n [18:52] process. so some example behavioral questions include, imagine your boss does something \n [18:57] illegal. how do you respond? what irritates you about other people and how do you deal with that? \n [19:02] what is the largest conflict you face at work and how did you manage it? what are you most afraid \n [19:07] of and why? and tell us about a time when you led a successful collaboration. now it's important here \n [19:13] to pre-plan your go-to examples for these different areas. behavioral questions tend to fit into these \n [19:18] categories, conflict, collaboration, struggle, emergency, either your own emergency or managing \n [19:22] others' emergencies, success, supervision, and failure. so really what you'll want to do is go \n [19:28] through each of these and then just practice or pre-plan and then practice how you respond to them. \n [19:34] so the way you can approach these questions is with the star method. the star method basically \n [19:39] provides a structure so that you're again, not like rambling or like storytelling into an abyss. \n [19:45] you're really having structure to your answers, right? and this is really important for all of your \n [19:49] answers. but for the behavioral ones, you'll want to first explain what the situation was. so what was \n [19:54] the emergency? then what was the task? what did you need to achieve? then what was the action that you \n [20:00] took on that task? and then what were the results of the action that you took? okay. so this is a \n [20:05] general method and you can really tell it in this way. an hour before an event, we realized that a room \n [20:09] was double booked. that was the situation. the task was to figure out who was going to get the room. \n [20:13] the action was discussing with the professor who had also booked the room at the same time, \n [20:18] whether or not he could take his students somewhere else so that we could still have the big event in \n [20:22] that room. and the results were that we organized a different room for him and we were able to move \n [20:26] forward with the event without a problem. something as simple as that. and it's really showing them \n [20:30] that you're thinking about these four things, showing kind of the story arc. and it's also showing \n [20:34] them that you're able to structure an answer, which a lot of people can't do an interview. so if you're \n [20:38] able to master, that's going to put you in a pretty good place, not only for your internship \n [20:43] interview, but also for interviews down the road. and then closing the interview, \n [20:46] you can ask questions for them. so a couple of things here, just to keep in mind, \n [20:50] don't ask anything about logistics unless they bring it up. so don't all of a sudden ask, \n [20:54] how much is this internship going to pay me? or what's the hourly wage or whatever it may be. \n [20:58] okay. unless they bring that up or it's like already in the job advertisement, don't ask about \n [21:03] that. you want to get the offer first, and then you can start that negotiation. that's not to trick \n [21:08] them. it's just because it's the etiquette around it. then if you want to ask them interesting \n [21:14] questions, think about, for example, what challenges are they facing? what are they trying \n [21:18] to achieve with this internship role? or what would they be interested in achieving with your time \n [21:22] with them? what's their strategic plan for the organization? what makes someone great at being \n [21:28] an intern with them? what are they looking for? okay. and then just make sure that you're also \n [21:31] thanking them. so those are just some things to think about. and obviously it'll depend on the \n [21:35] organization and the specific role that you're interviewing for. and just a few pro tips, \n [21:41] things that i really like that i've seen in interviews that i've conducted is you can think \n [21:46] about leveling out. so how can you put that extra touch on your performance? so those of you who maybe \n [21:51] work in any type of field where you can show something on an ipad, that could be really helpful. \n [21:56] oh, let me show you this project, this website i built on my ipad here, right? or let me show you \n [22:02] a project brochure from a research project i conducted. any of that. it can just show how you really \n [22:07] prepared. you thought ahead of time, not only about which examples you were going to bring in \n [22:10] and talk about, but you also have something visual for them to look at. \n [22:15] then for those of you who are like, hmm, i'm feeling a little bit underqualified. i don't have \n [22:18] the skills that they're asking for, but they gave you an interview anyway. it's a great sign. and you \n [22:23] can just talk about how maybe you don't know how to use sap yet, but you've been spending a lot of \n [22:27] time on youtube, watching videos about it and getting yourself familiar with the user interface and the \n [22:32] different functionality. okay. that's perfectly fine to say really about any of the skills, as long as \n [22:36] you've actually obviously been doing that. honesty and transparency is the best policy there. \n [22:42] and then depending on what your role is, you may want to think about what might you bring with as \n [22:46] improvement or ideas. you don't want to come in and say, i'm going to change everything. but if you \n [22:51] have already, especially if you're doing an initiative application, an idea of what you would like to add \n [22:56] value with or to, then you can bring in like literally a printout or bring it in on your ipad. \n [23:01] these are the things that i could imagine working on that i think i would be really good at. and that \n [23:06] would really benefit you. okay. so importantly, you are not just an interviewee recognize red flags. \n [23:15] if they are mocking or making fun of you or other applicants at any point in the process, \n [23:19] that is a huge red flag. it's a toxic work culture, red flag. same thing. if they're gossiping \n [23:25] about other applicants or team members, literally, if they are talking about other applicants or team \n [23:30] members in front of you in the interview, super big red flag. all right. if they're fishing for \n [23:35] information. so if they're like, what are you doing the weekends? okay. keep your answers basic. don't \n [23:40] be like, oh, you're fishing for information, right? don't call them out on it, but keep your answers \n [23:43] very basic and just be alert to what they're asking you. if they're talking too much about themselves, \n [23:49] it likely is that they are not trained in how to conduct an interview. you can't always get around \n [23:55] that, unfortunately, but make sure that you also are switching it and asking them about the position \n [24:01] and more questions about that. and also making sure that they're hearing enough about you. okay. \n [24:05] it could be that they are just really nervous. they don't know how to handle it. and they're talking \n [24:08] about themselves. i've seen this go really wild sometimes where the whole interview is like the \n [24:13] person talking and you're not saying anything. and then you get hired that could work out and that \n [24:17] could be fine, but it could also mean that they're not really putting a lot of thought into who's \n [24:21] being hired. and if they say anything around you would be so lucky to work here. like this would \n [24:26] be such a win for you. anything that's like that super red flag. it probably means that there's \n [24:32] actually a lot of issues with them in terms of finding people. and then if there's like a follow \n [24:36] up right away, that's a bit iffy. so it could be like, they love you, they want you, and they don't \n [24:42] want you to go somewhere else. that could be great. and that's not a red flag, right? but if it's \n [24:47] within 30 minutes of the interview or something, like i would really ask, are they spending time \n [24:53] thinking about if you're the right fit for them? okay. so obviously all of this taken with a grain \n [24:58] of salt, but just be aware that you're likely to get multiple interviews and you should also be \n [25:04] screening yourself within the interviews to recognize these red flags. and then of course, \n [25:10] moving into beyond mocking and gossiping and those types of things, there's also issues that bump up \n [25:15] against the law in germany. so there are some no-go questions such as, are you healthy or sick? \n [25:20] are you pregnant? are you married? do you have kids? the criminal record, if they ask about that, \n [25:25] it's relevant to the position. and then questions related to like race or ethnic origin or gender, \n [25:30] religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, political views, other identity questions, \n [25:34] very similar to the situation in the united states. it's likely a violation of the general equal \n [25:39] treatment act. it does depend a little bit on the job requirements. the example i give for \n [25:43] this is if they say in the internship description, you have to be able to lift 20 kilograms, \n [25:47] then they might be able to ask you something about, hey, are you healthy enough to lift \n [25:51] this on a regular basis? when in doubt, consult the general equal treatment act and see. and \n [25:57] obviously you can also reach out to cbyx or if it really gets to the point where you need to talk \n [26:01] to a lawyer, that's an option as well. now dealing with nervousness. first of all, you've got this. \n [26:08] you can definitely do this. you have all the tools that you need. practice, prepare. the very basics \n [26:15] that i'm giving you in this training. that's what you need to master this interview. okay. \n [26:20] beyond regular nervousness for interviews. so like we would have in the united states when we're \n [26:24] interviewing in english with american employers, there's kind of two extra aspects of interviewing \n [26:28] in a foreign country or in a foreign language. and these tend to be what i refer to as ausl\u00e4nderness, \n [26:34] this like combined feeling of inadequacy, undervaluing yourself, and desperation. i have to get this. \n [26:41] and then there's also this added layer for many of you of your german skills. am i going to be able \n [26:46] to speak german enough? will i be able to answer their questions? okay. for the german skills, \n [26:51] i recommend you stick with very simple sentences. don't start thinking in english in your head and \n [26:57] trying to translate into german. stick with simple sentences that are based on the module verbs, \n [27:03] the k\u00f6nnen, k\u00f6nnen, sollen, m\u00fcssen, all those. okay. and then for the idea of like, just be nervous \n [27:11] beyond the regular nervousness. remember that you're not expected to be perfect. they know that \n [27:19] you're a foreigner. they know that you don't speak german perfectly. they're not going to expect that \n [27:24] because if they're inviting you in, they've read your application. hopefully, if not, that's a red flag. \n [27:29] and your job is to show up and be yourself. your job is to show up and show them what you have to offer. \n [27:36] don't worry about anything else around it. you have what it takes to do this internship. you are, \n [27:42] you have adequate skills and there's no need to be desperate because there's different options and \n [27:46] opportunities out there. and hopefully you're also at a good place in your timeline as well. \n [27:52] so when it comes to after the interview, it's good to send a thank you note or an email. and it's okay \n [27:57] to follow up after about, if you haven't heard anything within a week or so, it's okay to follow \n [28:02] up. they will normally tell you, however, at the end of the interview, when they will be contacting \n [28:06] people to let them know who got it or who didn't. all right. we've already made it to quits and knapp. \n [28:12] interviews in germany come in all shapes and sizes. familiarize yourself with the type of interview \n [28:16] you're going to have. prepare your answers ahead of time. revisit your resume as well as the company \n [28:21] research you previously conducted and follow the preparation checklist to prepare thoroughly. \n [28:25] viel erfolg! "}, {"id": "L5-1", "key": "862693316", "vid": "862693316", "title": "Contracts and salary negotiation", "module": "Module #5: Preparing for the Interview", "mi": 5, "li": 1, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/contracts-and-salary-negotiation", "tldr": "", "summary": "
\ud83d\udcdd No written summary for this lesson yet - only the video has been archived so far.
", "md": "", "res": [["praktikumsvertrag.pdf", "https://www.hwk-rhein-main.de/adbimage/2339/asset-original/praktikumsvertrag.pdf"]], "transcript": "
No transcript for this lesson’s video yet - it is still being transcribed.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/862693316?h=cc3f260223", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/862693316.mp4", "search": "contracts and salary negotiation module #5: preparing for the interview \ud83d\udcdd no written summary for this lesson yet - only the video has been archived so far. no transcript for this lesson’s video yet - it is still being transcribed. "}, {"id": "L6-0", "key": "862649036", "vid": "862649036", "title": "Preparing for Your First and Last Day", "module": "Module #6: After You've Landed the Internship", "mi": 6, "li": 0, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/preparing-for-your-first-and-last-day", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
    \n
  1. First 1-2 weeks = learning phase - over-ask, over-note, over-introduce; it never gets cheaper than now.
    2. \n
  2. Everything important in writing - objectives, communication rhythm, deliverables; black-and-white protects you.
    3. \n
  3. Never be idle - sitting without tasks is the one first-week mistake you can't recover from.
    4. \n
  4. Bookend with rituals: a small Ausstand and a Praktikumszeugnis turn a finished internship into a lasting German career asset.
    5. \n
  5. \"Es wird nicht leichter, du wirst st\u00e4rker\" - the difficulty is the growth.
    6. \n
", "summary": "

Preparing for Your First and Last Day

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Module: Module #6 - Success: What to Do After You've Landed the Internship

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Lesson URL: https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/preparing-for-your-first-and-last-day

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Overview

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Closing course lesson on bookending your internship well: a checklist for starting strong (admin, dress code, note-taking, deliverables, meeting people) and leaving well (the Ausstand farewell ritual, Praktikumszeugnis certificates, LinkedIn recommendations). Ends with the course's Hausaufgaben and a final German encouragement.

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Key Points

\n\n

Frameworks & Templates

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n\n

Resources

\n", "md": "# Preparing for Your First and Last Day\n\n**Module:** Module #6 - Success: What to Do After You've Landed the Internship\n**Lesson URL:** https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/preparing-for-your-first-and-last-day\n\n## Overview\nClosing course lesson on bookending your internship well: a checklist for starting strong (admin, dress code, note-taking, deliverables, meeting people) and leaving well (the Ausstand farewell ritual, Praktikumszeugnis certificates, LinkedIn recommendations). Ends with the course's Hausaufgaben and a final German encouragement.\n\n## Key Points\n- [00:39] Finalize administrative tasks before day one - bureaucracy (including apartment/move-in) should be done before work starts.\n- [01:02] Learn the dress code from the company website's careers/about-us pages, or recall interview attire.\n- [01:18] Bundle your pre-start questions into one email (laptop provided? software paid?) rather than a barrage of one-question emails.\n- [01:53] Take notes from day one - during the day (processes) and after work (names/roles). Consider making a personal dictionary of company abbreviations; it shows initiative and organization.\n- [02:38] Ask questions now, not weeks later - no one expects you to know everything; clarifying is your responsibility.\n- [02:51] Treat weeks 1-2 as an explicit learning phase.\n- [03:03] Clarify responsibilities, deliverables, working hours, and who you report to. If instructions are wishy-washy, ask for clarification.\n- [03:31] If your internship has **Zielvereinbarungen** (target agreements/objectives), get them in writing.\n- [03:37] Ask explicitly how communication works; if unstructured, propose the Monday-plan/Friday-report email rhythm - written communication looks organized and protects you in black and white.\n- [04:05] Never sit idle - always have something to work on.\n- [04:12] Meet everyone: simple break-room introductions, coffee/lunch dates, small talk, and company events.\n- [05:00] Plan celebration and rest - finding an internship abroad is a massive feat; German has a word for doing nothing: **Nichtstun**.\n- [06:03] The **Ausstand** = goodbye party: you bring treats and celebrate your time. Not required, but leaves a strong final impression.\n- [07:23] Ask for the **Praktikumszeugnis** (internship certificate) - even a basic one from a two-month internship is the bare minimum to obtain.\n- [07:49] For LinkedIn recommendations, ask in person first - never blindside someone with the request via LinkedIn.\n- [08:11] If grad school is next, ask your supervisor for a recommendation letter before you leave so it's easy to organize by email later.\n- [08:59] Hausaufgaben: check your contract; plan pre-first-day tasks; plan your Ausstand; contact supervisor/colleagues 1-2 weeks before leaving for certificate/recommendations.\n- [09:27] Closing motto: **\"Es wird nicht leichter, du wirst st\u00e4rker\"** - it doesn't get easier, you get stronger.\n\n## Frameworks & Templates\n- **Start-strong checklist:** finalize admin \u2192 learn dress code \u2192 bundle questions \u2192 take notes + abbreviation dictionary \u2192 ask questions immediately \u2192 clarify responsibilities/deliverables/reporting \u2192 get Zielvereinbarungen in writing \u2192 agree communication structure \u2192 never idle \u2192 meet everyone \u2192 celebrate and rest.\n- **Monday/Friday email template (propose it if no structure exists):** Monday email - what you'll work on this week; Friday email - what you accomplished + what needs addressing next week.\n- **Break-room introduction (German):** *\"Hallo, ich bin Jessica. Ich mache ein dreimonatiges Praktikum hier im Hause in der Marketing-Abteilung. Ich glaube, wir haben uns noch nicht kennengelernt.\"*\n- **Ausstand options:** muffins + coffee; Bavarian butter pretzels + coffee; something bigger for lunch; or a beer after work - match the team's style.\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- **Zielvereinbarungen** - target agreements / agreed objectives (get them in writing).\n- **Nichtstun** - doing nothing; deliberate rest time.\n- **Ausstand** - farewell party; the leaver brings treats.\n- **Praktikumszeugnis** - internship certificate (basic or detailed depending on length).\n- **Arbeitszeugnis** - work certificate/reference.\n- **Hausaufgaben** - homework/assignments.\n\n## Resources\n- Sample basic Praktikumszeugnis (included below the video for a 2-month internship).\n- Company website careers + \"about us\" pages for dress-code cues.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n1. **First 1-2 weeks = learning phase** - over-ask, over-note, over-introduce; it never gets cheaper than now.\n2. **Everything important in writing** - objectives, communication rhythm, deliverables; black-and-white protects you.\n3. **Never be idle** - sitting without tasks is the one first-week mistake you can't recover from.\n4. **Bookend with rituals:** a small Ausstand and a Praktikumszeugnis turn a finished internship into a lasting German career asset.\n5. **\"Es wird nicht leichter, du wirst st\u00e4rker\"** - the difficulty is the growth.\n", "res": [["musterzeugnis-praktikum.pdf", "https://www.zfs.uni-kiel.de/de/studium/documents-studierende/downloads/musterzeugnis-praktikum.pdf"]], "transcript": "
[00:00]Hello everyone and welcome back to finding an internship in Germany. We have reached module six,
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[00:07]success, what to do after you've landed the internship. We're first going to talk a bit
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[00:15]about preparing for your first and last day. So let's dive right in. Here are some tips for
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[00:21]starting off strong. Once you've landed the internship, and first you should probably
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[00:27]celebrate a little bit, because obviously that's a big accomplishment in itself. But then you should
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[00:33]start considering how you're going to start off strong in your internship. The first thing you
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[00:39]should do is finalize administrative tasks. It's critical to plan in time to organize bureaucratic
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[00:44]things around the internship before the internship starts, and really to get as much done as possible
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[00:50]before you begin working. For many of you, that will be completing your apartment search and any
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[00:55]types of related move-in tasks that come along with it. Also, get familiar with the dress code.
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[01:02]The company's website will give you hints for appropriate clothing style, especially the career
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[01:07]portion of the company's website and the about us section will show you what typical dress at the
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[01:13]company may look like. Or just recall back to the interview that you participated in and what people
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[01:18]were wearing for it. Then get questions that you have answered ahead of time. So it's fine to ask
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[01:24]organizational or logistical questions ahead of your start date. Just do your best to bundle them so
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[01:31]you aren't bombarding them with a bunch of emails that ask one question each time. So for example,
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[01:36]you may want to know if the company is going to pay for programs that you'll need to use on the job,
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[01:40]or if you'll need to bring with your own laptop, or you might have other questions. That's perfectly
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[01:44]fine to clarify ahead of time. Then take notes. During your first weeks on the job, you will probably
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[01:53]be bombarded with new information about the position, the company, and of course also the people who you
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[01:58]will be working with. Although it can seem like an extra thing to do, please take good notes and it's
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[02:04]perfectly fine to have your notebook out and be taking notes. Write everything down. You can do this both
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[02:10]during the day, such as taking notes about certain processes, and after work, such as remembering
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[02:16]who you met and what their roles are in relation to yours. Depending on the extent of your internship,
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[02:22]you may even find it helpful to make your own kind of dictionary of abbreviations that helps you learn
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[02:27]things for your job quicker. And something like this can also show overall initiative and organization.
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[02:33]As you take notes, ask questions. Now is the time to clarify what you do not understand completely.
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[02:38]Don't wait until weeks or months down the road to ask. No one is expecting you to know everything
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[02:44]from the get-go. It's your responsibility to show when you need further clarification.
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[02:51]Using the first one to two weeks as a learning phase will be critical to setting yourself up for
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[02:56]success. Then clarify your responsibilities and deliverables. So similar to taking notes and asking
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[03:03]questions as much as you need to, make sure you understand your exact responsibilities and
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[03:08]deliverables and any other expectations your supervisor may have, such as your working hours.
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[03:15]Make sure you know exactly what needs to be done and when, and who you report to once it is done.
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[03:20]If you get wishy-washy instructions, ask them to clarify. Importantly, if your internship entails
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[03:25]target agreements on objectives, these are called Zilfe Einbarungen in German, make sure you get these in
\n
[03:31]writing if you have not already done so. Finally, be explicit in asking how communication within the company
\n
[03:37]and department works. Does your supervisor prefer you give oral or email updates? If they do not seem to
\n
[03:43]have a structure for this in place, consider suggesting that for the first few weeks or months,
\n
[03:47]you write an email on a Monday indicating what you're going to work on during the week,
\n
[03:51]and an email on Friday with what you accomplish and what needs to be addressed the following week.
\n
[03:56]Explicit written communication will appear organized, and it also protects you by having
\n
[04:00]everything in black and white. This is not the time to sit around without any tasks. During this time,
\n
[04:05]you should always work on something and not sit idle. Meet people. This is the easiest time to get to
\n
[04:12]know people. Introduce yourself to everyone. This is super simple. When you see someone, for example,
\n
[04:18]in the break room or similar, a simple introduction will suffice. Hi, I'm so-and-so, and I just started
\n
[04:24]working in department XYZ, and I don't think we've met yet. In German, you might say,
\n
[04:30]Hallo, ich bin Jessica. Ich mache ein drei-monatiges Praktikum hier im Hause in der Marketing-Abteilung.
\n
[04:36]Ich glaube, wir haben uns noch nicht kennengelernt. Something like that will suffice. Use your coffee
\n
[04:43]breaks and lunches to meet people casually in this way, but also formally through lunch dates or the
\n
[04:48]like. Small talk in the morning or in between meetings is also not the time to be shy. Go to any
\n
[04:53]events offered by the organization, whether that is presentations or after-work beer garden events.
\n
[05:00]Finally, plan in celebration and rest time. You did it. Finding an internship in a new country is a
\n
[05:06]massive feat. It is stressful to look for work abroad, interview in a different country setting, and to
\n
[05:13]really make this move internationally, and you accomplished all of these things. If you're working in
\n
[05:18]German, this often adds a layer of stress and exhaustion, but even if you're not, it's still a
\n
[05:22]really new environment. It's so important to take the time to celebrate your success of finding your
\n
[05:27]internship in Germany, starting the internship, and getting settled into this new season of your
\n
[05:32]CBYX experience and of your life. Plan in time to do the things that you love to do, whether that's as
\n
[05:38]simple as calling your friends back home or going out for a fancy dinner with your friends here in
\n
[05:42]Germany. Honor how far you've come. While it's important to celebrate your success, also consider
\n
[05:48]adding in some rest time. Days where you do nothing. In German, there's even a word for this.
\n
[05:52]Nichtstum. All right, moving on to planning your Ausstand. First things first, you want to leave a
\n
[05:59]positive impression and a good image of yourself even after you've left the company, and one way you
\n
[06:03]can do this is with an Ausstand. So, what's an Ausstand? An Ausstand is basically a goodbye party.
\n
[06:10]You bring in treats and celebrate your time that you spent with the organization during your
\n
[06:13]internship, and you talk about what's next for you and for them, and how you may stay in touch with
\n
[06:18]your work colleagues. You may be asking yourself, do I even need to do this? So, no, it's not technically
\n
[06:26]necessary or required to do an Ausstand, but it can certainly go a long way in terms of leaving a good
\n
[06:31]impression. If you prefer, you can also just thank people in person or via email. Third, what should
\n
[06:39]you do if you decide to do an Ausstand? You bring in some small treats and invite everyone to have them
\n
[06:44]at some certain time. It's as simple as that. It may be that you bring in muffins and coffee, or in
\n
[06:51]Bavaria, we would bring in butter pretzels and coffee for breakfast if you're having a team meeting,
\n
[06:57]let's say, and then you can do that afterwards. Or you may even bring in, you know, something bigger or
\n
[07:02]larger for lunch, or you may choose to take everyone out for a beer afterwards. It's really
\n
[07:06]going to depend on the organization that you're in, the team that you're in, and kind of what the style
\n
[07:11]has been like with them. In any case, please think about doing some type of small goodbye gesture or
\n
[07:17]Ausstand. Next, of course, you just did your internship, and it's important to consider obtaining
\n
[07:23]certificates, recommendations, or recommendation letters. So, ask your employer for an internship
\n
[07:29]certificate, which is called a Praktikum Zeugnis in German. You may get a more basic certificate,
\n
[07:34]or a more detailed one, depending on the length of your internship. I will include an example from
\n
[07:39]one of my smaller internships. It lasted about two months in Germany below this video for your
\n
[07:44]reference. Just keep in mind it's a basic certificate. You should, at the bare minimum, get something like
\n
[07:49]that. If your supervisor and or your colleagues have LinkedIn, reach out to one or two of them for a
\n
[07:56]LinkedIn recommendation. You should talk to them and ask if they would be willing to write you a
\n
[08:00]recommendation in person or directly, in any case, before actually setting the request via LinkedIn.
\n
[08:05]Don't just blindside them. Alternatively, if it's more important to you, maybe you're going to graduate
\n
[08:11]school next, you can ask your supervisor if they would be open to writing you a recommendation letter
\n
[08:16]at the end of your internship. While you may not need it right away, it is better to have that
\n
[08:21]conversation before you leave, so it's easier to organize via email later on. So that actually
\n
[08:28]already brings us to quits and knuck. Starting a new internship is both stressful and exhilarating.
\n
[08:34]There's a lot to organize, manage, and consider before you enter the office on the first day,
\n
[08:38]as well as much to take into consideration during the first few weeks. You can manage this process in
\n
[08:44]an organized manner by using the five tips for starting out strong, getting your contract in order,
\n
[08:49]planning out your first day or week, and thinking about your outstand, as well as
\n
[08:52]recommendations from the get-go. So your houseaufgaben for this module are to obtain your
\n
[08:59]internship contract and check it, plan what you need to do ahead of the first day, including those
\n
[09:04]preparation tips that I mentioned, plan your outstand, and reach out to your supervisor and or colleagues
\n
[09:09]one or two weeks before you will leave to obtain your internship certificate recommendations and or
\n
[09:14]letters. Write yourself a note about that now. All right, that's it. We've reached the end of this
\n
[09:22]course. And I just want to leave you with some German encouraging words that I love.
\n
[09:27]Es wird nicht leichter, du wirst st\u00e4rker. It doesn't get easier, you get stronger.
\n
[09:32]Good luck and have a great time in Germany.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/862649036?h=595dc27a9a", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/862649036.mp4", "search": "preparing for your first and last day module #6: after you've landed the internship key takeaways copy \n first 1-2 weeks = learning phase - over-ask, over-note, over-introduce; it never gets cheaper than now. \n everything important in writing - objectives, communication rhythm, deliverables; black-and-white protects you. \n never be idle - sitting without tasks is the one first-week mistake you can't recover from. \n bookend with rituals: a small ausstand and a praktikumszeugnis turn a finished internship into a lasting german career asset. \n \"es wird nicht leichter, du wirst st\u00e4rker\" - the difficulty is the growth. \n preparing for your first and last day \n module: module #6 - success: what to do after you've landed the internship \n lesson url: https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/preparing-for-your-first-and-last-day \n overview \n closing course lesson on bookending your internship well: a checklist for starting strong (admin, dress code, note-taking, deliverables, meeting people) and leaving well (the ausstand farewell ritual, praktikumszeugnis certificates, linkedin recommendations). ends with the course's hausaufgaben and a final german encouragement. \n key points \n \n [00:39] finalize administrative tasks before day one - bureaucracy (including apartment/move-in) should be done before work starts. \n [01:02] learn the dress code from the company website's careers/about-us pages, or recall interview attire. \n [01:18] bundle your pre-start questions into one email (laptop provided? software paid?) rather than a barrage of one-question emails. \n [01:53] take notes from day one - during the day (processes) and after work (names/roles). consider making a personal dictionary of company abbreviations; it shows initiative and organization. \n [02:38] ask questions now, not weeks later - no one expects you to know everything; clarifying is your responsibility. \n [02:51] treat weeks 1-2 as an explicit learning phase. \n [03:03] clarify responsibilities, deliverables, working hours, and who you report to. if instructions are wishy-washy, ask for clarification. \n [03:31] if your internship has zielvereinbarungen (target agreements/objectives), get them in writing. \n [03:37] ask explicitly how communication works; if unstructured, propose the monday-plan/friday-report email rhythm - written communication looks organized and protects you in black and white. \n [04:05] never sit idle - always have something to work on. \n [04:12] meet everyone: simple break-room introductions, coffee/lunch dates, small talk, and company events. \n [05:00] plan celebration and rest - finding an internship abroad is a massive feat; german has a word for doing nothing: nichtstun . \n [06:03] the ausstand = goodbye party: you bring treats and celebrate your time. not required, but leaves a strong final impression. \n [07:23] ask for the praktikumszeugnis (internship certificate) - even a basic one from a two-month internship is the bare minimum to obtain. \n [07:49] for linkedin recommendations, ask in person first - never blindside someone with the request via linkedin. \n [08:11] if grad school is next, ask your supervisor for a recommendation letter before you leave so it's easy to organize by email later. \n [08:59] hausaufgaben: check your contract; plan pre-first-day tasks; plan your ausstand; contact supervisor/colleagues 1-2 weeks before leaving for certificate/recommendations. \n [09:27] closing motto: \"es wird nicht leichter, du wirst st\u00e4rker\" - it doesn't get easier, you get stronger. \n \n frameworks & templates \n \n start-strong checklist: finalize admin \u2192 learn dress code \u2192 bundle questions \u2192 take notes + abbreviation dictionary \u2192 ask questions immediately \u2192 clarify responsibilities/deliverables/reporting \u2192 get zielvereinbarungen in writing \u2192 agree communication structure \u2192 never idle \u2192 meet everyone \u2192 celebrate and rest. \n monday/friday email template (propose it if no structure exists): monday email - what you'll work on this week; friday email - what you accomplished + what needs addressing next week. \n break-room introduction (german): \"hallo, ich bin jessica. ich mache ein dreimonatiges praktikum hier im hause in der marketing-abteilung. ich glaube, wir haben uns noch nicht kennengelernt.\" \n ausstand options: muffins + coffee; bavarian butter pretzels + coffee; something bigger for lunch; or a beer after work - match the team's style. \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n zielvereinbarungen - target agreements / agreed objectives (get them in writing). \n nichtstun - doing nothing; deliberate rest time. \n ausstand - farewell party; the leaver brings treats. \n praktikumszeugnis - internship certificate (basic or detailed depending on length). \n arbeitszeugnis - work certificate/reference. \n hausaufgaben - homework/assignments. \n \n resources \n \n sample basic praktikumszeugnis (included below the video for a 2-month internship). \n company website careers + \"about us\" pages for dress-code cues. \n [00:00] hello everyone and welcome back to finding an internship in germany. we have reached module six, \n [00:07] success, what to do after you've landed the internship. we're first going to talk a bit \n [00:15] about preparing for your first and last day. so let's dive right in. here are some tips for \n [00:21] starting off strong. once you've landed the internship, and first you should probably \n [00:27] celebrate a little bit, because obviously that's a big accomplishment in itself. but then you should \n [00:33] start considering how you're going to start off strong in your internship. the first thing you \n [00:39] should do is finalize administrative tasks. it's critical to plan in time to organize bureaucratic \n [00:44] things around the internship before the internship starts, and really to get as much done as possible \n [00:50] before you begin working. for many of you, that will be completing your apartment search and any \n [00:55] types of related move-in tasks that come along with it. also, get familiar with the dress code. \n [01:02] the company's website will give you hints for appropriate clothing style, especially the career \n [01:07] portion of the company's website and the about us section will show you what typical dress at the \n [01:13] company may look like. or just recall back to the interview that you participated in and what people \n [01:18] were wearing for it. then get questions that you have answered ahead of time. so it's fine to ask \n [01:24] organizational or logistical questions ahead of your start date. just do your best to bundle them so \n [01:31] you aren't bombarding them with a bunch of emails that ask one question each time. so for example, \n [01:36] you may want to know if the company is going to pay for programs that you'll need to use on the job, \n [01:40] or if you'll need to bring with your own laptop, or you might have other questions. that's perfectly \n [01:44] fine to clarify ahead of time. then take notes. during your first weeks on the job, you will probably \n [01:53] be bombarded with new information about the position, the company, and of course also the people who you \n [01:58] will be working with. although it can seem like an extra thing to do, please take good notes and it's \n [02:04] perfectly fine to have your notebook out and be taking notes. write everything down. you can do this both \n [02:10] during the day, such as taking notes about certain processes, and after work, such as remembering \n [02:16] who you met and what their roles are in relation to yours. depending on the extent of your internship, \n [02:22] you may even find it helpful to make your own kind of dictionary of abbreviations that helps you learn \n [02:27] things for your job quicker. and something like this can also show overall initiative and organization. \n [02:33] as you take notes, ask questions. now is the time to clarify what you do not understand completely. \n [02:38] don't wait until weeks or months down the road to ask. no one is expecting you to know everything \n [02:44] from the get-go. it's your responsibility to show when you need further clarification. \n [02:51] using the first one to two weeks as a learning phase will be critical to setting yourself up for \n [02:56] success. then clarify your responsibilities and deliverables. so similar to taking notes and asking \n [03:03] questions as much as you need to, make sure you understand your exact responsibilities and \n [03:08] deliverables and any other expectations your supervisor may have, such as your working hours. \n [03:15] make sure you know exactly what needs to be done and when, and who you report to once it is done. \n [03:20] if you get wishy-washy instructions, ask them to clarify. importantly, if your internship entails \n [03:25] target agreements on objectives, these are called zilfe einbarungen in german, make sure you get these in \n [03:31] writing if you have not already done so. finally, be explicit in asking how communication within the company \n [03:37] and department works. does your supervisor prefer you give oral or email updates? if they do not seem to \n [03:43] have a structure for this in place, consider suggesting that for the first few weeks or months, \n [03:47] you write an email on a monday indicating what you're going to work on during the week, \n [03:51] and an email on friday with what you accomplish and what needs to be addressed the following week. \n [03:56] explicit written communication will appear organized, and it also protects you by having \n [04:00] everything in black and white. this is not the time to sit around without any tasks. during this time, \n [04:05] you should always work on something and not sit idle. meet people. this is the easiest time to get to \n [04:12] know people. introduce yourself to everyone. this is super simple. when you see someone, for example, \n [04:18] in the break room or similar, a simple introduction will suffice. hi, i'm so-and-so, and i just started \n [04:24] working in department xyz, and i don't think we've met yet. in german, you might say, \n [04:30] hallo, ich bin jessica. ich mache ein drei-monatiges praktikum hier im hause in der marketing-abteilung. \n [04:36] ich glaube, wir haben uns noch nicht kennengelernt. something like that will suffice. use your coffee \n [04:43] breaks and lunches to meet people casually in this way, but also formally through lunch dates or the \n [04:48] like. small talk in the morning or in between meetings is also not the time to be shy. go to any \n [04:53] events offered by the organization, whether that is presentations or after-work beer garden events. \n [05:00] finally, plan in celebration and rest time. you did it. finding an internship in a new country is a \n [05:06] massive feat. it is stressful to look for work abroad, interview in a different country setting, and to \n [05:13] really make this move internationally, and you accomplished all of these things. if you're working in \n [05:18] german, this often adds a layer of stress and exhaustion, but even if you're not, it's still a \n [05:22] really new environment. it's so important to take the time to celebrate your success of finding your \n [05:27] internship in germany, starting the internship, and getting settled into this new season of your \n [05:32] cbyx experience and of your life. plan in time to do the things that you love to do, whether that's as \n [05:38] simple as calling your friends back home or going out for a fancy dinner with your friends here in \n [05:42] germany. honor how far you've come. while it's important to celebrate your success, also consider \n [05:48] adding in some rest time. days where you do nothing. in german, there's even a word for this. \n [05:52] nichtstum. all right, moving on to planning your ausstand. first things first, you want to leave a \n [05:59] positive impression and a good image of yourself even after you've left the company, and one way you \n [06:03] can do this is with an ausstand. so, what's an ausstand? an ausstand is basically a goodbye party. \n [06:10] you bring in treats and celebrate your time that you spent with the organization during your \n [06:13] internship, and you talk about what's next for you and for them, and how you may stay in touch with \n [06:18] your work colleagues. you may be asking yourself, do i even need to do this? so, no, it's not technically \n [06:26] necessary or required to do an ausstand, but it can certainly go a long way in terms of leaving a good \n [06:31] impression. if you prefer, you can also just thank people in person or via email. third, what should \n [06:39] you do if you decide to do an ausstand? you bring in some small treats and invite everyone to have them \n [06:44] at some certain time. it's as simple as that. it may be that you bring in muffins and coffee, or in \n [06:51] bavaria, we would bring in butter pretzels and coffee for breakfast if you're having a team meeting, \n [06:57] let's say, and then you can do that afterwards. or you may even bring in, you know, something bigger or \n [07:02] larger for lunch, or you may choose to take everyone out for a beer afterwards. it's really \n [07:06] going to depend on the organization that you're in, the team that you're in, and kind of what the style \n [07:11] has been like with them. in any case, please think about doing some type of small goodbye gesture or \n [07:17] ausstand. next, of course, you just did your internship, and it's important to consider obtaining \n [07:23] certificates, recommendations, or recommendation letters. so, ask your employer for an internship \n [07:29] certificate, which is called a praktikum zeugnis in german. you may get a more basic certificate, \n [07:34] or a more detailed one, depending on the length of your internship. i will include an example from \n [07:39] one of my smaller internships. it lasted about two months in germany below this video for your \n [07:44] reference. just keep in mind it's a basic certificate. you should, at the bare minimum, get something like \n [07:49] that. if your supervisor and or your colleagues have linkedin, reach out to one or two of them for a \n [07:56] linkedin recommendation. you should talk to them and ask if they would be willing to write you a \n [08:00] recommendation in person or directly, in any case, before actually setting the request via linkedin. \n [08:05] don't just blindside them. alternatively, if it's more important to you, maybe you're going to graduate \n [08:11] school next, you can ask your supervisor if they would be open to writing you a recommendation letter \n [08:16] at the end of your internship. while you may not need it right away, it is better to have that \n [08:21] conversation before you leave, so it's easier to organize via email later on. so that actually \n [08:28] already brings us to quits and knuck. starting a new internship is both stressful and exhilarating. \n [08:34] there's a lot to organize, manage, and consider before you enter the office on the first day, \n [08:38] as well as much to take into consideration during the first few weeks. you can manage this process in \n [08:44] an organized manner by using the five tips for starting out strong, getting your contract in order, \n [08:49] planning out your first day or week, and thinking about your outstand, as well as \n [08:52] recommendations from the get-go. so your houseaufgaben for this module are to obtain your \n [08:59] internship contract and check it, plan what you need to do ahead of the first day, including those \n [09:04] preparation tips that i mentioned, plan your outstand, and reach out to your supervisor and or colleagues \n [09:09] one or two weeks before you will leave to obtain your internship certificate recommendations and or \n [09:14] letters. write yourself a note about that now. all right, that's it. we've reached the end of this \n [09:22] course. and i just want to leave you with some german encouraging words that i love. \n [09:27] es wird nicht leichter, du wirst st\u00e4rker. it doesn't get easier, you get stronger. \n [09:32] good luck and have a great time in germany. "}, {"id": "L6-1", "key": "mod6les1", "vid": null, "title": "Resources", "module": "Module #6: After You've Landed the Internship", "mi": 6, "li": 1, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/resources", "tldr": "", "summary": "
\ud83d\udcc4 The live course page has no video for this lesson.
", "md": "", "res": [], "transcript": "

There is no video (and therefore no transcript) for this lesson.

", "player": "", "local_url": "", "search": "resources module #6: after you've landed the internship \ud83d\udcc4 the live course page has no video for this lesson. there is no video (and therefore no transcript) for this lesson. "}, {"id": "L7-0", "key": "662280404", "vid": "662280404", "title": "Welcome to the German for Work Training!", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 0, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/welcome-to-the-german-for-work-training", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Welcome to the German for Work Training!

\n

Overview

\n

Intro to the German for Work bonus training. It was created because clients were wasting time researching German-learning resources instead of doing higher-value job-search work (applications, interview prep). The training presents only tried-and-tested foundational and professional learning tools to move learners from their current level (even complete beginner or B1) to the German needed to find or succeed at work in Germany. [00:00-00:43]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# Welcome to the German for Work Training!\n\n## Overview\nIntro to the German for Work bonus training. It was created because clients were wasting time researching German-learning resources instead of doing higher-value job-search work (applications, interview prep). The training presents only tried-and-tested foundational and professional learning tools to move learners from their current level (even complete beginner or B1) to the German needed to find or succeed at work in Germany. [00:00-00:43]\n\n## Key Points\n- Problem: resource-hunting for German learning crowds out application/interview prep time. [00:05-00:21]\n- Solution: a curated set of foundational + professional tools the instructor and clients have personally validated. [00:26-00:32]\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- None in this lesson (intro only).\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Don't over-research language tools; pick from a tested shortlist and spend the saved time on application materials and interview prep. [00:05-00:21]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]Welcome to the German for Work training. I created this training because I was noticing that a lot
\n
[00:05]of my clients were falling into the trap of researching and looking for all the different
\n
[00:10]resources for learning German and that was taking away time from them doing more important things
\n
[00:17]for finding work in Germany such as perfecting their application materials or prepping for
\n
[00:21]interviews. So in this training I'm going to show you the foundational and professional learning
\n
[00:26]tools that I have tried and tested myself and that my clients have used that have been really
\n
[00:32]helpful in moving the needle so in getting you from where you are right now with your German whether
\n
[00:37]that's complete beginner or maybe be one to where you want to be in order for you to find work in
\n
[00:43]Germany or to be successful at your job in Germany.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662280404?h=96be664da6", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662280404.mp4", "search": "welcome to the german for work training! bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n don't over-research language tools; pick from a tested shortlist and spend the saved time on application materials and interview prep. [00:05-00:21] \n welcome to the german for work training! \n overview \n intro to the german for work bonus training. it was created because clients were wasting time researching german-learning resources instead of doing higher-value job-search work (applications, interview prep). the training presents only tried-and-tested foundational and professional learning tools to move learners from their current level (even complete beginner or b1) to the german needed to find or succeed at work in germany. [00:00-00:43] \n key points \n \n problem: resource-hunting for german learning crowds out application/interview prep time. [00:05-00:21] \n solution: a curated set of foundational + professional tools the instructor and clients have personally validated. [00:26-00:32] \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n none in this lesson (intro only). \n [00:00] welcome to the german for work training. i created this training because i was noticing that a lot \n [00:05] of my clients were falling into the trap of researching and looking for all the different \n [00:10] resources for learning german and that was taking away time from them doing more important things \n [00:17] for finding work in germany such as perfecting their application materials or prepping for \n [00:21] interviews. so in this training i'm going to show you the foundational and professional learning \n [00:26] tools that i have tried and tested myself and that my clients have used that have been really \n [00:32] helpful in moving the needle so in getting you from where you are right now with your german whether \n [00:37] that's complete beginner or maybe be one to where you want to be in order for you to find work in \n [00:43] germany or to be successful at your job in germany. "}, {"id": "L7-1", "key": "662297591", "vid": "662297591", "title": "Here's What We'll Cover", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 1, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/heres-what-well-cover", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Here's What We'll Cover

\n

Overview

\n

Roadmap of the German for Work training: (1) whether German is needed to find work in Germany, (2) the three most common mistakes internationals make learning German, (3) foundational learning tools (grammar/vocab basics - pick one), (4) professional learning tools for on-the-job German and applications (\"where the magic happens\"), and (5) a simple repeatable 30-day framework. [00:00-01:18]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# Here's What We'll Cover\n\n## Overview\nRoadmap of the German for Work training: (1) whether German is needed to find work in Germany, (2) the three most common mistakes internationals make learning German, (3) foundational learning tools (grammar/vocab basics - pick one), (4) professional learning tools for on-the-job German and applications (\"where the magic happens\"), and (5) a simple repeatable 30-day framework. [00:00-01:18]\n\n## Key Points\n- Starts with the #1 asked question: \"Do I need German to find work in Germany?\" - answered head-on first. [00:03-00:17]\n- Three most common mistakes of international job learners covered next. [00:23-00:27]\n- Foundational tools = basis for grammar/vocab; you choose one of several. [00:33-00:44]\n- Professional tools = preparing German specifically for job applications and on-the-job use. [00:50-01:01]\n- 30-day framework removes guesswork and can be reused every 30 days. [01:06-01:18]\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- None in this lesson (outline only).\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Course structure: need-for-German answer \u2192 3 mistakes \u2192 foundational tool (choose one) \u2192 professional tools \u2192 30-day repeatable framework. [00:00-01:18]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]So here's what we're going to cover today. The first thing we're going to look at is German
\n
[00:03]skills in finding work. And basically what I mean by that is this question of, do I need to know
\n
[00:09]German in order to find work here? It's a question that if I had a dollar for every time I got asked
\n
[00:13]that I'd be a millionaire by now, it's one of those things. And I'm just going to kind of break
\n
[00:17]that down for you and get that out of the way right away. The second thing that we're going to look at
\n
[00:23]is the three most common mistakes that international job seekers make when they attempt to learn
\n
[00:27]German. Then we're going to jump right into the foundational learning tools. And what I mean by
\n
[00:33]that is like you need to have foundational learning tools that set the basis for your German language
\n
[00:39]learning. So that's going to be a couple of different tools that then you can choose one of
\n
[00:44]that will help you with the basics such as grammar, vocab, things like that. Then we're going to look
\n
[00:50]at the professional learning tools. So this is where the magic happens. This is where I'm going to show
\n
[00:54]you exactly what you need to do in order to prepare yourself more effectively for on the job use of
\n
[01:01]German or for your applications, if that's the stage that you're in. And then we're going to wrap up with
\n
[01:06]looking at a very simple 30 day framework that I use myself and my clients use as well. It kind of takes
\n
[01:12]all of the guesswork out of learning German and just gives you a super, super simple framework that you
\n
[01:18]can use again and again, as it says every 30 days. So let's jump right in.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662297591?h=d5ae259b6d", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662297591.mp4", "search": "here's what we'll cover bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n course structure: need-for-german answer \u2192 3 mistakes \u2192 foundational tool (choose one) \u2192 professional tools \u2192 30-day repeatable framework. [00:00-01:18] \n here's what we'll cover \n overview \n roadmap of the german for work training: (1) whether german is needed to find work in germany, (2) the three most common mistakes internationals make learning german, (3) foundational learning tools (grammar/vocab basics - pick one), (4) professional learning tools for on-the-job german and applications (\"where the magic happens\"), and (5) a simple repeatable 30-day framework. [00:00-01:18] \n key points \n \n starts with the #1 asked question: \"do i need german to find work in germany?\" - answered head-on first. [00:03-00:17] \n three most common mistakes of international job learners covered next. [00:23-00:27] \n foundational tools = basis for grammar/vocab; you choose one of several. [00:33-00:44] \n professional tools = preparing german specifically for job applications and on-the-job use. [00:50-01:01] \n 30-day framework removes guesswork and can be reused every 30 days. [01:06-01:18] \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n none in this lesson (outline only). \n [00:00] so here's what we're going to cover today. the first thing we're going to look at is german \n [00:03] skills in finding work. and basically what i mean by that is this question of, do i need to know \n [00:09] german in order to find work here? it's a question that if i had a dollar for every time i got asked \n [00:13] that i'd be a millionaire by now, it's one of those things. and i'm just going to kind of break \n [00:17] that down for you and get that out of the way right away. the second thing that we're going to look at \n [00:23] is the three most common mistakes that international job seekers make when they attempt to learn \n [00:27] german. then we're going to jump right into the foundational learning tools. and what i mean by \n [00:33] that is like you need to have foundational learning tools that set the basis for your german language \n [00:39] learning. so that's going to be a couple of different tools that then you can choose one of \n [00:44] that will help you with the basics such as grammar, vocab, things like that. then we're going to look \n [00:50] at the professional learning tools. so this is where the magic happens. this is where i'm going to show \n [00:54] you exactly what you need to do in order to prepare yourself more effectively for on the job use of \n [01:01] german or for your applications, if that's the stage that you're in. and then we're going to wrap up with \n [01:06] looking at a very simple 30 day framework that i use myself and my clients use as well. it kind of takes \n [01:12] all of the guesswork out of learning german and just gives you a super, super simple framework that you \n [01:18] can use again and again, as it says every 30 days. so let's jump right in. "}, {"id": "L7-2", "key": "662297870", "vid": "662297870", "title": "Do I need to speak German to find a job in Germany?", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 2, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/do-i-need-to-speak-german-to-find-a-job-in-germany", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Do I need to speak German to find a job in Germany?

\n

Overview

\n

The answer depends on each personal situation. English-taught degree programs exist for varied reasons (professor initiative, \"internationalization at home\"), not necessarily a labor market need, and often fill almost entirely with international students. English-language hiring does happen but is mostly reserved for native English speakers or hot-skill fields (IT, engineering). Regardless of career, everyday life in Germany requires some German. [00:00-04:52]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# Do I need to speak German to find a job in Germany?\n\n## Overview\nThe answer depends on each personal situation. English-taught degree programs exist for varied reasons (professor initiative, \"internationalization at home\"), not necessarily a labor market need, and often fill almost entirely with international students. English-language hiring does happen but is mostly reserved for native English speakers or hot-skill fields (IT, engineering). Regardless of career, everyday life in Germany requires some German. [00:00-04:52]\n\n## Key Points\n- \"Studying in English = working in English\" is a myth; program creation has non-labor-market reasons. [00:23-00:43]\n- Many English programs end up almost entirely international students - internationalization-at-home intent. [01:02-01:31]\n- English-only jobs go mainly to native speakers or those with in-demand skills (IT, engineering). [01:46-02:07]\n- Non-profit/social-services roles may value other languages (Turkish, Arabic) beyond English. [02:16-02:30]\n- Even if hired in English, life (bank account, doctor, haircuts, friends, mother-in-law) needs German. [03:08-03:35]\n- Common pattern: job found in English, then partners reach B1/B2 German for daily integration. [03:53-04:25]\n- Bottom line: most likely yes, you'll need German; plus you want it for any life in Germany beyond 1-2 years. [04:33-04:52]\n- Note: the audio ends at [04:52]. Whisper invented text after that point (including stray non-Latin characters); it has been removed from the transcript.\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- None verbatim in this lesson.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- English-taught programs \u2260 English job market. [00:23-00:43]\n- Hot fields for English-only hiring: IT and engineering. [02:04-02:07]\n- Target ~B1 German for daily-life integration even when working in English. [04:10-04:21]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]Okay, so this question, do I need to speak German to find a job in Germany?
\n
[00:04]Like I said, I get this question all the time.
\n
[00:06]And the thing about it is it's a very legitimate question,
\n
[00:09]but the answer to this really depends on every unique personal situation.
\n
[00:14]And I know that's an answer that not a lot of people like to get,
\n
[00:17]but that is just the reality of it.
\n
[00:18]And the thing is, is that first of all, there is kind of this idea with students
\n
[00:23]that if you study here in English, you're going to be able to find a job here in English
\n
[00:26]because obviously why would German universities offer a program in English
\n
[00:32]if there wasn't a labor market for it?
\n
[00:34]But the issue with thinking that way is that that's not how higher education works here.
\n
[00:39]That's not how higher education program development works here.
\n
[00:42]Sometimes it's just that a professor has a great idea to create a program in English
\n
[00:47]because they want to, even sometimes personal things, travel back and forth to the U.S.
\n
[00:51]because their wife is American or whatever it could be.
\n
[00:54]So there might be, or there normally is, very different reasoning behind creating those programs
\n
[00:59]than students normally think.
\n
[01:02]And the other thing with that is that those programs are sometimes created
\n
[01:06]in order to add an internationalization aspect to the program,
\n
[01:09]or sorry, to the faculty with that program,
\n
[01:11]with the idea of putting maybe half international students and half German students in there
\n
[01:16]so Germans can kind of experience internationalization at home.
\n
[01:19]And unfortunately what we're seeing with research is that a lot of it,
\n
[01:23]or like a lot of these programs end up just having almost entirely international applicants
\n
[01:29]and then international students in these programs.
\n
[01:31]So it is definitely something that is, I would say, a common myth about those,
\n
[01:37]about the student aspect of,
\n
[01:40]okay, I'm going to use my degree in English in order to find a job here.
\n
[01:43]That's going to look pretty difficult.
\n
[01:44]So I just want to get that out of the way right away.
\n
[01:46]The second thing is there are for sure companies who hire here in English.
\n
[01:50]Like that absolutely does happen.
\n
[01:52]But those jobs are normally reserved for people who are already like,
\n
[01:56]or who are native English speakers, regardless of where they're coming from,
\n
[02:00]or who have very specific skill sets that are in need.
\n
[02:04]For example, I mean, the big ones are IT and engineering, right?
\n
[02:07]So if that's your field, then that's definitely something where I'm in a one-on-one
\n
[02:11]going to be talking to you about, like, this is a possibility for you or this isn't.
\n
[02:16]If you're coming here to do, for example, social services or even work in some type of non-profit,
\n
[02:21]it's going to really depend on, okay, what other skills do you have beyond English?
\n
[02:26]For example, can you speak Turkish?
\n
[02:28]Can you speak Arabic?
\n
[02:29]Things like that.
\n
[02:30]So this is kind of just what I mean by, like, it's very based on, like, what is the context?
\n
[02:35]And then it moves into what is the skill set that you have, what is the degree that you have,
\n
[02:41]and what do you have to offer, and then what is the labor market pushing back at the applicant?
\n
[02:45]So what is the labor market asking for?
\n
[02:48]The other thing I want you to think about is do I need to speak German?
\n
[02:52]Okay, so a lot of people do come here and don't speak German and are able to find jobs.
\n
[02:55]Like, I'm not saying that's not a possibility.
\n
[02:57]It's totally a possibility, especially, like I said, if you're in one of those hot fields, if you will.
\n
[03:01]But once you move into your job here, the next thing that pops up is,
\n
[03:08]oh, it's really hard to get a bank account open or to go to the doctor
\n
[03:13]or to get my hair cut without knowing any German,
\n
[03:15]or I can't make friends because I don't speak German,
\n
[03:18]or I have limited books that I can choose from in the bookstore because I don't speak German,
\n
[03:23]and I live in maybe not Berlin or Frankfurt where they have English-language bookstores, right?
\n
[03:28]So, or I can't understand my mother-in-law or whatever it might be.
\n
[03:33]The rest of your life is going to need some type of German.
\n
[03:36]So regardless of what your personal situation is,
\n
[03:40]and if you need to speak German in order to find a job in Germany,
\n
[03:43]like I said, that's going to be different for each person.
\n
[03:45]You're going to want, no matter who you are,
\n
[03:47]no matter what language you are going to be working in,
\n
[03:50]you're going to want to have some ability to communicate in German.
\n
[03:53]And the most classic, I would say, example I see happening more frequently
\n
[04:00]is, for example, English-speaking international job seekers who come here with a partner,
\n
[04:05]and they oftentimes do have success with finding a job in English,
\n
[04:10]but then they get their German skills up to the B1 or even the B2 level,
\n
[04:14]mostly B1 though,
\n
[04:15]so that they are able to maintain basic level German, intermediate German on a day-to-day basis.
\n
[04:21]They're able to understand most of what their partner's family members are saying,
\n
[04:25]things like that, so they feel a little bit more integrated.
\n
[04:28]So the summary of this is, do you need German?
\n
[04:33]Most likely, yes.
\n
[04:34]If you're in certain fields, if you're a native speaker,
\n
[04:36]it depends on your situation, on your personal context,
\n
[04:38]and that's something that we can talk about in one-on-one coaching.
\n
[04:42]And the last thing is, regardless of those two first things,
\n
[04:46]you're going to want to have a little bit of German if you're planning your life here
\n
[04:49]to be more than a year, two years, five years,
\n
[04:52]which for the majority of you is going to be the case.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662297870?h=b34c6a14f3", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662297870.mp4", "search": "do i need to speak german to find a job in germany? bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n english-taught programs \u2260 english job market. [00:23-00:43] \n hot fields for english-only hiring: it and engineering. [02:04-02:07] \n target ~b1 german for daily-life integration even when working in english. [04:10-04:21] \n do i need to speak german to find a job in germany? \n overview \n the answer depends on each personal situation. english-taught degree programs exist for varied reasons (professor initiative, \"internationalization at home\"), not necessarily a labor market need, and often fill almost entirely with international students. english-language hiring does happen but is mostly reserved for native english speakers or hot-skill fields (it, engineering). regardless of career, everyday life in germany requires some german. [00:00-04:52] \n key points \n \n \"studying in english = working in english\" is a myth; program creation has non-labor-market reasons. [00:23-00:43] \n many english programs end up almost entirely international students - internationalization-at-home intent. [01:02-01:31] \n english-only jobs go mainly to native speakers or those with in-demand skills (it, engineering). [01:46-02:07] \n non-profit/social-services roles may value other languages (turkish, arabic) beyond english. [02:16-02:30] \n even if hired in english, life (bank account, doctor, haircuts, friends, mother-in-law) needs german. [03:08-03:35] \n common pattern: job found in english, then partners reach b1/b2 german for daily integration. [03:53-04:25] \n bottom line: most likely yes, you'll need german; plus you want it for any life in germany beyond 1-2 years. [04:33-04:52] \n note: the audio ends at [04:52]. whisper invented text after that point (including stray non-latin characters); it has been removed from the transcript. \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n none verbatim in this lesson. \n [00:00] okay, so this question, do i need to speak german to find a job in germany? \n [00:04] like i said, i get this question all the time. \n [00:06] and the thing about it is it's a very legitimate question, \n [00:09] but the answer to this really depends on every unique personal situation. \n [00:14] and i know that's an answer that not a lot of people like to get, \n [00:17] but that is just the reality of it. \n [00:18] and the thing is, is that first of all, there is kind of this idea with students \n [00:23] that if you study here in english, you're going to be able to find a job here in english \n [00:26] because obviously why would german universities offer a program in english \n [00:32] if there wasn't a labor market for it? \n [00:34] but the issue with thinking that way is that that's not how higher education works here. \n [00:39] that's not how higher education program development works here. \n [00:42] sometimes it's just that a professor has a great idea to create a program in english \n [00:47] because they want to, even sometimes personal things, travel back and forth to the u.s. \n [00:51] because their wife is american or whatever it could be. \n [00:54] so there might be, or there normally is, very different reasoning behind creating those programs \n [00:59] than students normally think. \n [01:02] and the other thing with that is that those programs are sometimes created \n [01:06] in order to add an internationalization aspect to the program, \n [01:09] or sorry, to the faculty with that program, \n [01:11] with the idea of putting maybe half international students and half german students in there \n [01:16] so germans can kind of experience internationalization at home. \n [01:19] and unfortunately what we're seeing with research is that a lot of it, \n [01:23] or like a lot of these programs end up just having almost entirely international applicants \n [01:29] and then international students in these programs. \n [01:31] so it is definitely something that is, i would say, a common myth about those, \n [01:37] about the student aspect of, \n [01:40] okay, i'm going to use my degree in english in order to find a job here. \n [01:43] that's going to look pretty difficult. \n [01:44] so i just want to get that out of the way right away. \n [01:46] the second thing is there are for sure companies who hire here in english. \n [01:50] like that absolutely does happen. \n [01:52] but those jobs are normally reserved for people who are already like, \n [01:56] or who are native english speakers, regardless of where they're coming from, \n [02:00] or who have very specific skill sets that are in need. \n [02:04] for example, i mean, the big ones are it and engineering, right? \n [02:07] so if that's your field, then that's definitely something where i'm in a one-on-one \n [02:11] going to be talking to you about, like, this is a possibility for you or this isn't. \n [02:16] if you're coming here to do, for example, social services or even work in some type of non-profit, \n [02:21] it's going to really depend on, okay, what other skills do you have beyond english? \n [02:26] for example, can you speak turkish? \n [02:28] can you speak arabic? \n [02:29] things like that. \n [02:30] so this is kind of just what i mean by, like, it's very based on, like, what is the context? \n [02:35] and then it moves into what is the skill set that you have, what is the degree that you have, \n [02:41] and what do you have to offer, and then what is the labor market pushing back at the applicant? \n [02:45] so what is the labor market asking for? \n [02:48] the other thing i want you to think about is do i need to speak german? \n [02:52] okay, so a lot of people do come here and don't speak german and are able to find jobs. \n [02:55] like, i'm not saying that's not a possibility. \n [02:57] it's totally a possibility, especially, like i said, if you're in one of those hot fields, if you will. \n [03:01] but once you move into your job here, the next thing that pops up is, \n [03:08] oh, it's really hard to get a bank account open or to go to the doctor \n [03:13] or to get my hair cut without knowing any german, \n [03:15] or i can't make friends because i don't speak german, \n [03:18] or i have limited books that i can choose from in the bookstore because i don't speak german, \n [03:23] and i live in maybe not berlin or frankfurt where they have english-language bookstores, right? \n [03:28] so, or i can't understand my mother-in-law or whatever it might be. \n [03:33] the rest of your life is going to need some type of german. \n [03:36] so regardless of what your personal situation is, \n [03:40] and if you need to speak german in order to find a job in germany, \n [03:43] like i said, that's going to be different for each person. \n [03:45] you're going to want, no matter who you are, \n [03:47] no matter what language you are going to be working in, \n [03:50] you're going to want to have some ability to communicate in german. \n [03:53] and the most classic, i would say, example i see happening more frequently \n [04:00] is, for example, english-speaking international job seekers who come here with a partner, \n [04:05] and they oftentimes do have success with finding a job in english, \n [04:10] but then they get their german skills up to the b1 or even the b2 level, \n [04:14] mostly b1 though, \n [04:15] so that they are able to maintain basic level german, intermediate german on a day-to-day basis. \n [04:21] they're able to understand most of what their partner's family members are saying, \n [04:25] things like that, so they feel a little bit more integrated. \n [04:28] so the summary of this is, do you need german? \n [04:33] most likely, yes. \n [04:34] if you're in certain fields, if you're a native speaker, \n [04:36] it depends on your situation, on your personal context, \n [04:38] and that's something that we can talk about in one-on-one coaching. \n [04:42] and the last thing is, regardless of those two first things, \n [04:46] you're going to want to have a little bit of german if you're planning your life here \n [04:49] to be more than a year, two years, five years, \n [04:52] which for the majority of you is going to be the case. "}, {"id": "L7-3", "key": "662298334", "vid": "662298334", "title": "The 3 Most Common Mistakes Internationals Make", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 3, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/the-3-most-common-mistakes-internationals-make", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

The 3 Most Common Mistakes Internationals Make

\n

Overview

\n

Job-seeking German learners fail by trying to use every resource at once (tandem partners, books, apps, courses, teachers, immersion), which stretches them too thin. The three mistakes: unrealistic time expectations, unrealistic progress expectations, and lack of system/focus. Fix: start small (5-10 min/day), use one maximum two tools, and track daily/weekly activity in a calendar rather than fixating on CEFR goals. [00:00-09:10]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# The 3 Most Common Mistakes Internationals Make\n\n## Overview\nJob-seeking German learners fail by trying to use every resource at once (tandem partners, books, apps, courses, teachers, immersion), which stretches them too thin. The three mistakes: unrealistic time expectations, unrealistic progress expectations, and lack of system/focus. Fix: start small (5-10 min/day), use one maximum two tools, and track daily/weekly activity in a calendar rather than fixating on CEFR goals. [00:00-09:10]\n\n## Key Points\n- Trying to do \"all the things\" means learning nothing; pick specific tools, not all recommended ones. [00:13-01:09]\n- Mistake 1 - unrealistic time expectations: learners are working/studying full-time; 5 min/day for 5 vocab words is fine to start. [01:17-02:35]\n- Stop researching resources - it's an endless rabbit hole stealing learning time. [01:48-02:11]\n- Focus on one tool at the beginning, max two, for concentration. [02:53-03:37]\n- Mistake 2 - unrealistic progress expectations: a level may take 6 months instead of 1-2; slow learners catch details fast learners miss (\"hare and tortoise\"). [03:44-05:31]\n- Mistake 3 - lack of system and focus; the most significant mistake. [05:31-05:46]\n- Focus on work-relevant vocabulary, not zoo animals. [05:46-06:48]\n- \"Five systems equals no system\": pick one or two tools, work 30 days, evaluate, then move on. [06:48-07:41]\n- Don't fixate on B1/C2 goals (level timings online assume full-time study); track daily/weekly activity in your calendar instead. [07:41-08:54]\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- **Papagei** - parrot (transcript spells \"Papage\") [05:46-05:49]\n- **Papier** - paper [05:49]\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- One tool, 30 days, evaluate, repeat - the anti-rabbit-hole rule. [06:48-07:27]\n- Learn work words (paper, pencil) not parrots; professional vocab is what pays. [05:46-06:22]\n- Track what you do, not the level you want. [08:30-08:42]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]The average international job-seeking German learner looks something like this lady here.
\n
[00:06]They do all the things to learn German because they think that's going to get them further, faster.
\n
[00:13]They think that they need a tandem partner.
\n
[00:16]They need a book.
\n
[00:17]They need to learn, do grammar exercises on a website.
\n
[00:19]They need to buy an online course, get a private teacher, do an immersion course over the summer.
\n
[00:25]They just think they need to do all of the things in order to learn German.
\n
[00:27]And actually what this ends up doing is stretching them so far that they don't end up learning much of anything at the end of the day.
\n
[00:37]So that's why I put together this training because there is a simpler way to do this.
\n
[00:42]And one of the things that you need to know before we jump into the foundational and professional tools that I recommend is that you need to be aware of the fact that it's not about using all of the tools that I recommend to you.
\n
[00:55]It's about picking specific ones.
\n
[00:58]And I'll show you in the 30-day framework how I want you to do that so that you don't end up looking like this person or like the average person who's trying to learn German because that's not going to get you anywhere very quickly.
\n
[01:09]So what I want to do is show you the three most common mistakes that international job-seeking German learners make so that you don't make them.
\n
[01:17]The first mistake that they make is unrealistic, having unrealistic time expectations.
\n
[01:23]So the majority of people who are looking for work in Germany that I work with are either working full-time or sometimes part-time and raising kids on the side or they're studying full-time.
\n
[01:36]And we just need to be very clear that like we're not high school students who can go move to Germany for a year and immerse themselves in the language that time really is an issue and with that comes competing priorities.
\n
[01:48]So you can things and you also can't be spending your time researching which options are out there because that is a rabbit hole that just never ends, right?
\n
[01:57]There are tons and tons of resources, books, courses, workshops, teachers, programs, whatever, you name it.
\n
[02:04]And what that is doing is you're spending time researching that you could be spending actually learning German and moving yourself forward.
\n
[02:11]So we want to make sure that we are being super clear about just what are our time options in the life that you have right now.
\n
[02:20]And for some of you, that might be that you have five minutes a day to learn five vocabulary words.
\n
[02:25]And that's okay for the start.
\n
[02:27]For some of you, it might mean 10 minutes that you can do on your way to work with an audio lesson.
\n
[02:31]For some of you, it might mean 15, 30 minutes, whatever it is.
\n
[02:35]But there's no reason why you need to jump in with doing an hour of German learning a day because, first of all, that's going to be a really hard change in your life, right?
\n
[02:44]It's a habit that you have to get into.
\n
[02:46]And an hour is a lot of time that maybe you just don't have right now or you don't know how to spend that time productively.
\n
[02:53]So we want to just be very clear about, you know, starting small and moving up from there and then focusing on one maximum, two resources at a time.
\n
[03:03]That will help you with concentration.
\n
[03:06]So the thing is with the time and spending time researching and what I just talked about is that at the end of the day, you sit down and then you lack concentration because you think, oh, I need to be doing this other thing for my life.
\n
[03:16]Or I need to be researching, maybe this isn't the right tool for me because it's not working.
\n
[03:20]And we just want to avoid all of this.
\n
[03:22]And this can be avoided with getting rid of these unrealistic time expectations.
\n
[03:26]It's okay if you have five or 10 minutes a day and you only need to focus on one or two things.
\n
[03:31]Really, at the beginning, I would say one program or one tool.
\n
[03:34]And that way you can really sit down every day and you know what you need to be doing.
\n
[03:37]And you're not going to be lacking the concentration that is so necessary for learning your language.
\n
[03:44]The second mistake I see is unrealistic progress expectations.
\n
[03:47]So once these people have sat down to learn and they have their 18,000 tools, they say things to me like, I should have been fluent by now.
\n
[03:54]Or why am I, I'll learn German when I'm, when I'm immersed in the culture once I move there, or I'll learn German when I study and not when I'll study German, but I'll learn German when I move there to do a master's degree or a PhD or whatever.
\n
[04:08]And the thing with that is that, I mean, I have a whole bunch of things to say about that last point, but I'll keep it here short and simple.
\n
[04:15]Your progress is going to be different than someone who has a year to come here and, and learn only German for that year.
\n
[04:22]And if that's your case, then we can definitely talk about what those options look like.
\n
[04:26]But for the majority of people you're working or you're studying and you, you're going to learn German at a slower rate than someone who has, you know, four, six hours a day to learn.
\n
[04:37]So you just need to be very realistic about the progress that you're going to make.
\n
[04:41]And what that looks like is instead of taking a month or two to get through a level, it might take you six months to get through a level.
\n
[04:46]And I know that might sound maybe disappointing or discouraging at first, but it's not the worst thing in the world because people who learn quickly, oftentimes they miss the small little details of the language.
\n
[04:57]And you as, um, as a slower learner, if you will, you do have the advantage to really learn the language right the first time.
\n
[05:05]Okay. So it may take you longer, but at the end of the day, you're going to be just where those other people are who are moving very quickly.
\n
[05:11]It's this, um, very simple case of like the, the, the, the hare and the tortoise, right?
\n
[05:18]So they both are going to get to the same place at the end of the day.
\n
[05:21]And it doesn't really matter necessarily what the journey looked like going there.
\n
[05:26]As long as you're moving at a pace that makes sense to you and to your, to your life and where you're at right now.
\n
[05:31]The third mistake that I see students make is lack of system and lack of focus.
\n
[05:34]And this in a certain respect is one of the, it's probably the most important, um, or most significant mistake because what I often see is students focus on things that are not important.
\n
[05:46]And my example for this is always is Papage oder Papier.
\n
[05:49]Papage means parrot in German and Papier means paper.
\n
[05:52]And you can focus on apps or resources that teach you words like Papage or like all of the farm animals or, or zoo animals that you want to learn.
\n
[06:00]But at the end of the day, regardless of if you are working on, um, in manufacturing on the floor, or if you are working in an office, what words, right?
\n
[06:12]Which contexts are going to be more effective for you?
\n
[06:15]Is it going to be important for you to know how to say, um, parrot or monkey, or do you want to know how to say paper and pencil, right?
\n
[06:22]So focusing on what's important.
\n
[06:24]So that's going to be those professional learning tools and strategies that I'm going to show you.
\n
[06:29]And a lot of that has to do with vocabulary because your foundational learning tools are going to give you the, the grammar and, and the basics of the language.
\n
[06:36]And then your professional work is going to be primarily focused on getting those vocabulary words so you understand not only the grammar structures that are being said around you, but also the words that people are using.
\n
[06:48]The second thing is five systems equals no system.
\n
[06:51]So this goes back to that lady at the beginning with all of her different hands doing all the things.
\n
[06:55]If you have five systems, if you've got the online language teacher, you're doing an online course, you're reading a book, you're doing your grammar exercises on a website, whatever it is, you don't really have a system at the end of the day.
\n
[07:06]When you are first starting to learn German, pick one or two things and work with those first for 30 days and then move on.
\n
[07:13]And that's basically what I'm going to teach you in the 30 day framework.
\n
[07:16]And this works because with focus, you get concentration and you can really move forward and you can learn quickly because after 30 days, it gives you the time to, to figure out, okay, is this working for me or not?
\n
[07:27]And then move forward with something else.
\n
[07:29]So we're no longer going to be doing these five systems because that means no system.
\n
[07:33]We're going to pick one system and work with that.
\n
[07:35]And with that, you'll actually have a system and you'll actually have focus and concentration and you'll actually move forward.
\n
[07:41]And the last thing is tracking.
\n
[07:42]So many students want to set their goals.
\n
[07:46]They want to be at level B1 or C2 or whatever it is that they want to be at, or maybe even just A1 so that they can have basics of the language down once they get here.
\n
[07:55]It is important to have those goals, but you oftentimes as a beginner don't know how long it takes you to get, for example, to level A1 or to level B2 or whatever.
\n
[08:06]And so it might be hard to estimate the amount of time that you actually need to get to that certain point.
\n
[08:11]And if you go and look online, then they're oftentimes telling you the time that you need or the hours that you need doing full-time German learning in order to get to a certain level.
\n
[08:20]So those goals, to a certain extent, are a bit arbitrary because they're really hard to guesstimate.
\n
[08:24]And you as a learner are, you have your own ways of learning and you're going to have your own speed.
\n
[08:28]And that's going to be different than the averages that you can find.
\n
[08:30]So have your goals, that's perfectly fine, but I don't want you to focus on them.
\n
[08:35]I want you to focus on tracking, all right?
\n
[08:38]And this tracking will give you the systematic focus that you need in order to move forward.
\n
[08:42]So you're going to be looking at what are you doing either on a daily basis or on a weekly basis, and you're going to be tracking that in your calendar.
\n
[08:49]And with this and with the 30-day framework that I'm going to have you use, which is super, super simple,
\n
[08:54]you can avoid these three common mistakes that international job-seeking German learners make, right?
\n
[09:01]So we're going to have realistic time expectations.
\n
[09:04]We're going to have realistic progress expectations.
\n
[09:06]We're going to have a system in place that is clear, simple, easy to follow.
\n
[09:10]And at the end of the day, you're going to be focused, concentrated, and learning German.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662298334?h=9edc65926d", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662298334.mp4", "search": "the 3 most common mistakes internationals make bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n one tool, 30 days, evaluate, repeat - the anti-rabbit-hole rule. [06:48-07:27] \n learn work words (paper, pencil) not parrots; professional vocab is what pays. [05:46-06:22] \n track what you do, not the level you want. [08:30-08:42] \n the 3 most common mistakes internationals make \n overview \n job-seeking german learners fail by trying to use every resource at once (tandem partners, books, apps, courses, teachers, immersion), which stretches them too thin. the three mistakes: unrealistic time expectations, unrealistic progress expectations, and lack of system/focus. fix: start small (5-10 min/day), use one maximum two tools, and track daily/weekly activity in a calendar rather than fixating on cefr goals. [00:00-09:10] \n key points \n \n trying to do \"all the things\" means learning nothing; pick specific tools, not all recommended ones. [00:13-01:09] \n mistake 1 - unrealistic time expectations: learners are working/studying full-time; 5 min/day for 5 vocab words is fine to start. [01:17-02:35] \n stop researching resources - it's an endless rabbit hole stealing learning time. [01:48-02:11] \n focus on one tool at the beginning, max two, for concentration. [02:53-03:37] \n mistake 2 - unrealistic progress expectations: a level may take 6 months instead of 1-2; slow learners catch details fast learners miss (\"hare and tortoise\"). [03:44-05:31] \n mistake 3 - lack of system and focus; the most significant mistake. [05:31-05:46] \n focus on work-relevant vocabulary, not zoo animals. [05:46-06:48] \n \"five systems equals no system\": pick one or two tools, work 30 days, evaluate, then move on. [06:48-07:41] \n don't fixate on b1/c2 goals (level timings online assume full-time study); track daily/weekly activity in your calendar instead. [07:41-08:54] \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n papagei - parrot (transcript spells \"papage\") [05:46-05:49] \n papier - paper [05:49] \n [00:00] the average international job-seeking german learner looks something like this lady here. \n [00:06] they do all the things to learn german because they think that's going to get them further, faster. \n [00:13] they think that they need a tandem partner. \n [00:16] they need a book. \n [00:17] they need to learn, do grammar exercises on a website. \n [00:19] they need to buy an online course, get a private teacher, do an immersion course over the summer. \n [00:25] they just think they need to do all of the things in order to learn german. \n [00:27] and actually what this ends up doing is stretching them so far that they don't end up learning much of anything at the end of the day. \n [00:37] so that's why i put together this training because there is a simpler way to do this. \n [00:42] and one of the things that you need to know before we jump into the foundational and professional tools that i recommend is that you need to be aware of the fact that it's not about using all of the tools that i recommend to you. \n [00:55] it's about picking specific ones. \n [00:58] and i'll show you in the 30-day framework how i want you to do that so that you don't end up looking like this person or like the average person who's trying to learn german because that's not going to get you anywhere very quickly. \n [01:09] so what i want to do is show you the three most common mistakes that international job-seeking german learners make so that you don't make them. \n [01:17] the first mistake that they make is unrealistic, having unrealistic time expectations. \n [01:23] so the majority of people who are looking for work in germany that i work with are either working full-time or sometimes part-time and raising kids on the side or they're studying full-time. \n [01:36] and we just need to be very clear that like we're not high school students who can go move to germany for a year and immerse themselves in the language that time really is an issue and with that comes competing priorities. \n [01:48] so you can things and you also can't be spending your time researching which options are out there because that is a rabbit hole that just never ends, right? \n [01:57] there are tons and tons of resources, books, courses, workshops, teachers, programs, whatever, you name it. \n [02:04] and what that is doing is you're spending time researching that you could be spending actually learning german and moving yourself forward. \n [02:11] so we want to make sure that we are being super clear about just what are our time options in the life that you have right now. \n [02:20] and for some of you, that might be that you have five minutes a day to learn five vocabulary words. \n [02:25] and that's okay for the start. \n [02:27] for some of you, it might mean 10 minutes that you can do on your way to work with an audio lesson. \n [02:31] for some of you, it might mean 15, 30 minutes, whatever it is. \n [02:35] but there's no reason why you need to jump in with doing an hour of german learning a day because, first of all, that's going to be a really hard change in your life, right? \n [02:44] it's a habit that you have to get into. \n [02:46] and an hour is a lot of time that maybe you just don't have right now or you don't know how to spend that time productively. \n [02:53] so we want to just be very clear about, you know, starting small and moving up from there and then focusing on one maximum, two resources at a time. \n [03:03] that will help you with concentration. \n [03:06] so the thing is with the time and spending time researching and what i just talked about is that at the end of the day, you sit down and then you lack concentration because you think, oh, i need to be doing this other thing for my life. \n [03:16] or i need to be researching, maybe this isn't the right tool for me because it's not working. \n [03:20] and we just want to avoid all of this. \n [03:22] and this can be avoided with getting rid of these unrealistic time expectations. \n [03:26] it's okay if you have five or 10 minutes a day and you only need to focus on one or two things. \n [03:31] really, at the beginning, i would say one program or one tool. \n [03:34] and that way you can really sit down every day and you know what you need to be doing. \n [03:37] and you're not going to be lacking the concentration that is so necessary for learning your language. \n [03:44] the second mistake i see is unrealistic progress expectations. \n [03:47] so once these people have sat down to learn and they have their 18,000 tools, they say things to me like, i should have been fluent by now. \n [03:54] or why am i, i'll learn german when i'm, when i'm immersed in the culture once i move there, or i'll learn german when i study and not when i'll study german, but i'll learn german when i move there to do a master's degree or a phd or whatever. \n [04:08] and the thing with that is that, i mean, i have a whole bunch of things to say about that last point, but i'll keep it here short and simple. \n [04:15] your progress is going to be different than someone who has a year to come here and, and learn only german for that year. \n [04:22] and if that's your case, then we can definitely talk about what those options look like. \n [04:26] but for the majority of people you're working or you're studying and you, you're going to learn german at a slower rate than someone who has, you know, four, six hours a day to learn. \n [04:37] so you just need to be very realistic about the progress that you're going to make. \n [04:41] and what that looks like is instead of taking a month or two to get through a level, it might take you six months to get through a level. \n [04:46] and i know that might sound maybe disappointing or discouraging at first, but it's not the worst thing in the world because people who learn quickly, oftentimes they miss the small little details of the language. \n [04:57] and you as, um, as a slower learner, if you will, you do have the advantage to really learn the language right the first time. \n [05:05] okay. so it may take you longer, but at the end of the day, you're going to be just where those other people are who are moving very quickly. \n [05:11] it's this, um, very simple case of like the, the, the, the hare and the tortoise, right? \n [05:18] so they both are going to get to the same place at the end of the day. \n [05:21] and it doesn't really matter necessarily what the journey looked like going there. \n [05:26] as long as you're moving at a pace that makes sense to you and to your, to your life and where you're at right now. \n [05:31] the third mistake that i see students make is lack of system and lack of focus. \n [05:34] and this in a certain respect is one of the, it's probably the most important, um, or most significant mistake because what i often see is students focus on things that are not important. \n [05:46] and my example for this is always is papage oder papier. \n [05:49] papage means parrot in german and papier means paper. \n [05:52] and you can focus on apps or resources that teach you words like papage or like all of the farm animals or, or zoo animals that you want to learn. \n [06:00] but at the end of the day, regardless of if you are working on, um, in manufacturing on the floor, or if you are working in an office, what words, right? \n [06:12] which contexts are going to be more effective for you? \n [06:15] is it going to be important for you to know how to say, um, parrot or monkey, or do you want to know how to say paper and pencil, right? \n [06:22] so focusing on what's important. \n [06:24] so that's going to be those professional learning tools and strategies that i'm going to show you. \n [06:29] and a lot of that has to do with vocabulary because your foundational learning tools are going to give you the, the grammar and, and the basics of the language. \n [06:36] and then your professional work is going to be primarily focused on getting those vocabulary words so you understand not only the grammar structures that are being said around you, but also the words that people are using. \n [06:48] the second thing is five systems equals no system. \n [06:51] so this goes back to that lady at the beginning with all of her different hands doing all the things. \n [06:55] if you have five systems, if you've got the online language teacher, you're doing an online course, you're reading a book, you're doing your grammar exercises on a website, whatever it is, you don't really have a system at the end of the day. \n [07:06] when you are first starting to learn german, pick one or two things and work with those first for 30 days and then move on. \n [07:13] and that's basically what i'm going to teach you in the 30 day framework. \n [07:16] and this works because with focus, you get concentration and you can really move forward and you can learn quickly because after 30 days, it gives you the time to, to figure out, okay, is this working for me or not? \n [07:27] and then move forward with something else. \n [07:29] so we're no longer going to be doing these five systems because that means no system. \n [07:33] we're going to pick one system and work with that. \n [07:35] and with that, you'll actually have a system and you'll actually have focus and concentration and you'll actually move forward. \n [07:41] and the last thing is tracking. \n [07:42] so many students want to set their goals. \n [07:46] they want to be at level b1 or c2 or whatever it is that they want to be at, or maybe even just a1 so that they can have basics of the language down once they get here. \n [07:55] it is important to have those goals, but you oftentimes as a beginner don't know how long it takes you to get, for example, to level a1 or to level b2 or whatever. \n [08:06] and so it might be hard to estimate the amount of time that you actually need to get to that certain point. \n [08:11] and if you go and look online, then they're oftentimes telling you the time that you need or the hours that you need doing full-time german learning in order to get to a certain level. \n [08:20] so those goals, to a certain extent, are a bit arbitrary because they're really hard to guesstimate. \n [08:24] and you as a learner are, you have your own ways of learning and you're going to have your own speed. \n [08:28] and that's going to be different than the averages that you can find. \n [08:30] so have your goals, that's perfectly fine, but i don't want you to focus on them. \n [08:35] i want you to focus on tracking, all right? \n [08:38] and this tracking will give you the systematic focus that you need in order to move forward. \n [08:42] so you're going to be looking at what are you doing either on a daily basis or on a weekly basis, and you're going to be tracking that in your calendar. \n [08:49] and with this and with the 30-day framework that i'm going to have you use, which is super, super simple, \n [08:54] you can avoid these three common mistakes that international job-seeking german learners make, right? \n [09:01] so we're going to have realistic time expectations. \n [09:04] we're going to have realistic progress expectations. \n [09:06] we're going to have a system in place that is clear, simple, easy to follow. \n [09:10] and at the end of the day, you're going to be focused, concentrated, and learning german. "}, {"id": "L7-4", "key": "662300021", "vid": "662300021", "title": "What Foundational Learning Tools Are + How to Choose Yours", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 4, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/what-foundational-learning-tools-are-how-to-choose-yours", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

What Foundational Learning Tools Are + How to Choose Yours

\n

Overview

\n

Foundational learning tools build the basics - grammar structures, vocabulary, cultural context - from scratch or to patch a weak skill. You cannot skip them or learn only work German; professional tools are layered on top afterward. Choose by level: GermanPod 101 or Babbel for beginners, DeutschPerfekt magazine around B1, and LiveLingua for speaking practice from A2 up. [00:00-02:09]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# What Foundational Learning Tools Are + How to Choose Yours\n\n## Overview\nFoundational learning tools build the basics - grammar structures, vocabulary, cultural context - from scratch or to patch a weak skill. You cannot skip them or learn only work German; professional tools are layered on top afterward. Choose by level: GermanPod 101 or Babbel for beginners, DeutschPerfekt magazine around B1, and LiveLingua for speaking practice from A2 up. [00:00-02:09]\n\n## Key Points\n- Foundational tools = grammar, vocab, cultural context; the necessary base. [00:05-00:35]\n- Can't learn just for work - everyday German first, professional layer added later. [00:45-01:02]\n- Beginner phase \u2192 GermanPod 101 or Babbel. [01:09-01:16]\n- B1-ish, adding to foundations \u2192 DeutschPerfekt magazine. [01:16-01:28]\n- A2+ (simple conversations possible) \u2192 add LiveLingua for speaking practice. [01:28-01:45]\n- Speaking is the most important yet most avoided skill - fear/lack of confidence; LiveLingua addresses it. [01:45-02:09]\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- None verbatim in this lesson.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Tool-by-level map: GermanPod101/Babbel (beginner) \u2192 DeutschPerfekt (~B1) \u2192 LiveLingua (A2+, speaking). [01:09-02:09]\n- Speaking practice is the bottleneck - build confidence via LiveLingua from A2 onward. [01:28-02:09]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]In this next section, I'm going to cover the foundational learning tools that I recommend you choose from.
\n
[00:05]So what a foundational learning tool means is it's going to set the basics down for you.
\n
[00:10]So whether you need like you're starting from complete scratch and you need a program that walks you through like,
\n
[00:14]I know no German to I want to be at an intermediate level or maybe you're at an intermediate level and you're struggling with a certain skill.
\n
[00:21]These tools are going to help give you that foundation that you need in order to get a broad idea of like,
\n
[00:26]what are the grammar structures, what are the vocabulary, what's the cultural context, things like that.
\n
[00:32]The very basics so that you can build that solid foundation.
\n
[00:35]And then on top of that, and later on, I'll talk about this, you're going to build the professional learning tools on top of it
\n
[00:41]so that you can add on certain things that are relevant to your professional context.
\n
[00:45]But you cannot skip this part because the foundational learning is obviously very, it's just necessary for you to have.
\n
[00:53]You need to know how to say different things in everyday life.
\n
[00:56]You can't learn just for work, but add on the work and or professional aspect to it later on.
\n
[01:02]So what I want you to think about with this foundational learning is choosing something that matches where you're at right now.
\n
[01:09]If you are in a beginner phase, then I recommend that you go with something like GermanPod 101 or Babel.
\n
[01:16]If you're looking for something to just add on to your foundational understanding of the language and maybe you're at a B1 level,
\n
[01:24]then you're going to want to go for something like Deutsch Perfect, the magazine that I'll talk about.
\n
[01:28]And if regards to the stage that you're at after, I would say A2, so anywhere from A2 and above where you're able to have simple conversations,
\n
[01:36]then I definitely recommend you add on something like LiveLingua where you can get that speaking practice that you need that's going to give you confidence in order to help you,
\n
[01:45]which will help you move forward with the language because that's the part that I see people just don't like to do as much.
\n
[01:52]Some people really love to read or they like to learn vocab or even the grammar structure.
\n
[01:56]Some people really like that.
\n
[01:57]But when it comes to speaking, the part that at the end of the day is more or less the most important,
\n
[02:02]they don't really want to do it.
\n
[02:05]They're afraid to speak.
\n
[02:06]They lack the confidence, et cetera.
\n
[02:07]And LiveLingua can really help with that.
\n
[02:09]So let's go ahead and dive right into what each of those tools does and see which one might work for you.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662300021?h=cbaa12043b", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662300021.mp4", "search": "what foundational learning tools are + how to choose yours bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n tool-by-level map: germanpod101/babbel (beginner) \u2192 deutschperfekt (~b1) \u2192 livelingua (a2+, speaking). [01:09-02:09] \n speaking practice is the bottleneck - build confidence via livelingua from a2 onward. [01:28-02:09] \n what foundational learning tools are + how to choose yours \n overview \n foundational learning tools build the basics - grammar structures, vocabulary, cultural context - from scratch or to patch a weak skill. you cannot skip them or learn only work german; professional tools are layered on top afterward. choose by level: germanpod 101 or babbel for beginners, deutschperfekt magazine around b1, and livelingua for speaking practice from a2 up. [00:00-02:09] \n key points \n \n foundational tools = grammar, vocab, cultural context; the necessary base. [00:05-00:35] \n can't learn just for work - everyday german first, professional layer added later. [00:45-01:02] \n beginner phase \u2192 germanpod 101 or babbel. [01:09-01:16] \n b1-ish, adding to foundations \u2192 deutschperfekt magazine. [01:16-01:28] \n a2+ (simple conversations possible) \u2192 add livelingua for speaking practice. [01:28-01:45] \n speaking is the most important yet most avoided skill - fear/lack of confidence; livelingua addresses it. [01:45-02:09] \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n none verbatim in this lesson. \n [00:00] in this next section, i'm going to cover the foundational learning tools that i recommend you choose from. \n [00:05] so what a foundational learning tool means is it's going to set the basics down for you. \n [00:10] so whether you need like you're starting from complete scratch and you need a program that walks you through like, \n [00:14] i know no german to i want to be at an intermediate level or maybe you're at an intermediate level and you're struggling with a certain skill. \n [00:21] these tools are going to help give you that foundation that you need in order to get a broad idea of like, \n [00:26] what are the grammar structures, what are the vocabulary, what's the cultural context, things like that. \n [00:32] the very basics so that you can build that solid foundation. \n [00:35] and then on top of that, and later on, i'll talk about this, you're going to build the professional learning tools on top of it \n [00:41] so that you can add on certain things that are relevant to your professional context. \n [00:45] but you cannot skip this part because the foundational learning is obviously very, it's just necessary for you to have. \n [00:53] you need to know how to say different things in everyday life. \n [00:56] you can't learn just for work, but add on the work and or professional aspect to it later on. \n [01:02] so what i want you to think about with this foundational learning is choosing something that matches where you're at right now. \n [01:09] if you are in a beginner phase, then i recommend that you go with something like germanpod 101 or babel. \n [01:16] if you're looking for something to just add on to your foundational understanding of the language and maybe you're at a b1 level, \n [01:24] then you're going to want to go for something like deutsch perfect, the magazine that i'll talk about. \n [01:28] and if regards to the stage that you're at after, i would say a2, so anywhere from a2 and above where you're able to have simple conversations, \n [01:36] then i definitely recommend you add on something like livelingua where you can get that speaking practice that you need that's going to give you confidence in order to help you, \n [01:45] which will help you move forward with the language because that's the part that i see people just don't like to do as much. \n [01:52] some people really love to read or they like to learn vocab or even the grammar structure. \n [01:56] some people really like that. \n [01:57] but when it comes to speaking, the part that at the end of the day is more or less the most important, \n [02:02] they don't really want to do it. \n [02:05] they're afraid to speak. \n [02:06] they lack the confidence, et cetera. \n [02:07] and livelingua can really help with that. \n [02:09] so let's go ahead and dive right into what each of those tools does and see which one might work for you. "}, {"id": "L7-5", "key": "662300189", "vid": "662300189", "title": "Foundational Tool #1", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 5, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/foundational-tool-1", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Foundational Tool #1 - GermanPod101

\n

Overview

\n

GermanPod101 is an online German course built primarily on audio lessons, supplemented with vocabulary lists, flashcards, phrase-based learning, videos, and optional 1-on-1 teacher support with an individualized lesson plan. Especially strong for B1/B2 learners up-leveling, but usable at any level; the instructor (C2) still learns from it daily. [00:00-03:01]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# Foundational Tool #1 - GermanPod101\n\n## Overview\nGermanPod101 is an online German course built primarily on audio lessons, supplemented with vocabulary lists, flashcards, phrase-based learning, videos, and optional 1-on-1 teacher support with an individualized lesson plan. Especially strong for B1/B2 learners up-leveling, but usable at any level; the instructor (C2) still learns from it daily. [00:00-03:01]\n\n## Key Points\n- Audio-lesson-based with vocab lists, flashcards, videos, and 1-on-1 teacher curation. [00:02-00:23]\n- Caveat: heavy marketing emails on signup feel scammy - adjust email preferences and look past it. [00:29-00:51]\n- Well-researched, based on current language pedagogy. [00:57-01:07]\n- Best for intermediate (B1/B2) learners; beginners get audio dialogue right away rather than structured vocab lists like Babbel. [01:09-01:36]\n- Minimal grammar exercises - good fit for grammar-averse learners. [01:41-01:47]\n- Each lesson includes notes, transcripts, and cultural insights. [02:03-02:15]\n- Has lessons specifically for work situations: resume-writing vocab lists, German workplace culture tips - the instructor sends these to clients. [02:15-02:34]\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- None verbatim in this lesson.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- GermanPod101 work-situation lessons (resume vocab, workplace culture) are a shippable resource for clients. [02:17-02:34]\n- Opt out of marketing emails immediately; the underlying product is excellent. [00:29-00:53]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]The first resource is GermanPod101.
\n
[00:02]It's an online system for learning German using primarily audio lessons,
\n
[00:06]but it also includes a wide variety of supplemental aids,
\n
[00:09]including things like, for example, vocabulary lists or flashcards,
\n
[00:12]phrase-based learning.
\n
[00:13]They have videos and even the ability to work one-on-one with a teacher
\n
[00:17]who more or less curates an individualized lesson plan for you
\n
[00:20]and shows you exactly how to work with the platform.
\n
[00:23]I personally wish I would have started using GermanPod101 much earlier than I did.
\n
[00:29]The thing is, is when you sign up for GermanPod,
\n
[00:31]you receive a ton of marketing emails.
\n
[00:33]And for me, at the beginning, that was like such a total put-off.
\n
[00:36]And I had just discovered the tool and I was getting all these marketing emails
\n
[00:40]and I was just like, what is happening?
\n
[00:41]And this seems super scammy.
\n
[00:43]However, you can adjust your email preferences, obviously.
\n
[00:47]And if you look past this heavy marketing at the beginning
\n
[00:49]and just opt out of those marketing emails,
\n
[00:51]the product that they offer is really excellent.
\n
[00:53]They offer this for a variety of languages
\n
[00:57]and it's such, it's like, it's super well-researched
\n
[01:01]and really based off of the most recent language pedagogy research.
\n
[01:07]So it's very effective.
\n
[01:09]And although learners at any level can use the resource,
\n
[01:12]it's really especially helpful for those of you
\n
[01:14]who are at a more intermediate level.
\n
[01:15]Maybe you've just gotten through your B1 or even B2
\n
[01:18]and you're looking to up-level your language learning game.
\n
[01:21]It's good for beginners too, but you just have to know
\n
[01:23]that it's not going to give you the regular vocabulary list
\n
[01:27]that you would get, for example, with Babbel,
\n
[01:28]which I'll talk about next.
\n
[01:30]It's going to jump you right into audio dialogue
\n
[01:33]and explain things as you go along.
\n
[01:35]So you just need to try it out
\n
[01:36]and see if it's something that works for you.
\n
[01:37]I find it super helpful because it does explain things
\n
[01:41]kind of one by one and not everything at once.
\n
[01:44]And there's not a lot of grammar exercises you have to do
\n
[01:46]and I really hate grammar.
\n
[01:47]So this was a resource that really worked for me.
\n
[01:51]And I know other people who also use it for German
\n
[01:54]or for other languages and had a really good time with it.
\n
[01:56]So, I mean, just kind of think about or check it out
\n
[02:01]and see if it's something that works for you.
\n
[02:03]Each audio lesson that they offer
\n
[02:04]is accompanied by lesson notes and transcripts
\n
[02:06]so you can review what they say.
\n
[02:09]And these transcripts or like the audio lessons,
\n
[02:11]they also include cultural insights,
\n
[02:13]which are super helpful if you don't know much about Germany.
\n
[02:15]And they have specific lessons that are focused
\n
[02:17]on work situations and conversations.
\n
[02:19]So that includes things like vocabulary lists on topics
\n
[02:22]such as writing resumes or cultural tips
\n
[02:24]about the German workplace, which are obviously very helpful.
\n
[02:27]I oftentimes actually send these to my clients
\n
[02:29]because it's a good resource to have.
\n
[02:32]And I do hear that they like it as well
\n
[02:34]because it makes it clear you have the audio right away.
\n
[02:36]You're not having to look up the vocabulary list.
\n
[02:38]So definitely check those out.
\n
[02:41]I mean, like I said, you know I'm at the level C2
\n
[02:44]and I'm still learning so much every day from these lessons.
\n
[02:47]So I can really highly recommend it
\n
[02:48]regardless of where you're at.
\n
[02:50]Again, I think it's best for people
\n
[02:51]who are at kind of this B1, B2
\n
[02:53]or complete beginners who are open
\n
[02:54]and really interested in those audio lessons.
\n
[02:57]So I'll go ahead and get started.
\n
[03:00]So I'll see you next time.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662300189?h=90abcdeaec", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662300189.mp4", "search": "foundational tool #1 bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n germanpod101 work-situation lessons (resume vocab, workplace culture) are a shippable resource for clients. [02:17-02:34] \n opt out of marketing emails immediately; the underlying product is excellent. [00:29-00:53] \n foundational tool #1 - germanpod101 \n overview \n germanpod101 is an online german course built primarily on audio lessons, supplemented with vocabulary lists, flashcards, phrase-based learning, videos, and optional 1-on-1 teacher support with an individualized lesson plan. especially strong for b1/b2 learners up-leveling, but usable at any level; the instructor (c2) still learns from it daily. [00:00-03:01] \n key points \n \n audio-lesson-based with vocab lists, flashcards, videos, and 1-on-1 teacher curation. [00:02-00:23] \n caveat: heavy marketing emails on signup feel scammy - adjust email preferences and look past it. [00:29-00:51] \n well-researched, based on current language pedagogy. [00:57-01:07] \n best for intermediate (b1/b2) learners; beginners get audio dialogue right away rather than structured vocab lists like babbel. [01:09-01:36] \n minimal grammar exercises - good fit for grammar-averse learners. [01:41-01:47] \n each lesson includes notes, transcripts, and cultural insights. [02:03-02:15] \n has lessons specifically for work situations: resume-writing vocab lists, german workplace culture tips - the instructor sends these to clients. [02:15-02:34] \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n none verbatim in this lesson. \n [00:00] the first resource is germanpod101. \n [00:02] it's an online system for learning german using primarily audio lessons, \n [00:06] but it also includes a wide variety of supplemental aids, \n [00:09] including things like, for example, vocabulary lists or flashcards, \n [00:12] phrase-based learning. \n [00:13] they have videos and even the ability to work one-on-one with a teacher \n [00:17] who more or less curates an individualized lesson plan for you \n [00:20] and shows you exactly how to work with the platform. \n [00:23] i personally wish i would have started using germanpod101 much earlier than i did. \n [00:29] the thing is, is when you sign up for germanpod, \n [00:31] you receive a ton of marketing emails. \n [00:33] and for me, at the beginning, that was like such a total put-off. \n [00:36] and i had just discovered the tool and i was getting all these marketing emails \n [00:40] and i was just like, what is happening? \n [00:41] and this seems super scammy. \n [00:43] however, you can adjust your email preferences, obviously. \n [00:47] and if you look past this heavy marketing at the beginning \n [00:49] and just opt out of those marketing emails, \n [00:51] the product that they offer is really excellent. \n [00:53] they offer this for a variety of languages \n [00:57] and it's such, it's like, it's super well-researched \n [01:01] and really based off of the most recent language pedagogy research. \n [01:07] so it's very effective. \n [01:09] and although learners at any level can use the resource, \n [01:12] it's really especially helpful for those of you \n [01:14] who are at a more intermediate level. \n [01:15] maybe you've just gotten through your b1 or even b2 \n [01:18] and you're looking to up-level your language learning game. \n [01:21] it's good for beginners too, but you just have to know \n [01:23] that it's not going to give you the regular vocabulary list \n [01:27] that you would get, for example, with babbel, \n [01:28] which i'll talk about next. \n [01:30] it's going to jump you right into audio dialogue \n [01:33] and explain things as you go along. \n [01:35] so you just need to try it out \n [01:36] and see if it's something that works for you. \n [01:37] i find it super helpful because it does explain things \n [01:41] kind of one by one and not everything at once. \n [01:44] and there's not a lot of grammar exercises you have to do \n [01:46] and i really hate grammar. \n [01:47] so this was a resource that really worked for me. \n [01:51] and i know other people who also use it for german \n [01:54] or for other languages and had a really good time with it. \n [01:56] so, i mean, just kind of think about or check it out \n [02:01] and see if it's something that works for you. \n [02:03] each audio lesson that they offer \n [02:04] is accompanied by lesson notes and transcripts \n [02:06] so you can review what they say. \n [02:09] and these transcripts or like the audio lessons, \n [02:11] they also include cultural insights, \n [02:13] which are super helpful if you don't know much about germany. \n [02:15] and they have specific lessons that are focused \n [02:17] on work situations and conversations. \n [02:19] so that includes things like vocabulary lists on topics \n [02:22] such as writing resumes or cultural tips \n [02:24] about the german workplace, which are obviously very helpful. \n [02:27] i oftentimes actually send these to my clients \n [02:29] because it's a good resource to have. \n [02:32] and i do hear that they like it as well \n [02:34] because it makes it clear you have the audio right away. \n [02:36] you're not having to look up the vocabulary list. \n [02:38] so definitely check those out. \n [02:41] i mean, like i said, you know i'm at the level c2 \n [02:44] and i'm still learning so much every day from these lessons. \n [02:47] so i can really highly recommend it \n [02:48] regardless of where you're at. \n [02:50] again, i think it's best for people \n [02:51] who are at kind of this b1, b2 \n [02:53] or complete beginners who are open \n [02:54] and really interested in those audio lessons. \n [02:57] so i'll go ahead and get started. \n [03:00] so i'll see you next time. "}, {"id": "L7-6", "key": "662300414", "vid": "662300414", "title": "Foundational Tool #2", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 6, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/foundational-tool-2", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Foundational Tool #2 - Babbel

\n

Overview

\n

Babbel is a website/app for German structured along the CEFR, taking learners from zero German up to about B2, with extra lessons on specific vocabulary and work topics (managing work situations, how to write emails). Best pick if you're starting from scratch and want to do just one thing: it shows the language on screen with English translation, gives grammar/vocab structure, and has a daily vocabulary practice tool at a reasonable price. [00:00-01:35]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# Foundational Tool #2 - Babbel\n\n## Overview\nBabbel is a website/app for German structured along the CEFR, taking learners from zero German up to about B2, with extra lessons on specific vocabulary and work topics (managing work situations, how to write emails). Best pick if you're starting from scratch and want to do just one thing: it shows the language on screen with English translation, gives grammar/vocab structure, and has a daily vocabulary practice tool at a reasonable price. [00:00-01:35]\n\n## Key Points\n- CEFR-structured: no German \u2192 B2. [00:08-00:18]\n- Extra lessons on field-specific vocab, work situations, email-writing how-to's. [00:18-00:36]\n- Best \"one thing from scratch\" choice: on-screen language, English translation, structured system. [00:48-01:07]\n- Daily vocabulary practice tool builds the foundation to \"hit the ground running.\" [01:12-01:24]\n- Reasonable price. [01:24-01:30]\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- None verbatim in this lesson.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- If starting from zero and choosing only one tool: Babbel. [00:48-01:35]\n- Use Babbel's add-on lessons to patch field-specific vocab and email-writing weaknesses. [00:18-00:36]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]Okay, so the next tool is Babbel. And I know a lot of language learners are familiar with Babbel
\n
[00:04]because they're doing a lot of marketing and advertising right now. But if you're not, it's a
\n
[00:08]website or I guess an app for language learning. They structure the lessons along the European
\n
[00:12]language framework. So you can go from literally no German up to the B2 level. I think the program
\n
[00:18]is really great, especially the extra lessons about very specific vocab, which is excellent
\n
[00:24]depending on what your field is. You can really go in there and choose to learn what you want to
\n
[00:28]learn. They have lessons on managing certain work situations or extra how to's on topics such as how
\n
[00:33]to write emails. So the thing about Babbel that I like the most is that they do structure everything
\n
[00:37]from like basic or like from like no German up to this B2 level plus like all these different add-ons
\n
[00:43]that can you can basically choose from depending on what you're interested in or maybe where your
\n
[00:48]weaknesses are at. So if you are starting from scratch and you're like, I just want to do one
\n
[00:51]thing. I think Babbel is the way to go. It can really give you the, you see the language on the
\n
[00:58]screen, it's translated into English or into the other languages that they offer. And it provides
\n
[01:03]structure and a system for learning vocabulary. So structure as far as like the foundation that you
\n
[01:07]need with like how do certain grammar structures work, what are the basic vocabulary, but also they
\n
[01:12]have a vocabulary tool where you you're basically like learning the vocabulary or practicing
\n
[01:17]different vocabulary every day and gives you basically what you need at the beginning to get
\n
[01:24]like hit the ground running, um, for a really reasonable price. So if this is something where
\n
[01:30]you're like, I want to do one thing and I'm starting from scratch, I definitely recommend that Babbel is
\n
[01:35]like, I would definitely recommend Babbel as the way to go for that.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662300414?h=1c1cadbde9", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662300414.mp4", "search": "foundational tool #2 bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n if starting from zero and choosing only one tool: babbel. [00:48-01:35] \n use babbel's add-on lessons to patch field-specific vocab and email-writing weaknesses. [00:18-00:36] \n foundational tool #2 - babbel \n overview \n babbel is a website/app for german structured along the cefr, taking learners from zero german up to about b2, with extra lessons on specific vocabulary and work topics (managing work situations, how to write emails). best pick if you're starting from scratch and want to do just one thing: it shows the language on screen with english translation, gives grammar/vocab structure, and has a daily vocabulary practice tool at a reasonable price. [00:00-01:35] \n key points \n \n cefr-structured: no german \u2192 b2. [00:08-00:18] \n extra lessons on field-specific vocab, work situations, email-writing how-to's. [00:18-00:36] \n best \"one thing from scratch\" choice: on-screen language, english translation, structured system. [00:48-01:07] \n daily vocabulary practice tool builds the foundation to \"hit the ground running.\" [01:12-01:24] \n reasonable price. [01:24-01:30] \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n none verbatim in this lesson. \n [00:00] okay, so the next tool is babbel. and i know a lot of language learners are familiar with babbel \n [00:04] because they're doing a lot of marketing and advertising right now. but if you're not, it's a \n [00:08] website or i guess an app for language learning. they structure the lessons along the european \n [00:12] language framework. so you can go from literally no german up to the b2 level. i think the program \n [00:18] is really great, especially the extra lessons about very specific vocab, which is excellent \n [00:24] depending on what your field is. you can really go in there and choose to learn what you want to \n [00:28] learn. they have lessons on managing certain work situations or extra how to's on topics such as how \n [00:33] to write emails. so the thing about babbel that i like the most is that they do structure everything \n [00:37] from like basic or like from like no german up to this b2 level plus like all these different add-ons \n [00:43] that can you can basically choose from depending on what you're interested in or maybe where your \n [00:48] weaknesses are at. so if you are starting from scratch and you're like, i just want to do one \n [00:51] thing. i think babbel is the way to go. it can really give you the, you see the language on the \n [00:58] screen, it's translated into english or into the other languages that they offer. and it provides \n [01:03] structure and a system for learning vocabulary. so structure as far as like the foundation that you \n [01:07] need with like how do certain grammar structures work, what are the basic vocabulary, but also they \n [01:12] have a vocabulary tool where you you're basically like learning the vocabulary or practicing \n [01:17] different vocabulary every day and gives you basically what you need at the beginning to get \n [01:24] like hit the ground running, um, for a really reasonable price. so if this is something where \n [01:30] you're like, i want to do one thing and i'm starting from scratch, i definitely recommend that babbel is \n [01:35] like, i would definitely recommend babbel as the way to go for that. "}, {"id": "L7-7", "key": "662300580", "vid": "662300580", "title": "Foundational Tool #3", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 7, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/foundational-tool-3", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Foundational Tool #3 - DeutschPerfekt

\n

Overview

\n

DeutschPerfekt is a German language magazine (newsstands across the German-speaking world, or subscription/e-magazine abroad) with articles on current German-speaking-world topics, each labeled by CEFR level (A/B/C). From A2 upward it's the top resource for avid readers: everything in German, key words underlined and explained in simple German sidebars, plus a middle section with grammar exercises, crosswords, vocab illustrations, short stories, and a monthly \"Deutsch f\u00fcr den Beruf\" (German for work) feature. [00:00-03:55]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# Foundational Tool #3 - DeutschPerfekt\n\n## Overview\nDeutschPerfekt is a German language magazine (newsstands across the German-speaking world, or subscription/e-magazine abroad) with articles on current German-speaking-world topics, each labeled by CEFR level (A/B/C). From A2 upward it's the top resource for avid readers: everything in German, key words underlined and explained in simple German sidebars, plus a middle section with grammar exercises, crosswords, vocab illustrations, short stories, and a monthly \"Deutsch f\u00fcr den Beruf\" (German for work) feature. [00:00-03:55]\n\n## Key Points\n- Buy at newsstands in German-speaking countries; abroad via subscription or e-magazine; growing digital options, including clickable interactive articles on the website. [00:05-00:15, 03:35-03:51]\n- Covers Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein; articles labeled A/B/C so you know what to read first. [00:38-00:57]\n- Not for total beginners - start around A2. [00:57-01:05]\n- Underlined words explained in easier German in a sidebar; mixes passive and active learning. [01:12-01:46]\n- Middle section: grammar exercises, crossword puzzles, vocabulary illustrations, short stories, and a monthly German-for-work topic (e.g., what a Betriebsrat is and how to talk to one). [01:53-02:16]\n- They published a \"German for Work\" book compiling past work-section articles - but the application/interview advice in it is out of date; the language content is top-notch. [02:16-02:56]\n- Instructor liked it enough to be featured in an article and write to the magazine. [00:28-00:38]\n- Learning current events builds context that speeds up vocab and sentence-structure learning. [02:56-03:13]\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- **Deutsch f\u00fcr den Beruf** - German for the workplace (magazine's monthly work-German section) [01:59-02:06]\n- **Betriebsrat** - works council (employee representative body you may need to talk to at German companies) [02:11-02:16]\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- DeutschPerfekt is the #1 resource for readers from A2 up; website has free interactive articles to test. [01:34-01:46, 03:35-03:51]\n- Monthly \"Deutsch f\u00fcr den Beruf\" section + compiled \"German for Work\" book - trust the language, ignore the outdated application advice. [02:06-02:50]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]so the next resource for foundational learning is deutsche perfect which is a language magazine you
\n
[00:05]can buy at newsstands across the german-speaking world if you're already here but you can also buy
\n
[00:09]it abroad or get an e-magazine subscription or just a regular subscription sent to your home
\n
[00:15]and they also have more and more digital options available um the thing about the magazine is that
\n
[00:22]it's just absolutely amazing i love it and i've been using it since the very beginning so when i
\n
[00:28]first came to germany and started learning german i've been using it since then actually you can find
\n
[00:32]an article about me in it i love it that much that i wrote them something too so the magazine's
\n
[00:38]content is centered on relevant current topics and themes that are related obviously to the german
\n
[00:45]speaking world so that's also going to include austria switzerland lichtenstein um they label each
\n
[00:51]article on either level a b or c so you know exactly which articles you can focus on reading
\n
[00:57]first so this isn't something that i would recommend to like super beginners right because
\n
[01:01]if you don't know any german then you're not going to be able to read anything but once you've reached
\n
[01:05]an a2 level get yourself some deutsche perfect in your life um what i like about it is that everything
\n
[01:12]is in german so it pushes you into soaking up the language certain words are underlined i'm going to
\n
[01:17]show you this in the next video and depending on the level of the article then you know um first of all
\n
[01:24]what the length what level it is but then the words that are underlined are explained in an even
\n
[01:29]easier style german in a sidebar and again i'll show you what this looks like so if you're an avid
\n
[01:34]reader this is hands down the number one resource for you just reading taking in the vocabulary and
\n
[01:40]learning about current events is a brilliant mix of both passive and active learning that i found to be
\n
[01:46]extremely effective but honestly like that it doesn't stop there um deutsche perfect has a middle section
\n
[01:53]in the magazine that has grammar exercises crossword puzzles vocabulary illustrations that are super cute
\n
[01:59]short stories and one of my favorite parts a section focusing specifically on german for work
\n
[02:06]or deutsch f\u00fcr den beruf they highlight a new topic each month so you can both learn about what a
\n
[02:11]betriebsrat is and how to talk to one and if you don't know what i'm talking about that's okay
\n
[02:16]you'll learn it as you move forward uh they recently published um a book called uh german for work
\n
[02:23]and it basically included all the past articles that were in this middle section um i do want to
\n
[02:28]just give you kind of the caveat that i will say that some of the advice they give about applications
\n
[02:32]such as resumes or even to a certain extent interviewing it's unfortunately like most of
\n
[02:36]what you're going to find on the internet it was out of date i bought the book i read or i bought the
\n
[02:40]selection i read it um you just want to be careful there so not everything you know is going to be
\n
[02:46]exactly how it should be when it comes to like application documents but the language aspects that
\n
[02:50]you're learning in george perfect are are top-notch really one of the best resources you can invest in
\n
[02:56]and because you're reading about germany or austria which are other german-speaking countries
\n
[03:00]uh i mean hopefully since you're learning german you're interested in the current events and topics
\n
[03:04]here anyway um you're going to learn more and more about them and that's just going to give you the
\n
[03:08]context um that you need in order to learn the words and the sentence structure better and it'll just
\n
[03:13]get you there a lot faster if reading and and kind of you know that's your your learning style
\n
[03:18]so it's way better than the resources that teach you like random words out of context um or just
\n
[03:24]basic topics that are not as relevant to to people who want to live here and work here so i definitely
\n
[03:30]highly recommend deutsche perfect check it out if you're not yet at the level where you want to
\n
[03:35]or at the point in your life where you want to subscribe or whatever um just go onto their website
\n
[03:40]start looking around they have really interactive um articles so you can click on certain words and learn
\n
[03:45]them you can look at the more basic kind of a1 level or a2 level articles and just play around and see
\n
[03:51]how the system works and again in the next video i'm going to show you actually um a little snippet
\n
[03:55]of a deutsche perfect magazine so you have an idea also of what i'm talking about
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662300580?h=da8294f3fc", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662300580.mp4", "search": "foundational tool #3 bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n deutschperfekt is the #1 resource for readers from a2 up; website has free interactive articles to test. [01:34-01:46, 03:35-03:51] \n monthly \"deutsch f\u00fcr den beruf\" section + compiled \"german for work\" book - trust the language, ignore the outdated application advice. [02:06-02:50] \n foundational tool #3 - deutschperfekt \n overview \n deutschperfekt is a german language magazine (newsstands across the german-speaking world, or subscription/e-magazine abroad) with articles on current german-speaking-world topics, each labeled by cefr level (a/b/c). from a2 upward it's the top resource for avid readers: everything in german, key words underlined and explained in simple german sidebars, plus a middle section with grammar exercises, crosswords, vocab illustrations, short stories, and a monthly \"deutsch f\u00fcr den beruf\" (german for work) feature. [00:00-03:55] \n key points \n \n buy at newsstands in german-speaking countries; abroad via subscription or e-magazine; growing digital options, including clickable interactive articles on the website. [00:05-00:15, 03:35-03:51] \n covers germany, austria, switzerland, liechtenstein; articles labeled a/b/c so you know what to read first. [00:38-00:57] \n not for total beginners - start around a2. [00:57-01:05] \n underlined words explained in easier german in a sidebar; mixes passive and active learning. [01:12-01:46] \n middle section: grammar exercises, crossword puzzles, vocabulary illustrations, short stories, and a monthly german-for-work topic (e.g., what a betriebsrat is and how to talk to one). [01:53-02:16] \n they published a \"german for work\" book compiling past work-section articles - but the application/interview advice in it is out of date; the language content is top-notch. [02:16-02:56] \n instructor liked it enough to be featured in an article and write to the magazine. [00:28-00:38] \n learning current events builds context that speeds up vocab and sentence-structure learning. [02:56-03:13] \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n deutsch f\u00fcr den beruf - german for the workplace (magazine's monthly work-german section) [01:59-02:06] \n betriebsrat - works council (employee representative body you may need to talk to at german companies) [02:11-02:16] \n [00:00] so the next resource for foundational learning is deutsche perfect which is a language magazine you \n [00:05] can buy at newsstands across the german-speaking world if you're already here but you can also buy \n [00:09] it abroad or get an e-magazine subscription or just a regular subscription sent to your home \n [00:15] and they also have more and more digital options available um the thing about the magazine is that \n [00:22] it's just absolutely amazing i love it and i've been using it since the very beginning so when i \n [00:28] first came to germany and started learning german i've been using it since then actually you can find \n [00:32] an article about me in it i love it that much that i wrote them something too so the magazine's \n [00:38] content is centered on relevant current topics and themes that are related obviously to the german \n [00:45] speaking world so that's also going to include austria switzerland lichtenstein um they label each \n [00:51] article on either level a b or c so you know exactly which articles you can focus on reading \n [00:57] first so this isn't something that i would recommend to like super beginners right because \n [01:01] if you don't know any german then you're not going to be able to read anything but once you've reached \n [01:05] an a2 level get yourself some deutsche perfect in your life um what i like about it is that everything \n [01:12] is in german so it pushes you into soaking up the language certain words are underlined i'm going to \n [01:17] show you this in the next video and depending on the level of the article then you know um first of all \n [01:24] what the length what level it is but then the words that are underlined are explained in an even \n [01:29] easier style german in a sidebar and again i'll show you what this looks like so if you're an avid \n [01:34] reader this is hands down the number one resource for you just reading taking in the vocabulary and \n [01:40] learning about current events is a brilliant mix of both passive and active learning that i found to be \n [01:46] extremely effective but honestly like that it doesn't stop there um deutsche perfect has a middle section \n [01:53] in the magazine that has grammar exercises crossword puzzles vocabulary illustrations that are super cute \n [01:59] short stories and one of my favorite parts a section focusing specifically on german for work \n [02:06] or deutsch f\u00fcr den beruf they highlight a new topic each month so you can both learn about what a \n [02:11] betriebsrat is and how to talk to one and if you don't know what i'm talking about that's okay \n [02:16] you'll learn it as you move forward uh they recently published um a book called uh german for work \n [02:23] and it basically included all the past articles that were in this middle section um i do want to \n [02:28] just give you kind of the caveat that i will say that some of the advice they give about applications \n [02:32] such as resumes or even to a certain extent interviewing it's unfortunately like most of \n [02:36] what you're going to find on the internet it was out of date i bought the book i read or i bought the \n [02:40] selection i read it um you just want to be careful there so not everything you know is going to be \n [02:46] exactly how it should be when it comes to like application documents but the language aspects that \n [02:50] you're learning in george perfect are are top-notch really one of the best resources you can invest in \n [02:56] and because you're reading about germany or austria which are other german-speaking countries \n [03:00] uh i mean hopefully since you're learning german you're interested in the current events and topics \n [03:04] here anyway um you're going to learn more and more about them and that's just going to give you the \n [03:08] context um that you need in order to learn the words and the sentence structure better and it'll just \n [03:13] get you there a lot faster if reading and and kind of you know that's your your learning style \n [03:18] so it's way better than the resources that teach you like random words out of context um or just \n [03:24] basic topics that are not as relevant to to people who want to live here and work here so i definitely \n [03:30] highly recommend deutsche perfect check it out if you're not yet at the level where you want to \n [03:35] or at the point in your life where you want to subscribe or whatever um just go onto their website \n [03:40] start looking around they have really interactive um articles so you can click on certain words and learn \n [03:45] them you can look at the more basic kind of a1 level or a2 level articles and just play around and see \n [03:51] how the system works and again in the next video i'm going to show you actually um a little snippet \n [03:55] of a deutsche perfect magazine so you have an idea also of what i'm talking about "}, {"id": "L7-8", "key": "662301742", "vid": "662301742", "title": "Why I love DeutschPerfekt + How To Use It", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 8, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/why-i-love-deutschperfekt-how-to-use-it", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Why I love DeutschPerfekt + How To Use It

\n

Overview

\n

A visual walkthrough of a current DeutschPerfekt issue. Articles are leveled (easy/middle/hard \u2248 A2 up to C2) in the table of contents so you can read at your level; underlined words like \"Zutaten\" get a short German-only explanation in a sidebar, which teaches you to paraphrase with simpler words. Beyond the magazine: a vocab app, audio editions (downloadable, Apple Music back issues), library copies in most German libraries, and the \"Plus\" exercise journal tied to each month's articles. Start using it from A2. [00:00-03:43]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# Why I love DeutschPerfekt + How To Use It\n\n## Overview\nA visual walkthrough of a current DeutschPerfekt issue. Articles are leveled (easy/middle/hard \u2248 A2 up to C2) in the table of contents so you can read at your level; underlined words like \"Zutaten\" get a short German-only explanation in a sidebar, which teaches you to paraphrase with simpler words. Beyond the magazine: a vocab app, audio editions (downloadable, Apple Music back issues), library copies in most German libraries, and the \"Plus\" exercise journal tied to each month's articles. Start using it from A2. [00:00-03:43]\n\n## Key Points\n- TOC groups articles as easy/middle/hard across A2-C2 so you can self-select. [00:44-01:21]\n- Underlined words (e.g., Zutaten = ingredient) explained in simple German, not translated - builds paraphrasing ability. [01:21-02:04]\n- Culture articles (e.g., what to know before a German barbecue, typical German beach objects) at A1/A2 level double as easy reading. [00:16-02:13]\n- Extra products: vocab app, audio magazine (downloadable; some past issues on Apple Music), exercise journal \"Plus\" keyed to each month's articles. [02:22-03:30]\n- Most German libraries stock DeutschPerfekt - free with a library card. [02:51-03:01]\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- **Zutaten** - ingredients [01:21-01:39]\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Free access route: check DeutschPerfekt out from a German library with a library card. [02:51-03:01]\n- Past audio issues available via Apple Music if you already subscribe. [02:34-02:51]\n- The German-only word explanations train you to describe unknown words with basic vocabulary - a core fluency skill. [01:47-02:04]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]Okay, so welcome to Deutsch Perfect. This is what actually the current edition looks like. It's going to show you a part of, or I'll show you a part of it right now. So this is the cover of it. And what it's actually, they're talking about how to learn German in the summer, like ways to make use of your summer.
\n
[00:16]They have things, for example, typical summer, what you need to know before you go to a grilling or like a barbecue with Germans or hear this one, like, what are these different objects that you find at the beaches and what makes them typically German. So it's all about learning about the cultural or the context of what life is like here and different topics around that. But it's obviously all in German.
\n
[00:44]And so what I want to show you is this is like their table of contents. And you see here, you have these different letters. And I just want to show you down here. So they have them listed. So this says easy, middle and hard. And this is along the levels of the framework. So A2, B1, B2 to C2. And then for each article, I'm just going to scroll down here. It'll tell you exactly what the level is.
\n
[01:10]So this one is going to be at that B level. And then you as the reader can go through the magazine and then decide, okay, I'm only going to read the easy ones. I'm only going to read the middle ones or the hard ones, whatever it might be for you.
\n
[01:21]So that's definitely something that's super helpful. And again, here at the bottom, like I explained in the previous video, they do underline certain words. So for example, Zutaten is underlined here. And then you can go down here and figure out, okay, that means ingredient, right?
\n
[01:39]So it has a short explanation for you in German. So it's not going to like translate it into English or into any other language, but explain it in German.
\n
[01:47]And that is super helpful because that gives you other words that then you can use because when you're beginning to learn German, a lot of times you don't know the words for certain things.
\n
[01:55]So you have to be able to use, let's just say more easy or basic words in order to explain what you're trying to express. And Deutschperfekt can really help you with that.
\n
[02:04]So for culture, I mean, here's this article that I just mentioned earlier. This one, for example, is in the A1, A2 level. So it's going to be a little bit easier.
\n
[02:13]It's super helpful for learning German and learning about the culture. So I definitely recommend it. And I just also wanted to point out one last thing up here.
\n
[02:22]They do offer other products. So they have an app where you can learn vocabulary. They have their audio. So if you want to do, for example, basically have the magazine in an audio format, you can get that online.
\n
[02:34]You can also get it downloadable. And if you have certain, like, for example, if you have Apple Music, I know they offer some of the past issues of Deutschperfekt audio.
\n
[02:43]So you can go ahead and try that out if you're already subscribing to certain music or like podcasts, audio subscription things.
\n
[02:51]So that might be something you want to look at. Or if you already have a library card, then most libraries in Germany, for example, have Deutschperfekt.
\n
[03:01]And you can go there and check it out from your library. So that's also an option for you if you want to do that.
\n
[03:08]And then they have this perfect plus. So or the plus part, which is basically going to be extra exercises.
\n
[03:14]So if you want to get more out of your magazine every month, then you can go ahead and subscribe also to get that extra basically like exercise journal.
\n
[03:25]And they're going to have exercises that are related to the different articles that you'll find in that month's Deutschperfekt.
\n
[03:30]So lots of opportunities to use and get the most out of this magazine.
\n
[03:35]And like I said, I really cannot recommend it enough.
\n
[03:38]Once you've gotten to that A2 level, you definitely want to start looking at, OK, how can I use Deutschperfekt to my advantage?
\n
[03:43]And how can I use it to to get myself further with my German language learning?
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662301742?h=2f28d88494", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662301742.mp4", "search": "why i love deutschperfekt + how to use it bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n free access route: check deutschperfekt out from a german library with a library card. [02:51-03:01] \n past audio issues available via apple music if you already subscribe. [02:34-02:51] \n the german-only word explanations train you to describe unknown words with basic vocabulary - a core fluency skill. [01:47-02:04] \n why i love deutschperfekt + how to use it \n overview \n a visual walkthrough of a current deutschperfekt issue. articles are leveled (easy/middle/hard \u2248 a2 up to c2) in the table of contents so you can read at your level; underlined words like \"zutaten\" get a short german-only explanation in a sidebar, which teaches you to paraphrase with simpler words. beyond the magazine: a vocab app, audio editions (downloadable, apple music back issues), library copies in most german libraries, and the \"plus\" exercise journal tied to each month's articles. start using it from a2. [00:00-03:43] \n key points \n \n toc groups articles as easy/middle/hard across a2-c2 so you can self-select. [00:44-01:21] \n underlined words (e.g., zutaten = ingredient) explained in simple german, not translated - builds paraphrasing ability. [01:21-02:04] \n culture articles (e.g., what to know before a german barbecue, typical german beach objects) at a1/a2 level double as easy reading. [00:16-02:13] \n extra products: vocab app, audio magazine (downloadable; some past issues on apple music), exercise journal \"plus\" keyed to each month's articles. [02:22-03:30] \n most german libraries stock deutschperfekt - free with a library card. [02:51-03:01] \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n zutaten - ingredients [01:21-01:39] \n [00:00] okay, so welcome to deutsch perfect. this is what actually the current edition looks like. it's going to show you a part of, or i'll show you a part of it right now. so this is the cover of it. and what it's actually, they're talking about how to learn german in the summer, like ways to make use of your summer. \n [00:16] they have things, for example, typical summer, what you need to know before you go to a grilling or like a barbecue with germans or hear this one, like, what are these different objects that you find at the beaches and what makes them typically german. so it's all about learning about the cultural or the context of what life is like here and different topics around that. but it's obviously all in german. \n [00:44] and so what i want to show you is this is like their table of contents. and you see here, you have these different letters. and i just want to show you down here. so they have them listed. so this says easy, middle and hard. and this is along the levels of the framework. so a2, b1, b2 to c2. and then for each article, i'm just going to scroll down here. it'll tell you exactly what the level is. \n [01:10] so this one is going to be at that b level. and then you as the reader can go through the magazine and then decide, okay, i'm only going to read the easy ones. i'm only going to read the middle ones or the hard ones, whatever it might be for you. \n [01:21] so that's definitely something that's super helpful. and again, here at the bottom, like i explained in the previous video, they do underline certain words. so for example, zutaten is underlined here. and then you can go down here and figure out, okay, that means ingredient, right? \n [01:39] so it has a short explanation for you in german. so it's not going to like translate it into english or into any other language, but explain it in german. \n [01:47] and that is super helpful because that gives you other words that then you can use because when you're beginning to learn german, a lot of times you don't know the words for certain things. \n [01:55] so you have to be able to use, let's just say more easy or basic words in order to explain what you're trying to express. and deutschperfekt can really help you with that. \n [02:04] so for culture, i mean, here's this article that i just mentioned earlier. this one, for example, is in the a1, a2 level. so it's going to be a little bit easier. \n [02:13] it's super helpful for learning german and learning about the culture. so i definitely recommend it. and i just also wanted to point out one last thing up here. \n [02:22] they do offer other products. so they have an app where you can learn vocabulary. they have their audio. so if you want to do, for example, basically have the magazine in an audio format, you can get that online. \n [02:34] you can also get it downloadable. and if you have certain, like, for example, if you have apple music, i know they offer some of the past issues of deutschperfekt audio. \n [02:43] so you can go ahead and try that out if you're already subscribing to certain music or like podcasts, audio subscription things. \n [02:51] so that might be something you want to look at. or if you already have a library card, then most libraries in germany, for example, have deutschperfekt. \n [03:01] and you can go there and check it out from your library. so that's also an option for you if you want to do that. \n [03:08] and then they have this perfect plus. so or the plus part, which is basically going to be extra exercises. \n [03:14] so if you want to get more out of your magazine every month, then you can go ahead and subscribe also to get that extra basically like exercise journal. \n [03:25] and they're going to have exercises that are related to the different articles that you'll find in that month's deutschperfekt. \n [03:30] so lots of opportunities to use and get the most out of this magazine. \n [03:35] and like i said, i really cannot recommend it enough. \n [03:38] once you've gotten to that a2 level, you definitely want to start looking at, ok, how can i use deutschperfekt to my advantage? \n [03:43] and how can i use it to to get myself further with my german language learning? "}, {"id": "L7-9", "key": "662302872", "vid": "662302872", "title": "Foundation Learning Tool #4", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 9, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/foundation-learning-tool-4", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Foundation Learning Tool #4 - LiveLingua

\n

Overview

\n

LiveLingua is a family-run platform connecting learners to highly vetted language teachers, many college instructors or professors. It provides 1-on-1 speaking practice over Skype/Zoom - the skill people struggle with most, especially outside Germany - and builds confidence for meetings, small talk, and work presentations. Fully flexible: request work-specific vocab or interview prep for just a few hours, do a two-week mini intensive, or meet monthly; no upselling pressure. [00:00-01:27]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# Foundation Learning Tool #4 - LiveLingua\n\n## Overview\nLiveLingua is a family-run platform connecting learners to highly vetted language teachers, many college instructors or professors. It provides 1-on-1 speaking practice over Skype/Zoom - the skill people struggle with most, especially outside Germany - and builds confidence for meetings, small talk, and work presentations. Fully flexible: request work-specific vocab or interview prep for just a few hours, do a two-week mini intensive, or meet monthly; no upselling pressure. [00:00-01:27]\n\n## Key Points\n- Teachers are highly qualified/vetted, many university-level instructors or professors. [00:06-00:14]\n- 1-on-1 speaking practice is the biggest gap for learners not living in Germany. [00:14-00:22]\n- Awkward at first, but builds confidence to speak up in meetings, small talk, presentations. [00:22-00:34]\n- On-demand targeting: \"I want to practice work-specific vocabulary\" or \"prep for my yearly review with my boss.\" [00:41-00:52]\n- Usage patterns: 5 hours of interview prep, daily two-week intensive from home, or biweekly/monthly sessions. [00:55-01:13]\n- Teachers are flexible and never pressure you to book more lessons. [01:13-01:19]\n- Note: the audio ends at [01:28]. A looping \"Thank you\" tail and a counting sequence after it were removed from the transcript.\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- None verbatim in this lesson.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Use LiveLingua surgically: a 5-hour block of interview prep or a two-week intensive is a valid, pressure-free pattern. [00:55-01:13]\n- Ask the teacher directly for work-specific vocab or boss-review prep - targeted lessons beat generic courses. [00:41-00:52]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]The last resource is LiveLingua. LiveLingua is a platform that connects students to highly qualified language teachers.
\n
[00:06]It's a family business that focuses on vetting only the most highly qualified language teachers, many of which are college-level instructors or even professors.
\n
[00:14]It provides you with individual one-on-one speaking practice, which is what many people struggle with the most, especially if you're not living in Germany.
\n
[00:22]It may be awkward at first to get on Skype or Zoom and stumble around with your German, but the one-on-one speaking lessons will get you so confident in speaking up at meetings, taking part in small talk, or giving presentations at work.
\n
[00:34]Whatever stage you're at, and for beginners, it might just get you moving with doing your speaking practice in general.
\n
[00:41]What I love is that you can go to your teacher and say, I want to practice work-specific vocabulary, or I need to prep for my yearly review with my boss, and you can just get that training.
\n
[00:52]that you need for a while, and return to regular lessons later.
\n
[00:55]You can use them, for example, for only five hours of practice that you need before prepping for an interview, or you can meet them, you know, every day for two weeks and do kind of your own mini intensive German course from home.
\n
[01:07]Or you can meet them, you know, every two weeks or once a month. It's really all up to you, and you get to choose that, and there's no pressure.
\n
[01:13]Like, they're never pressuring you to book more lessons, and all the teachers that I've worked with have been super flexible.
\n
[01:19]So, for speaking practice, when you want to do it on your time, with the time that you have, as much or as little as you want, Live Lingua is the way to go.
\n
[01:27]Thank you-
\n
[01:28]Thank you.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662302872?h=522bc414bd", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662302872.mp4", "search": "foundation learning tool #4 bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n use livelingua surgically: a 5-hour block of interview prep or a two-week intensive is a valid, pressure-free pattern. [00:55-01:13] \n ask the teacher directly for work-specific vocab or boss-review prep - targeted lessons beat generic courses. [00:41-00:52] \n foundation learning tool #4 - livelingua \n overview \n livelingua is a family-run platform connecting learners to highly vetted language teachers, many college instructors or professors. it provides 1-on-1 speaking practice over skype/zoom - the skill people struggle with most, especially outside germany - and builds confidence for meetings, small talk, and work presentations. fully flexible: request work-specific vocab or interview prep for just a few hours, do a two-week mini intensive, or meet monthly; no upselling pressure. [00:00-01:27] \n key points \n \n teachers are highly qualified/vetted, many university-level instructors or professors. [00:06-00:14] \n 1-on-1 speaking practice is the biggest gap for learners not living in germany. [00:14-00:22] \n awkward at first, but builds confidence to speak up in meetings, small talk, presentations. [00:22-00:34] \n on-demand targeting: \"i want to practice work-specific vocabulary\" or \"prep for my yearly review with my boss.\" [00:41-00:52] \n usage patterns: 5 hours of interview prep, daily two-week intensive from home, or biweekly/monthly sessions. [00:55-01:13] \n teachers are flexible and never pressure you to book more lessons. [01:13-01:19] \n note: the audio ends at [01:28]. a looping \"thank you\" tail and a counting sequence after it were removed from the transcript. \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n none verbatim in this lesson. \n [00:00] the last resource is livelingua. livelingua is a platform that connects students to highly qualified language teachers. \n [00:06] it's a family business that focuses on vetting only the most highly qualified language teachers, many of which are college-level instructors or even professors. \n [00:14] it provides you with individual one-on-one speaking practice, which is what many people struggle with the most, especially if you're not living in germany. \n [00:22] it may be awkward at first to get on skype or zoom and stumble around with your german, but the one-on-one speaking lessons will get you so confident in speaking up at meetings, taking part in small talk, or giving presentations at work. \n [00:34] whatever stage you're at, and for beginners, it might just get you moving with doing your speaking practice in general. \n [00:41] what i love is that you can go to your teacher and say, i want to practice work-specific vocabulary, or i need to prep for my yearly review with my boss, and you can just get that training. \n [00:52] that you need for a while, and return to regular lessons later. \n [00:55] you can use them, for example, for only five hours of practice that you need before prepping for an interview, or you can meet them, you know, every day for two weeks and do kind of your own mini intensive german course from home. \n [01:07] or you can meet them, you know, every two weeks or once a month. it's really all up to you, and you get to choose that, and there's no pressure. \n [01:13] like, they're never pressuring you to book more lessons, and all the teachers that i've worked with have been super flexible. \n [01:19] so, for speaking practice, when you want to do it on your time, with the time that you have, as much or as little as you want, live lingua is the way to go. \n [01:27] thank you- \n [01:28] thank you. "}, {"id": "L7-10", "key": "662303012", "vid": "662303012", "title": "Using Professional Learning Tools", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 10, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/using-professional-learning-tools", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Using Professional Learning Tools

\n

Overview

\n

Professional learning tools layer on top of your one foundational tool and should focus on vocabulary: once you understand the words plus basic sentence structure, you can decode colleague conversations, then join them - listening comes first. For role-playing difficult conversations on the job, use LiveLingua. Pick the one professional tool that's easiest for you right now. [00:00-01:32]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# Using Professional Learning Tools\n\n## Overview\nProfessional learning tools layer on top of your one foundational tool and should focus on vocabulary: once you understand the words plus basic sentence structure, you can decode colleague conversations, then join them - listening comes first. For role-playing difficult conversations on the job, use LiveLingua. Pick the one professional tool that's easiest for you right now. [00:00-01:32]\n\n## Key Points\n- Focus specifically on vocabulary - the gap most learners leave open. [00:06-00:44]\n- Foundation gives structure/context/basic vocab; professional layer adds your work context's words. [00:34-00:49]\n- Grammar structure + vocab = ability to pick apart and eventually join colleague conversations. [00:49-01:15]\n- Difficult-conversation practice \u2192 LiveLingua role-play. [00:12-00:19]\n- Choose just one professional tool, whichever is easiest for you. [01:24-01:32]\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- None verbatim in this lesson.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Formula: foundational tool + one vocabulary-focused professional tool. [00:24-00:29]\n- Listening comprehension unlocks participation; vocab is the key that opens it. [00:59-01:15]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]Okay so moving into our professional learning tools. The thing with this is that I want you to
\n
[00:06]focus specifically on vocabulary. Now once you're at the point where you're on the job and you are
\n
[00:12]wanting to practice like certain situations for example difficult conversations and that's
\n
[00:16]something where I'm going to point you in the direction of life lingua where you can basically
\n
[00:19]role play that. But for the vast like 95% majority of you you need to be adding on to your
\n
[00:25]foundational learning tool a professional learning tool and this learning tool should focus on
\n
[00:29]vocabulary. The reason for this being is that with your foundation you're going to have the
\n
[00:34]structure and the context and the basic vocabulary that you need in order to you know move forward with
\n
[00:39]your German learning progress. But what a lot of people don't do is they don't then learn the words
\n
[00:44]that people are using in the specific work context that they're going to be in. And the thing is if
\n
[00:49]you can understand the words and you know the basic grammar structure or like how sentences are put
\n
[00:54]together then you are going to be pretty far in being able to understand what your colleagues are
\n
[00:59]talking about. And of course those listening skills are going to happen first. So if you don't
\n
[01:03]understand the words you're not going to understand what they're saying but if you understand for the
\n
[01:07]most part the grammar structure and then you understand the vocab wow you're going to be able
\n
[01:11]to pick apart those conversations that people are having and then eventually you're going to be able
\n
[01:15]to start taking part in them. So the way that you're going to do this is by taking your foundational
\n
[01:20]learning tool whichever one you pick to work on for right now and then you're going to add a
\n
[01:24]professional learning tool on top of that. And I want you to just think about one thing. So I'm going to give
\n
[01:28]you some ideas of what you can choose from but just think about what is the one thing that you can
\n
[01:32]use what's the easiest for you at this point. So let's go ahead and take a look at what those are.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662303012?h=9ee5726856", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662303012.mp4", "search": "using professional learning tools bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n formula: foundational tool + one vocabulary-focused professional tool. [00:24-00:29] \n listening comprehension unlocks participation; vocab is the key that opens it. [00:59-01:15] \n using professional learning tools \n overview \n professional learning tools layer on top of your one foundational tool and should focus on vocabulary: once you understand the words plus basic sentence structure, you can decode colleague conversations, then join them - listening comes first. for role-playing difficult conversations on the job, use livelingua. pick the one professional tool that's easiest for you right now. [00:00-01:32] \n key points \n \n focus specifically on vocabulary - the gap most learners leave open. [00:06-00:44] \n foundation gives structure/context/basic vocab; professional layer adds your work context's words. [00:34-00:49] \n grammar structure + vocab = ability to pick apart and eventually join colleague conversations. [00:49-01:15] \n difficult-conversation practice \u2192 livelingua role-play. [00:12-00:19] \n choose just one professional tool, whichever is easiest for you. [01:24-01:32] \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n none verbatim in this lesson. \n [00:00] okay so moving into our professional learning tools. the thing with this is that i want you to \n [00:06] focus specifically on vocabulary. now once you're at the point where you're on the job and you are \n [00:12] wanting to practice like certain situations for example difficult conversations and that's \n [00:16] something where i'm going to point you in the direction of life lingua where you can basically \n [00:19] role play that. but for the vast like 95% majority of you you need to be adding on to your \n [00:25] foundational learning tool a professional learning tool and this learning tool should focus on \n [00:29] vocabulary. the reason for this being is that with your foundation you're going to have the \n [00:34] structure and the context and the basic vocabulary that you need in order to you know move forward with \n [00:39] your german learning progress. but what a lot of people don't do is they don't then learn the words \n [00:44] that people are using in the specific work context that they're going to be in. and the thing is if \n [00:49] you can understand the words and you know the basic grammar structure or like how sentences are put \n [00:54] together then you are going to be pretty far in being able to understand what your colleagues are \n [00:59] talking about. and of course those listening skills are going to happen first. so if you don't \n [01:03] understand the words you're not going to understand what they're saying but if you understand for the \n [01:07] most part the grammar structure and then you understand the vocab wow you're going to be able \n [01:11] to pick apart those conversations that people are having and then eventually you're going to be able \n [01:15] to start taking part in them. so the way that you're going to do this is by taking your foundational \n [01:20] learning tool whichever one you pick to work on for right now and then you're going to add a \n [01:24] professional learning tool on top of that. and i want you to just think about one thing. so i'm going to give \n [01:28] you some ideas of what you can choose from but just think about what is the one thing that you can \n [01:32] use what's the easiest for you at this point. so let's go ahead and take a look at what those are. "}, {"id": "L7-11", "key": "662307174", "vid": "662307174", "title": "While Job Searching", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 11, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/while-job-searching", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

While Job Searching

\n

Overview

\n

Professional German tools split into \"while job searching\" and \"on the job.\" While searching, dissect key terms from German job descriptions, company/industry websites and blogs, and field literature - a goldmine, since you're reading these anyway. Mine them for recurring field vocabulary, save the sources, and fold that terminology straight into your cover letters; beginners can start with just \"I work in this field / I want to work as X in Germany.\" Double down on documents you already read: two birds, one stone, and highly motivating. [00:00-04:08]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# While Job Searching\n\n## Overview\nProfessional German tools split into \"while job searching\" and \"on the job.\" While searching, dissect key terms from German job descriptions, company/industry websites and blogs, and field literature - a goldmine, since you're reading these anyway. Mine them for recurring field vocabulary, save the sources, and fold that terminology straight into your cover letters; beginners can start with just \"I work in this field / I want to work as X in Germany.\" Double down on documents you already read: two birds, one stone, and highly motivating. [00:00-04:08]\n\n## Key Points\n- Dissect key terms from job descriptions (e.g., 5 of 10 postings in German): identify the main field words. [00:16-00:51]\n- Immediately integrate the German terminology you find into your cover letter. [00:55-01:05]\n- Applying in English? Still learn the German vocabulary passively. [01:05-01:12]\n- Mine company websites, industry websites, blogs for recurring words. [01:22-01:34]\n- Literature (articles, books, magazines): pick out words similar to English, build your own list of repeated words. [01:36-01:54]\n- Save job descriptions/websites/words now; you'll use that vocabulary later on the job. [02:10-02:24]\n- Example: a civil engineer with zero German bought industry magazines and learned vocab from them - now reads them for fun. [02:50-03:08]\n- Start simple: \"I work in this field,\" \"I want to work as X in Germany\" - motivating building blocks. [03:35-03:46]\n- Practice/review the key-term list daily in your chosen German-learning time. [03:53-04:05]\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- None verbatim in this lesson.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Job descriptions are a vocabulary goldmine - copy their terminology into your cover letter. [00:51-01:12]\n- Two-birds-one-stone: job research doubles as vocab mining; keep a running key-terms list and review it daily. [02:28-04:05]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]Okay, so I've split these tools into two different categories, like while you're job searching and then on the job.
\n
[00:05]Now you can use both, like it doesn't mean that you can't use the options that are meant for on the job while you're job searching,
\n
[00:11]but they're just kind of to give you a little bit of structure to think about what you should be using when.
\n
[00:16]So when it comes to what you use while you're job searching, I recommend you first focus on dissecting key terms.
\n
[00:23]And this can be from places like job descriptions, maybe websites, or even literature, depending on what your field is.
\n
[00:29]So what this could look like is you are doing your research anyway for your jobs,
\n
[00:35]and you're looking at these job descriptions, and maybe five out of the ten that you find are in German.
\n
[00:40]You're going to want to look at what are the vocabulary words that they're using.
\n
[00:43]You can look them up, and this can give you a good idea of like, okay, what are the main words that are used in this field?
\n
[00:51]And this was really helpful for me at the beginning, too, because I would go and look up the job descriptions,
\n
[00:55]and then I would figure out, okay, so this is what they're calling this in German,
\n
[00:59]and I can, for example, then immediately integrate that certain terminology into my cover letter, okay?
\n
[01:05]So for those of you who are applying in English, that's not going to be as relevant.
\n
[01:09]Then you're just going to want to look at like, what are the vocabulary words that I can be learning?
\n
[01:12]But that's definitely like a super, like it's just a goldmine, those job descriptions.
\n
[01:16]You can get a lot of information out of them.
\n
[01:17]As far as like key terms that you can then be learning that will be used on the job.
\n
[01:22]Websites are the same thing.
\n
[01:23]So that can either be like company websites or even just like industry websites, blogs, things like that.
\n
[01:28]So just kind of going through those and looking up certain topics and then looking at, okay, which words are they using?
\n
[01:34]And then literature, this is basically everything else.
\n
[01:36]So if you're looking for different articles or books, magazines, this type of thing,
\n
[01:41]obviously you're not going to understand a lot at the beginning,
\n
[01:43]but just start by looking at the words and picking out ones that maybe look similar to English or whatever.
\n
[01:49]And then like making yourself your own list of words that you're seeing over and over again.
\n
[01:54]And the point behind this is that like, I mean, I'm going to talk in the next video about how to use subject dictionaries
\n
[02:00]where you have lists of words from your field.
\n
[02:03]But while you're job searching, you're going to be looking at certain documents or websites or job descriptions anyway.
\n
[02:10]And I just recommend that you double down on those.
\n
[02:12]So like start saving those words or those job descriptions or those websites right away now.
\n
[02:16]And then you can start slowly learning the vocabulary that you're seeing,
\n
[02:19]because if you're seeing it in those certain places, you're going to be using it later on.
\n
[02:24]And that's something that a lot of people don't realize and they don't take the time to do that.
\n
[02:28]But basically you can hit two birds with one stone, if you will, where you are doing your job search,
\n
[02:35]you're doing your company research, but at the same time, you're also setting yourself up to practice the vocabulary
\n
[02:40]that you're going to need later on.
\n
[02:41]And it's motivating because you want to, you know, you want to learn German.
\n
[02:46]You want to have your foundation, but you also want to learn things that are relevant to your field.
\n
[02:50]And I mean, I know someone who works in civil engineering and for him,
\n
[02:54]he just got like himself a bunch of industry magazines right away and started learning the vocabulary,
\n
[03:00]even though he spoke no German at the beginning.
\n
[03:03]And I mean, now he reads them for fun because it was something that was super helpful for him
\n
[03:06]and it motivated him in order to learn.
\n
[03:08]And so this is kind of what I want you also to get out of this is that like you need your foundation,
\n
[03:12]but you also, at the end of the day, you need something that motivates you.
\n
[03:15]Because if you're just learning, you know, silly animal words, that's not really going to help you.
\n
[03:20]And you want to make sure that you're getting excited about, okay, what are the conversations
\n
[03:24]that Germans are having around my field, right?
\n
[03:26]So not even just vocabulary, but like, what are they talking about?
\n
[03:29]And then obviously I'm picking out those vocabulary words that you want to learn
\n
[03:33]because you want to be able to use them.
\n
[03:35]And even if you're a beginner, like being able to say, like, I work in this field,
\n
[03:39]like start with something as simple as that or I want to work as this in Germany,
\n
[03:43]you know, start with those simple words and move your way up.
\n
[03:46]And that will be super motivating for you.
\n
[03:49]So that's the number one thing I recommend while you're job searching
\n
[03:53]is double down on what you're doing anyway and start putting together a list of key terms
\n
[03:57]that then you are going to be practicing and learning and reviewing every day
\n
[04:01]during the time that you choose to learn German.
\n
[04:05]So definitely start doing that right away.
\n
[04:08]It can't hurt and it's very, very motivating.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662307174?h=d177331e8f", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662307174.mp4", "search": "while job searching bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n job descriptions are a vocabulary goldmine - copy their terminology into your cover letter. [00:51-01:12] \n two-birds-one-stone: job research doubles as vocab mining; keep a running key-terms list and review it daily. [02:28-04:05] \n while job searching \n overview \n professional german tools split into \"while job searching\" and \"on the job.\" while searching, dissect key terms from german job descriptions, company/industry websites and blogs, and field literature - a goldmine, since you're reading these anyway. mine them for recurring field vocabulary, save the sources, and fold that terminology straight into your cover letters; beginners can start with just \"i work in this field / i want to work as x in germany.\" double down on documents you already read: two birds, one stone, and highly motivating. [00:00-04:08] \n key points \n \n dissect key terms from job descriptions (e.g., 5 of 10 postings in german): identify the main field words. [00:16-00:51] \n immediately integrate the german terminology you find into your cover letter. [00:55-01:05] \n applying in english? still learn the german vocabulary passively. [01:05-01:12] \n mine company websites, industry websites, blogs for recurring words. [01:22-01:34] \n literature (articles, books, magazines): pick out words similar to english, build your own list of repeated words. [01:36-01:54] \n save job descriptions/websites/words now; you'll use that vocabulary later on the job. [02:10-02:24] \n example: a civil engineer with zero german bought industry magazines and learned vocab from them - now reads them for fun. [02:50-03:08] \n start simple: \"i work in this field,\" \"i want to work as x in germany\" - motivating building blocks. [03:35-03:46] \n practice/review the key-term list daily in your chosen german-learning time. [03:53-04:05] \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n none verbatim in this lesson. \n [00:00] okay, so i've split these tools into two different categories, like while you're job searching and then on the job. \n [00:05] now you can use both, like it doesn't mean that you can't use the options that are meant for on the job while you're job searching, \n [00:11] but they're just kind of to give you a little bit of structure to think about what you should be using when. \n [00:16] so when it comes to what you use while you're job searching, i recommend you first focus on dissecting key terms. \n [00:23] and this can be from places like job descriptions, maybe websites, or even literature, depending on what your field is. \n [00:29] so what this could look like is you are doing your research anyway for your jobs, \n [00:35] and you're looking at these job descriptions, and maybe five out of the ten that you find are in german. \n [00:40] you're going to want to look at what are the vocabulary words that they're using. \n [00:43] you can look them up, and this can give you a good idea of like, okay, what are the main words that are used in this field? \n [00:51] and this was really helpful for me at the beginning, too, because i would go and look up the job descriptions, \n [00:55] and then i would figure out, okay, so this is what they're calling this in german, \n [00:59] and i can, for example, then immediately integrate that certain terminology into my cover letter, okay? \n [01:05] so for those of you who are applying in english, that's not going to be as relevant. \n [01:09] then you're just going to want to look at like, what are the vocabulary words that i can be learning? \n [01:12] but that's definitely like a super, like it's just a goldmine, those job descriptions. \n [01:16] you can get a lot of information out of them. \n [01:17] as far as like key terms that you can then be learning that will be used on the job. \n [01:22] websites are the same thing. \n [01:23] so that can either be like company websites or even just like industry websites, blogs, things like that. \n [01:28] so just kind of going through those and looking up certain topics and then looking at, okay, which words are they using? \n [01:34] and then literature, this is basically everything else. \n [01:36] so if you're looking for different articles or books, magazines, this type of thing, \n [01:41] obviously you're not going to understand a lot at the beginning, \n [01:43] but just start by looking at the words and picking out ones that maybe look similar to english or whatever. \n [01:49] and then like making yourself your own list of words that you're seeing over and over again. \n [01:54] and the point behind this is that like, i mean, i'm going to talk in the next video about how to use subject dictionaries \n [02:00] where you have lists of words from your field. \n [02:03] but while you're job searching, you're going to be looking at certain documents or websites or job descriptions anyway. \n [02:10] and i just recommend that you double down on those. \n [02:12] so like start saving those words or those job descriptions or those websites right away now. \n [02:16] and then you can start slowly learning the vocabulary that you're seeing, \n [02:19] because if you're seeing it in those certain places, you're going to be using it later on. \n [02:24] and that's something that a lot of people don't realize and they don't take the time to do that. \n [02:28] but basically you can hit two birds with one stone, if you will, where you are doing your job search, \n [02:35] you're doing your company research, but at the same time, you're also setting yourself up to practice the vocabulary \n [02:40] that you're going to need later on. \n [02:41] and it's motivating because you want to, you know, you want to learn german. \n [02:46] you want to have your foundation, but you also want to learn things that are relevant to your field. \n [02:50] and i mean, i know someone who works in civil engineering and for him, \n [02:54] he just got like himself a bunch of industry magazines right away and started learning the vocabulary, \n [03:00] even though he spoke no german at the beginning. \n [03:03] and i mean, now he reads them for fun because it was something that was super helpful for him \n [03:06] and it motivated him in order to learn. \n [03:08] and so this is kind of what i want you also to get out of this is that like you need your foundation, \n [03:12] but you also, at the end of the day, you need something that motivates you. \n [03:15] because if you're just learning, you know, silly animal words, that's not really going to help you. \n [03:20] and you want to make sure that you're getting excited about, okay, what are the conversations \n [03:24] that germans are having around my field, right? \n [03:26] so not even just vocabulary, but like, what are they talking about? \n [03:29] and then obviously i'm picking out those vocabulary words that you want to learn \n [03:33] because you want to be able to use them. \n [03:35] and even if you're a beginner, like being able to say, like, i work in this field, \n [03:39] like start with something as simple as that or i want to work as this in germany, \n [03:43] you know, start with those simple words and move your way up. \n [03:46] and that will be super motivating for you. \n [03:49] so that's the number one thing i recommend while you're job searching \n [03:53] is double down on what you're doing anyway and start putting together a list of key terms \n [03:57] that then you are going to be practicing and learning and reviewing every day \n [04:01] during the time that you choose to learn german. \n [04:05] so definitely start doing that right away. \n [04:08] it can't hurt and it's very, very motivating. "}, {"id": "L7-12", "key": "662307959", "vid": "662307959", "title": "On the Job", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 12, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/on-the-job", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

On the Job

\n

Overview

\n

On-the-job German toolkit: Linguee (best German-English translator) plus DeepL for translating large amounts of text, and LanguageTool to catch wrong cases in your writing. Subject dictionaries (German-English glossaries per field) were the instructor's #1 lever for professional vocabulary - she worked one from A to Z over two years; free ones exist online for IT, engineering, medicine, etc., and entries can be pasted into vocab-learning software. Add free industry podcasts (German or, if too hard, German-made English ones), and don't be afraid to ask colleagues language questions rather than make mistakes. [00:00-03:48]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# On the Job\n\n## Overview\nOn-the-job German toolkit: Linguee (best German-English translator) plus DeepL for translating large amounts of text, and LanguageTool to catch wrong cases in your writing. Subject dictionaries (German-English glossaries per field) were the instructor's #1 lever for professional vocabulary - she worked one from A to Z over two years; free ones exist online for IT, engineering, medicine, etc., and entries can be pasted into vocab-learning software. Add free industry podcasts (German or, if too hard, German-made English ones), and don't be afraid to ask colleagues language questions rather than make mistakes. [00:00-03:48]\n\n## Key Points\n- Linguee: best German-English translator; DeepL pairs with it for bulk text translation - big speed-up on written work. [00:05-00:32]\n- LanguageTool flags wrong grammatical cases in writing; imperfect but a quick win. [00:32-00:52]\n- Subject dictionaries: field-specific bilingual glossaries; work A-to-Z over ~2 years to transform your field vocabulary. [00:52-01:59]\n- Free subject dictionaries exist online (IT, engineering, medicine, etc.); paste terms into vocab apps. [02:09-02:21]\n- Listen to free industry podcasts once your level allows - content plus topic vocabulary; otherwise German-made English podcasts in your industry. [02:21-03:42]\n- Ask for help with language instead of guessing and correcting later; frequency of asking drops as strategies kick in. [02:42-03:19]\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- None verbatim (tool names: Linguee, DeepL, LanguageTool).\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Tool stack: Linguee + DeepL (translation), LanguageTool (grammar/cases) - all free-ish and immediate. [00:05-00:52]\n- A free online subject dictionary worked A\u2192Z over two years took the instructor to full professional command of her field's German. [01:28-01:59]\n- Don't guess - ask; asking beats correcting mistakes later. [02:55-03:19]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]Okay, so moving into the tools that you can use on the job. So if you're already working in Germany, and maybe regardless of what your level is, and I recommend the following thing. So Lingue is obviously really good. If you don't know about this yet, a lot of people who work here already do, but probably the best German-English translator that you're going to find out there.
\n
[00:19]Then there is Deeple, which works with Lingue. So if you need to translate big amounts of text at a time, those are the tools that if you're doing a lot of written stuff, that's going to speed up your work.
\n
[00:32]Now, LanguageTool is also really great because what LanguageTool does is it helps you figure out, okay, where are the cases wrong in my writing? And it's not perfect because it's relatively new and the technology isn't entirely perfect yet.
\n
[00:44]But those tools, like really quick, easy wins on the job that you can be using that will make your life easier.
\n
[00:52]Now, if you are, and this is the next point, subject dictionaries, is for people who are maybe job searching right now or for people who are on the job who are trying to up-level.
\n
[01:01]And so a subject dictionary is like German-English or German-Spanish, whatever, that is just for a specific field.
\n
[01:06]And I'm going to show you in the next video what that looks like for my field of higher education so you get an idea of what I'm talking about.
\n
[01:12]But basically what you're going to do is you're going to take that dictionary and you're either going to like randomly pull out words or work like from the beginning to the end and learn the vocabulary because that's just going to completely expand your knowledge of the language in your field, which is the vocabulary that you need.
\n
[01:28]That, I would say, was probably the number one thing that got me to the level that I'm at as far as like my specific field goes because I literally just took the subject like glossary or dictionary that I'm going to show you.
\n
[01:41]And I worked myself like from A all the way through it and learned everything.
\n
[01:46]It probably took me two years, but at the end of the day, I can use all that link.
\n
[01:52]I understand all of it and I can use all of it.
\n
[01:54]And it made my higher education German vocabulary just, it took it to the next level.
\n
[01:59]So it's definitely more of a long game, but it is something where like there are dictionaries out there for like for IT, for engineering, for medicine, for, you know, whatever you want.
\n
[02:09]And, um, you can definitely find them and some of them, like the one I'm going to show you that I use were even free available online.
\n
[02:15]So you don't need to buy anything and you can copy paste things into online vocabulary, uh, learning software.
\n
[02:21]Then, so if you're at the level where you can listen to industry podcasts, that's something that you definitely want to be doing.
\n
[02:27]They're available obviously for free and you're just going to want to maybe look at like one or two that are like related to something that you're interested in so that you can hear what's going on.
\n
[02:37]Right.
\n
[02:37]So we're looking at like the content, but also learn the vocabulary that's being used around different topics.
\n
[02:42]And then when you're on the job, like, don't be afraid to ask for help.
\n
[02:46]I see this thing a lot of times where people come to me and they're like, Oh, I don't know if this is right.
\n
[02:51]And then I just do how I think it's right.
\n
[02:53]And then I, my boss is angry because it's wrong.
\n
[02:55]I'm like, well, go and ask.
\n
[02:57]Like there's nothing wrong with asking about different language things or how to call things or what the case is.
\n
[03:02]Like, obviously you, at the beginning, you're going to be doing that more than once you're moving forward.
\n
[03:07]And you should be learning as like, you should be using these strategies that I'm giving you in order so that you get the point where you don't have to do that.
\n
[03:13]But at the beginning, like there's nothing wrong with asking and it's better to ask than to have to go back and correct mistakes.
\n
[03:19]So definitely think about, you know, using these practical tools, Linguidipal and language tool, whether you're, regardless of where you're at, but they're specifically very helpful for on the job.
\n
[03:30]Look at the subject dictionary, see if you can find one that's helpful to you.
\n
[03:33]If your German is at the point where you can listen to industry podcasts, go ahead and do that.
\n
[03:37]And if it's not, try and find podcasts from Germans that are in your industry.
\n
[03:42]There are some like that too, or just look at their English lessons to see kind of what are people talking about in your field.
\n
[03:48]And then when you're on the job, like, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662307959?h=725909464c", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662307959.mp4", "search": "on the job bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n tool stack: linguee + deepl (translation), languagetool (grammar/cases) - all free-ish and immediate. [00:05-00:52] \n a free online subject dictionary worked a\u2192z over two years took the instructor to full professional command of her field's german. [01:28-01:59] \n don't guess - ask; asking beats correcting mistakes later. [02:55-03:19] \n on the job \n overview \n on-the-job german toolkit: linguee (best german-english translator) plus deepl for translating large amounts of text, and languagetool to catch wrong cases in your writing. subject dictionaries (german-english glossaries per field) were the instructor's #1 lever for professional vocabulary - she worked one from a to z over two years; free ones exist online for it, engineering, medicine, etc., and entries can be pasted into vocab-learning software. add free industry podcasts (german or, if too hard, german-made english ones), and don't be afraid to ask colleagues language questions rather than make mistakes. [00:00-03:48] \n key points \n \n linguee: best german-english translator; deepl pairs with it for bulk text translation - big speed-up on written work. [00:05-00:32] \n languagetool flags wrong grammatical cases in writing; imperfect but a quick win. [00:32-00:52] \n subject dictionaries: field-specific bilingual glossaries; work a-to-z over ~2 years to transform your field vocabulary. [00:52-01:59] \n free subject dictionaries exist online (it, engineering, medicine, etc.); paste terms into vocab apps. [02:09-02:21] \n listen to free industry podcasts once your level allows - content plus topic vocabulary; otherwise german-made english podcasts in your industry. [02:21-03:42] \n ask for help with language instead of guessing and correcting later; frequency of asking drops as strategies kick in. [02:42-03:19] \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n none verbatim (tool names: linguee, deepl, languagetool). \n [00:00] okay, so moving into the tools that you can use on the job. so if you're already working in germany, and maybe regardless of what your level is, and i recommend the following thing. so lingue is obviously really good. if you don't know about this yet, a lot of people who work here already do, but probably the best german-english translator that you're going to find out there. \n [00:19] then there is deeple, which works with lingue. so if you need to translate big amounts of text at a time, those are the tools that if you're doing a lot of written stuff, that's going to speed up your work. \n [00:32] now, languagetool is also really great because what languagetool does is it helps you figure out, okay, where are the cases wrong in my writing? and it's not perfect because it's relatively new and the technology isn't entirely perfect yet. \n [00:44] but those tools, like really quick, easy wins on the job that you can be using that will make your life easier. \n [00:52] now, if you are, and this is the next point, subject dictionaries, is for people who are maybe job searching right now or for people who are on the job who are trying to up-level. \n [01:01] and so a subject dictionary is like german-english or german-spanish, whatever, that is just for a specific field. \n [01:06] and i'm going to show you in the next video what that looks like for my field of higher education so you get an idea of what i'm talking about. \n [01:12] but basically what you're going to do is you're going to take that dictionary and you're either going to like randomly pull out words or work like from the beginning to the end and learn the vocabulary because that's just going to completely expand your knowledge of the language in your field, which is the vocabulary that you need. \n [01:28] that, i would say, was probably the number one thing that got me to the level that i'm at as far as like my specific field goes because i literally just took the subject like glossary or dictionary that i'm going to show you. \n [01:41] and i worked myself like from a all the way through it and learned everything. \n [01:46] it probably took me two years, but at the end of the day, i can use all that link. \n [01:52] i understand all of it and i can use all of it. \n [01:54] and it made my higher education german vocabulary just, it took it to the next level. \n [01:59] so it's definitely more of a long game, but it is something where like there are dictionaries out there for like for it, for engineering, for medicine, for, you know, whatever you want. \n [02:09] and, um, you can definitely find them and some of them, like the one i'm going to show you that i use were even free available online. \n [02:15] so you don't need to buy anything and you can copy paste things into online vocabulary, uh, learning software. \n [02:21] then, so if you're at the level where you can listen to industry podcasts, that's something that you definitely want to be doing. \n [02:27] they're available obviously for free and you're just going to want to maybe look at like one or two that are like related to something that you're interested in so that you can hear what's going on. \n [02:37] right. \n [02:37] so we're looking at like the content, but also learn the vocabulary that's being used around different topics. \n [02:42] and then when you're on the job, like, don't be afraid to ask for help. \n [02:46] i see this thing a lot of times where people come to me and they're like, oh, i don't know if this is right. \n [02:51] and then i just do how i think it's right. \n [02:53] and then i, my boss is angry because it's wrong. \n [02:55] i'm like, well, go and ask. \n [02:57] like there's nothing wrong with asking about different language things or how to call things or what the case is. \n [03:02] like, obviously you, at the beginning, you're going to be doing that more than once you're moving forward. \n [03:07] and you should be learning as like, you should be using these strategies that i'm giving you in order so that you get the point where you don't have to do that. \n [03:13] but at the beginning, like there's nothing wrong with asking and it's better to ask than to have to go back and correct mistakes. \n [03:19] so definitely think about, you know, using these practical tools, linguidipal and language tool, whether you're, regardless of where you're at, but they're specifically very helpful for on the job. \n [03:30] look at the subject dictionary, see if you can find one that's helpful to you. \n [03:33] if your german is at the point where you can listen to industry podcasts, go ahead and do that. \n [03:37] and if it's not, try and find podcasts from germans that are in your industry. \n [03:42] there are some like that too, or just look at their english lessons to see kind of what are people talking about in your field. \n [03:48] and then when you're on the job, like, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. "}, {"id": "L7-13", "key": "662308798", "vid": "662308798", "title": "How to Use Subject Dictionaries to Uplevel Your Work German", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 13, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/how-to-use-subject-dictionaries-to-uplevel-your-work-german", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

How to Use Subject Dictionaries to Uplevel Your Work German

\n

Overview

\n

How to find and use a subject dictionary/glossary for your field. The instructor found a free online higher-education terminology glossary from Germany's main higher-education internationalization organization by intense Googling in German. Method: copy words into a vocab app (or handwrite), 10-15 words per day, and - bonus tip - write each word in a sentence. Works even for beginners with modal verbs and basic sentence structure. Glossaries also exist in German-Spanish, German-Italian, German-Chinese, etc., especially for fields with high German collaboration with your country. [00:02-02:25]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# How to Use Subject Dictionaries to Uplevel Your Work German\n\n## Overview\nHow to find and use a subject dictionary/glossary for your field. The instructor found a free online higher-education terminology glossary from Germany's main higher-education internationalization organization by intense Googling in German. Method: copy words into a vocab app (or handwrite), 10-15 words per day, and - bonus tip - write each word in a sentence. Works even for beginners with modal verbs and basic sentence structure. Glossaries also exist in German-Spanish, German-Italian, German-Chinese, etc., especially for fields with high German collaboration with your country. [00:02-02:25]\n\n## Key Points\n- Google in German with varied search terms (\"higher education vocabulary\" etc.) to find a free glossary from your field's main German organization; some exist only as books to buy. [00:02-00:30]\n- Copy/paste words into online vocab software, or handwrite 10-15 words a day (her preference). [00:54-01:05]\n- Bonus tip: put every word in a sentence (e.g., \"I take evening classes\") - dramatically improves recall. [01:05-01:31]\n- Beginner-friendly once you have modal verbs and basic sentence structure. [01:31-01:52]\n- Multilingual glossaries exist (German-Spanish/Italian/Chinese); likely for your language if your country collaborates heavily with Germany in that field. [02:09-02:25]\n- Slow but \"so worth it in the end.\" [02:25-02:34]\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- Example glossary entry: **I take evening classes** (example sentence shown in the glossary) [01:21]\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Search recipe: Google your field + \"vocabulary\"/\"glossary\" in German; look for your industry's German professional-association glossary - often free. [00:02-00:54]\n- 10-15 words/day, each in a self-written sentence. [00:54-01:31]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:02]Okay. So I wanted to just quick show you what one of these subject dictionaries or glossaries could look like. And basically what I did way back when was I just Googled like higher education. I think I said like vocabulary or something in German. And I just tried different search terms in Google to see if I could find anything. And I did come across this. And for me personally, it was great because this is completely free and available online. It might be different for you. You might have to buy a book. So it really depends.
\n
[00:30]But first do some pretty intense Googling and see if you can find something. And basically what this is, is it's from one of the main organizations in my field or the main organization in higher education in Germany or higher education internationalization. And they have this glossary of higher education terminology. And they do offer in a book form as well. But I use this because it was easier for me to just copy out the words.
\n
[00:54]Um, so you can put them into an online system for learning vocabulary, whatever. There's a bunch of different ones out there that you can use. I personally prefer the just writing them out. So I just like literally pick 10 to 15 words a day. And then I was just rewriting them. And then what I found super helpful. And this is a bonus tip for you is I put each word into a sentence. So even if it was a super sentence, um, that was like, I take evening classes, right? Looking at the first example.
\n
[01:21]It was something where I was like, okay, I could remember that in putting it in sentence format. So not just writing out the words or practicing the vocabulary, but also like using them in certain sentences was really helpful for me.
\n
[01:31]And this is something that even beginners can do because once you, um, have your module verbs down and you have your basic sentence structure, you can make very basic sentences using these words. Okay. So, um, this is definitely something that I, I absolutely recommend. It was super helpful for me. I learned about how to say, for example, all of these different things, all these different subjects, all the things you can study in Germany. Um, also very specific things, um, that I needed for my, uh, on the job, like for my job anyway.
\n
[01:59]So definitely check this out. Again, this is an example for my personal field, but there's, these exist for many different fields. And also you need to know that they don't just exist for German English.
\n
[02:09]They do exist for things like German, Spanish, German, Italian. I'm thinking about, you know, where are the collaborations, German, Chinese in your field. Um, and if you come from one of those countries where there's like a high level of collaboration or partnership trade, then there is a good possibility.
\n
[02:25]Hopefully that's something like this exists for your field in your mother tongue. If your mother tongue is not English. So go ahead and check that out and use it, write your example sentences, work your way through it. It does take some time, but it is so worth it in the end. I promise.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662308798?h=579431b47c", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662308798.mp4", "search": "how to use subject dictionaries to uplevel your work german bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n search recipe: google your field + \"vocabulary\"/\"glossary\" in german; look for your industry's german professional-association glossary - often free. [00:02-00:54] \n 10-15 words/day, each in a self-written sentence. [00:54-01:31] \n how to use subject dictionaries to uplevel your work german \n overview \n how to find and use a subject dictionary/glossary for your field. the instructor found a free online higher-education terminology glossary from germany's main higher-education internationalization organization by intense googling in german. method: copy words into a vocab app (or handwrite), 10-15 words per day, and - bonus tip - write each word in a sentence. works even for beginners with modal verbs and basic sentence structure. glossaries also exist in german-spanish, german-italian, german-chinese, etc., especially for fields with high german collaboration with your country. [00:02-02:25] \n key points \n \n google in german with varied search terms (\"higher education vocabulary\" etc.) to find a free glossary from your field's main german organization; some exist only as books to buy. [00:02-00:30] \n copy/paste words into online vocab software, or handwrite 10-15 words a day (her preference). [00:54-01:05] \n bonus tip: put every word in a sentence (e.g., \"i take evening classes\") - dramatically improves recall. [01:05-01:31] \n beginner-friendly once you have modal verbs and basic sentence structure. [01:31-01:52] \n multilingual glossaries exist (german-spanish/italian/chinese); likely for your language if your country collaborates heavily with germany in that field. [02:09-02:25] \n slow but \"so worth it in the end.\" [02:25-02:34] \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n example glossary entry: i take evening classes (example sentence shown in the glossary) [01:21] \n [00:02] okay. so i wanted to just quick show you what one of these subject dictionaries or glossaries could look like. and basically what i did way back when was i just googled like higher education. i think i said like vocabulary or something in german. and i just tried different search terms in google to see if i could find anything. and i did come across this. and for me personally, it was great because this is completely free and available online. it might be different for you. you might have to buy a book. so it really depends. \n [00:30] but first do some pretty intense googling and see if you can find something. and basically what this is, is it's from one of the main organizations in my field or the main organization in higher education in germany or higher education internationalization. and they have this glossary of higher education terminology. and they do offer in a book form as well. but i use this because it was easier for me to just copy out the words. \n [00:54] um, so you can put them into an online system for learning vocabulary, whatever. there's a bunch of different ones out there that you can use. i personally prefer the just writing them out. so i just like literally pick 10 to 15 words a day. and then i was just rewriting them. and then what i found super helpful. and this is a bonus tip for you is i put each word into a sentence. so even if it was a super sentence, um, that was like, i take evening classes, right? looking at the first example. \n [01:21] it was something where i was like, okay, i could remember that in putting it in sentence format. so not just writing out the words or practicing the vocabulary, but also like using them in certain sentences was really helpful for me. \n [01:31] and this is something that even beginners can do because once you, um, have your module verbs down and you have your basic sentence structure, you can make very basic sentences using these words. okay. so, um, this is definitely something that i, i absolutely recommend. it was super helpful for me. i learned about how to say, for example, all of these different things, all these different subjects, all the things you can study in germany. um, also very specific things, um, that i needed for my, uh, on the job, like for my job anyway. \n [01:59] so definitely check this out. again, this is an example for my personal field, but there's, these exist for many different fields. and also you need to know that they don't just exist for german english. \n [02:09] they do exist for things like german, spanish, german, italian. i'm thinking about, you know, where are the collaborations, german, chinese in your field. um, and if you come from one of those countries where there's like a high level of collaboration or partnership trade, then there is a good possibility. \n [02:25] hopefully that's something like this exists for your field in your mother tongue. if your mother tongue is not english. so go ahead and check that out and use it, write your example sentences, work your way through it. it does take some time, but it is so worth it in the end. i promise. "}, {"id": "L7-14", "key": "662310708", "vid": "662310708", "title": "What to Avoid", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 14, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/what-to-avoid", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

What to Avoid

\n

Overview

\n

Anti-recommendations for German learners. Duolingo is fine as a supplementary game but must not be your main tool - it doesn't train work-relevant vocabulary or situations. Rosetta Stone is helpful but overpriced vs. Babbel - use only if free. Beware \"fluency in X months\" online courses (95% marketing/SEO); don't rely on single-skill resources (grammar-only books, podcasts) as your core; and never avoid speaking German at work - colleagues will switch to German once you're consistent. If you can't practice daily, speak with a LiveLingua teacher weekly (or at least twice monthly). [00:00-02:51]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# What to Avoid\n\n## Overview\nAnti-recommendations for German learners. Duolingo is fine as a supplementary game but must not be your main tool - it doesn't train work-relevant vocabulary or situations. Rosetta Stone is helpful but overpriced vs. Babbel - use only if free. Beware \"fluency in X months\" online courses (95% marketing/SEO); don't rely on single-skill resources (grammar-only books, podcasts) as your core; and never avoid speaking German at work - colleagues will switch to German once you're consistent. If you can't practice daily, speak with a LiveLingua teacher weekly (or at least twice monthly). [00:00-02:51]\n\n## Key Points\n- Duolingo: only as a game supplement on top of solid resources; not work-vocab focused. [00:12-00:46]\n- Rosetta Stone: fine but Babbel is more structured and much cheaper - choose Rosetta only if free (e.g., via library). [00:46-01:04]\n- \"Fluency in X weeks/months\" courses: mostly 95% marketing, 5% content; legit instructors don't promise fixed timelines since everyone learns at a different speed. [01:04-01:37]\n- Don't lean on single-skill resources (grammar book only, podcast only); train multiple skills via foundational tools. [01:37-01:55]\n- Stop avoiding German at work even when English is comfortable; mixed English/German phase is normal, then colleagues start speaking German to you. [01:55-02:26]\n- Minimum speaking cadence: 2\u00d7/week if no daily practice; LiveLingua weekly if budget allows, else twice a month. [02:32-02:51]\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- None verbatim in this lesson.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Consistency at work flips colleagues from English to German - you just have to persist through the awkward mixed phase. [02:05-02:28]\n- Fallback cadence if not in Germany: weekly LiveLingua session (min. twice monthly). [02:47-02:51]\n- Fluency-timeline promises are a red flag for low-quality courses. [01:13-01:37]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]So this course would not be complete without talking to you about what to avoid.
\n
[00:05]So I do want to move on now to a few things that I would definitely recommend not doing.
\n
[00:12]So the first thing is like Duolingo, it's great as a supplementary language learning game,
\n
[00:17]but it should only be included in your language learning toolkit if you love games and it's
\n
[00:21]added as something in addition to other more solid resources like the ones that I've already
\n
[00:26]outlined.
\n
[00:26]I know a lot of people love it and I'm not saying you should not use it.
\n
[00:30]I'm just saying don't lean on it to be your only tool, especially since it is not specifically
\n
[00:36]training vocabulary or situations that are going to be really helpful for you in like
\n
[00:41]looking for work or then in like succeeding on the job here with German for work skills.
\n
[00:46]I also want to talk about Rosetta Stone.
\n
[00:48]So I found Rosetta Stone helpful, but honestly, Babbel offers much more structured lessons for
\n
[00:54]an extreme, like just comparably a much lower price.
\n
[00:58]So I would only go with Rosetta Stone if you get it for free somewhere.
\n
[01:02]Otherwise, stick with Babbel.
\n
[01:04]And now there's a lot of online courses promising fluency within a certain amount of time.
\n
[01:10]And I just want you to be very, very careful with these.
\n
[01:13]Although there are some really great online courses out there run by independent instructors,
\n
[01:17]most of what you'll find with a quick Google search is 95% marketing and SEO and 5% quality
\n
[01:24]content once you get beyond the sales page.
\n
[01:27]And every person learns at a different speed.
\n
[01:29]So promising fluency after a certain amount of time for all of your customers is normally
\n
[01:34]not a common practice of legit quality instructors.
\n
[01:37]I also recommend you steer clear of using any book or resource that just trains one skill.
\n
[01:42]What I mean by this is using a grammar book or podcast to improve your German, but that's
\n
[01:47]perfectly fine.
\n
[01:48]But make sure you are training multiple skills at the same time.
\n
[01:52]And that is where your foundational learning tools come into play.
\n
[01:55]Last, if you're in a situation where you are comfortable speaking English or whatever your
\n
[02:00]language you're using to your colleagues, you need to stop avoiding practicing your German
\n
[02:05]at work.
\n
[02:06]So at the beginning, your colleagues may be annoyed with how slowly you speak or with the mistakes
\n
[02:11]you make.
\n
[02:11]You may speak a bit of English and a bit of German for a while, but eventually, if you
\n
[02:16]keep with it, you'll notice your colleagues automatically start speaking German to you.
\n
[02:21]It's their native language, you are in Germany, and soon enough, you'll be reminiscing about
\n
[02:24]your English speaking days.
\n
[02:26]But you really need to be consistent about this.
\n
[02:28]This all really can come true, but you cannot avoid the speaking practice.
\n
[02:32]If you don't feel ready or able to practice at work, then I recommend you hop on over to
\n
[02:36]LiveLingua and get started practicing with a teacher there first.
\n
[02:40]You should be practicing speaking at least two times a week if you're not being able to practice
\n
[02:45]your German on a daily basis.
\n
[02:47]So if you're not working in Germany at the moment, I recommend, like I said, that you meet
\n
[02:51]with a LiveLingua coach once a week if your budget allows for it, otherwise at least twice a month.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662310708?h=289788026e", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662310708.mp4", "search": "what to avoid bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n consistency at work flips colleagues from english to german - you just have to persist through the awkward mixed phase. [02:05-02:28] \n fallback cadence if not in germany: weekly livelingua session (min. twice monthly). [02:47-02:51] \n fluency-timeline promises are a red flag for low-quality courses. [01:13-01:37] \n what to avoid \n overview \n anti-recommendations for german learners. duolingo is fine as a supplementary game but must not be your main tool - it doesn't train work-relevant vocabulary or situations. rosetta stone is helpful but overpriced vs. babbel - use only if free. beware \"fluency in x months\" online courses (95% marketing/seo); don't rely on single-skill resources (grammar-only books, podcasts) as your core; and never avoid speaking german at work - colleagues will switch to german once you're consistent. if you can't practice daily, speak with a livelingua teacher weekly (or at least twice monthly). [00:00-02:51] \n key points \n \n duolingo: only as a game supplement on top of solid resources; not work-vocab focused. [00:12-00:46] \n rosetta stone: fine but babbel is more structured and much cheaper - choose rosetta only if free (e.g., via library). [00:46-01:04] \n \"fluency in x weeks/months\" courses: mostly 95% marketing, 5% content; legit instructors don't promise fixed timelines since everyone learns at a different speed. [01:04-01:37] \n don't lean on single-skill resources (grammar book only, podcast only); train multiple skills via foundational tools. [01:37-01:55] \n stop avoiding german at work even when english is comfortable; mixed english/german phase is normal, then colleagues start speaking german to you. [01:55-02:26] \n minimum speaking cadence: 2\u00d7/week if no daily practice; livelingua weekly if budget allows, else twice a month. [02:32-02:51] \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n none verbatim in this lesson. \n [00:00] so this course would not be complete without talking to you about what to avoid. \n [00:05] so i do want to move on now to a few things that i would definitely recommend not doing. \n [00:12] so the first thing is like duolingo, it's great as a supplementary language learning game, \n [00:17] but it should only be included in your language learning toolkit if you love games and it's \n [00:21] added as something in addition to other more solid resources like the ones that i've already \n [00:26] outlined. \n [00:26] i know a lot of people love it and i'm not saying you should not use it. \n [00:30] i'm just saying don't lean on it to be your only tool, especially since it is not specifically \n [00:36] training vocabulary or situations that are going to be really helpful for you in like \n [00:41] looking for work or then in like succeeding on the job here with german for work skills. \n [00:46] i also want to talk about rosetta stone. \n [00:48] so i found rosetta stone helpful, but honestly, babbel offers much more structured lessons for \n [00:54] an extreme, like just comparably a much lower price. \n [00:58] so i would only go with rosetta stone if you get it for free somewhere. \n [01:02] otherwise, stick with babbel. \n [01:04] and now there's a lot of online courses promising fluency within a certain amount of time. \n [01:10] and i just want you to be very, very careful with these. \n [01:13] although there are some really great online courses out there run by independent instructors, \n [01:17] most of what you'll find with a quick google search is 95% marketing and seo and 5% quality \n [01:24] content once you get beyond the sales page. \n [01:27] and every person learns at a different speed. \n [01:29] so promising fluency after a certain amount of time for all of your customers is normally \n [01:34] not a common practice of legit quality instructors. \n [01:37] i also recommend you steer clear of using any book or resource that just trains one skill. \n [01:42] what i mean by this is using a grammar book or podcast to improve your german, but that's \n [01:47] perfectly fine. \n [01:48] but make sure you are training multiple skills at the same time. \n [01:52] and that is where your foundational learning tools come into play. \n [01:55] last, if you're in a situation where you are comfortable speaking english or whatever your \n [02:00] language you're using to your colleagues, you need to stop avoiding practicing your german \n [02:05] at work. \n [02:06] so at the beginning, your colleagues may be annoyed with how slowly you speak or with the mistakes \n [02:11] you make. \n [02:11] you may speak a bit of english and a bit of german for a while, but eventually, if you \n [02:16] keep with it, you'll notice your colleagues automatically start speaking german to you. \n [02:21] it's their native language, you are in germany, and soon enough, you'll be reminiscing about \n [02:24] your english speaking days. \n [02:26] but you really need to be consistent about this. \n [02:28] this all really can come true, but you cannot avoid the speaking practice. \n [02:32] if you don't feel ready or able to practice at work, then i recommend you hop on over to \n [02:36] livelingua and get started practicing with a teacher there first. \n [02:40] you should be practicing speaking at least two times a week if you're not being able to practice \n [02:45] your german on a daily basis. \n [02:47] so if you're not working in germany at the moment, i recommend, like i said, that you meet \n [02:51] with a livelingua coach once a week if your budget allows for it, otherwise at least twice a month. "}, {"id": "L7-15", "key": "662311691", "vid": "662311691", "title": "A Special Resource for Students", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 15, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/a-special-resource-for-students", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

A Special Resource for Students

\n

Overview

\n

Introduction to \"Deutsch Uni Online\" (DUO), a learning platform for students and professionals that starts from the very first level (\"everyday and studying in Germany\"), usable with or without a tutor. Its standout offering is \"Fach Deutsch\" - subject-specific German courses at C1 level for fields like law, medicine, nature/forest and land management, psycholinguistics/technical topics, culture, and economics. The instructor hasn't used it personally so can't vouch for it, but flags it as a valuable, very specific resource. [00:00-01:11]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# A Special Resource for Students\n\n## Overview\nIntroduction to \"Deutsch Uni Online\" (DUO), a learning platform for students and professionals that starts from the very first level (\"everyday and studying in Germany\"), usable with or without a tutor. Its standout offering is \"Fach Deutsch\" - subject-specific German courses at C1 level for fields like law, medicine, nature/forest and land management, psycholinguistics/technical topics, culture, and economics. The instructor hasn't used it personally so can't vouch for it, but flags it as a valuable, very specific resource. [00:00-01:11]\n\n## Key Points\n- DUO = Deutsch Uni Online; everyday/studying-in-Germany content from A1; tutor optional; prices shown on site (linked below video). [00:03-00:27]\n- \"Fach Deutsch\" subject terminology courses: law, medicine (C1 level), nature and forest/land management, psycholinguistics/technical, culture, economy. [00:34-01:11]\n- Not personally tested by the instructor - \"it exists, check it out,\" not a recommendation. [00:03-00:16]\n- Note: the audio ends at [01:12]. A repeating \"Bye\" tail after it was removed from the transcript.\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- **Deutsch Uni Online (DUO)** - German Uni Online: online German platform for students [00:03-00:11]\n- **Fach Deutsch** - subject-specific German (field-specific terminology courses) [01:03-01:09]\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Fach Deutsch (DUO) = C1-level German terminology courses per field (law, medicine, economics\u2026) - a rare, very specific resource for work-German upskilling. [00:34-01:11]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]So I just wanted to also touch on something that I think could be useful for students.
\n
[00:03]So if you are interested, you can definitely check this resource out, Duo Deutsche Uni Online.
\n
[00:11]I personally haven't used it, so I can't recommend it, but I just wanted to let you know about it, that it exists.
\n
[00:16]So they offer, for example, this says everyday and studying in Germany.
\n
[00:20]It starts at the very first level.
\n
[00:22]You can either do it with or without a tutor.
\n
[00:24]You see the prices here.
\n
[00:25]And again, I'll link to this below.
\n
[00:27]But what I actually wanted to point out for those of you who maybe are studying or those of you who are just working in these specific fields,
\n
[00:34]they offer, for example, this year is subject terminology for law, which might be helpful for you if you want to look at like,
\n
[00:43]okay, what is the vocabulary used in my field?
\n
[00:46]This one is for medicine, right?
\n
[00:47]And this is at the C1 level, as it says.
\n
[00:49]But if you get to that point, this is just a really good research to know about because it's very specific.
\n
[00:53]This one is about nature, and this one is about actually forest and kind of land management,
\n
[00:59]psycho-linguistic, technical things, culture.
\n
[01:03]So economy, those are options for this Fach Deutsch, which is like the subject level German,
\n
[01:09]that might be helpful for you moving forward.
\n
[01:11]So should I Blick find that for you?
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662311691?h=48fae516b3", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662311691.mp4", "search": "a special resource for students bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n fach deutsch (duo) = c1-level german terminology courses per field (law, medicine, economics\u2026) - a rare, very specific resource for work-german upskilling. [00:34-01:11] \n a special resource for students \n overview \n introduction to \"deutsch uni online\" (duo), a learning platform for students and professionals that starts from the very first level (\"everyday and studying in germany\"), usable with or without a tutor. its standout offering is \"fach deutsch\" - subject-specific german courses at c1 level for fields like law, medicine, nature/forest and land management, psycholinguistics/technical topics, culture, and economics. the instructor hasn't used it personally so can't vouch for it, but flags it as a valuable, very specific resource. [00:00-01:11] \n key points \n \n duo = deutsch uni online; everyday/studying-in-germany content from a1; tutor optional; prices shown on site (linked below video). [00:03-00:27] \n \"fach deutsch\" subject terminology courses: law, medicine (c1 level), nature and forest/land management, psycholinguistics/technical, culture, economy. [00:34-01:11] \n not personally tested by the instructor - \"it exists, check it out,\" not a recommendation. [00:03-00:16] \n note: the audio ends at [01:12]. a repeating \"bye\" tail after it was removed from the transcript. \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n deutsch uni online (duo) - german uni online: online german platform for students [00:03-00:11] \n fach deutsch - subject-specific german (field-specific terminology courses) [01:03-01:09] \n [00:00] so i just wanted to also touch on something that i think could be useful for students. \n [00:03] so if you are interested, you can definitely check this resource out, duo deutsche uni online. \n [00:11] i personally haven't used it, so i can't recommend it, but i just wanted to let you know about it, that it exists. \n [00:16] so they offer, for example, this says everyday and studying in germany. \n [00:20] it starts at the very first level. \n [00:22] you can either do it with or without a tutor. \n [00:24] you see the prices here. \n [00:25] and again, i'll link to this below. \n [00:27] but what i actually wanted to point out for those of you who maybe are studying or those of you who are just working in these specific fields, \n [00:34] they offer, for example, this year is subject terminology for law, which might be helpful for you if you want to look at like, \n [00:43] okay, what is the vocabulary used in my field? \n [00:46] this one is for medicine, right? \n [00:47] and this is at the c1 level, as it says. \n [00:49] but if you get to that point, this is just a really good research to know about because it's very specific. \n [00:53] this one is about nature, and this one is about actually forest and kind of land management, \n [00:59] psycho-linguistic, technical things, culture. \n [01:03] so economy, those are options for this fach deutsch, which is like the subject level german, \n [01:09] that might be helpful for you moving forward. \n [01:11] so should i blick find that for you? "}, {"id": "L7-16", "key": "662312396", "vid": "662312396", "title": "What about books, culture, and onsite teaching", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 16, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/what-about-books-culture-and-onsite-teaching", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

What about books, culture, and onsite teaching

\n

Overview

\n

Quick recommendations on books, cultural learning, and immersion courses. Books: a story-format beginner book (\"German in 30 days\"-style) and, for C1-level work German, a business/negotiation German book that German-as-foreign-language teachers call their go-to; plus the most-recommended grammar series (a client worked A-book to C-book). Culture: include cultural context via linked books and the instructor's favorite German TV shows/movies - rewatching after learning history/culture is revelatory. On-site: a Munich immersion school she personally did takes a university degree for entry and goes from zero German to C1 in one year, full-time (4-6 h/day plus homework), with housing options. [00:00-04:34]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# What about books, culture, and onsite teaching\n\n## Overview\nQuick recommendations on books, cultural learning, and immersion courses. Books: a story-format beginner book (\"German in 30 days\"-style) and, for C1-level work German, a business/negotiation German book that German-as-foreign-language teachers call their go-to; plus the most-recommended grammar series (a client worked A-book to C-book). Culture: include cultural context via linked books and the instructor's favorite German TV shows/movies - rewatching after learning history/culture is revelatory. On-site: a Munich immersion school she personally did takes a university degree for entry and goes from zero German to C1 in one year, full-time (4-6 h/day plus homework), with housing options. [00:00-04:34]\n\n## Key Points\n- Beginner book in story format (\"German in 30 days\"-like) - read/see/hear, reasonable price; used by instructor and clients. [00:12-00:30]\n- C1-level work-German book: Gesch\u00e4ftsdeutsch / Verhandlungsdeutsch - recommended by multiple DaF teachers as their go-to. [00:30-01:00]\n- Most-recommended grammar series among DaF teachers; one client went from the A book to the C book with great results. [01:00-01:25]\n- Browse language-learning sections in German bookstores once in Germany. [01:39-01:54]\n- Include cultural learning (books, German TV shows/movies - links below video); understanding history/politics/dialects makes rewatching fun and newly meaningful. [01:54-03:20]\n- Munich immersion course: requires a university degree; zero \u2192 C1 German in one year, full-time 4-6 hours/day + homework (part-time job max); housing available; instructor took it herself and repeatedly recommends it. [03:46-04:34]\n- For other locations, contact the instructor for tailored recommendations.\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- **Gesch\u00e4ftsdeutsch** - business German [00:38]\n- **Verhandlungsdeutsch** - negotiation German [00:38]\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Munich immersion school: no German \u2192 C1 in one year (degree required, ~4-6 h/day); the instructor's proven route when learning German fast matters. [03:46-04:34]\n- Rewatch German films/shows after studying culture - comprehension transforms. [02:40-03:03]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]So what about books learning about culture and on-site teaching so these things I'm just going to cover quickly so books there are a couple of books that I do recommend and I'm going to recommend one for the upper end and for the lower land and of those of you who are learning German so for those of you who are absolute beginners I'm going to link to a book that's basically called I think it's called German in 30 days something that I use myself and I recommend to my clients because if you like to read and listen and see the words and hear this and like learn more in a story format then that's definitely going to be the way to go.
\n
[00:30]and it's at a pretty reasonable price point so that's something that I'd recommend and then for those of you who are more towards the C1 level and you're more looking for like very specific German for work practice and vocab and even just grammar then I'm going to recommend a book to you that is about Gesch\u00e4ftsdeutsch oder Verhandlungsdeutsch that I personally think is really great and that I've also had a couple of German as foreign language teachers recommend as well that they say is the one that is their go-to.
\n
[01:00]So I'm going to link to those below this video and if you need a grammar book I'm going to include also a link to the grammar series that is probably the most recommended out of the German for foreign language teachers that I know and that I've used personally and that I've also recommended to my clients.
\n
[01:18]I actually have one client who worked her way from the first A book all the way up to the C book and she loved it and got a lot out of it.
\n
[01:25]So I'm going to link to those things and then if you need something specific just feel free to let me know reach out and I will there's probably a book out there that I've used that a client has used and I can send you or put you in the right direction for that.
\n
[01:39]So that's what I would say when it comes to books and obviously like when you're in Germany you can go ahead and head over to the language learning section in bookstores and peruse those sections and see if something speaks to you but in the meantime those would be the ones that I would start with.
\n
[01:54]When it comes to culture so definitely you should be including some type of cultural contextual learning when you're learning German and not just focusing on the language because you also want to understand like what it like what is this place that I'm going to that I'm going to be living in working in etc.
\n
[02:10]And for this I'm going to also below this video link to a couple of the different resources that I recommend you check out so those are going to be books but I'm also going to link to my favorite German TV shows or movies that I think you should check out.
\n
[02:23]Now the caveat with the TV shows and movies is that they're very yeah you need to have a lot of cultural information I guess you could say to understand many of the different things that are said in them which is great for those of you who have partners and for those of you German speaking partners but for those of you who don't it doesn't matter check them out.
\n
[02:40]It's a lot of fun sometimes to watch those shows or those movies when you don't know anything I remember doing that at the beginning too and then once you learn about the different aspects of German history culture society politics right different dialects within within the language within the country then you go back and watch them it can be fun to be like oh my gosh I I see this or interpret this or I understand this so much differently.
\n
[03:03]So I will for sure include some recommendations for those cultural learning aspects as well and you should for sure include those in your own language learning plan but I would do it not in like a structured way necessarily but more so like when do you want to learn these things when you have time to read these books.
\n
[03:20]So that's what I would say for that and then on-site teaching so if you are thinking about coming to Germany for an immersion course either for a couple of weeks before you start your job or you want if you're one of those people who is going to be coming here for six months to a year to learn German before you look for work then reach out to me directly and I will let you know what my recommendations are depending on where you want to do that course or if you're able to choose where you want to do that course.
\n
[03:46]So the one I always recommend is in Munich. I did it personally and I know a lot of people who have gone through it and had just really you make leaps and bounds of improvement in it and I'm happy also to connect you to other people who've done it so you can get their insight as well but it's definitely something that I can recommend over and over again because I know that it works and basically there you have to have a university degree in order to get in but you can go from no German to see one German within one year of teaching but you have to do it basically full time.
\n
[04:16]Like you can do a little bit of a part time job but that's really it. It's four to six hours a day plus homework. If you need to learn German within one year that's the route to go and if you don't have a location restriction then I would go with that one in Munich and they also offer like housing options and things like that and you can find all that on their website.
\n
[04:34]And if that is not an option for you if you're moving somewhere different or you have just different location needs then definitely reach out to me and I would be more than happy to point you in the right direction.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662312396?h=a1a26c80a9", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662312396.mp4", "search": "what about books, culture, and onsite teaching bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n munich immersion school: no german \u2192 c1 in one year (degree required, ~4-6 h/day); the instructor's proven route when learning german fast matters. [03:46-04:34] \n rewatch german films/shows after studying culture - comprehension transforms. [02:40-03:03] \n what about books, culture, and onsite teaching \n overview \n quick recommendations on books, cultural learning, and immersion courses. books: a story-format beginner book (\"german in 30 days\"-style) and, for c1-level work german, a business/negotiation german book that german-as-foreign-language teachers call their go-to; plus the most-recommended grammar series (a client worked a-book to c-book). culture: include cultural context via linked books and the instructor's favorite german tv shows/movies - rewatching after learning history/culture is revelatory. on-site: a munich immersion school she personally did takes a university degree for entry and goes from zero german to c1 in one year, full-time (4-6 h/day plus homework), with housing options. [00:00-04:34] \n key points \n \n beginner book in story format (\"german in 30 days\"-like) - read/see/hear, reasonable price; used by instructor and clients. [00:12-00:30] \n c1-level work-german book: gesch\u00e4ftsdeutsch / verhandlungsdeutsch - recommended by multiple daf teachers as their go-to. [00:30-01:00] \n most-recommended grammar series among daf teachers; one client went from the a book to the c book with great results. [01:00-01:25] \n browse language-learning sections in german bookstores once in germany. [01:39-01:54] \n include cultural learning (books, german tv shows/movies - links below video); understanding history/politics/dialects makes rewatching fun and newly meaningful. [01:54-03:20] \n munich immersion course: requires a university degree; zero \u2192 c1 german in one year, full-time 4-6 hours/day + homework (part-time job max); housing available; instructor took it herself and repeatedly recommends it. [03:46-04:34] \n for other locations, contact the instructor for tailored recommendations. \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n gesch\u00e4ftsdeutsch - business german [00:38] \n verhandlungsdeutsch - negotiation german [00:38] \n [00:00] so what about books learning about culture and on-site teaching so these things i'm just going to cover quickly so books there are a couple of books that i do recommend and i'm going to recommend one for the upper end and for the lower land and of those of you who are learning german so for those of you who are absolute beginners i'm going to link to a book that's basically called i think it's called german in 30 days something that i use myself and i recommend to my clients because if you like to read and listen and see the words and hear this and like learn more in a story format then that's definitely going to be the way to go. \n [00:30] and it's at a pretty reasonable price point so that's something that i'd recommend and then for those of you who are more towards the c1 level and you're more looking for like very specific german for work practice and vocab and even just grammar then i'm going to recommend a book to you that is about gesch\u00e4ftsdeutsch oder verhandlungsdeutsch that i personally think is really great and that i've also had a couple of german as foreign language teachers recommend as well that they say is the one that is their go-to. \n [01:00] so i'm going to link to those below this video and if you need a grammar book i'm going to include also a link to the grammar series that is probably the most recommended out of the german for foreign language teachers that i know and that i've used personally and that i've also recommended to my clients. \n [01:18] i actually have one client who worked her way from the first a book all the way up to the c book and she loved it and got a lot out of it. \n [01:25] so i'm going to link to those things and then if you need something specific just feel free to let me know reach out and i will there's probably a book out there that i've used that a client has used and i can send you or put you in the right direction for that. \n [01:39] so that's what i would say when it comes to books and obviously like when you're in germany you can go ahead and head over to the language learning section in bookstores and peruse those sections and see if something speaks to you but in the meantime those would be the ones that i would start with. \n [01:54] when it comes to culture so definitely you should be including some type of cultural contextual learning when you're learning german and not just focusing on the language because you also want to understand like what it like what is this place that i'm going to that i'm going to be living in working in etc. \n [02:10] and for this i'm going to also below this video link to a couple of the different resources that i recommend you check out so those are going to be books but i'm also going to link to my favorite german tv shows or movies that i think you should check out. \n [02:23] now the caveat with the tv shows and movies is that they're very yeah you need to have a lot of cultural information i guess you could say to understand many of the different things that are said in them which is great for those of you who have partners and for those of you german speaking partners but for those of you who don't it doesn't matter check them out. \n [02:40] it's a lot of fun sometimes to watch those shows or those movies when you don't know anything i remember doing that at the beginning too and then once you learn about the different aspects of german history culture society politics right different dialects within within the language within the country then you go back and watch them it can be fun to be like oh my gosh i i see this or interpret this or i understand this so much differently. \n [03:03] so i will for sure include some recommendations for those cultural learning aspects as well and you should for sure include those in your own language learning plan but i would do it not in like a structured way necessarily but more so like when do you want to learn these things when you have time to read these books. \n [03:20] so that's what i would say for that and then on-site teaching so if you are thinking about coming to germany for an immersion course either for a couple of weeks before you start your job or you want if you're one of those people who is going to be coming here for six months to a year to learn german before you look for work then reach out to me directly and i will let you know what my recommendations are depending on where you want to do that course or if you're able to choose where you want to do that course. \n [03:46] so the one i always recommend is in munich. i did it personally and i know a lot of people who have gone through it and had just really you make leaps and bounds of improvement in it and i'm happy also to connect you to other people who've done it so you can get their insight as well but it's definitely something that i can recommend over and over again because i know that it works and basically there you have to have a university degree in order to get in but you can go from no german to see one german within one year of teaching but you have to do it basically full time. \n [04:16] like you can do a little bit of a part time job but that's really it. it's four to six hours a day plus homework. if you need to learn german within one year that's the route to go and if you don't have a location restriction then i would go with that one in munich and they also offer like housing options and things like that and you can find all that on their website. \n [04:34] and if that is not an option for you if you're moving somewhere different or you have just different location needs then definitely reach out to me and i would be more than happy to point you in the right direction. "}, {"id": "L7-17", "key": "662312794", "vid": "662312794", "title": "How to Set Up Your 30-Day Framework", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 17, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/how-to-set-up-your-30-day-framework", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

How to Set Up Your 30-Day Framework

\n

Overview

\n

The 5-step, repeat-every-30-days system: (1) pick ONE foundational tool, (2) pick ONE work focus (subject dictionary or job-description vocab), (3) pick a time of day (mornings recommended - you're fresher), (4) pick a length of time (10-15 min when starting out), (5) practice 30 days while tracking in your calendar (event red \u2192 mark green when done). At month's end, keep what worked or swap one element and repeat. Based on memory/brain research: brains prefer small, specific tasks (\"lesson 231 of GermanPod101 today\") over vague \"learn German today.\" Take two days off per week. [00:00-05:21]

\n

Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# How to Set Up Your 30-Day Framework\n\n## Overview\nThe 5-step, repeat-every-30-days system: (1) pick ONE foundational tool, (2) pick ONE work focus (subject dictionary or job-description vocab), (3) pick a time of day (mornings recommended - you're fresher), (4) pick a length of time (10-15 min when starting out), (5) practice 30 days while tracking in your calendar (event red \u2192 mark green when done). At month's end, keep what worked or swap one element and repeat. Based on memory/brain research: brains prefer small, specific tasks (\"lesson 231 of GermanPod101 today\") over vague \"learn German today.\" Take two days off per week. [00:00-05:21]\n\n## Key Points\n- Five steps: foundation \u2192 work focus \u2192 time of day \u2192 length of time \u2192 30-day tracked practice. [00:10-01:16]\n- Mornings preferred; 10-15 minutes max for beginners to build the habit. [00:32-00:54]\n- Tracking: repeating calendar event in red, flip to green each day you show up - instant visibility of consistency. [01:03-01:35]\n- End-of-month check-in: worked \u2192 another 30 days; didn't \u2192 change one thing (foundation or work focus) and repeat. [01:35-02:08]\n- \"Es ist m\u00f6glich\" - it is possible; system must stay super simple, no workbooks/journals to carry. [02:10-03:45]\n- Brain science: small named tasks beat vague intentions. [02:33-02:57]\n- Example combos: Babbel + job-description vocab for 30 days; LiveLingua weekly + subject dictionary 5 days/week. [03:01-03:18]\n- Rest days: two per week (weekends, or split like Tue/Thu with weekend sessions). [04:16-04:42]\n- The framework is for life - even the C2-level instructor still uses it daily. [05:01-05:18]\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- **Es ist m\u00f6glich** - it is possible [02:13-02:17]\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- One foundation + one work focus + morning 10-15 min + red-to-green calendar tracking = the whole system. [00:10-01:35]\n- Change only one variable per 30-day cycle when something isn't working. [01:51-02:08]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]All right, so we've reached the point
\n
[00:01]where you're gonna be creating your 30-day framework.
\n
[00:03]And what this looks like is it's five steps
\n
[00:06]and you're just gonna repeat them more or less every 30 days.
\n
[00:10]So the way it works is you first pick your foundation.
\n
[00:12]So you pick one of those foundational learning tools
\n
[00:14]that I presented to you, just one of them,
\n
[00:16]that you're gonna try out for 30 days.
\n
[00:18]Then you're gonna pick a work focus.
\n
[00:19]So maybe you're gonna use the subject dictionary
\n
[00:22]and start working with that,
\n
[00:24]or you're gonna just use the job descriptions
\n
[00:26]that you're looking at to your vocabulary,
\n
[00:27]but you're gonna pick one work focus.
\n
[00:30]And then you're gonna pick a time of the day
\n
[00:31]that you're gonna learn at.
\n
[00:32]So I recommend the mornings, to be completely honest.
\n
[00:35]I feel like you're just fresher then.
\n
[00:37]And then you're gonna pick a certain length of time.
\n
[00:40]So time of the day, a certain length of time,
\n
[00:42]that could be 10 minutes.
\n
[00:43]I personally think if you're just starting out
\n
[00:46]like from the very beginning,
\n
[00:48]pick the morning and do it for 10 to maximum 15 minutes.
\n
[00:51]That will give you the opportunity
\n
[00:53]to kind of create that habit.
\n
[00:54]But in any case, regardless, just pick a time of day
\n
[00:57]and pick a certain length of time.
\n
[00:59]And then what you're gonna do is practice that for 30 days.
\n
[01:02]And you're gonna track it.
\n
[01:03]So my tracking, I'll show you this in Google Calendar
\n
[01:07]and the way that I recommend doing it,
\n
[01:09]but I recommend you set your 10 to 15 minutes
\n
[01:12]in the morning, whatever, for once a day
\n
[01:15]and have that repeating every day.
\n
[01:16]And you put it, for example, in the color red.
\n
[01:18]And then every day when you're done
\n
[01:20]doing your 10 to 15 minutes,
\n
[01:21]you're gonna go into your calendar
\n
[01:22]and you're gonna mark it green, right?
\n
[01:27]And this helps you very easily track
\n
[01:29]in whatever calendar system you're using,
\n
[01:32]which days you actually showed up
\n
[01:33]and you practiced and which days you didn't.
\n
[01:35]And this tracking will help you realize
\n
[01:38]at the end of the month, okay, was I doing this?
\n
[01:39]Was this helpful for me?
\n
[01:40]Was this working for me?
\n
[01:41]And then if you're like, yes,
\n
[01:43]that was like the best month ever,
\n
[01:44]these tools are absolutely working,
\n
[01:45]then go ahead and continue with that for another 30 days.
\n
[01:48]And then check in with yourself again
\n
[01:49]at the end of those 30 days.
\n
[01:51]If it's not, then I want you to change it up.
\n
[01:53]Just pick maybe one different thing.
\n
[01:56]So pick a different foundation
\n
[01:57]or pick a different work focus.
\n
[01:59]Think about just what's vibing with you
\n
[02:01]and what's not, right?
\n
[02:02]And you're gonna have to be a bit intuitive about this.
\n
[02:04]Change it up, try it for 30 days,
\n
[02:06]and then repeat, okay?
\n
[02:08]And so the thing about this
\n
[02:09]is that you wanna make sure
\n
[02:10]that your system is super simple.
\n
[02:13]I love this, it is possible, as is m\u00f6glich.
\n
[02:17]You need to pick one foundation, one work focus,
\n
[02:21]and do it for 30 days,
\n
[02:24]and then just repeat this over and over again.
\n
[02:26]And the thing about this
\n
[02:27]is that it keeps you interested,
\n
[02:29]it keeps your motivation up,
\n
[02:30]and it's also based, I'm a bit of a nerd about this.
\n
[02:33]You guys know this, if you know me well.
\n
[02:35]It's based off of the most recent memory
\n
[02:38]and brain research that just tells us
\n
[02:40]that our brains don't like it
\n
[02:41]when we have these very long things to do.
\n
[02:44]They don't like it when we sit down
\n
[02:45]and we say, we're gonna learn German today.
\n
[02:46]No, no, no, no, no, no, we don't wanna do that.
\n
[02:47]We're gonna do lesson 231 with German Pub 101 today,
\n
[02:54]and that's it, and then after that,
\n
[02:55]we're gonna do something else.
\n
[02:56]That's what our brain likes to hear.
\n
[02:57]So tell yourself, I'm gonna try this one foundation,
\n
[03:01]maybe it's Babbel,
\n
[03:02]and look at my job descriptions for this month.
\n
[03:05]I'm doing it for 30 days,
\n
[03:06]and then I'm gonna check back in with myself
\n
[03:07]and see if it's working, okay?
\n
[03:09]Or I'm gonna do one foundation of Live Lingua once a week,
\n
[03:13]and I'm gonna practice my work vocabulary
\n
[03:15]with my subject dictionary five days a week, all right?
\n
[03:18]So, and do that for 30 days
\n
[03:19]and then check back in with yourself.
\n
[03:21]It's really simple.
\n
[03:22]It requires no super complex worksheets
\n
[03:26]or things that you need to like check off every day.
\n
[03:28]I've tried all the things.
\n
[03:30]I've had clients try all the things.
\n
[03:32]You need a system that you don't have to like
\n
[03:34]carry workbooks around or journals around in.
\n
[03:37]Like you just have your tools,
\n
[03:39]the majority of which are gonna be online for you,
\n
[03:41]and you're checking back in with yourself
\n
[03:43]to see if they work every 30 days.
\n
[03:45]And this will get you moving forward relatively quickly
\n
[03:47]because if something isn't working,
\n
[03:49]you're gonna readjust.
\n
[03:50]And if it is, then you're just gonna keep
\n
[03:52]going forward with it.
\n
[03:54]So please, please, please try this out.
\n
[03:57]I know it seems like, oh, is this really gonna work?
\n
[04:01]Trust me, trust the system, try it out.
\n
[04:03]Pick your foundation, pick your work focus,
\n
[04:05]pick your time of day, pick a certain length of time,
\n
[04:08]get going, move forward with it.
\n
[04:09]And in the next video, I'm gonna show you
\n
[04:10]how I just very simply set this up in my Google Calendar
\n
[04:13]in order to track it, change the colors.
\n
[04:16]And the last thing that I want you to know
\n
[04:17]is that you need to be taking a break.
\n
[04:19]So don't think you can learn in German seven days a week,
\n
[04:22]five hours a day.
\n
[04:24]That's not realistic.
\n
[04:25]Take two days off a week.
\n
[04:26]Most people like to take off the weekends.
\n
[04:28]It's gonna be okay.
\n
[04:29]If you're being consistent during the week,
\n
[04:31]then it's not gonna matter if you take off
\n
[04:32]two days after each other.
\n
[04:34]Other people who have super busy weeks
\n
[04:36]maybe take off, you know, Tuesdays and Thursdays
\n
[04:38]during the week so they only have to learn three times during the week
\n
[04:40]and then they learn on the weekends.
\n
[04:42]So just make sure you're also building breaks into that.
\n
[04:45]Okay.
\n
[04:46]So go ahead and do that now and get your system set up.
\n
[04:49]And I'm gonna quick show you, like I said in Google,
\n
[04:52]how I manage that on my own and in my own system
\n
[04:55]and make it super simple and integrate it into my life, right?
\n
[04:58]Because it's a habit that we wanna integrate into our lives
\n
[05:01]moving forward even once you've reached B1
\n
[05:03]or you've reached C1, if you're serious about this,
\n
[05:06]you're gonna wanna continue learning and improving.
\n
[05:08]And obviously you're gonna take larger breaks
\n
[05:11]once you've gotten to a certain point.
\n
[05:12]I totally understand that.
\n
[05:13]But even I still with my level
\n
[05:15]am using this framework and practicing every day.
\n
[05:18]So go ahead, get started
\n
[05:21]and get your 30-day framework put together.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662312794?h=7d0f7f2eb2", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662312794.mp4", "search": "how to set up your 30-day framework bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n one foundation + one work focus + morning 10-15 min + red-to-green calendar tracking = the whole system. [00:10-01:35] \n change only one variable per 30-day cycle when something isn't working. [01:51-02:08] \n how to set up your 30-day framework \n overview \n the 5-step, repeat-every-30-days system: (1) pick one foundational tool, (2) pick one work focus (subject dictionary or job-description vocab), (3) pick a time of day (mornings recommended - you're fresher), (4) pick a length of time (10-15 min when starting out), (5) practice 30 days while tracking in your calendar (event red \u2192 mark green when done). at month's end, keep what worked or swap one element and repeat. based on memory/brain research: brains prefer small, specific tasks (\"lesson 231 of germanpod101 today\") over vague \"learn german today.\" take two days off per week. [00:00-05:21] \n key points \n \n five steps: foundation \u2192 work focus \u2192 time of day \u2192 length of time \u2192 30-day tracked practice. [00:10-01:16] \n mornings preferred; 10-15 minutes max for beginners to build the habit. [00:32-00:54] \n tracking: repeating calendar event in red, flip to green each day you show up - instant visibility of consistency. [01:03-01:35] \n end-of-month check-in: worked \u2192 another 30 days; didn't \u2192 change one thing (foundation or work focus) and repeat. [01:35-02:08] \n \"es ist m\u00f6glich\" - it is possible; system must stay super simple, no workbooks/journals to carry. [02:10-03:45] \n brain science: small named tasks beat vague intentions. [02:33-02:57] \n example combos: babbel + job-description vocab for 30 days; livelingua weekly + subject dictionary 5 days/week. [03:01-03:18] \n rest days: two per week (weekends, or split like tue/thu with weekend sessions). [04:16-04:42] \n the framework is for life - even the c2-level instructor still uses it daily. [05:01-05:18] \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n es ist m\u00f6glich - it is possible [02:13-02:17] \n [00:00] all right, so we've reached the point \n [00:01] where you're gonna be creating your 30-day framework. \n [00:03] and what this looks like is it's five steps \n [00:06] and you're just gonna repeat them more or less every 30 days. \n [00:10] so the way it works is you first pick your foundation. \n [00:12] so you pick one of those foundational learning tools \n [00:14] that i presented to you, just one of them, \n [00:16] that you're gonna try out for 30 days. \n [00:18] then you're gonna pick a work focus. \n [00:19] so maybe you're gonna use the subject dictionary \n [00:22] and start working with that, \n [00:24] or you're gonna just use the job descriptions \n [00:26] that you're looking at to your vocabulary, \n [00:27] but you're gonna pick one work focus. \n [00:30] and then you're gonna pick a time of the day \n [00:31] that you're gonna learn at. \n [00:32] so i recommend the mornings, to be completely honest. \n [00:35] i feel like you're just fresher then. \n [00:37] and then you're gonna pick a certain length of time. \n [00:40] so time of the day, a certain length of time, \n [00:42] that could be 10 minutes. \n [00:43] i personally think if you're just starting out \n [00:46] like from the very beginning, \n [00:48] pick the morning and do it for 10 to maximum 15 minutes. \n [00:51] that will give you the opportunity \n [00:53] to kind of create that habit. \n [00:54] but in any case, regardless, just pick a time of day \n [00:57] and pick a certain length of time. \n [00:59] and then what you're gonna do is practice that for 30 days. \n [01:02] and you're gonna track it. \n [01:03] so my tracking, i'll show you this in google calendar \n [01:07] and the way that i recommend doing it, \n [01:09] but i recommend you set your 10 to 15 minutes \n [01:12] in the morning, whatever, for once a day \n [01:15] and have that repeating every day. \n [01:16] and you put it, for example, in the color red. \n [01:18] and then every day when you're done \n [01:20] doing your 10 to 15 minutes, \n [01:21] you're gonna go into your calendar \n [01:22] and you're gonna mark it green, right? \n [01:27] and this helps you very easily track \n [01:29] in whatever calendar system you're using, \n [01:32] which days you actually showed up \n [01:33] and you practiced and which days you didn't. \n [01:35] and this tracking will help you realize \n [01:38] at the end of the month, okay, was i doing this? \n [01:39] was this helpful for me? \n [01:40] was this working for me? \n [01:41] and then if you're like, yes, \n [01:43] that was like the best month ever, \n [01:44] these tools are absolutely working, \n [01:45] then go ahead and continue with that for another 30 days. \n [01:48] and then check in with yourself again \n [01:49] at the end of those 30 days. \n [01:51] if it's not, then i want you to change it up. \n [01:53] just pick maybe one different thing. \n [01:56] so pick a different foundation \n [01:57] or pick a different work focus. \n [01:59] think about just what's vibing with you \n [02:01] and what's not, right? \n [02:02] and you're gonna have to be a bit intuitive about this. \n [02:04] change it up, try it for 30 days, \n [02:06] and then repeat, okay? \n [02:08] and so the thing about this \n [02:09] is that you wanna make sure \n [02:10] that your system is super simple. \n [02:13] i love this, it is possible, as is m\u00f6glich. \n [02:17] you need to pick one foundation, one work focus, \n [02:21] and do it for 30 days, \n [02:24] and then just repeat this over and over again. \n [02:26] and the thing about this \n [02:27] is that it keeps you interested, \n [02:29] it keeps your motivation up, \n [02:30] and it's also based, i'm a bit of a nerd about this. \n [02:33] you guys know this, if you know me well. \n [02:35] it's based off of the most recent memory \n [02:38] and brain research that just tells us \n [02:40] that our brains don't like it \n [02:41] when we have these very long things to do. \n [02:44] they don't like it when we sit down \n [02:45] and we say, we're gonna learn german today. \n [02:46] no, no, no, no, no, no, we don't wanna do that. \n [02:47] we're gonna do lesson 231 with german pub 101 today, \n [02:54] and that's it, and then after that, \n [02:55] we're gonna do something else. \n [02:56] that's what our brain likes to hear. \n [02:57] so tell yourself, i'm gonna try this one foundation, \n [03:01] maybe it's babbel, \n [03:02] and look at my job descriptions for this month. \n [03:05] i'm doing it for 30 days, \n [03:06] and then i'm gonna check back in with myself \n [03:07] and see if it's working, okay? \n [03:09] or i'm gonna do one foundation of live lingua once a week, \n [03:13] and i'm gonna practice my work vocabulary \n [03:15] with my subject dictionary five days a week, all right? \n [03:18] so, and do that for 30 days \n [03:19] and then check back in with yourself. \n [03:21] it's really simple. \n [03:22] it requires no super complex worksheets \n [03:26] or things that you need to like check off every day. \n [03:28] i've tried all the things. \n [03:30] i've had clients try all the things. \n [03:32] you need a system that you don't have to like \n [03:34] carry workbooks around or journals around in. \n [03:37] like you just have your tools, \n [03:39] the majority of which are gonna be online for you, \n [03:41] and you're checking back in with yourself \n [03:43] to see if they work every 30 days. \n [03:45] and this will get you moving forward relatively quickly \n [03:47] because if something isn't working, \n [03:49] you're gonna readjust. \n [03:50] and if it is, then you're just gonna keep \n [03:52] going forward with it. \n [03:54] so please, please, please try this out. \n [03:57] i know it seems like, oh, is this really gonna work? \n [04:01] trust me, trust the system, try it out. \n [04:03] pick your foundation, pick your work focus, \n [04:05] pick your time of day, pick a certain length of time, \n [04:08] get going, move forward with it. \n [04:09] and in the next video, i'm gonna show you \n [04:10] how i just very simply set this up in my google calendar \n [04:13] in order to track it, change the colors. \n [04:16] and the last thing that i want you to know \n [04:17] is that you need to be taking a break. \n [04:19] so don't think you can learn in german seven days a week, \n [04:22] five hours a day. \n [04:24] that's not realistic. \n [04:25] take two days off a week. \n [04:26] most people like to take off the weekends. \n [04:28] it's gonna be okay. \n [04:29] if you're being consistent during the week, \n [04:31] then it's not gonna matter if you take off \n [04:32] two days after each other. \n [04:34] other people who have super busy weeks \n [04:36] maybe take off, you know, tuesdays and thursdays \n [04:38] during the week so they only have to learn three times during the week \n [04:40] and then they learn on the weekends. \n [04:42] so just make sure you're also building breaks into that. \n [04:45] okay. \n [04:46] so go ahead and do that now and get your system set up. \n [04:49] and i'm gonna quick show you, like i said in google, \n [04:52] how i manage that on my own and in my own system \n [04:55] and make it super simple and integrate it into my life, right? \n [04:58] because it's a habit that we wanna integrate into our lives \n [05:01] moving forward even once you've reached b1 \n [05:03] or you've reached c1, if you're serious about this, \n [05:06] you're gonna wanna continue learning and improving. \n [05:08] and obviously you're gonna take larger breaks \n [05:11] once you've gotten to a certain point. \n [05:12] i totally understand that. \n [05:13] but even i still with my level \n [05:15] am using this framework and practicing every day. \n [05:18] so go ahead, get started \n [05:21] and get your 30-day framework put together. "}, {"id": "L7-18", "key": "662313488", "vid": "662313488", "title": "Setting Up Your 30-Day Language Learning Framework in Google Calendar", "module": "BONUS MODULE #1: German for Work", "mi": 7, "li": 18, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/setting-up-your-30-day-language-learning-framework-in-google-calendar", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Setting Up Your 30-Day Language Learning Framework in Google Calendar

\n

Overview

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Hands-on demo of the tracking system in Google Calendar (works in any calendar). Create a specific event - e.g., \"10 minutes of GermanPod (1 lesson) + 5 vocabulary words\" - at 7:15 for 15 minutes, repeating every weekday, colored red, optionally auto-stopping after 30 days. Each day you complete it, open the event, right-click, switch to green (choose \"this event only\"). Monthly review of green/red days tells you whether the resource, the duration, or the time of day is the problem. It's a marathon, not a sprint - integrate it until it's habit. [00:00-03:05]

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Key Points

\n\n

German Phrases / Vocab

\n", "md": "# Setting Up Your 30-Day Language Learning Framework in Google Calendar\n\n## Overview\nHands-on demo of the tracking system in Google Calendar (works in any calendar). Create a specific event - e.g., \"10 minutes of GermanPod (1 lesson) + 5 vocabulary words\" - at 7:15 for 15 minutes, repeating every weekday, colored red, optionally auto-stopping after 30 days. Each day you complete it, open the event, right-click, switch to green (choose \"this event only\"). Monthly review of green/red days tells you whether the resource, the duration, or the time of day is the problem. It's a marathon, not a sprint - integrate it until it's habit. [00:00-03:05]\n\n## Key Points\n- Event title must be very specific: \"1 GermanPod lesson + 5 vocabulary words.\" [00:14-00:26]\n- Set time (7:15, 15 min), repeat every weekday, color red, optionally stop repeating after 30 days. [00:27-01:17]\n- Daily: right-click event \u2192 change color to green, \"this event only\" - done in seconds. [01:21-01:38]\n- Missed day: leave it red; track honestly. [01:44-01:53]\n- Monthly diagnosis: only 3 green days? First give the resource another chance (30-day trial minimum); otherwise check whether the time slot or duration was unrealistic. [02:03-02:43]\n- Expect to not get it 100% right the first cycle - play around with it. [02:39-02:47]\n- Lifelong habit framing; even advanced learners keep the system. [02:47-03:05]\n- Note: the audio ends at [03:08]. The final line was a whisper loop (\"a little bit of\" repeated 60+ times) and has been removed from the transcript.\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- None verbatim in this lesson.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Red\u2192green calendar flip is the entire accountability system - no journals or worksheets needed. [01:21-01:38]\n- Diagnose in order: resource (give it a full 30 days) \u2192 duration \u2192 time of day. [02:15-02:43]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]So I'm just going to show you really quickly how to set up your 30-day system in Google Calendar.
\n
[00:06]So you can do this in any calendar, but what I do is I click over here to create.
\n
[00:09]We're going to go to more options to expand that.
\n
[00:12]I'm just going to copy and paste.
\n
[00:14]So I recommend here that you're very specific about what you're doing.
\n
[00:17]So here I have 10 minutes of German Pod or, for example, like that's one lesson of German Pod plus five vocabulary words.
\n
[00:24]So it's very specific of like what I'm doing.
\n
[00:26]Then I'm going to go here.
\n
[00:27]I'm going to change the time.
\n
[00:30]I'm going to change the time to, let's say, 7.15.
\n
[00:32]And I'm just going to start.
\n
[00:34]I think that's going to take me about 15 minutes.
\n
[00:36]I take 20, but let's just put 15 minutes in there for right now.
\n
[00:40]Then where it says does not repeat, you're going to go to repeat every weekday.
\n
[00:45]For me, that's a schedule that works.
\n
[00:46]So I go with that.
\n
[00:47]You can also choose to customize the times that it repeats.
\n
[00:51]Then I change this color to red.
\n
[00:56]And that's all set up.
\n
[00:58]And I'm just going to go ahead and click save on there.
\n
[01:02]So then that's going to show up in my calendar.
\n
[01:04]And that's going to show up for like all the following weeks because I didn't choose a time to stop it.
\n
[01:08]So what you also will want to consider doing is just putting this to change after or to stop repeating after 30 days.
\n
[01:17]But that's definitely an option you can look at.
\n
[01:21]Once you, let's say it's Monday, January 4th, and you are done doing your German.
\n
[01:25]And it's going to be really simple.
\n
[01:27]So you're just going to want to click control and right click.
\n
[01:30]And then you can change this to green.
\n
[01:32]Make sure you're only choosing to change this event.
\n
[01:35]And that is basically how simple it is to track it.
\n
[01:38]So you can put it in whichever calendar you use, color code it however you want, and then just go back in and change to color.
\n
[01:44]So let's say on Tuesday I don't get to practice and I don't know, I wake up late or whatever.
\n
[01:49]Then you're not going to change it that day, but you'll change it for the Wednesday because then you did wake up.
\n
[01:53]And then you're going to be able to go back over those 30 days and see, okay, how often did I do this?
\n
[01:58]And this is not only helpful for like keeping track of your own practice and keeping yourself accountable,
\n
[02:03]but it's also something where at the end of the month you can look back and say,
\n
[02:07]okay, I actually only practiced with the German pod and the vocabulary like three days because I was just so busy or whatever.
\n
[02:15]And then you can start to think about, okay, was it not the right resource?
\n
[02:19]Which in that case I would say you need to give the resource another chance.
\n
[02:22]It's like the resources you definitely need to give a 30-day chance to see if they are working for you or are vibing with you or not.
\n
[02:28]And if it's not the case that it's the resource, then you're going to want to think about, okay,
\n
[02:33]was it too long of a time that I planned for it or was it the wrong time of the day that doesn't really fit into my schedule?
\n
[02:39]So you're definitely going to like just prepare yourself for having to play around with it.
\n
[02:43]You're probably not going to get it 100% right the first time that you do it, and that's okay.
\n
[02:47]The point is that you need to integrate this into your life because regardless of if you're starting out
\n
[02:52]right now from the very beginning or if you're already in the middle of your German learning process,
\n
[02:55]like this is a lifelong journey.
\n
[02:57]It's a marathon, not a sprint, and this system can really help you just to get it into your day-to-day habit system
\n
[03:05]and get you moving forward with your German language learning.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/662313488?h=e53b2652b8", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/662313488.mp4", "search": "setting up your 30-day language learning framework in google calendar bonus module #1: german for work key takeaways copy \n red\u2192green calendar flip is the entire accountability system - no journals or worksheets needed. [01:21-01:38] \n diagnose in order: resource (give it a full 30 days) \u2192 duration \u2192 time of day. [02:15-02:43] \n setting up your 30-day language learning framework in google calendar \n overview \n hands-on demo of the tracking system in google calendar (works in any calendar). create a specific event - e.g., \"10 minutes of germanpod (1 lesson) + 5 vocabulary words\" - at 7:15 for 15 minutes, repeating every weekday, colored red, optionally auto-stopping after 30 days. each day you complete it, open the event, right-click, switch to green (choose \"this event only\"). monthly review of green/red days tells you whether the resource, the duration, or the time of day is the problem. it's a marathon, not a sprint - integrate it until it's habit. [00:00-03:05] \n key points \n \n event title must be very specific: \"1 germanpod lesson + 5 vocabulary words.\" [00:14-00:26] \n set time (7:15, 15 min), repeat every weekday, color red, optionally stop repeating after 30 days. [00:27-01:17] \n daily: right-click event \u2192 change color to green, \"this event only\" - done in seconds. [01:21-01:38] \n missed day: leave it red; track honestly. [01:44-01:53] \n monthly diagnosis: only 3 green days? first give the resource another chance (30-day trial minimum); otherwise check whether the time slot or duration was unrealistic. [02:03-02:43] \n expect to not get it 100% right the first cycle - play around with it. [02:39-02:47] \n lifelong habit framing; even advanced learners keep the system. [02:47-03:05] \n note: the audio ends at [03:08]. the final line was a whisper loop (\"a little bit of\" repeated 60+ times) and has been removed from the transcript. \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n none verbatim in this lesson. \n [00:00] so i'm just going to show you really quickly how to set up your 30-day system in google calendar. \n [00:06] so you can do this in any calendar, but what i do is i click over here to create. \n [00:09] we're going to go to more options to expand that. \n [00:12] i'm just going to copy and paste. \n [00:14] so i recommend here that you're very specific about what you're doing. \n [00:17] so here i have 10 minutes of german pod or, for example, like that's one lesson of german pod plus five vocabulary words. \n [00:24] so it's very specific of like what i'm doing. \n [00:26] then i'm going to go here. \n [00:27] i'm going to change the time. \n [00:30] i'm going to change the time to, let's say, 7.15. \n [00:32] and i'm just going to start. \n [00:34] i think that's going to take me about 15 minutes. \n [00:36] i take 20, but let's just put 15 minutes in there for right now. \n [00:40] then where it says does not repeat, you're going to go to repeat every weekday. \n [00:45] for me, that's a schedule that works. \n [00:46] so i go with that. \n [00:47] you can also choose to customize the times that it repeats. \n [00:51] then i change this color to red. \n [00:56] and that's all set up. \n [00:58] and i'm just going to go ahead and click save on there. \n [01:02] so then that's going to show up in my calendar. \n [01:04] and that's going to show up for like all the following weeks because i didn't choose a time to stop it. \n [01:08] so what you also will want to consider doing is just putting this to change after or to stop repeating after 30 days. \n [01:17] but that's definitely an option you can look at. \n [01:21] once you, let's say it's monday, january 4th, and you are done doing your german. \n [01:25] and it's going to be really simple. \n [01:27] so you're just going to want to click control and right click. \n [01:30] and then you can change this to green. \n [01:32] make sure you're only choosing to change this event. \n [01:35] and that is basically how simple it is to track it. \n [01:38] so you can put it in whichever calendar you use, color code it however you want, and then just go back in and change to color. \n [01:44] so let's say on tuesday i don't get to practice and i don't know, i wake up late or whatever. \n [01:49] then you're not going to change it that day, but you'll change it for the wednesday because then you did wake up. \n [01:53] and then you're going to be able to go back over those 30 days and see, okay, how often did i do this? \n [01:58] and this is not only helpful for like keeping track of your own practice and keeping yourself accountable, \n [02:03] but it's also something where at the end of the month you can look back and say, \n [02:07] okay, i actually only practiced with the german pod and the vocabulary like three days because i was just so busy or whatever. \n [02:15] and then you can start to think about, okay, was it not the right resource? \n [02:19] which in that case i would say you need to give the resource another chance. \n [02:22] it's like the resources you definitely need to give a 30-day chance to see if they are working for you or are vibing with you or not. \n [02:28] and if it's not the case that it's the resource, then you're going to want to think about, okay, \n [02:33] was it too long of a time that i planned for it or was it the wrong time of the day that doesn't really fit into my schedule? \n [02:39] so you're definitely going to like just prepare yourself for having to play around with it. \n [02:43] you're probably not going to get it 100% right the first time that you do it, and that's okay. \n [02:47] the point is that you need to integrate this into your life because regardless of if you're starting out \n [02:52] right now from the very beginning or if you're already in the middle of your german learning process, \n [02:55] like this is a lifelong journey. \n [02:57] it's a marathon, not a sprint, and this system can really help you just to get it into your day-to-day habit system \n [03:05] and get you moving forward with your german language learning. "}, {"id": "L8-0", "key": "862123445", "vid": "862123445", "title": "Bonus Interview #1", "module": "BONUS MODULE #2: Interviews with International Interns in Germany", "mi": 8, "li": 0, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-1", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Bonus Interview #1 - Olivia Hintz

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Intern & Background

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Olivia Hintz from Michigan; University of Michigan environmental science graduate with minors in writing and German (May 2022). Started German freshman year for the language requirement; study abroad canceled by COVID. Found CBYX in the German department newsletter days before the deadline. 39th cohort. [00:21-01:39]

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Path & Timeline

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Companies Named

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\u00d8rsted (Danish offshore wind, Hamburg), a Berlin solar startup, an alternative-plastic startup, Upfield (CPG giant, in 95 countries; working language 50/50 German-English) on the Violife vegan-cheese brand; US office contact attempt in New York failed. [04:13-05:26, 06:03-06:09, 28:38]

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Application & Interview Advice

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Advice to CBYXers

\n", "md": "# Bonus Interview #1 - Olivia Hintz\n\n## Intern & Background\nOlivia Hintz from Michigan; University of Michigan environmental science graduate with minors in writing and German (May 2022). Started German freshman year for the language requirement; study abroad canceled by COVID. Found CBYX in the German department newsletter days before the deadline. 39th cohort. [00:21-01:39]\n\n## Path & Timeline\n- Before CBYX: had a Berlin solar-startup internship lined up independently; it fell through (startup/regulatory issues) a week before her CBYX acceptance. [01:47-02:23]\n- Placed in L\u00fcneburg near Hamburg (host family); placement announced end of September. [03:58-04:00, 09:11-09:18]\n- Applied ~25-30 positions starting first week of October; most jobs found on LinkedIn (also Indeed); kept a spreadsheet tracker. [09:23-09:47, 36:01-36:13]\n- Offer mid-November (Upfield, business analyst on the Violife vegan cheese brand); started January 15 after the Nuremberg mid-year seminar. [06:03-06:09, 09:47-09:55]\n- Paid internship let her leave the host-family town and move to Hamburg (program financial independence). [10:50-11:19]\n- End of internship (June 18): supervisor overheard her say she could see herself in Berlin and offered her a junior brand manager role; accepted in May; start date negotiated to September 1 so she could go home. [29:45-33:40]\n\n## Companies Named\n\u00d8rsted (Danish offshore wind, Hamburg), a Berlin solar startup, an alternative-plastic startup, **Upfield** (CPG giant, in 95 countries; working language 50/50 German-English) on the **Violife** vegan-cheese brand; US office contact attempt in New York failed. [04:13-05:26, 06:03-06:09, 28:38]\n\n## Application & Interview Advice\n- Application: resume + cover letter in English; screening phone call with recruiter (basic questions + logistics), then video interview with hiring manager (\"walk me through your resume\" = sell yourself). [06:13-15:18]\n- Targeted companies where native English is a stated asset; her hiring manager was half-English, based in London (boss remote, Hamburg office). [07:04-07:43, 22:35-22:57]\n- When told they wanted someone fluent in both languages, she sent her thank-you email in German - manager replied in German, offer came days later. [18:15-19:20]\n- Prepare post-interview questions in advance and mine personal details from the interviewer to make it a conversation. [15:53-16:55]\n- Contract arrived via DocuSign in German; little room to negotiate intern pay - don't sweat it. [19:43-20:22]\n- Pay: minimum wage, 38 h/week \u2248 \u20ac1,980 gross, ~\u20ac1,400-1,425 net; \u20ac5/day lunch-receipt perk; 15 days holiday for 6 months (half the statutory 30); German HR lag before contract is normal. [12:12-12:45, 20:32-21:15, 31:33-31:47]\n- Make yourself irreplaceable - bring value the team won't want to lose; companies will \"go through the annoying pain of a visa process\" to keep you. [25:55-26:22]\n- Visa/stay logistics she had to manage solo: visa extension (not new visa), skipping Abmeldung, keeping health insurance. [32:05-32:31]\n\n## Advice to CBYXers\n- Start searching the first week at your placement; prep application materials in September (cover letter opener: \"I'm part of the Bundestag[-funded] program\"). [34:25-35:55]\n- Apply daily, check LinkedIn/Indeed daily, keep a tracker. [36:01-36:13]\n- Expand beyond one target field - she pivoted from renewable energy to plant-based food and found her career. [36:20-37:09]\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Send your thank-you email in German even after an English interview. Told they wanted someone bilingual, she replied in German, the manager answered in German, and the offer came days later. [18:15-19:20]\n- Make yourself irreplaceable - companies will \"go through the annoying pain of a visa process\" to keep someone whose value the team does not want to lose. [25:55-26:22]\n- A paid internship buys independence: it let her leave the host-family town and move to Hamburg. [10:50-11:19]\n- Her contract came in German via DocuSign and intern pay is essentially fixed - do not sweat the negotiation. [19:43-20:22]\n- Start the search in week one at your placement and open the cover letter with the CBYX program name. [34:25-35:55]\n- Your field can change: pivoting from renewable energy into plant-based food is what found her career. [36:20-37:09]\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]So, all right, Olivia, thank you for being here with us today and for volunteering to speak a
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[00:09]little bit about your CBYX Young Professionals Internship Experience. Of course. You were a
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[00:15]participant in the 39th cohort, right? Yes, correct. Okay. Can you say a little bit about
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[00:21]yourself and why you chose to participate in the program? Yes. My name is Olivia Hintz. I'm from
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[00:28]Michigan. I graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in environmental science
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[00:33]and minors in writing in German in May of 2022. So the May before I started CBYX, I left in August.
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[00:41]I graduated in May and I started German in my freshman year of college. Michigan had a language
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[00:48]requirement. So I was required to pick up a language and I took Spanish in high school,
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[00:53]but I decided I wanted to start fresh and I chose German and Michigan had a pretty small
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[00:59]German department. So they were really caring and they wanted you to learn. So I felt kind of
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[01:04]compelled to do the minor and I kind of was only planning on studying abroad, but due to COVID,
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[01:10]those plans got canceled. And I still kind of had this desire to go to Germany at least one point and
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[01:16]do something there to kind of put all the years that I spent learning the language to, I don't know,
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[01:23]I had like actually have, have something come of it because I know the immersion is the most
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[01:27]important for the language learning. And then I found CBYX in my German department newsletter,
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[01:33]just like a few days before the application was closing. So I applied and luckily I got in
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[01:39]and I originally before choosing to do CBYX was actually looking for jobs in Germany outside of CBYX.
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[01:47]So I really just wanted to work abroad at this point after graduating, my main focus was working abroad.
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[01:52]And I was in environmental science and Germany is huge with, you know, green energy and just
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[01:58]everything within the environmental space. That's a really big highlight for their economy and working
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[02:03]environment there. So I had a job or an internship lined up at a solar energy startup in Berlin,
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[02:10]but unfortunately because of the startup kind of atmosphere and regulatory issues, that startup
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[02:16]kind of fell through. And just a week later I was accepted into CBYX. So it was kind of like a perfect
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[02:23]transition, but that's kind of was my thought process going into choosing to do CBYX. I really
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[02:28]wanted to work abroad and I wanted that abroad experience for my language and CBYX was just like
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[02:34]the perfect outlet to do it. And with the visa process, I mean, it made it much, much easier than I could have done
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[02:39]for myself. Yeah. It's kind of a built for you program, right? Yeah. So, so your hopes kind of
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[02:46]going into the program were around working abroad, getting that experience using the German, you spent
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[02:51]so much time learning. What were your hopes specifically for the internship component then?
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[02:57]For the internship component, I really wanted to also, so I was going to, my plan at the beginning
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[03:04]was going back to the U S and I wanted a job. I kind of wanted to be in that stage of my life. When I got
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[03:10]back were kind of similar to the rest of my peers. Like I was working in a city, I had a stable job. So
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[03:17]kind of my, my thought process going into the German internship portion was to find an international
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[03:23]company that I could potentially use to get a job back in the U S or at least just like use to have a job
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[03:30]in the future in general. So I went in with a future perspective. I wasn't thinking about just having
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[03:36]it for the six month period and then going home and doing something completely different. I was really
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[03:40]using it as a career building opportunity. So that structured my search, although I applied to places
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[03:47]outside of that mold, that was my main priority. And what type of internship were you looking for?
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[03:54]Like, did you have certain companies in mind? Yeah. So originally I was placed in Lunenburg,
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[04:00]which is right 30 minutes outside of Hamburg and Hamburg is really big with renewable energy and wind
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[04:06]energy offshore. There's a company called Orsted. That's a Danish wind company that is global and
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[04:13]it has an office in Hamburg. So that was like the, I remember the first internship I applied to was
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[04:17]Orsted. It had been on my mind for like years, other solar energy companies. So like startups in
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[04:25]environmental tech, I applied to a alternative plastic startup because another thing was I like
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[04:31]startups as well. And I think startups are at least in my experience, a little bit easier to kind of
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[04:38]sell yourself into because they're still so new. You're new, you know, I didn't really have any
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[04:43]experience being just out of college. So I was also kind of focusing on startups or startup like
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[04:49]companies that would, I don't know, kind of take a chance on me rather than just some big,
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[04:54]already institutional, like big company that can find somebody with better German and more
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[04:59]work experience. But I, yeah, I really, and I, I wasn't really getting anything from those
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[05:06]renewable energy companies. So I kind of had to just type in a bunch of keywords into LinkedIn and see
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[05:11]what popped up. And eventually one popped up for this vegan cheese business called BioLife that was
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[05:18]through a larger plant-based food manufacturing company, like similar to Unilever, just overall CPG
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[05:26]manufacturing. But I was vegan for six years. So I kind of had that personal relation to it. So I was
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[05:31]like, okay, I'm going to expand outside of solar energy and I'm going to try this because I still
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[05:37]know that I would like doing it. So I ended up expanding outside of just renewable energy
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[05:42]and kind of entering a new territory, but still related to environment and what I, my interests
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[05:48]personally. And can you tell us a little bit about kind of what that application process looked like for
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[05:55]you? Yeah. So for the internship that I did end up receiving, it was a business analyst internship or
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[06:03]a business analyst position for Upfield, which is then I was working on the brand BioLife, like I
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[06:09]mentioned, the vegan cheese company. And that application was pretty simple. It was a cover
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[06:13]letter, resume, and then just one of those kinds of application where you just fill out your
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[06:20]credentials and maybe they ask you a few questions, but it was really just resume and cover
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[06:24]letter. And then I submitted it. A couple of days later, I got an email saying that I was selected
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[06:29]for the first screening interview process. I scheduled that online. I had a phone call. I forget, maybe I
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[06:37]did it like one or two days before. I had a phone call one or two days later. And then within a few
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[06:45]days after that, I received the next interview with my line manager. Then we had a video interview. The
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[06:51]first one was a phone call. The second one was a video interview. And we connected really well. She was
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[06:57]a British, she's English German. So she is half German, half English, but she lives in London,
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[07:04]more so English. So another important aspect of this internship was my application was in English.
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[07:11]And one of the points that they mentioned on the qualifications list was obviously, you know,
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[07:18]German is important, but English is, it was kind of stated that English is very important because they
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[07:24]are an international company. And because the working language is 50, 50 German English, but having
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[07:31]native English, English skills was, I know, definitely a plus, especially with my boss being English, German
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[07:37]and her having fluency in English. That was definitely something that helped me, I think, land the position
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[07:43]and just, yeah, that was an important aspect that I should mention.
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[07:47]And you kind of were able to see that from the website too, as far as what they were saying about
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[07:50]the company. And yeah, okay. So you had multiple strategies, then you had kind of this startup, like,
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[07:55]hey, I'm, I'm maybe not super experienced, but I've got hands on deck, and I have all these skills. And then
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[07:59]you were also like, okay, where can I use like my, my linguistic abilities as well, despite knowing German,
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[08:04]really?
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[08:05]Yeah, exactly. I thought that my, my English fluency coupled with intermediate skills in German would
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[08:13]probably go farther at some place that values, like English is really, really important. And then German is, of
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[08:19]course, they kind of expect you to know it, having the English fluency as a scene as a plus, rather than
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[08:24]just something that you can kind of throw aside would have been really important, because it is,
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[08:28]it's an international company that was in, or is currently in 95 countries. So I knew going in that
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[08:34]this was kind of also what I wanted in terms of, they had offices in the US, or just in other countries,
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[08:40]and it could be a larger building block to my career.
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[08:46]So how many applications did you send in total? Because it sounds like you're pretty streamlined,
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[08:52]actually.
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[08:53]Yeah, so I ended up structuring my search with that guide that PVP gave us. Well, because you also are
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[09:00]required to submit that if you don't get an internship within their timeframe. So for me, it was just easier
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[09:06]to start from the very beginning. I started right as I got to Lunenberg, which I didn't find my placement
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[09:11]until two weeks before September, or October before we moved. So at the very end of September,
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[09:18]I found out that I was where I was going. And pretty much directly after that, I started,
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[09:23]I made a spreadsheet. I started looking on LinkedIn. And indeed, I found most of my jobs on LinkedIn,
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[09:30]that was my primary search engine for jobs. But ultimately, I ended up applying to about 25 or 30
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[09:38]before I received the offer for my company. And that was at middle of November.
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[09:47]And when did you start?
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[09:49]I started middle of January. So January 15th, it was right after the Nuremberg mid-year seminar.
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[09:56]Oh, no, no. Okay, that's good to know too. But I mean, when did you start applying?
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[10:00]Yes, I started applying within the first week of October. So probably a couple days or a week after
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[10:09]I landed in Lunenberg, did I start looking and applying and kind of setting up my resume too,
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[10:16]because I sent a few applications. And then I was like, okay, I probably should update this a little
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[10:20]bit. And then luckily, we had your career coaching. And then we had a one on one conversation.
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[10:25]And you were really helpful with my application materials. But at that point, I actually already
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[10:31]had the first interview with Upfield. But those materials were in English. So
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[10:35]Yeah. Did you also have your host family help you in any way, shape or form?
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[10:39]I not, not really. I was a little bit, I wasn't too happy with my location. I was in just a really
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[10:50]small town. And part of also what was fueling my internship process was or my internship search
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[10:57]was knowing that if I received a paid internship, I would be able to be financially dependent of the
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[11:04]program and move to a place that would make me happier. So that was also one thing important
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[11:11]to know that was really, it fueled me to find a paid internship that would allow me to move to Hamburg
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[11:19]or leave my situation, not because of my host at all, she was great. But just because I didn't think
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[11:25]it was the right place to put somebody or me. So I wanted to change my situation. So I kind of
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[11:31]got a little bit, I just, I don't know, had this like fire lit under me. And I was just kind of
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[11:37]doing everything on my own. And maybe that wasn't the best strategy. But luckily, it worked. But that
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[11:42]was kind of the mindset that I was in at the time. Yeah. And I think it's good for people to hear that
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[11:47]too. Like, what is it like to be in that process? Because we forget as soon as we've got the internship
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[11:51]and things are going well, then we forget like all the anxiety and everything that was like, that was
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[11:55]fueling us to get there in the first place. Absolutely. Yeah. Can you talk a little bit about
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[12:01]what that pay looked like if you're open to that and kind of what your setup in Hamburg was?
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[12:05]Yes, definitely. So I received minimum wage for 38 hours a week. So that ended up being
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[12:12]1980. So 1,980 a month. Taxes take out a lot. And that's what you learn, like working in Germany,
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[12:21]definitely you notice that. But I ended up kind of coming home, I think with 1425 or 1400. My company
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[12:29]also had a perk where they would pay five euros of your meal, your lunch every day.
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[12:35]Oh, that's nice. Yeah. So you could submit your receipt, and then they would give you five euros
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[12:40]back for each lunch receipt that you submitted. And then you would get that money with your next
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[12:45]paycheck. So that was another, that was a perk. But those were kind of my main forms of payment
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[12:50]from the job. And then I, once I received the internship, I kind of went straight into
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[12:56]Vegas, looking for Vegas and any way that I could get to Hamburg. I ended up overpaying,
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[13:04]I was paying 700 for a place. Yeah. For a Vegas with, that was too dirty with too many people for
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[13:11]that much money. But I was, you know, with the program, you just kind of have to, you're kind
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[13:18]of in a whirlwind for like the entire time. And you just have to make decisions and they might not be
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[13:23]the most, the ones that you would make if you had ample amount of time and resources, but you
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[13:27]don't. So ultimately was very, very happy with my decision. And I did still have enough money to
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[13:34]survive because of the paid internship. And then with my rent, even with that deducted, it was okay.
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[13:41]Yeah. We're still able to make buy and make do and stuff. Okay. Yeah. Just to back up a little bit
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[13:47]here, what was, you went through multiple interviews in that interview process. Can you tell
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[13:52]us kind of what questions they asked or how someone should think about preparing for an interview?
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[13:56]Yeah. So usually, and with all my interviews in the past too, I had a screening interview with the
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[14:03]HR person or the recruiter or somebody that's not your line manager or the person who will be hiring you
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[14:10]directly. So my first screening interview was really just the most basic questions. Like, why did you
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[14:17]apply to this job? Why do you feel like you're qualified? I don't think it was those exactly, but
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[14:22]it wasn't anything that was like really diving into my resume or asking me specific strengths and
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[14:29]weaknesses. It was more so just the most basic questions that you can find online. If you just like
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[14:35]look up basic interview screening questions, and then kind of just like a schedule logistical
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[14:42]breakdown of, I think my German level, if I would be able to be in the office in Hamburg,
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[14:49]kind of saying what the schedule is like. If, you know, some people come in or most people
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[14:53]work remotely Monday, Friday, would you be able to come in during the week? It was very logistical
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[14:59]and basic. And then once I got past that, I had a video interview with my hiring manager and basically
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[15:08]she just had my resume up on the screen. And she was like, I have your resume up on a screen.
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[15:13]If you want to just walk me through your resume and just, so I, yeah, just sell yourself. Basically,
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[15:18]that's what that means. Luckily I planned for that. And I, I, I walked her through my resume and I had
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[15:25]different experiences that kind of highlighted why I am a good person to work in like a startup type
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[15:31]atmosphere, because although it was an established company, Violife is still relatively new within
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[15:36]Germany. So the vibe of the position was very like hands-on, you're going to do a lot, which is my
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[15:44]forte. So that worked out well. And I'm trying to think of any other questions. There's always a
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[15:53]portion at the end, at least with the, with the hiring manager, with the second interview, that is
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[15:58]the one that mainly matters where you have an opportunity to ask questions. So I, before I had
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[16:03]this interview, I talked with my mom, I talked with some of my best friends who had gotten positions at
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[16:08]companies in the U S and I asked them what their kind of post interview questions are, like, what are
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[16:14]some good questions to ask to show, you know, because those are very important as well. But I also just
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[16:19]like listened directly to her in the interview. I picked up kind of, if I could get any, um, personal
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[16:26]information about her too, to see like how we could connect just as people. And I pulled that into my,
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[16:33]my post interview questions and kind of talked a little bit about her. I think, um, it's so often
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[16:38]that, I mean, they just do these interviews and they do person after person, and it probably can get
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[16:44]pretty monotonous and maybe not stick out in their mind. So I thought that having an actual conversation
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[16:50]where we're talking, not just about things that they talk about to everybody else would probably
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[16:55]help me stand out a little bit, but it went really well. We connected really well. And I thought it was
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[17:01]more of a conversation. Like, I feel like you hear that from people when the interview goes well,
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[17:05]it's, it was more of a conversation rather than this kind of drilling on either side. Yeah.
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[17:11]Yeah. It's normally a red flag. If it's like, if it's so stiff and uncomfortable that it feels like
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[17:18]that. Right. Um, unless you're doing the technical interviews for those of you who are STEM majors,
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[17:22]then that that's oftentimes the case that they'll have a technical interview like that, but otherwise
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[17:26]it should be kind of a conversation. I love that you pull out like this human aspect of the person
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[17:30]who's talking to you. That's great. Yeah. I was like, I probably would want that if I was in
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[17:36]their situation, it would, it would probably like catch me off guard a little bit and I'd be like,
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[17:39]Oh, I can talk about myself. Yeah. And it's a question that they won't necessarily have like a
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[17:47]pre-formulated answer to. Yeah. Right. Definitely. But that everything was entirely in English for
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[17:52]you, right? You didn't, they didn't switch into German at any point in time or ask about your
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[17:56]German skills. Yeah. So they, they didn't. My hiring manager did mention the German. So our interview
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[18:02]was in English. Like I said, she's English, British. So she also had perfect native English.
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[18:09]Language discrepancy or anything like that. She did say at the end of the interview though,
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[18:15]I mean, I could tell it went well, but then she made a comment that they were looking for somebody
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[18:19]who was fluent in both English and German. So it was a little bit of a, like, it's a bit of a setback
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[18:26]that I don't, that I'm not fluent in German as well. So after she said that it wasn't like a total
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[18:31]negative, it was just kind of like a direct comment that they wanted somebody who was fluent in both.
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[18:36]So then after the interview, I ended up sending my thank you email in German to her.
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[18:43]I love the strategy on this. This is great.
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[18:46]It was like really, I was really trying. I was like pulling out all the stops, but I knew my writing
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[18:52]is better to my speaking is where my German struggles the most, which interview that would be,
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[18:58]it would be so incredibly stressful. I, so I knew like I could present myself the best in English.
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[19:02]So I was very happy that it wasn't English, but I also do have German skills and I, and I was,
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[19:07]I did want to show those in some capacity. So I wrote my thank you email in German and she wrote
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[19:12]a response back in German. And a few days later I received the job. Um, yeah.
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[19:20]Did you then get an internship contract from them or what did kind of those next steps look like?
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[19:25]Yeah. So once I received the job, I think it happened pretty fast that I received the call
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[19:32]from the first person who interviewed me, the screening person recruiter. And she told me that
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[19:39]I received the job. She told me the pay and just kind of like the basics of the position. And then she
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[19:43]said, you'll receive the contract within the next few days. And I did via DocuSign. So it was just an
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[19:49]email, a German contract, of course. So I looked at it, looked at it in German, do the whole,
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[19:56]there wasn't that much to it. You know, maybe I could have negotiated. I know that that was a point
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[20:02]that I think was brought up later, but at the time I was just so happy to be getting a paid
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[20:06]internship. And I felt like my life was opening up and my CBYX journey was going on a direction that
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[20:13]I really worked hard for it to take. So I kind of was just like, I'm just going to sign it. I'm going
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[20:17]to get started on my vegae search, but yeah. There's, there's also not a ton of room to
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[20:22]negotiate with internships. So you didn't, you didn't lose out on a lot there, I would say.
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[20:26]Yeah. And another, another perk of the job too, being it, like it was a full six month long
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[20:32]corporate internship with all the German labor laws and all of that. So I was paid, of course,
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[20:39]like I mentioned, but I also received 15 days of holiday. Yeah. So it was like just cut in half of the
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[20:45]30 days that they're required to have in a year. Since I was working six months, I, I got team.
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[20:50]So you took out vacation time. Yeah. Like a lot, like way more than I thought that I should be
\n
[20:56]taking way more than my parents thought I should be taking. My parents were like, you really going
\n
[21:01]to take that much? Like, I was like, no, it's like, it's required. I don't know.
\n
[21:07]And also they respect you. If you take them, they're not about this, like overwork,
\n
[21:11]like let's work ourselves around, but like, let's relax and then do a good high quality job.
\n
[21:15]Right. Absolutely. I really, really appreciate that about the German working environment.
\n
[21:20]They got that right. That's for sure. Okay. So let me just take a look here. So you have,
\n
[21:28]you got the contract, you filled out the contract. What then did your first couple of days look like?
\n
[21:33]Yes. So I, I was very nervous, but I came. Yeah. So this was right after we came back from
\n
[21:42]Nuremberg. So I ended up moving out of my host family house on January 1st and I was within 30
\n
[21:50]minutes of Hamburg. So I just packed all myself on the train. I had a friend help me and I moved in
\n
[21:57]a few days before Nuremberg, went to Nuremberg. That was like a week long seminar, came back on
\n
[22:04]Saturday. And then that Monday I started my job. So those few days to prepare, I just kind of like
\n
[22:10]got my outfits ready. I was like just trying to settle into Hamburg because I had just moved at that
\n
[22:15]point, but it was a lot of technical setup. They got me started with my computer. I had to kind of
\n
[22:23]send some emails to get some softwares downloaded. My boss gave me a folder of documents to look over
\n
[22:29]to just kind of get familiar with what they had been doing. We had some personal interview or
\n
[22:35]personal meetings because she's was based in London. So I was working in the Hamburg office.
\n
[22:40]My boss was based in London. So we would have zoom or like teams meetings, the two of us,
\n
[22:47]and she would, you know, we would talk about stuff. She would tell me what to do. And then I would go back
\n
[22:53]in the Hamburg office and do it. And then, so our relationship was virtual for the most part.
\n
[22:57]So your supervisor was virtual then, even though you were sitting in Hamburg. Okay.
\n
[23:01]Exactly. Yeah. So, so I was an intern for the team, but I was mostly an intern for my supervisor,
\n
[23:07]who was the head of the BioLife team in the Dachet region, which is Germany, Austria, Italy, and
\n
[23:15]Switzerland. Cool. And what were your tasks and responsibilities then like?
\n
[23:19]So I was really kind of like a data analyst researcher. My exact title was business analyst,
\n
[23:27]but since it was like a startup style company, I did a lot of different things. I did some
\n
[23:34]sustainability marketing briefs, like some creative stuff with marketing sustainability on our Instagram.
\n
[23:41]I did a lot on Excel where I would look at Nielsen data, which is basically like sales,
\n
[23:47]sellout data that you can get based on retailers. Basically what I would do, what I would look at
\n
[23:53]data from Reva or Etika, and you can look at the competitors, their specific products,
\n
[23:59]their specific SKUs that they have and see how we're competing with our competitor, see trends in
\n
[24:05]the data. Like what were the sales like in June through August versus November through January?
\n
[24:12]Is there seasonality between any products? I looked at the dairy cheese market and saw what are the most
\n
[24:18]popular products and formats of cheeses in the dairy cheese market? And where does the vegan cheese
\n
[24:24]market in Germany lack that? So white space that we can fill the gap. So it was really fun. And I love
\n
[24:31]food. I love working in food, plant-based food. Like it was all just kind of really exciting. And there
\n
[24:37]was always something new. I was, I did a lot of like long-term projects in terms of just making graphs
\n
[24:44]and charts, displaying our SKUs compared to competitor SKUs and like having updated sales data
\n
[24:51]every month that we could look at and see our performance. But I also, as the internship went on
\n
[24:57]and I was given more responsibility and I started to develop like a really good relationship with my
\n
[25:03]supervisor. She more so would ask me questions as like, what do you think we should do? It wasn't
\n
[25:09]just giving me tasks. I actually felt like I was really a part of the team, which was great.
\n
[25:14]So I ended up making trade decks, which are basically like sell in or slide decks that sell
\n
[25:21]in our products to different retailers. So like selling in our product at Calfland. I would take the
\n
[25:26]deck for that with the arguments and the data as to why you should take our vegan cheese.
\n
[25:33]So there's really a progression of like first kind of maybe doing tasks where you're supporting to
\n
[25:38]then like really creating and having responsibility over a certain area. Definitely. I totally noticed
\n
[25:44]that within the first, like when I hit past the halfway point, I was definitely getting into
\n
[25:49]more of, I was a part of the team. And I think that was one of the biggest pieces of advice. And
\n
[25:55]one of the things that made me receive a full-time offer at the end was, and my mom meant like,
\n
[26:01]she gave me this advice, but like making yourself irreplaceable as an asset on the team and having
\n
[26:08]so like having a lot of skills and a lot of bringing a lot of value to the team that they
\n
[26:13]don't want to lose you. And if a company notices that value and they don't want to lose you, then
\n
[26:17]they'll, you know, go through this annoying pain of a visa process to keep you on the team.
\n
[26:22]So I really developed close relationships with my supervisor, with my colleagues. I put in a lot of
\n
[26:28]effort and work and time. And some people don't want to do that, which is totally okay. But I did
\n
[26:35]work overtime a lot. There were some nights where I would leave at seven and that's not the norm,
\n
[26:43]but as an intern, I wanted, and my boss was, was pretty intense. She used to work in investment
\n
[26:48]banking. So. Oh, wow. Okay. So seven was like middle of the day for her. Yeah, exactly. So she was like,
\n
[26:54]I don't understand why everybody's leaving at like five. Like we have work to do. I was like, yeah,
\n
[26:58]we gotta, like, but yeah. So that was also another thing. I did not just like close my computer at five
\n
[27:06]and like left there. Like I was, I knew that the six months was a investment period into myself and
\n
[27:12]in my future. And if I put in the time, then hopefully I was hoping something great would come
\n
[27:17]of it, whether in the U S or elsewhere. And it did, but it, it was a lot of work and, and time and
\n
[27:26]knowing that I was giving up some things to receive what I did in the end. And to prove yourself to the
\n
[27:33]company too. And I think that that's kind of a natural part of the process, right? Yeah. So, and,
\n
[27:38]and all that hard work and all those extra 7 PM evenings paid off for you. So what happened as
\n
[27:43]your internship was coming to an end? Yes. So like I kind of mentioned, I think at the very
\n
[27:49]beginning, I had the idea of hopefully returning to the U S working with a company that would maybe be
\n
[27:54]able to put in a good word for me in the U S, or I would be able to just kind of receive a job in
\n
[27:59]the U S I didn't exactly know how that would look like, but around maybe mid April. So the internship
\n
[28:05]was ending June 18th. So around mid April, my boss started asking me about what I wanted back in the U S
\n
[28:13]and she started reaching out to the U S office of our company. She would also, she looked over my
\n
[28:20]resume. So she was really helpful in trying to land me a job that I wanted in the U S, which was my
\n
[28:26]original goal, but it wasn't really working out. I had some interviews in the U S when I was still
\n
[28:31]located in Germany, but those fell through. She tried to talk to the New York office of my company.
\n
[28:38]They weren't really responsive. It kind of seemed like they wanted someone with more experience.
\n
[28:43]Like they weren't just going to take this American intern from the German side. So we were kind of
\n
[28:49]at a standstill. And then I went to Berlin for the final seminar for CBYX. And I've always loved
\n
[28:56]Berlin. It's always been, it's probably my favorite city in Europe. Like I've been a few times, well,
\n
[29:02]many times within the program, but beforehand as well, I went on a solo trip before I was planning my
\n
[29:07]just like post-grad Germany thing. I want to see if I even would like it there. And so Berlin has
\n
[29:13]always been just like a really, a city that I've always thought about, but I kind of was still in
\n
[29:18]this mentality of going home. Then I went there for the seminar and I really just like fell in love
\n
[29:23]with Berlin again. And I, you know, with where my job was at and where I knew that my boss wanted me
\n
[29:30]to stay. She would make comments like, why can't you just move to Germany? Like, why don't you just want
\n
[29:34]to stay in Germany? And I was like, yeah, but I just wasn't really thinking about it. Like I didn't
\n
[29:40]think about it as a realistic option, but then I came back from Berlin and I made like one comment
\n
[29:45]to my coworkers. I was like, I love Berlin. I could honestly see myself living in Berlin.
\n
[29:50]And my supervisor was in the office that day. She overheard. And then later that day, like,
\n
[29:55]right as we ended our day, she took me into an office and she offered me this junior brand manager
\n
[30:00]position for the company and was like, we would normally have somebody with more experience,
\n
[30:06]but like, we, you know, really want you to stay on the team. I know it's scary. And like, she was
\n
[30:11]really understanding of all the reasons that I wanted to go home because she was from, she lives in
\n
[30:16]London and she doesn't want to move to Hamburg and she wants to stay in London. So she was very
\n
[30:21]understanding of all the fears that I had of doing this like long abroad year again. But I had the offer
\n
[30:30]and it was real this time and it was just a verbal. So it wasn't like a, they didn't set a
\n
[30:34]contract in front of me. It was just her saying, we have this opening on the team. We would love
\n
[30:39]for you to stay. It's, you know, if you don't like it in six months or a year, a year and a half,
\n
[30:44]like you can leave, like, it's not like this set specific contract thing. It, we just, I just feel
\n
[30:50]like you're really, we work well together and this brand could go in a really cool direction. And I left
\n
[30:56]for the weekend. That was on Thursday. I had a weekend in Madrid. I was visiting a friend
\n
[31:01]and I talked with him about it and he was staying another year in Madrid. And I talked with my mom
\n
[31:06]and there was like no reason to say no. There was no reason to say no. And it was an, and, and I got
\n
[31:13]the approval that I would be able to work remotely in Berlin, which, and go to Hamburg for it. They're
\n
[31:18]so close. So if I want to go to Hamburg when she's in the office, I can, but yeah. And then I accepted
\n
[31:25]the job when I came back on Tuesday and this was still in May and it took some time to get the,
\n
[31:33]I actually didn't get the contract, the physical contract until the day I was leaving my internship
\n
[31:38]on June 18th. A long lag with HR, which is very common. I, everybody that I've talked to,
\n
[31:47]like in HR taking a long time is very, very common. So it was pretty much for the entire last month of
\n
[31:58]the program that I was there from mid-May to mid-June or the end of June. I was just like,
\n
[32:05]I accepted this job and I was thinking of all the things that I would have to do to like come back.
\n
[32:11]And that meant not doing the abmeldung, that meant not doing, or like trying to keep my health
\n
[32:18]insurance. That meant like applying to a visa extension rather than a brand new visa. It was
\n
[32:24]just a lot. It was very, very stressful. I won't lie. It was like a really hard time trying to manage
\n
[32:31]it all myself because I was here alone and I had my company that was helping me, but you know,
\n
[32:36]my mom wasn't holding my hand telling me how to fill out government paperwork. So, so, and I was
\n
[32:45]still working really hard. I didn't stop working just because I got this offer. So, but it all worked
\n
[32:50]out hopefully. So. Cause you're right about to like move back. So you had the summer off and then
\n
[32:56]you're starting in September 1st, right? Yes. Okay. So that was another thing that I negotiated too.
\n
[33:01]I wanted to go home. It was really important for me. I mean, I needed to with the program and I made
\n
[33:06]that very clear that I needed to go home. I had a flight, I was going to DC, but not only that,
\n
[33:12]I felt like after being abroad for the year and also not being allowed to go home, not seeing my
\n
[33:19]friends, like it, it wasn't like we weren't allowed to go home. So they were understanding of the fact
\n
[33:24]that I wanted to go home. I wanted to be there for at least a little bit and then come back. So I
\n
[33:30]negotiated a September 1st start date, but it was more so like they just asked what would be realistic
\n
[33:35]for you. And I said September 1st and also with the visa, I don't even know if I can start September
\n
[33:42]1st. Like I'm waiting. That's also, but those, those things also sometimes come through like the
\n
[33:48]day before you need to actually start working. So fingers crossed for you. Exactly. Like we're
\n
[33:54]hoping that. So just to, to kind of wrap up our conversation today, which I think is going to
\n
[34:01]be really, really helpful for the CBYXers. When you think back on the whole process and the whole
\n
[34:06]program and specifically on the internship component, what do you think are some things that CBYXers
\n
[34:12]do that sets them apart? And where do you think there are maybe some common mistakes that they make?
\n
[34:18]With the internship process specifically? Yeah. I think definitely one of the, one of the big
\n
[34:25]kind of challenges is that people don't start early enough. And that is really difficult with the
\n
[34:32]circumstances of the program being. So for me, I didn't get my placement until the end of September.
\n
[34:39]So we, I wasn't able to start looking in my area for internships until I landed on like basically
\n
[34:47]in Luna Berg in October. And even then that's already kind of behind for internships that you
\n
[34:54]want to start in January, but, and a lot of people have a hard time starting the first week that they
\n
[35:00]get to the new location, completely understandable. And there are a lot of people too, in the program
\n
[35:04]that just don't really care to have an internship that they can turn into a job when they get home.
\n
[35:10]So there, I think are just a wide variety of perspectives on what that you want to get out of
\n
[35:15]the internship portion. But I think for people who want to kind of do what I did and find a corporate
\n
[35:25]or just more kind of long-term like six month paid position in a field that they would like to work
\n
[35:31]on when they get home or if they want to stay in Germany, starting really early, getting your
\n
[35:37]application materials. That's something that you can do in September. You can get your application
\n
[35:41]materials up to date. You can make that cover letter with that like very opening sentence. I'm part of
\n
[35:46]the Bundestag, like, so you, there are things that you can do in September to get ready for starting in
\n
[35:55]October, right? When you kind of get yourself a little bit settled, then I would just start sending,
\n
[36:01]I would send applications out like daily. I would look at LinkedIn daily. I would look at ND daily.
\n
[36:06]And sometimes there was nothing new, but I had a tracker that also really helped keep me organized.
\n
[36:13]Let me think what else. I think another, another thing is widening, expanding your search to
\n
[36:20]all of your interests. Most people in the program, I would say 90%, 95% are coming right out of post-grad.
\n
[36:29]And I know a lot of us think about, you know, we know exactly what we want to do. I thought I wanted
\n
[36:35]to do renewable energy. And like, that was a, that was, that was it. That's why I was going to
\n
[36:39]Germany. That was like the biggest draw. And I ended up working in plant-based food. And now I can't
\n
[36:44]honestly see myself not continuing down this plant-based food route for my future that I can see
\n
[36:53]so far, like five years. I see myself in this career now. And it was only because I expanded and I was
\n
[36:58]kind of rushed to try to find an internship. And I saw this job and I was like, you know what,
\n
[37:03]that kind of fits me. And then now I'm on this entire new path, like life path. So expanding
\n
[37:09]outside of just one kind of strict kind of career or field that you see yourself in, this is a whole
\n
[37:19]year about trying new things. And part of that includes opening up your mind a little bit with
\n
[37:26]internship process. And you could land something really great in just a little bit of a different
\n
[37:31]field rather than something that you end up with kind of a dud in something that you wanted to do,
\n
[37:37]but it actually really isn't that fulfilling. Which can also be a learning experience.
\n
[37:43]No, and those are great too. And I know so many people also, again, who didn't have these intense,
\n
[37:48]really hard hour jobs that had a great time. And they had a lot more free time than I did. So
\n
[37:53]there are so many ways to do it. But this, I'm really happy with that. I went in knowing that
\n
[37:59]this was exactly what I wanted. And I luckily received exactly what I wanted because of the work
\n
[38:04]that I, that I put in. Absolutely. Your story is amazing. I'm so, so happy that you're sharing it
\n
[38:09]with future incoming participants. So, and I mean, your career, also your career seminar was very,
\n
[38:16]very helpful. It like, it lit that fire under my, under myself that like was kind of there,
\n
[38:23]but I didn't fully know what I was doing. I mean, I was like so lost. And then we had that seminar.
\n
[38:28]I talked with you after I asked my questions and you were very, very crucial in helping me
\n
[38:32]just feel more confident too, about myself as an applicant. So thank you.
\n
[38:37]I'm so happy to hear that. Good. Lovely. Well, Olivia, thank you so much for sharing your experience
\n
[38:42]with everyone. And I'm excited to see how things go in Germany in the fall for you.
\n
[38:47]Thank you. And good luck, everybody. You got this.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/862123445?h=762175fdb0", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/862123445.mp4", "search": "bonus interview #1 bonus module #2: interviews with international interns in germany key takeaways copy \n send your thank-you email in german even after an english interview. told they wanted someone bilingual, she replied in german, the manager answered in german, and the offer came days later. [18:15-19:20] \n make yourself irreplaceable - companies will \"go through the annoying pain of a visa process\" to keep someone whose value the team does not want to lose. [25:55-26:22] \n a paid internship buys independence: it let her leave the host-family town and move to hamburg. [10:50-11:19] \n her contract came in german via docusign and intern pay is essentially fixed - do not sweat the negotiation. [19:43-20:22] \n start the search in week one at your placement and open the cover letter with the cbyx program name. [34:25-35:55] \n your field can change: pivoting from renewable energy into plant-based food is what found her career. [36:20-37:09] \n bonus interview #1 - olivia hintz \n intern & background \n olivia hintz from michigan; university of michigan environmental science graduate with minors in writing and german (may 2022). started german freshman year for the language requirement; study abroad canceled by covid. found cbyx in the german department newsletter days before the deadline. 39th cohort. [00:21-01:39] \n path & timeline \n \n before cbyx: had a berlin solar-startup internship lined up independently; it fell through (startup/regulatory issues) a week before her cbyx acceptance. [01:47-02:23] \n placed in l\u00fcneburg near hamburg (host family); placement announced end of september. [03:58-04:00, 09:11-09:18] \n applied ~25-30 positions starting first week of october; most jobs found on linkedin (also indeed); kept a spreadsheet tracker. [09:23-09:47, 36:01-36:13] \n offer mid-november (upfield, business analyst on the violife vegan cheese brand); started january 15 after the nuremberg mid-year seminar. [06:03-06:09, 09:47-09:55] \n paid internship let her leave the host-family town and move to hamburg (program financial independence). [10:50-11:19] \n end of internship (june 18): supervisor overheard her say she could see herself in berlin and offered her a junior brand manager role; accepted in may; start date negotiated to september 1 so she could go home. [29:45-33:40] \n \n companies named \n \u00f8rsted (danish offshore wind, hamburg), a berlin solar startup, an alternative-plastic startup, upfield (cpg giant, in 95 countries; working language 50/50 german-english) on the violife vegan-cheese brand; us office contact attempt in new york failed. [04:13-05:26, 06:03-06:09, 28:38] \n application & interview advice \n \n application: resume + cover letter in english; screening phone call with recruiter (basic questions + logistics), then video interview with hiring manager (\"walk me through your resume\" = sell yourself). [06:13-15:18] \n targeted companies where native english is a stated asset; her hiring manager was half-english, based in london (boss remote, hamburg office). [07:04-07:43, 22:35-22:57] \n when told they wanted someone fluent in both languages, she sent her thank-you email in german - manager replied in german, offer came days later. [18:15-19:20] \n prepare post-interview questions in advance and mine personal details from the interviewer to make it a conversation. [15:53-16:55] \n contract arrived via docusign in german; little room to negotiate intern pay - don't sweat it. [19:43-20:22] \n pay: minimum wage, 38 h/week \u2248 \u20ac1,980 gross, ~\u20ac1,400-1,425 net; \u20ac5/day lunch-receipt perk; 15 days holiday for 6 months (half the statutory 30); german hr lag before contract is normal. [12:12-12:45, 20:32-21:15, 31:33-31:47] \n make yourself irreplaceable - bring value the team won't want to lose; companies will \"go through the annoying pain of a visa process\" to keep you. [25:55-26:22] \n visa/stay logistics she had to manage solo: visa extension (not new visa), skipping abmeldung, keeping health insurance. [32:05-32:31] \n \n advice to cbyxers \n \n start searching the first week at your placement; prep application materials in september (cover letter opener: \"i'm part of the bundestag[-funded] program\"). [34:25-35:55] \n apply daily, check linkedin/indeed daily, keep a tracker. [36:01-36:13] \n expand beyond one target field - she pivoted from renewable energy to plant-based food and found her career. [36:20-37:09] \n [00:00] so, all right, olivia, thank you for being here with us today and for volunteering to speak a \n [00:09] little bit about your cbyx young professionals internship experience. of course. you were a \n [00:15] participant in the 39th cohort, right? yes, correct. okay. can you say a little bit about \n [00:21] yourself and why you chose to participate in the program? yes. my name is olivia hintz. i'm from \n [00:28] michigan. i graduated from the university of michigan with a degree in environmental science \n [00:33] and minors in writing in german in may of 2022. so the may before i started cbyx, i left in august. \n [00:41] i graduated in may and i started german in my freshman year of college. michigan had a language \n [00:48] requirement. so i was required to pick up a language and i took spanish in high school, \n [00:53] but i decided i wanted to start fresh and i chose german and michigan had a pretty small \n [00:59] german department. so they were really caring and they wanted you to learn. so i felt kind of \n [01:04] compelled to do the minor and i kind of was only planning on studying abroad, but due to covid, \n [01:10] those plans got canceled. and i still kind of had this desire to go to germany at least one point and \n [01:16] do something there to kind of put all the years that i spent learning the language to, i don't know, \n [01:23] i had like actually have, have something come of it because i know the immersion is the most \n [01:27] important for the language learning. and then i found cbyx in my german department newsletter, \n [01:33] just like a few days before the application was closing. so i applied and luckily i got in \n [01:39] and i originally before choosing to do cbyx was actually looking for jobs in germany outside of cbyx. \n [01:47] so i really just wanted to work abroad at this point after graduating, my main focus was working abroad. \n [01:52] and i was in environmental science and germany is huge with, you know, green energy and just \n [01:58] everything within the environmental space. that's a really big highlight for their economy and working \n [02:03] environment there. so i had a job or an internship lined up at a solar energy startup in berlin, \n [02:10] but unfortunately because of the startup kind of atmosphere and regulatory issues, that startup \n [02:16] kind of fell through. and just a week later i was accepted into cbyx. so it was kind of like a perfect \n [02:23] transition, but that's kind of was my thought process going into choosing to do cbyx. i really \n [02:28] wanted to work abroad and i wanted that abroad experience for my language and cbyx was just like \n [02:34] the perfect outlet to do it. and with the visa process, i mean, it made it much, much easier than i could have done \n [02:39] for myself. yeah. it's kind of a built for you program, right? yeah. so, so your hopes kind of \n [02:46] going into the program were around working abroad, getting that experience using the german, you spent \n [02:51] so much time learning. what were your hopes specifically for the internship component then? \n [02:57] for the internship component, i really wanted to also, so i was going to, my plan at the beginning \n [03:04] was going back to the u s and i wanted a job. i kind of wanted to be in that stage of my life. when i got \n [03:10] back were kind of similar to the rest of my peers. like i was working in a city, i had a stable job. so \n [03:17] kind of my, my thought process going into the german internship portion was to find an international \n [03:23] company that i could potentially use to get a job back in the u s or at least just like use to have a job \n [03:30] in the future in general. so i went in with a future perspective. i wasn't thinking about just having \n [03:36] it for the six month period and then going home and doing something completely different. i was really \n [03:40] using it as a career building opportunity. so that structured my search, although i applied to places \n [03:47] outside of that mold, that was my main priority. and what type of internship were you looking for? \n [03:54] like, did you have certain companies in mind? yeah. so originally i was placed in lunenburg, \n [04:00] which is right 30 minutes outside of hamburg and hamburg is really big with renewable energy and wind \n [04:06] energy offshore. there's a company called orsted. that's a danish wind company that is global and \n [04:13] it has an office in hamburg. so that was like the, i remember the first internship i applied to was \n [04:17] orsted. it had been on my mind for like years, other solar energy companies. so like startups in \n [04:25] environmental tech, i applied to a alternative plastic startup because another thing was i like \n [04:31] startups as well. and i think startups are at least in my experience, a little bit easier to kind of \n [04:38] sell yourself into because they're still so new. you're new, you know, i didn't really have any \n [04:43] experience being just out of college. so i was also kind of focusing on startups or startup like \n [04:49] companies that would, i don't know, kind of take a chance on me rather than just some big, \n [04:54] already institutional, like big company that can find somebody with better german and more \n [04:59] work experience. but i, yeah, i really, and i, i wasn't really getting anything from those \n [05:06] renewable energy companies. so i kind of had to just type in a bunch of keywords into linkedin and see \n [05:11] what popped up. and eventually one popped up for this vegan cheese business called biolife that was \n [05:18] through a larger plant-based food manufacturing company, like similar to unilever, just overall cpg \n [05:26] manufacturing. but i was vegan for six years. so i kind of had that personal relation to it. so i was \n [05:31] like, okay, i'm going to expand outside of solar energy and i'm going to try this because i still \n [05:37] know that i would like doing it. so i ended up expanding outside of just renewable energy \n [05:42] and kind of entering a new territory, but still related to environment and what i, my interests \n [05:48] personally. and can you tell us a little bit about kind of what that application process looked like for \n [05:55] you? yeah. so for the internship that i did end up receiving, it was a business analyst internship or \n [06:03] a business analyst position for upfield, which is then i was working on the brand biolife, like i \n [06:09] mentioned, the vegan cheese company. and that application was pretty simple. it was a cover \n [06:13] letter, resume, and then just one of those kinds of application where you just fill out your \n [06:20] credentials and maybe they ask you a few questions, but it was really just resume and cover \n [06:24] letter. and then i submitted it. a couple of days later, i got an email saying that i was selected \n [06:29] for the first screening interview process. i scheduled that online. i had a phone call. i forget, maybe i \n [06:37] did it like one or two days before. i had a phone call one or two days later. and then within a few \n [06:45] days after that, i received the next interview with my line manager. then we had a video interview. the \n [06:51] first one was a phone call. the second one was a video interview. and we connected really well. she was \n [06:57] a british, she's english german. so she is half german, half english, but she lives in london, \n [07:04] more so english. so another important aspect of this internship was my application was in english. \n [07:11] and one of the points that they mentioned on the qualifications list was obviously, you know, \n [07:18] german is important, but english is, it was kind of stated that english is very important because they \n [07:24] are an international company. and because the working language is 50, 50 german english, but having \n [07:31] native english, english skills was, i know, definitely a plus, especially with my boss being english, german \n [07:37] and her having fluency in english. that was definitely something that helped me, i think, land the position \n [07:43] and just, yeah, that was an important aspect that i should mention. \n [07:47] and you kind of were able to see that from the website too, as far as what they were saying about \n [07:50] the company. and yeah, okay. so you had multiple strategies, then you had kind of this startup, like, \n [07:55] hey, i'm, i'm maybe not super experienced, but i've got hands on deck, and i have all these skills. and then \n [07:59] you were also like, okay, where can i use like my, my linguistic abilities as well, despite knowing german, \n [08:04] really? \n [08:05] yeah, exactly. i thought that my, my english fluency coupled with intermediate skills in german would \n [08:13] probably go farther at some place that values, like english is really, really important. and then german is, of \n [08:19] course, they kind of expect you to know it, having the english fluency as a scene as a plus, rather than \n [08:24] just something that you can kind of throw aside would have been really important, because it is, \n [08:28] it's an international company that was in, or is currently in 95 countries. so i knew going in that \n [08:34] this was kind of also what i wanted in terms of, they had offices in the us, or just in other countries, \n [08:40] and it could be a larger building block to my career. \n [08:46] so how many applications did you send in total? because it sounds like you're pretty streamlined, \n [08:52] actually. \n [08:53] yeah, so i ended up structuring my search with that guide that pvp gave us. well, because you also are \n [09:00] required to submit that if you don't get an internship within their timeframe. so for me, it was just easier \n [09:06] to start from the very beginning. i started right as i got to lunenberg, which i didn't find my placement \n [09:11] until two weeks before september, or october before we moved. so at the very end of september, \n [09:18] i found out that i was where i was going. and pretty much directly after that, i started, \n [09:23] i made a spreadsheet. i started looking on linkedin. and indeed, i found most of my jobs on linkedin, \n [09:30] that was my primary search engine for jobs. but ultimately, i ended up applying to about 25 or 30 \n [09:38] before i received the offer for my company. and that was at middle of november. \n [09:47] and when did you start? \n [09:49] i started middle of january. so january 15th, it was right after the nuremberg mid-year seminar. \n [09:56] oh, no, no. okay, that's good to know too. but i mean, when did you start applying? \n [10:00] yes, i started applying within the first week of october. so probably a couple days or a week after \n [10:09] i landed in lunenberg, did i start looking and applying and kind of setting up my resume too, \n [10:16] because i sent a few applications. and then i was like, okay, i probably should update this a little \n [10:20] bit. and then luckily, we had your career coaching. and then we had a one on one conversation. \n [10:25] and you were really helpful with my application materials. but at that point, i actually already \n [10:31] had the first interview with upfield. but those materials were in english. so \n [10:35] yeah. did you also have your host family help you in any way, shape or form? \n [10:39] i not, not really. i was a little bit, i wasn't too happy with my location. i was in just a really \n [10:50] small town. and part of also what was fueling my internship process was or my internship search \n [10:57] was knowing that if i received a paid internship, i would be able to be financially dependent of the \n [11:04] program and move to a place that would make me happier. so that was also one thing important \n [11:11] to know that was really, it fueled me to find a paid internship that would allow me to move to hamburg \n [11:19] or leave my situation, not because of my host at all, she was great. but just because i didn't think \n [11:25] it was the right place to put somebody or me. so i wanted to change my situation. so i kind of \n [11:31] got a little bit, i just, i don't know, had this like fire lit under me. and i was just kind of \n [11:37] doing everything on my own. and maybe that wasn't the best strategy. but luckily, it worked. but that \n [11:42] was kind of the mindset that i was in at the time. yeah. and i think it's good for people to hear that \n [11:47] too. like, what is it like to be in that process? because we forget as soon as we've got the internship \n [11:51] and things are going well, then we forget like all the anxiety and everything that was like, that was \n [11:55] fueling us to get there in the first place. absolutely. yeah. can you talk a little bit about \n [12:01] what that pay looked like if you're open to that and kind of what your setup in hamburg was? \n [12:05] yes, definitely. so i received minimum wage for 38 hours a week. so that ended up being \n [12:12] 1980. so 1,980 a month. taxes take out a lot. and that's what you learn, like working in germany, \n [12:21] definitely you notice that. but i ended up kind of coming home, i think with 1425 or 1400. my company \n [12:29] also had a perk where they would pay five euros of your meal, your lunch every day. \n [12:35] oh, that's nice. yeah. so you could submit your receipt, and then they would give you five euros \n [12:40] back for each lunch receipt that you submitted. and then you would get that money with your next \n [12:45] paycheck. so that was another, that was a perk. but those were kind of my main forms of payment \n [12:50] from the job. and then i, once i received the internship, i kind of went straight into \n [12:56] vegas, looking for vegas and any way that i could get to hamburg. i ended up overpaying, \n [13:04] i was paying 700 for a place. yeah. for a vegas with, that was too dirty with too many people for \n [13:11] that much money. but i was, you know, with the program, you just kind of have to, you're kind \n [13:18] of in a whirlwind for like the entire time. and you just have to make decisions and they might not be \n [13:23] the most, the ones that you would make if you had ample amount of time and resources, but you \n [13:27] don't. so ultimately was very, very happy with my decision. and i did still have enough money to \n [13:34] survive because of the paid internship. and then with my rent, even with that deducted, it was okay. \n [13:41] yeah. we're still able to make buy and make do and stuff. okay. yeah. just to back up a little bit \n [13:47] here, what was, you went through multiple interviews in that interview process. can you tell \n [13:52] us kind of what questions they asked or how someone should think about preparing for an interview? \n [13:56] yeah. so usually, and with all my interviews in the past too, i had a screening interview with the \n [14:03] hr person or the recruiter or somebody that's not your line manager or the person who will be hiring you \n [14:10] directly. so my first screening interview was really just the most basic questions. like, why did you \n [14:17] apply to this job? why do you feel like you're qualified? i don't think it was those exactly, but \n [14:22] it wasn't anything that was like really diving into my resume or asking me specific strengths and \n [14:29] weaknesses. it was more so just the most basic questions that you can find online. if you just like \n [14:35] look up basic interview screening questions, and then kind of just like a schedule logistical \n [14:42] breakdown of, i think my german level, if i would be able to be in the office in hamburg, \n [14:49] kind of saying what the schedule is like. if, you know, some people come in or most people \n [14:53] work remotely monday, friday, would you be able to come in during the week? it was very logistical \n [14:59] and basic. and then once i got past that, i had a video interview with my hiring manager and basically \n [15:08] she just had my resume up on the screen. and she was like, i have your resume up on a screen. \n [15:13] if you want to just walk me through your resume and just, so i, yeah, just sell yourself. basically, \n [15:18] that's what that means. luckily i planned for that. and i, i, i walked her through my resume and i had \n [15:25] different experiences that kind of highlighted why i am a good person to work in like a startup type \n [15:31] atmosphere, because although it was an established company, violife is still relatively new within \n [15:36] germany. so the vibe of the position was very like hands-on, you're going to do a lot, which is my \n [15:44] forte. so that worked out well. and i'm trying to think of any other questions. there's always a \n [15:53] portion at the end, at least with the, with the hiring manager, with the second interview, that is \n [15:58] the one that mainly matters where you have an opportunity to ask questions. so i, before i had \n [16:03] this interview, i talked with my mom, i talked with some of my best friends who had gotten positions at \n [16:08] companies in the u s and i asked them what their kind of post interview questions are, like, what are \n [16:14] some good questions to ask to show, you know, because those are very important as well. but i also just \n [16:19] like listened directly to her in the interview. i picked up kind of, if i could get any, um, personal \n [16:26] information about her too, to see like how we could connect just as people. and i pulled that into my, \n [16:33] my post interview questions and kind of talked a little bit about her. i think, um, it's so often \n [16:38] that, i mean, they just do these interviews and they do person after person, and it probably can get \n [16:44] pretty monotonous and maybe not stick out in their mind. so i thought that having an actual conversation \n [16:50] where we're talking, not just about things that they talk about to everybody else would probably \n [16:55] help me stand out a little bit, but it went really well. we connected really well. and i thought it was \n [17:01] more of a conversation. like, i feel like you hear that from people when the interview goes well, \n [17:05] it's, it was more of a conversation rather than this kind of drilling on either side. yeah. \n [17:11] yeah. it's normally a red flag. if it's like, if it's so stiff and uncomfortable that it feels like \n [17:18] that. right. um, unless you're doing the technical interviews for those of you who are stem majors, \n [17:22] then that that's oftentimes the case that they'll have a technical interview like that, but otherwise \n [17:26] it should be kind of a conversation. i love that you pull out like this human aspect of the person \n [17:30] who's talking to you. that's great. yeah. i was like, i probably would want that if i was in \n [17:36] their situation, it would, it would probably like catch me off guard a little bit and i'd be like, \n [17:39] oh, i can talk about myself. yeah. and it's a question that they won't necessarily have like a \n [17:47] pre-formulated answer to. yeah. right. definitely. but that everything was entirely in english for \n [17:52] you, right? you didn't, they didn't switch into german at any point in time or ask about your \n [17:56] german skills. yeah. so they, they didn't. my hiring manager did mention the german. so our interview \n [18:02] was in english. like i said, she's english, british. so she also had perfect native english. \n [18:09] language discrepancy or anything like that. she did say at the end of the interview though, \n [18:15] i mean, i could tell it went well, but then she made a comment that they were looking for somebody \n [18:19] who was fluent in both english and german. so it was a little bit of a, like, it's a bit of a setback \n [18:26] that i don't, that i'm not fluent in german as well. so after she said that it wasn't like a total \n [18:31] negative, it was just kind of like a direct comment that they wanted somebody who was fluent in both. \n [18:36] so then after the interview, i ended up sending my thank you email in german to her. \n [18:43] i love the strategy on this. this is great. \n [18:46] it was like really, i was really trying. i was like pulling out all the stops, but i knew my writing \n [18:52] is better to my speaking is where my german struggles the most, which interview that would be, \n [18:58] it would be so incredibly stressful. i, so i knew like i could present myself the best in english. \n [19:02] so i was very happy that it wasn't english, but i also do have german skills and i, and i was, \n [19:07] i did want to show those in some capacity. so i wrote my thank you email in german and she wrote \n [19:12] a response back in german. and a few days later i received the job. um, yeah. \n [19:20] did you then get an internship contract from them or what did kind of those next steps look like? \n [19:25] yeah. so once i received the job, i think it happened pretty fast that i received the call \n [19:32] from the first person who interviewed me, the screening person recruiter. and she told me that \n [19:39] i received the job. she told me the pay and just kind of like the basics of the position. and then she \n [19:43] said, you'll receive the contract within the next few days. and i did via docusign. so it was just an \n [19:49] email, a german contract, of course. so i looked at it, looked at it in german, do the whole, \n [19:56] there wasn't that much to it. you know, maybe i could have negotiated. i know that that was a point \n [20:02] that i think was brought up later, but at the time i was just so happy to be getting a paid \n [20:06] internship. and i felt like my life was opening up and my cbyx journey was going on a direction that \n [20:13] i really worked hard for it to take. so i kind of was just like, i'm just going to sign it. i'm going \n [20:17] to get started on my vegae search, but yeah. there's, there's also not a ton of room to \n [20:22] negotiate with internships. so you didn't, you didn't lose out on a lot there, i would say. \n [20:26] yeah. and another, another perk of the job too, being it, like it was a full six month long \n [20:32] corporate internship with all the german labor laws and all of that. so i was paid, of course, \n [20:39] like i mentioned, but i also received 15 days of holiday. yeah. so it was like just cut in half of the \n [20:45] 30 days that they're required to have in a year. since i was working six months, i, i got team. \n [20:50] so you took out vacation time. yeah. like a lot, like way more than i thought that i should be \n [20:56] taking way more than my parents thought i should be taking. my parents were like, you really going \n [21:01] to take that much? like, i was like, no, it's like, it's required. i don't know. \n [21:07] and also they respect you. if you take them, they're not about this, like overwork, \n [21:11] like let's work ourselves around, but like, let's relax and then do a good high quality job. \n [21:15] right. absolutely. i really, really appreciate that about the german working environment. \n [21:20] they got that right. that's for sure. okay. so let me just take a look here. so you have, \n [21:28] you got the contract, you filled out the contract. what then did your first couple of days look like? \n [21:33] yes. so i, i was very nervous, but i came. yeah. so this was right after we came back from \n [21:42] nuremberg. so i ended up moving out of my host family house on january 1st and i was within 30 \n [21:50] minutes of hamburg. so i just packed all myself on the train. i had a friend help me and i moved in \n [21:57] a few days before nuremberg, went to nuremberg. that was like a week long seminar, came back on \n [22:04] saturday. and then that monday i started my job. so those few days to prepare, i just kind of like \n [22:10] got my outfits ready. i was like just trying to settle into hamburg because i had just moved at that \n [22:15] point, but it was a lot of technical setup. they got me started with my computer. i had to kind of \n [22:23] send some emails to get some softwares downloaded. my boss gave me a folder of documents to look over \n [22:29] to just kind of get familiar with what they had been doing. we had some personal interview or \n [22:35] personal meetings because she's was based in london. so i was working in the hamburg office. \n [22:40] my boss was based in london. so we would have zoom or like teams meetings, the two of us, \n [22:47] and she would, you know, we would talk about stuff. she would tell me what to do. and then i would go back \n [22:53] in the hamburg office and do it. and then, so our relationship was virtual for the most part. \n [22:57] so your supervisor was virtual then, even though you were sitting in hamburg. okay. \n [23:01] exactly. yeah. so, so i was an intern for the team, but i was mostly an intern for my supervisor, \n [23:07] who was the head of the biolife team in the dachet region, which is germany, austria, italy, and \n [23:15] switzerland. cool. and what were your tasks and responsibilities then like? \n [23:19] so i was really kind of like a data analyst researcher. my exact title was business analyst, \n [23:27] but since it was like a startup style company, i did a lot of different things. i did some \n [23:34] sustainability marketing briefs, like some creative stuff with marketing sustainability on our instagram. \n [23:41] i did a lot on excel where i would look at nielsen data, which is basically like sales, \n [23:47] sellout data that you can get based on retailers. basically what i would do, what i would look at \n [23:53] data from reva or etika, and you can look at the competitors, their specific products, \n [23:59] their specific skus that they have and see how we're competing with our competitor, see trends in \n [24:05] the data. like what were the sales like in june through august versus november through january? \n [24:12] is there seasonality between any products? i looked at the dairy cheese market and saw what are the most \n [24:18] popular products and formats of cheeses in the dairy cheese market? and where does the vegan cheese \n [24:24] market in germany lack that? so white space that we can fill the gap. so it was really fun. and i love \n [24:31] food. i love working in food, plant-based food. like it was all just kind of really exciting. and there \n [24:37] was always something new. i was, i did a lot of like long-term projects in terms of just making graphs \n [24:44] and charts, displaying our skus compared to competitor skus and like having updated sales data \n [24:51] every month that we could look at and see our performance. but i also, as the internship went on \n [24:57] and i was given more responsibility and i started to develop like a really good relationship with my \n [25:03] supervisor. she more so would ask me questions as like, what do you think we should do? it wasn't \n [25:09] just giving me tasks. i actually felt like i was really a part of the team, which was great. \n [25:14] so i ended up making trade decks, which are basically like sell in or slide decks that sell \n [25:21] in our products to different retailers. so like selling in our product at calfland. i would take the \n [25:26] deck for that with the arguments and the data as to why you should take our vegan cheese. \n [25:33] so there's really a progression of like first kind of maybe doing tasks where you're supporting to \n [25:38] then like really creating and having responsibility over a certain area. definitely. i totally noticed \n [25:44] that within the first, like when i hit past the halfway point, i was definitely getting into \n [25:49] more of, i was a part of the team. and i think that was one of the biggest pieces of advice. and \n [25:55] one of the things that made me receive a full-time offer at the end was, and my mom meant like, \n [26:01] she gave me this advice, but like making yourself irreplaceable as an asset on the team and having \n [26:08] so like having a lot of skills and a lot of bringing a lot of value to the team that they \n [26:13] don't want to lose you. and if a company notices that value and they don't want to lose you, then \n [26:17] they'll, you know, go through this annoying pain of a visa process to keep you on the team. \n [26:22] so i really developed close relationships with my supervisor, with my colleagues. i put in a lot of \n [26:28] effort and work and time. and some people don't want to do that, which is totally okay. but i did \n [26:35] work overtime a lot. there were some nights where i would leave at seven and that's not the norm, \n [26:43] but as an intern, i wanted, and my boss was, was pretty intense. she used to work in investment \n [26:48] banking. so. oh, wow. okay. so seven was like middle of the day for her. yeah, exactly. so she was like, \n [26:54] i don't understand why everybody's leaving at like five. like we have work to do. i was like, yeah, \n [26:58] we gotta, like, but yeah. so that was also another thing. i did not just like close my computer at five \n [27:06] and like left there. like i was, i knew that the six months was a investment period into myself and \n [27:12] in my future. and if i put in the time, then hopefully i was hoping something great would come \n [27:17] of it, whether in the u s or elsewhere. and it did, but it, it was a lot of work and, and time and \n [27:26] knowing that i was giving up some things to receive what i did in the end. and to prove yourself to the \n [27:33] company too. and i think that that's kind of a natural part of the process, right? yeah. so, and, \n [27:38] and all that hard work and all those extra 7 pm evenings paid off for you. so what happened as \n [27:43] your internship was coming to an end? yes. so like i kind of mentioned, i think at the very \n [27:49] beginning, i had the idea of hopefully returning to the u s working with a company that would maybe be \n [27:54] able to put in a good word for me in the u s, or i would be able to just kind of receive a job in \n [27:59] the u s i didn't exactly know how that would look like, but around maybe mid april. so the internship \n [28:05] was ending june 18th. so around mid april, my boss started asking me about what i wanted back in the u s \n [28:13] and she started reaching out to the u s office of our company. she would also, she looked over my \n [28:20] resume. so she was really helpful in trying to land me a job that i wanted in the u s, which was my \n [28:26] original goal, but it wasn't really working out. i had some interviews in the u s when i was still \n [28:31] located in germany, but those fell through. she tried to talk to the new york office of my company. \n [28:38] they weren't really responsive. it kind of seemed like they wanted someone with more experience. \n [28:43] like they weren't just going to take this american intern from the german side. so we were kind of \n [28:49] at a standstill. and then i went to berlin for the final seminar for cbyx. and i've always loved \n [28:56] berlin. it's always been, it's probably my favorite city in europe. like i've been a few times, well, \n [29:02] many times within the program, but beforehand as well, i went on a solo trip before i was planning my \n [29:07] just like post-grad germany thing. i want to see if i even would like it there. and so berlin has \n [29:13] always been just like a really, a city that i've always thought about, but i kind of was still in \n [29:18] this mentality of going home. then i went there for the seminar and i really just like fell in love \n [29:23] with berlin again. and i, you know, with where my job was at and where i knew that my boss wanted me \n [29:30] to stay. she would make comments like, why can't you just move to germany? like, why don't you just want \n [29:34] to stay in germany? and i was like, yeah, but i just wasn't really thinking about it. like i didn't \n [29:40] think about it as a realistic option, but then i came back from berlin and i made like one comment \n [29:45] to my coworkers. i was like, i love berlin. i could honestly see myself living in berlin. \n [29:50] and my supervisor was in the office that day. she overheard. and then later that day, like, \n [29:55] right as we ended our day, she took me into an office and she offered me this junior brand manager \n [30:00] position for the company and was like, we would normally have somebody with more experience, \n [30:06] but like, we, you know, really want you to stay on the team. i know it's scary. and like, she was \n [30:11] really understanding of all the reasons that i wanted to go home because she was from, she lives in \n [30:16] london and she doesn't want to move to hamburg and she wants to stay in london. so she was very \n [30:21] understanding of all the fears that i had of doing this like long abroad year again. but i had the offer \n [30:30] and it was real this time and it was just a verbal. so it wasn't like a, they didn't set a \n [30:34] contract in front of me. it was just her saying, we have this opening on the team. we would love \n [30:39] for you to stay. it's, you know, if you don't like it in six months or a year, a year and a half, \n [30:44] like you can leave, like, it's not like this set specific contract thing. it, we just, i just feel \n [30:50] like you're really, we work well together and this brand could go in a really cool direction. and i left \n [30:56] for the weekend. that was on thursday. i had a weekend in madrid. i was visiting a friend \n [31:01] and i talked with him about it and he was staying another year in madrid. and i talked with my mom \n [31:06] and there was like no reason to say no. there was no reason to say no. and it was an, and, and i got \n [31:13] the approval that i would be able to work remotely in berlin, which, and go to hamburg for it. they're \n [31:18] so close. so if i want to go to hamburg when she's in the office, i can, but yeah. and then i accepted \n [31:25] the job when i came back on tuesday and this was still in may and it took some time to get the, \n [31:33] i actually didn't get the contract, the physical contract until the day i was leaving my internship \n [31:38] on june 18th. a long lag with hr, which is very common. i, everybody that i've talked to, \n [31:47] like in hr taking a long time is very, very common. so it was pretty much for the entire last month of \n [31:58] the program that i was there from mid-may to mid-june or the end of june. i was just like, \n [32:05] i accepted this job and i was thinking of all the things that i would have to do to like come back. \n [32:11] and that meant not doing the abmeldung, that meant not doing, or like trying to keep my health \n [32:18] insurance. that meant like applying to a visa extension rather than a brand new visa. it was \n [32:24] just a lot. it was very, very stressful. i won't lie. it was like a really hard time trying to manage \n [32:31] it all myself because i was here alone and i had my company that was helping me, but you know, \n [32:36] my mom wasn't holding my hand telling me how to fill out government paperwork. so, so, and i was \n [32:45] still working really hard. i didn't stop working just because i got this offer. so, but it all worked \n [32:50] out hopefully. so. cause you're right about to like move back. so you had the summer off and then \n [32:56] you're starting in september 1st, right? yes. okay. so that was another thing that i negotiated too. \n [33:01] i wanted to go home. it was really important for me. i mean, i needed to with the program and i made \n [33:06] that very clear that i needed to go home. i had a flight, i was going to dc, but not only that, \n [33:12] i felt like after being abroad for the year and also not being allowed to go home, not seeing my \n [33:19] friends, like it, it wasn't like we weren't allowed to go home. so they were understanding of the fact \n [33:24] that i wanted to go home. i wanted to be there for at least a little bit and then come back. so i \n [33:30] negotiated a september 1st start date, but it was more so like they just asked what would be realistic \n [33:35] for you. and i said september 1st and also with the visa, i don't even know if i can start september \n [33:42] 1st. like i'm waiting. that's also, but those, those things also sometimes come through like the \n [33:48] day before you need to actually start working. so fingers crossed for you. exactly. like we're \n [33:54] hoping that. so just to, to kind of wrap up our conversation today, which i think is going to \n [34:01] be really, really helpful for the cbyxers. when you think back on the whole process and the whole \n [34:06] program and specifically on the internship component, what do you think are some things that cbyxers \n [34:12] do that sets them apart? and where do you think there are maybe some common mistakes that they make? \n [34:18] with the internship process specifically? yeah. i think definitely one of the, one of the big \n [34:25] kind of challenges is that people don't start early enough. and that is really difficult with the \n [34:32] circumstances of the program being. so for me, i didn't get my placement until the end of september. \n [34:39] so we, i wasn't able to start looking in my area for internships until i landed on like basically \n [34:47] in luna berg in october. and even then that's already kind of behind for internships that you \n [34:54] want to start in january, but, and a lot of people have a hard time starting the first week that they \n [35:00] get to the new location, completely understandable. and there are a lot of people too, in the program \n [35:04] that just don't really care to have an internship that they can turn into a job when they get home. \n [35:10] so there, i think are just a wide variety of perspectives on what that you want to get out of \n [35:15] the internship portion. but i think for people who want to kind of do what i did and find a corporate \n [35:25] or just more kind of long-term like six month paid position in a field that they would like to work \n [35:31] on when they get home or if they want to stay in germany, starting really early, getting your \n [35:37] application materials. that's something that you can do in september. you can get your application \n [35:41] materials up to date. you can make that cover letter with that like very opening sentence. i'm part of \n [35:46] the bundestag, like, so you, there are things that you can do in september to get ready for starting in \n [35:55] october, right? when you kind of get yourself a little bit settled, then i would just start sending, \n [36:01] i would send applications out like daily. i would look at linkedin daily. i would look at nd daily. \n [36:06] and sometimes there was nothing new, but i had a tracker that also really helped keep me organized. \n [36:13] let me think what else. i think another, another thing is widening, expanding your search to \n [36:20] all of your interests. most people in the program, i would say 90%, 95% are coming right out of post-grad. \n [36:29] and i know a lot of us think about, you know, we know exactly what we want to do. i thought i wanted \n [36:35] to do renewable energy. and like, that was a, that was, that was it. that's why i was going to \n [36:39] germany. that was like the biggest draw. and i ended up working in plant-based food. and now i can't \n [36:44] honestly see myself not continuing down this plant-based food route for my future that i can see \n [36:53] so far, like five years. i see myself in this career now. and it was only because i expanded and i was \n [36:58] kind of rushed to try to find an internship. and i saw this job and i was like, you know what, \n [37:03] that kind of fits me. and then now i'm on this entire new path, like life path. so expanding \n [37:09] outside of just one kind of strict kind of career or field that you see yourself in, this is a whole \n [37:19] year about trying new things. and part of that includes opening up your mind a little bit with \n [37:26] internship process. and you could land something really great in just a little bit of a different \n [37:31] field rather than something that you end up with kind of a dud in something that you wanted to do, \n [37:37] but it actually really isn't that fulfilling. which can also be a learning experience. \n [37:43] no, and those are great too. and i know so many people also, again, who didn't have these intense, \n [37:48] really hard hour jobs that had a great time. and they had a lot more free time than i did. so \n [37:53] there are so many ways to do it. but this, i'm really happy with that. i went in knowing that \n [37:59] this was exactly what i wanted. and i luckily received exactly what i wanted because of the work \n [38:04] that i, that i put in. absolutely. your story is amazing. i'm so, so happy that you're sharing it \n [38:09] with future incoming participants. so, and i mean, your career, also your career seminar was very, \n [38:16] very helpful. it like, it lit that fire under my, under myself that like was kind of there, \n [38:23] but i didn't fully know what i was doing. i mean, i was like so lost. and then we had that seminar. \n [38:28] i talked with you after i asked my questions and you were very, very crucial in helping me \n [38:32] just feel more confident too, about myself as an applicant. so thank you. \n [38:37] i'm so happy to hear that. good. lovely. well, olivia, thank you so much for sharing your experience \n [38:42] with everyone. and i'm excited to see how things go in germany in the fall for you. \n [38:47] thank you. and good luck, everybody. you got this. "}, {"id": "L8-1", "key": "862532275", "vid": "862532275", "title": "Bonus Interview #2", "module": "BONUS MODULE #2: Interviews with International Interns in Germany", "mi": 8, "li": 1, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-2", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
    \n
  1. Decide English vs. German documents per role, not per comfort - match the language to the job type, and prepare both.
    2. \n
  2. Cap your list at ~20 and use initiative applications - cold-emailing non-advertised positions yields fast replies (~1 week) and high interview rates.
    3. \n
  3. Know your Praktikum type before signing - the Pflicht/Freiwillig distinction determines whether minimum wage applies.
    4. \n
  4. Create your own project - find \"what can I make better here?\" and pitch it; downtime plus a skill equals a portfolio piece.
    5. \n
  5. Be okay with \"no\" and adapt to your placement city - the program is choose-your-own-adventure; think big about what you want out of it.
    6. \n
", "summary": "

Bonus Interview #2 - Dan Baxter (Search Process, Praktikum Types, Initiative Applications)

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Module: Bonus Interviews

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Lesson URL: https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-2

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Overview

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Interview with Dan Baxter (CBYX 39th cohort, Dresden placement) - an international affairs major with rusty B1 German who wanted a paid six-month internship but instead cobbled together a two-month unpaid museum internship plus a three-month paid internship at a translation company. He details a repeatable three-step search process, German Praktikum law (Pflicht- vs. Freiwilliges-Praktikum), and how self-initiative turned a dying museum job into a career pivot to translation.

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Key Points

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Frameworks & Templates

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    \n
  1. Get resume + cover letter together; decide English vs. German per role type.
    2. \n
  2. Job search: one or two job sites only; list of ~20 internships max; send emails/calls; follow up after ~a week.
    3. \n
  3. Leverage connections: ask professors for research-assistant openings, consult your Betreuer/in for site recommendations and phrasing help.
    4. \n
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German Phrases / Vocab

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Resources

\n", "md": "# Bonus Interview #2 - Dan Baxter (Search Process, Praktikum Types, Initiative Applications)\n\n**Module:** Bonus Interviews\n**Lesson URL:** https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-2\n\n## Overview\nInterview with Dan Baxter (CBYX 39th cohort, Dresden placement) - an international affairs major with rusty B1 German who wanted a paid six-month internship but instead cobbled together a two-month unpaid museum internship plus a three-month paid internship at a translation company. He details a repeatable three-step search process, German Praktikum law (Pflicht- vs. Freiwilliges-Praktikum), and how self-initiative turned a dying museum job into a career pivot to translation.\n\n## Key Points\n- [00:21] Dan finished college during COVID; invested in German classes and wanted that investment to pay off. Never left the US before the program.\n- [02:16] His political-science/museum expectations \"collided\" with the Dresden job market - he had to recalibrate and think bigger about his skill set.\n- [03:24] Outcome: instead of one paid six-month internship, a two-month unpaid internship (museum) + three-month paid internship (translation company).\n- [03:59] Arrived with rusty B1; kept German alive passively (Netflix, music) but production skills weakened - plan to maintain actively.\n- [04:26] **Three-step search process:** (1) resume/cover letter - decide English vs. German based on language level, placement, and field; (2) job search - pick one or two job sites, cap a list at ~20 internships, start sending; (3) leverage connections (university professors, Betreuer/in).\n- [04:55] English vs. German documents: C1/C2 German + Berlin tech startup \u2192 English is fine; MP office or public-facing customer service \u2192 apply in German. He made both versions.\n- [05:54] Job search felt overwhelming in the details; taking a bird's-eye view of a few big chunks made it manageable.\n- [09:15] Used the CBYX application tracker as a sanity tool: track sent applications, follow up after ~1 week, know what's next.\n- [10:32] Sent the **Bescheinigung** (program explanation letter from the sponsor, in German) with every application; an interviewer still asked why he wasn't seeking a full-time job - prepare an elevator pitch for the program and iterate it.\n- [12:45] A dozen applications total; got 5 interviews \u2192 4 offers. Interviews took ~1 week to come back because most were **Initiativbewerbung** (initiative applications) to non-advertised positions.\n- [13:26] Started late (November) due to focusing on the 40-hour volunteering requirement first - starting earlier would have reduced stress.\n- [17:31] Key legal distinction: **Pflichtpraktikum** (mandatory internship for a study/trade program - exempt from minimum wage) vs. **Freiwilliges Praktikum** (voluntary - must be paid minimum wage if longer than 3 months). The word \"freiwillig\" was misread as \"unpaid volunteer\"; chaotic clarifying emails followed.\n- [21:20] Interview prep: read the employer's website, Google common German interview questions, pre-learn field vocab; German-language interviews often drift into English.\n- [22:33] Interview confidence: the CBYX selection interview is harder than any German internship interview - you've already passed the tough one.\n- [23:30] German co-workers open up more slowly than Americans; initial isolation is normal, give it time.\n- [24:15] Tell employers early about the mid-year and end-of-year seminars so time off is pre-approved.\n- [26:02] Found the translation-company internship via the **Agentur f\u00fcr Arbeit** job portal (Germany's Department of Labor + a job board like Indeed/Monster).\n- [28:20] Self-initiative story: as the only fluent English speaker at the museum, he proposed fixing broken QR-code English translations - creating value from downtime; also stumbled into his career as ad-hoc interpreter.\n- [31:08] Success factors: be okay hearing \"no\" (his first job search: 30 applications \u2192 2 interviews), stay adaptable to your placement city, think big.\n- [34:13] The program is choose-your-own-adventure - he used it to test a career and pivoted from international relations to translation/language services.\n\n## Frameworks & Templates\n- **Three-step search process (verbatim logic):**\n 1. Get resume + cover letter together; decide English vs. German per role type.\n 2. Job search: one or two job sites only; list of ~20 internships max; send emails/calls; follow up after ~a week.\n 3. Leverage connections: ask professors for research-assistant openings, consult your Betreuer/in for site recommendations and phrasing help.\n- **English vs. German decision rule:** C1/C2 German + international/tech field \u2192 English OK. Public-facing, political, customer-service, or small local org \u2192 German required.\n- **Initiativbewerbung template (email out of the blue):** \"Hey - here's this program I'm in, here are my skills and background, can I work for you?\"\n- **Praktikum rules of thumb:** Freiwilliges Praktikum > 3 months \u2192 minimum wage required. Pflichtpraktikum \u2192 tied to a study program, exempt from minimum wage. Clarify which type you're applying for in writing before starting.\n- **Application tracker habit:** columns for place, date sent, follow-up date (send follow-up ~1 week later), status.\n- **Self-initiative pitch to a supervisor:** \"Here's a way I can provide value to you with the skill set I have - in my downtime, can I fix/improve X?\"\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- **Initiativbewerbung** - initiative application: emailing an employer that has no advertised opening.\n- **Pflichtpraktikum** - mandatory internship required by a university/trade program; not covered by minimum wage law.\n- **Freiwilliges Praktikum** - voluntary internship; must be paid minimum wage if longer than 3 months.\n- **Bescheinigung** - official letter (from the program sponsor) explaining the program and internship phase, attached to applications.\n- **Agentur f\u00fcr Arbeit** - Germany's Federal Employment Agency; runs a job portal similar to Indeed/Monster.\n- **Betreuer/in** - the program's local advisor/mentor in your placement city.\n- **Praktikumszeugnis / Arbeitszeugnis** - work certificate: a signed 1-2 page reference \"like a Yelp review of you\"; a great asset for future German jobs or studies.\n- **Abschied** - farewell ritual: bring sweets/cake to co-workers on your last day.\n\n## Resources\n- Job sites: Stepstone, Indeed, Monster; Agentur f\u00fcr Arbeit job portal.\n- University writing center / career center for document review.\n- Tandem language partner (native German) to proofread resumes and cover letters.\n- Betreuer/in for local job-market know-how.\n- Program application tracker for pipeline management.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n1. **Decide English vs. German documents per role, not per comfort** - match the language to the job type, and prepare both.\n2. **Cap your list at ~20 and use initiative applications** - cold-emailing non-advertised positions yields fast replies (~1 week) and high interview rates.\n3. **Know your Praktikum type before signing** - the Pflicht/Freiwillig distinction determines whether minimum wage applies.\n4. **Create your own project** - find \"what can I make better here?\" and pitch it; downtime plus a skill equals a portfolio piece.\n5. **Be okay with \"no\" and adapt to your placement city** - the program is choose-your-own-adventure; think big about what you want out of it.\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]thing I tell people is that. Sorry, go ahead and tell me again. Okay. No, no, tell me again. So
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[00:05]thank you, Dan Baxter, for being here with us today. You're going to be talking to us a little
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[00:09]bit about your experience in CBYX and the Young Professionals Program specifically. You were part
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[00:15]of the 39th cohort, and I was just wondering if you can say a little bit about yourself and why
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[00:21]you chose to participate in the program. Yeah, of course. I know it might be a bit much to say that
\n
[00:30]this program totally changed my life, but it's definitely a big thing I was looking forward to.
\n
[00:36]When I was growing up, the biggest single decoration in my childhood bedroom was this massive six foot
\n
[00:43]wide by four and a half foot tall world map. I was obsessed with reading about other places and
\n
[00:50]traveling, and I wanted to be a diplomat, but for some circumstantial reasons, I hadn't been able to
\n
[00:58]travel outside the U.S. before doing this program. I finished college in May 2021. So my junior and
\n
[01:06]senior year, when most people study abroad, was the two years of COVID, when everything was virtual
\n
[01:13]and travel was not really an option. In spite of that, I was still able to take a couple semesters of
\n
[01:20]German language classes at my college, and I came out of college saying, okay, what now? I've invested
\n
[01:27]all this time and energy into learning German. I might as well find some way to use it and make
\n
[01:34]this investment pay off, so to speak. Excellent. So what were your hopes for the internship going
\n
[01:43]into the program, or like what were you looking for? What did you envision? My hopes were very vague
\n
[01:50]about going into the internship. This is really dependent on the placement that you get from the
\n
[01:55]program. They were 80% sure that I was going to be in Dresden, which is the capital of Saxony,
\n
[02:02]one of Germany's states, in around mid-September, but I didn't really get that set in stone until
\n
[02:09]the last week of September or first week of October. I was an international affairs major,
\n
[02:16]and I went into this program expecting to do something with history and political science.
\n
[02:24]I figured, okay, I'll volunteer for a member of parliament and do a German version of a constituent
\n
[02:31]services internship for a member of Congress, or I'll work in one of the museums, or work for one of
\n
[02:38]the state political parties' offices. But the best way I can describe it is that my expectations
\n
[02:47]of what I would do at the German job market, at least in my city, collided. And after the first
\n
[02:55]couple applications not going well, I had to recalibrate and think a bit bigger about my skill
\n
[03:02]set and the jobs available to me. So your hopes and expectations changed over the course of the
\n
[03:11]program. Right. I initially expected to find a paid six-month internship for the entire time. That
\n
[03:18]was my end goal. However, that didn't work out. So I ended up cobbling together a two-month unpaid
\n
[03:24]internship and a three-month paid internship. And now just going back to the context, what was your
\n
[03:31]German like when you started the program? And how about after the language course and beginning your
\n
[03:35]internships? I would say that I had very rusty, intermediate German at the start of the program.
\n
[03:42]And that was my last German class or German language learning done in a systematic way before
\n
[03:49]I arrived in Germany in August 2022. That's about a year and change for your skills to attribute.
\n
[03:59]I tried to keep up with German in a passive way by watching German Netflix content and listening to
\n
[04:07]music in German. And that definitely helped. But my language production skills like writing and
\n
[04:14]speaking definitely weakened in that time. I was at a rusty B1, I would say.
\n
[04:22]And how would you explain the internship search process to incoming CBYXers?
\n
[04:26]I would explain the internship search process as two or three major steps. The first step is just
\n
[04:37]getting your resume together and making the personal decision
\n
[04:42]based on your language abilities and the positions that you're applying for,
\n
[04:49]whether or not you're going to be sending in your resume and cover letter in English or in German.
\n
[04:55]There's no right or wrong answer for this. It's dependent on where you're placed, your career
\n
[05:02]experience, what you're looking to do as far as your job fields, and your level of German.
\n
[05:10]If you speak C1 or C2 German, but you're applying to work at a tech startup in Berlin,
\n
[05:15]then you can probably get away with using an English resume and cover letter.
\n
[05:20]But if you're applying to work with a member of parliament or do something in a customer service
\n
[05:28]role that involves lots of interaction with members of the public, you'll probably have to have your
\n
[05:35]initial applications done in German rather than English for that. After you've done the first step
\n
[05:42]of getting your resume and cover letter together, I did mine in English and in German. Step two comes,
\n
[05:54]which is the job search. This can be very overwhelming, so I recommend picking one or two job sites to start
\n
[06:04]with, putting together a list of 20 or so internships maximum to apply to, and then just start sending
\n
[06:18]in emails or phone calls and waiting to hear back. One other tip, which is still worth trying but didn't work
\n
[06:29]out for me, is leveraging your connections and resources at the university base. I was taking
\n
[06:38]courses in poli-sci as someone with a finished college degree who studied international affairs,
\n
[06:44]so I asked a professor, hey, is there anyone looking for a research assistant in this or this field?
\n
[06:51]And they said, sure, you can send me your German resume and we'll send it around to the department
\n
[06:56]and see if anyone's interested. In my case, that didn't work out, but there were other people in
\n
[07:02]my cohort who were doing scientific research in chemistry, for example, who had that work out
\n
[07:08]almost perfectly, and they had their internship lined up before arriving at their permanent placement
\n
[07:16]even. That's the best case dream scenario, but that's not how it works for everybody.
\n
[07:23]But it's good to know that's a strategy that people can use for sure.
\n
[07:25]Another resource to or helpful person to talk to is your betroyer or your betroyeran. My betroyeran
\n
[07:35]in Dresden happened to be somebody who was a current university student as well and had a good idea of,
\n
[07:42]okay, these are the big job sites. Here's how you should phrase certain things in a resume or cover
\n
[07:48]letter. Here's what German students are looking for in terms of internships or jobs when they're in
\n
[07:57]college.
\n
[07:57]So do you remember what it felt like when you were first beginning?
\n
[08:08]It felt very overwhelming in terms of the amount of different steps I would have to take.
\n
[08:17]It can feel like, I'm trying to figure out a good way to phrase this.
\n
[08:22]If you focus on the small little details and the steps of, okay, I have to draft a resume,
\n
[08:32]send it to this person, send it to someone else, then start an account on this job site and this
\n
[08:39]other job site, it can feel overwhelming because you're just buried in this avalanche of tiny little
\n
[08:45]details. But once you take a bird's eye view of the process and plan things out, it can feel much
\n
[08:54]less overwhelming.
\n
[08:55]I think that's really important. It's like, there's multiple large steps that need to be done
\n
[09:00]that you can break down, but really we're talking about a few big chunks of things that you just need
\n
[09:05]to do one after another.
\n
[09:06]Right.
\n
[09:07]But you use the application tracker to structure your search, right?
\n
[09:15]That's correct. The CBYX application tracker was something I was going to, was something I figured
\n
[09:22]I would have to send in anyway. And it definitely helped keep me sane during that application process
\n
[09:27]by being able to say, okay, I've got these 10 or 12 internships I'm looking at right now.
\n
[09:35]I've sent an email into that place. It's been about a week, so I should probably follow up.
\n
[09:43]I still need to apply to place B and place C and send my initial email. One of the big
\n
[09:53]that a lot of people will find during the process is
\n
[09:58]explaining what the program is and what they're doing. For instance, because you're enrolled as
\n
[10:07]a university student, people ask, oh, are you doing a semester abroad? Are you doing your full
\n
[10:12]degree here in Germany? And you have to explain, no, I'm doing this program, which is 10 months or so,
\n
[10:21]and I'm looking for an internship for this time period to this time period.
\n
[10:28]Did you ever run into any issues of employers like misunderstanding that?
\n
[10:32]Yeah. Yeah, I definitely had that happen. I sent in Apple. I made sure to send in the
\n
[10:41]Bescheinigung from, from Pepepe in German that explains what the program is and the internship phase
\n
[10:50]to when I sent resumes and cover letters to all my potential internships. And
\n
[10:56]one of the people interviewing me clearly didn't read that piece of paper or someone else had read it
\n
[11:04]and not explained it to her because she asked me, why are you looking for full-time jobs if you're
\n
[11:11]done with college already? I was really frustrated, but I just had to explain that this is a temporary
\n
[11:18]program and the visa only goes so far. So that's why I'm looking for internships in this six-month
\n
[11:28]or so timeframe and not a full-time job. It can be frustrating to feel like you're explaining things
\n
[11:36]two or three times or figuring out your elevator pitch for what the program is, but eventually
\n
[11:43]that just gets easier as you go through the process.
\n
[11:46]How did you put together your application documents? Did you have anyone, for example,
\n
[11:53]check the documents or what did that look like for you?
\n
[11:56]I've had two or three people look over my resume and cover letters. I would say that a balance is
\n
[12:03]necessary between not having anyone look it over and having too many people look it over. I think
\n
[12:10]there's a saying about that. If you listen to advice from everyone about why you're building a house,
\n
[12:16]then it looks crooked and it doesn't make any sense because you're trying to put together
\n
[12:21]contradictory advice from four or five different people. But anyway, I had my petroleum look over my
\n
[12:30]resume and cover letter. I was also working with a tandem language partner who was a native German
\n
[12:38]speaker who was willing to look that over. And I also reached out to my university's writing and
\n
[12:44]career center.
\n
[12:45]Yeah. Okay. And in total, you sent how many applications?
\n
[12:50]I sent about a dozen applications. That number includes applications to organizations like state
\n
[12:59]political parties and museums or companies in my placement city, Dresden, as well as the thing I
\n
[13:07]mentioned earlier during the university phase of just sending my resume around and saying,
\n
[13:14]hey, does anyone need a research assistant? Or is anyone looking for an intern?
\n
[13:20]And when did you start looking for the internship then? What was your timeline?
\n
[13:26]I started the process a bit later than I should have. And this is based on my volunteering.
\n
[13:35]In my cohort, I was expected to do 40 hours of volunteering between getting to my placement city
\n
[13:43]in October and the middle of February, I believe. I happened to be volunteering with a music festival
\n
[13:53]where all my 40 hours were done in the first month and change or so of being in my placement city.
\n
[13:59]So I had blinders on and focused in on that and didn't take the internship application process
\n
[14:05]seriously till the first or second week of November when that was basically wrapped up
\n
[14:11]and I had my 40 hours done.
\n
[14:14]That was quite late then.
\n
[14:17]Yeah, that was definitely a bit late and made it much more stressful for me than it needed to be.
\n
[14:23]You don't have to have a spreadsheet of 40 or 50 potential employers or internships lined up
\n
[14:36]the day you show up in your placement city,
\n
[14:38]but it definitely can hurt to make sure you're reaching out to the university writing center
\n
[14:45]or a career center to make sure you've had someone look over your resume
\n
[14:52]at the very start of the semester and you can start sending it out
\n
[14:57]or passing it along to people if you need to.
\n
[15:00]Absolutely. And so you applied for about a dozen internships and you did this from like
\n
[15:08]mid-November to mid-December?
\n
[15:11]That's correct.
\n
[15:12]Okay. And when did you start hearing back from companies after you sent an application?
\n
[15:18]In most cases, it took a week or a week and change to hear back from the organization I was applying to.
\n
[15:26]In my case, that was because I was doing initiative applications or an initiative available,
\n
[15:36]which means they're not actively looking for interns or advertising open positions on their website.
\n
[15:44]I'm just emailing them out of the blue saying,
\n
[15:46]hey, here's this program I'm in.
\n
[15:48]Here's my skills and my background.
\n
[15:50]Can I work for you?
\n
[15:51]Did you know about the initiative application concept ahead of time or why did you choose to go with that strategy?
\n
[16:01]I chose to go with that strategy because I didn't see many job applications open when I just Googled
\n
[16:07]international affairs Dresden or politics Dresden on some of the bigger German job sites like Stepstone or Indeed or Monster.
\n
[16:22]Okay. And how many interviews were you, did you get from those 12 applications?
\n
[16:30]I got five interviews from those applications.
\n
[16:34]You got five interviews. Okay. And then how many of those were successful for you?
\n
[16:38]Did you get offers for?
\n
[16:40]I got offers for four of those, I believe.
\n
[16:44]Okay. All right. Wow. That's a really good outcome.
\n
[16:49]I was being a bit too picky with some of the offers, to be honest.
\n
[16:55]One, I turned down because the internship would have been unpaid for all six months.
\n
[17:01]And I was hoping to get paid to support my cost of living, first of all,
\n
[17:06]and also be able to build some professional experience during this phase of the program.
\n
[17:15]Then you ended up choosing the two that you chose on purpose.
\n
[17:19]That's correct. I happened to do the interview in German for the first one,
\n
[17:25]and I can explain a bit more about the misunderstandings with that.
\n
[17:29]Yeah, go for it.
\n
[17:31]Sure. So Germany has two main types of internships, a Lichtpracticum,
\n
[17:38]which is an internship that students are required to do as part of a trade school or university program,
\n
[17:45]and a freiwilligus practicum, which is a voluntary practicum.
\n
[17:50]They're regulated slightly differently when it comes to minimum wage laws,
\n
[17:58]and the application process is going to be slightly different for each of them as a result.
\n
[18:04]Well, my first internship at a small East Germany museum in Dresden that's no longer open
\n
[18:11]ended up being a private ligus.
\n
[18:14]I explained that it was required or flicked for this program that I have an internship,
\n
[18:22]and that was confused with flicked as in a flicked practicum,
\n
[18:27]which I didn't need because I wasn't enrolled in a full college program that required that.
\n
[18:35]I definitely learned something from the initial interview being in German,
\n
[18:39]but there was lots of chaotic back and forth emailing and copying pay to translate and speak for me
\n
[18:47]because of some misunderstandings about what freiwillig meant.
\n
[18:52]I said that I was looking for a freiwilligus practicum in the sense of not doing a flicked practicum,
\n
[19:01]but my employer took the word freiwillig as me volunteering or working for free for six months.
\n
[19:16]Initially, I expected to do this internship at minimum wage for six months,
\n
[19:22]and I was very happy with that because any freiwilligus practicum for longer than three months has to be paid,
\n
[19:30]if I'm correct.
\n
[19:32]Yeah.
\n
[19:33]But after some emailing back and forth and confusion being cleared up,
\n
[19:38]that ended up not being the case, and I did that for about two months
\n
[19:42]before moving on to a flicked practicum at a translation company.
\n
[19:50]That also involved some emailing with PeiP Pei to explain that,
\n
[19:59]yes, I'm applying for a flicked practicum,
\n
[20:03]although I don't need the college credit for it for some sort of university program or trade school training.
\n
[20:09]I'm just doing the internship as part of this broader exchange program.
\n
[20:16]And they also paid you, right?
\n
[20:20]That was paid.
\n
[20:21]Yeah.
\n
[20:22]Because then it was technically, like within the law, it was a freiwilligus practicum.
\n
[20:25]It wasn't part of your study program, and so then you did it for three months,
\n
[20:29]and so they paid you minimum wage during that time, right?
\n
[20:32]No, that wasn't covered by minimum wage because that was technically a flicked practicum.
\n
[20:38]They still had it underneath that.
\n
[20:41]Okay, interesting.
\n
[20:43]Okay.
\n
[20:43]I think it was done like that in time terms,
\n
[20:48]so there was about a-it was just around three months being there,
\n
[20:53]and there was a two-week gap or so between my first internship ending
\n
[20:58]and my second internship starting because of that.
\n
[21:00]Mm-hmm.
\n
[21:00]Okay, so they could also probably say, oh, it's not longer than three months,
\n
[21:05]so we don't also have to pay minimum wage, and yeah, okay, yeah, got it.
\n
[21:11]Okay, so just backing up here a little bit, you did participate in quite a few interviews,
\n
[21:15]so I'm sure you have some experience to share there.
\n
[21:17]What were the interviews like?
\n
[21:18]How did you prepare for them?
\n
[21:20]I tried to prepare for them by doing some-by reading about the company on their website,
\n
[21:29]just trying to get a sense of what's the purpose of the program?
\n
[21:34]What are they looking for this role?
\n
[21:35]I did a lot of Googling in German, based on things like common interview questions,
\n
[21:46]how to prepare for an interview, to deal with the slight cultural differences
\n
[21:50]between interviews and work culture in Germany and the U.S.
\n
[21:56]Because I was prepared to at least start the interview in German,
\n
[22:00]I also made sure to look up some relevant vocab ahead of time.
\n
[22:07]And make sure I had the words to know what I was talking about.
\n
[22:13]Two of the interviews were in English, and for a couple of the ones that were in German,
\n
[22:19]I was very nervous, to be honest, and they started in German and ended up going into English.
\n
[22:26]Do you have any advice for CBUIXers who are going into interviews,
\n
[22:31]whether it's in German or in English?
\n
[22:33]I would say that there's not too much reason to be nervous.
\n
[22:36]Because if you've gotten past the CBUIX interview and application process,
\n
[22:43]that's definitely harder and more selective than the process of interviewing
\n
[22:49]for the internships in this phase of the program.
\n
[22:52]So as long as you do your research about the specific employer or organization,
\n
[22:58]and you're able to show that you care enough about the role in the organization to do that
\n
[23:03]in your interview, I'm sure you won't have a problem.
\n
[23:09]Okay.
\n
[23:10]And what did your kind of first week look like at both of those different internship experiences?
\n
[23:17]Sure.
\n
[23:18]My first week at VELTA DDR was learning what's expected of me in terms of the basics of the job
\n
[23:26]and trying to get to know my co-workers a little bit.
\n
[23:30]Germans can take a bit longer to open up and be social than co-workers in America.
\n
[23:37]And so it might feel a bit isolating at first, but you also have to realize that just takes time.
\n
[23:43]So I also just remembered, I forgot to ask an important question.
\n
[23:48]I'm trying to recall if you mentioned this already, the contract, the internship contract.
\n
[23:52]What did that look like for both of your internships?
\n
[23:55]The internship contract involved, the first internship was unpaid.
\n
[23:59]So there was, so the, so that involved my salary, which was zero euros because I was receiving a stipend
\n
[24:07]from pay during that time, as well as a description of what exactly I would be doing at the job.
\n
[24:15]Similar to the job description on a job search website, as well as the exact dates I would be working there.
\n
[24:23]I recommend making sure that potential employers know and internships know well ahead of time
\n
[24:33]about things like the mid-year seminar and the end-of-year seminar to make the process of getting time off
\n
[24:42]from work for that as simple and convenient as possible.
\n
[24:46]I made sure to send some emails and make my, and make my bosses aware of that in the first week at both internships.
\n
[24:53]And what types of tasks or responsibilities did you have?
\n
[24:57]My first internship at an East Germany museum was somewhat similar to customer service or retail jobs I've had in the past.
\n
[25:05]I was, I was mainly working at Register where I was selling tickets, picking up the phone and answering questions
\n
[25:13]about things like ticket prices for, for different groups, various rates, the opening times of the museum.
\n
[25:25]And also checking people out with objects they were buying at the museum's gift shop.
\n
[25:31]I also stumbled into my current career field totally by chance during this first internship
\n
[25:38]because I happened to be the only fluent English speaker at the museum.
\n
[25:42]And so I was called up to be the resident interpreter and translator for guests at the museum who didn't speak German that well
\n
[25:51]or only spoke English.
\n
[25:52]And your second internship was in translating and interpreting then, right?
\n
[25:56]That's correct.
\n
[25:57]I got that internship at a translation company.
\n
[26:02]And I found that just by looking on the Agentur for Arbeit, actually.
\n
[26:07]The Agentur for Arbeit is Germany's version of the Department of Labor.
\n
[26:14]And they also happened to run a job site like Indeed or Monster where you can find jobs and internships
\n
[26:21]as well as general information about different job fields.
\n
[26:24]And then as your internships were both coming to an end, what did that look like?
\n
[26:29]Did you get a work certificate?
\n
[26:31]Did you do like the typical Ausstern where you bring in a cake or something?
\n
[26:34]How did you end things with both of your employers?
\n
[26:37]I didn't really have a big ending like bringing a cake in for my first internship at the museum.
\n
[26:43]It was depressing, to be honest, because I left in February and the museum, which was totally private,
\n
[26:50]was in the process of shutting down due to lack of visitors.
\n
[26:54]And they ended up closing in early May.
\n
[26:58]Oh, wow.
\n
[26:59]OK.
\n
[27:00]Only a few months after I left.
\n
[27:03]During my second internship at Carinage, I brought some suites in to have with my two co-workers in the office.
\n
[27:11]And I was able to have a bit more of a final cafe and cooking to end the internship.
\n
[27:20]At both of those internships, I asked for something called a work certificate, which is a practicum zoignis or arbeidszoignis.
\n
[27:31]That's basically something you can think of as like a Yelp review of you, your boss or your boss at the company or your immediate supervisor.
\n
[27:40]We'll write up a one or two-page document that just says they did tasks X, Y, and Z.
\n
[27:49]They did a good job.
\n
[27:52]They learned what they needed to do.
\n
[27:55]And it's typically signed as well.
\n
[27:57]This is definitely a great asset to have if you're thinking about either working in Germany or coming back to study in the future.
\n
[28:06]At the first internship I did, although it was two months, I was still able to build a kind of final project for myself by talking to my boss and doing something useful.
\n
[28:20]If you walked around the East Germany museum, all the museum exhibits and their descriptions were in German, but there were little QR codes taped onto the exhibits with the British flag to show that, hey, you can scan this QR code and see the English translation of what they're saying.
\n
[28:39]A lot of the QR codes just didn't work to begin with, the ones that did work were total gibberish and filled with translation mistakes, and these QR codes hadn't been placed all around the museum.
\n
[28:58]So I just talked to my supervisor and said, hey, here's a way I can provide value to you with the skill set I have as an English speaker.
\n
[29:09]How about in my downtime when there's not many visitors coming in, I sit there in front of the computer and just fix the translation mistakes to make a new QR code system.
\n
[29:24]At that point, I didn't know that the museum would be closing down completely.
\n
[29:31]It was just being shrunken down from the previous rental space that they had been taking up in a shopping center.
\n
[29:40]But the fact that I had the downtime to do that was probably a bad sign for the health of the museum in hindsight.
\n
[29:47]Yeah.
\n
[29:48]But it still really shows like how important it is to bring self-initiative into the workplace and how you should really also look for, hey, what can I make better here?
\n
[29:55]What can I improve?
\n
[29:56]And how can I use my time basically to make the organization a better place?
\n
[29:59]It's not common that they close down a couple months later.
\n
[30:02]It's a very special situation.
\n
[30:03]Right.
\n
[30:04]This program and the internship process itself is really a choose-your-own-adventure type of thing.
\n
[30:11]I know that the two internships I described lined up really well with my passions and personal interests, but I know there's people who are listening to this that don't want to work in translation or don't know enough German to do that work or just have zero interest in history or working in a museum.
\n
[30:32]So the advice won't always apply one-to-one to what you're planning to do and apply for, but as long as you put the effort into this and think big about what you'd like to get out of it, I'm sure you can make something work and have a great time during the internship process.
\n
[30:52]Excellent.
\n
[30:54]That's a really great segue into kind of one of my final questions is like, reflecting back, what are some of the common success factors or some of the common mistakes that you think CBYXers should just be aware of as pertains to the internship process?
\n
[31:08]I would say that one of the biggest factors is just being okay with hearing no.
\n
[31:17]I can remember getting my very first job during college.
\n
[31:20]I applied to 30 different places in my hometown, and I think I got two interviews back at the end of it.
\n
[31:28]So you have to be willing to hear no a couple times and keep selling yourself and putting yourself out there.
\n
[31:36]In addition to being ready to hear a couple of nines along the way, I would say just being adaptable is another big thing.
\n
[31:44]The placement, in my case, I had never been to Germany or even outside the US before, so I had no particular special requests as far as where my placement city was going to be.
\n
[32:02]I ended up there pretty much by chance, like a lot of other people.
\n
[32:08]And so you really have to adapt your approach and your goals for the internship phase to the placement city and home community you happen to be in.
\n
[32:18]Excellent. Those are great tips and kind of insight for the CBYXers.
\n
[32:25]Do you have any final thoughts for the incoming cohort?
\n
[32:29]Any words of wisdom?
\n
[32:30]And my follow-up on that is, what's next for you?
\n
[32:34]Where are you headed with your career?
\n
[32:36]How are you using CBYX as a segue into other opportunities?
\n
[32:41]Sure.
\n
[32:41]I'd say my final concluding thoughts are to really think big about the possibilities of this program.
\n
[32:46]It was really amazing to see how many different career backgrounds and interests were represented in the cohort I was in.
\n
[32:57]For instance, we had a chocolate expert who ended up working at a restaurant during the program.
\n
[33:04]There were people with backgrounds in every career field under the sun that you can imagine who ended up doing really crazy things.
\n
[33:19]And had a great time either getting farther in their field or trying out a totally new career during their internship phase.
\n
[33:30]I ended up doing the trying out a career thing during my internship phase.
\n
[33:41]I always knew that I wanted to do something with languages or traveling when I was growing up.
\n
[33:48]And I majored in international affairs with the vague idea that maybe I can be a diplomat someday.
\n
[33:55]This was about as clear of a plan as somebody who's growing up watching movies and says,
\n
[34:01]man, it would be cool if I could move to Hollywood and become an actor or actress.
\n
[34:06]Based on that, I used this program to take a risk and try new things.
\n
[34:13]And based on that, I ended up shifting from the international relations field, doing more with translation and language services, where I am now.
\n
[34:23]And you realized the program that that's more of your happy place.
\n
[34:27]Yeah, definitely.
\n
[34:30]I would say this program is a really unique opportunity to take risks and try new things and build up some really unique life experiences.
\n
[34:41]This program teaches you not just a lot about Germany, but a lot about yourself in terms of the types of places you'd like to live in.
\n
[34:51]Whether you prefer a small town in the countryside or a big city, the type of job fields you'd like to work in, even something as simple as the type of work environment.
\n
[35:04]Would you rather work in a massive open plan office where you're constantly in meetings with people?
\n
[35:13]Or would you rather have a more introvert-friendly job where you're just sitting on a computer and translating documents or something?
\n
[35:21]Yeah, it's great.
\n
[35:23]It's a real career development opportunity, for sure.
\n
[35:29]Dan, thank you so much for sharing your experience with everyone.
\n
[35:32]Just alone, like laying out the process of how this kind of works, I think is really helpful for incoming CBOI upstairs.
\n
[35:38]So thank you for taking the time to tell us about that and what that looked like for you.
\n
[35:42]Thank you for your time.
\n
[35:42]And I look forward to following along and where you end up.
\n
[35:45]And hopefully we'll be drinking coffee and eating Kuhn at some point in Germany and catching up on everything that you did.
\n
[35:51]So thank you.
\n
[35:52]Definitely.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/862532275?h=a4b0252b3b", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/862532275.mp4", "search": "bonus interview #2 bonus module #2: interviews with international interns in germany key takeaways copy \n decide english vs. german documents per role, not per comfort - match the language to the job type, and prepare both. \n cap your list at ~20 and use initiative applications - cold-emailing non-advertised positions yields fast replies (~1 week) and high interview rates. \n know your praktikum type before signing - the pflicht/freiwillig distinction determines whether minimum wage applies. \n create your own project - find \"what can i make better here?\" and pitch it; downtime plus a skill equals a portfolio piece. \n be okay with \"no\" and adapt to your placement city - the program is choose-your-own-adventure; think big about what you want out of it. \n bonus interview #2 - dan baxter (search process, praktikum types, initiative applications) \n module: bonus interviews \n lesson url: https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-2 \n overview \n interview with dan baxter (cbyx 39th cohort, dresden placement) - an international affairs major with rusty b1 german who wanted a paid six-month internship but instead cobbled together a two-month unpaid museum internship plus a three-month paid internship at a translation company. he details a repeatable three-step search process, german praktikum law (pflicht- vs. freiwilliges-praktikum), and how self-initiative turned a dying museum job into a career pivot to translation. \n key points \n \n [00:21] dan finished college during covid; invested in german classes and wanted that investment to pay off. never left the us before the program. \n [02:16] his political-science/museum expectations \"collided\" with the dresden job market - he had to recalibrate and think bigger about his skill set. \n [03:24] outcome: instead of one paid six-month internship, a two-month unpaid internship (museum) + three-month paid internship (translation company). \n [03:59] arrived with rusty b1; kept german alive passively (netflix, music) but production skills weakened - plan to maintain actively. \n [04:26] three-step search process: (1) resume/cover letter - decide english vs. german based on language level, placement, and field; (2) job search - pick one or two job sites, cap a list at ~20 internships, start sending; (3) leverage connections (university professors, betreuer/in). \n [04:55] english vs. german documents: c1/c2 german + berlin tech startup \u2192 english is fine; mp office or public-facing customer service \u2192 apply in german. he made both versions. \n [05:54] job search felt overwhelming in the details; taking a bird's-eye view of a few big chunks made it manageable. \n [09:15] used the cbyx application tracker as a sanity tool: track sent applications, follow up after ~1 week, know what's next. \n [10:32] sent the bescheinigung (program explanation letter from the sponsor, in german) with every application; an interviewer still asked why he wasn't seeking a full-time job - prepare an elevator pitch for the program and iterate it. \n [12:45] a dozen applications total; got 5 interviews \u2192 4 offers. interviews took ~1 week to come back because most were initiativbewerbung (initiative applications) to non-advertised positions. \n [13:26] started late (november) due to focusing on the 40-hour volunteering requirement first - starting earlier would have reduced stress. \n [17:31] key legal distinction: pflichtpraktikum (mandatory internship for a study/trade program - exempt from minimum wage) vs. freiwilliges praktikum (voluntary - must be paid minimum wage if longer than 3 months). the word \"freiwillig\" was misread as \"unpaid volunteer\"; chaotic clarifying emails followed. \n [21:20] interview prep: read the employer's website, google common german interview questions, pre-learn field vocab; german-language interviews often drift into english. \n [22:33] interview confidence: the cbyx selection interview is harder than any german internship interview - you've already passed the tough one. \n [23:30] german co-workers open up more slowly than americans; initial isolation is normal, give it time. \n [24:15] tell employers early about the mid-year and end-of-year seminars so time off is pre-approved. \n [26:02] found the translation-company internship via the agentur f\u00fcr arbeit job portal (germany's department of labor + a job board like indeed/monster). \n [28:20] self-initiative story: as the only fluent english speaker at the museum, he proposed fixing broken qr-code english translations - creating value from downtime; also stumbled into his career as ad-hoc interpreter. \n [31:08] success factors: be okay hearing \"no\" (his first job search: 30 applications \u2192 2 interviews), stay adaptable to your placement city, think big. \n [34:13] the program is choose-your-own-adventure - he used it to test a career and pivoted from international relations to translation/language services. \n \n frameworks & templates \n \n three-step search process (verbatim logic): \n \n \n get resume + cover letter together; decide english vs. german per role type. \n job search: one or two job sites only; list of ~20 internships max; send emails/calls; follow up after ~a week. \n leverage connections: ask professors for research-assistant openings, consult your betreuer/in for site recommendations and phrasing help. \n \n \n english vs. german decision rule: c1/c2 german + international/tech field \u2192 english ok. public-facing, political, customer-service, or small local org \u2192 german required. \n initiativbewerbung template (email out of the blue): \"hey - here's this program i'm in, here are my skills and background, can i work for you?\" \n praktikum rules of thumb: freiwilliges praktikum > 3 months \u2192 minimum wage required. pflichtpraktikum \u2192 tied to a study program, exempt from minimum wage. clarify which type you're applying for in writing before starting. \n application tracker habit: columns for place, date sent, follow-up date (send follow-up ~1 week later), status. \n self-initiative pitch to a supervisor: \"here's a way i can provide value to you with the skill set i have - in my downtime, can i fix/improve x?\" \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n initiativbewerbung - initiative application: emailing an employer that has no advertised opening. \n pflichtpraktikum - mandatory internship required by a university/trade program; not covered by minimum wage law. \n freiwilliges praktikum - voluntary internship; must be paid minimum wage if longer than 3 months. \n bescheinigung - official letter (from the program sponsor) explaining the program and internship phase, attached to applications. \n agentur f\u00fcr arbeit - germany's federal employment agency; runs a job portal similar to indeed/monster. \n betreuer/in - the program's local advisor/mentor in your placement city. \n praktikumszeugnis / arbeitszeugnis - work certificate: a signed 1-2 page reference \"like a yelp review of you\"; a great asset for future german jobs or studies. \n abschied - farewell ritual: bring sweets/cake to co-workers on your last day. \n \n resources \n \n job sites: stepstone, indeed, monster; agentur f\u00fcr arbeit job portal. \n university writing center / career center for document review. \n tandem language partner (native german) to proofread resumes and cover letters. \n betreuer/in for local job-market know-how. \n program application tracker for pipeline management. \n [00:00] thing i tell people is that. sorry, go ahead and tell me again. okay. no, no, tell me again. so \n [00:05] thank you, dan baxter, for being here with us today. you're going to be talking to us a little \n [00:09] bit about your experience in cbyx and the young professionals program specifically. you were part \n [00:15] of the 39th cohort, and i was just wondering if you can say a little bit about yourself and why \n [00:21] you chose to participate in the program. yeah, of course. i know it might be a bit much to say that \n [00:30] this program totally changed my life, but it's definitely a big thing i was looking forward to. \n [00:36] when i was growing up, the biggest single decoration in my childhood bedroom was this massive six foot \n [00:43] wide by four and a half foot tall world map. i was obsessed with reading about other places and \n [00:50] traveling, and i wanted to be a diplomat, but for some circumstantial reasons, i hadn't been able to \n [00:58] travel outside the u.s. before doing this program. i finished college in may 2021. so my junior and \n [01:06] senior year, when most people study abroad, was the two years of covid, when everything was virtual \n [01:13] and travel was not really an option. in spite of that, i was still able to take a couple semesters of \n [01:20] german language classes at my college, and i came out of college saying, okay, what now? i've invested \n [01:27] all this time and energy into learning german. i might as well find some way to use it and make \n [01:34] this investment pay off, so to speak. excellent. so what were your hopes for the internship going \n [01:43] into the program, or like what were you looking for? what did you envision? my hopes were very vague \n [01:50] about going into the internship. this is really dependent on the placement that you get from the \n [01:55] program. they were 80% sure that i was going to be in dresden, which is the capital of saxony, \n [02:02] one of germany's states, in around mid-september, but i didn't really get that set in stone until \n [02:09] the last week of september or first week of october. i was an international affairs major, \n [02:16] and i went into this program expecting to do something with history and political science. \n [02:24] i figured, okay, i'll volunteer for a member of parliament and do a german version of a constituent \n [02:31] services internship for a member of congress, or i'll work in one of the museums, or work for one of \n [02:38] the state political parties' offices. but the best way i can describe it is that my expectations \n [02:47] of what i would do at the german job market, at least in my city, collided. and after the first \n [02:55] couple applications not going well, i had to recalibrate and think a bit bigger about my skill \n [03:02] set and the jobs available to me. so your hopes and expectations changed over the course of the \n [03:11] program. right. i initially expected to find a paid six-month internship for the entire time. that \n [03:18] was my end goal. however, that didn't work out. so i ended up cobbling together a two-month unpaid \n [03:24] internship and a three-month paid internship. and now just going back to the context, what was your \n [03:31] german like when you started the program? and how about after the language course and beginning your \n [03:35] internships? i would say that i had very rusty, intermediate german at the start of the program. \n [03:42] and that was my last german class or german language learning done in a systematic way before \n [03:49] i arrived in germany in august 2022. that's about a year and change for your skills to attribute. \n [03:59] i tried to keep up with german in a passive way by watching german netflix content and listening to \n [04:07] music in german. and that definitely helped. but my language production skills like writing and \n [04:14] speaking definitely weakened in that time. i was at a rusty b1, i would say. \n [04:22] and how would you explain the internship search process to incoming cbyxers? \n [04:26] i would explain the internship search process as two or three major steps. the first step is just \n [04:37] getting your resume together and making the personal decision \n [04:42] based on your language abilities and the positions that you're applying for, \n [04:49] whether or not you're going to be sending in your resume and cover letter in english or in german. \n [04:55] there's no right or wrong answer for this. it's dependent on where you're placed, your career \n [05:02] experience, what you're looking to do as far as your job fields, and your level of german. \n [05:10] if you speak c1 or c2 german, but you're applying to work at a tech startup in berlin, \n [05:15] then you can probably get away with using an english resume and cover letter. \n [05:20] but if you're applying to work with a member of parliament or do something in a customer service \n [05:28] role that involves lots of interaction with members of the public, you'll probably have to have your \n [05:35] initial applications done in german rather than english for that. after you've done the first step \n [05:42] of getting your resume and cover letter together, i did mine in english and in german. step two comes, \n [05:54] which is the job search. this can be very overwhelming, so i recommend picking one or two job sites to start \n [06:04] with, putting together a list of 20 or so internships maximum to apply to, and then just start sending \n [06:18] in emails or phone calls and waiting to hear back. one other tip, which is still worth trying but didn't work \n [06:29] out for me, is leveraging your connections and resources at the university base. i was taking \n [06:38] courses in poli-sci as someone with a finished college degree who studied international affairs, \n [06:44] so i asked a professor, hey, is there anyone looking for a research assistant in this or this field? \n [06:51] and they said, sure, you can send me your german resume and we'll send it around to the department \n [06:56] and see if anyone's interested. in my case, that didn't work out, but there were other people in \n [07:02] my cohort who were doing scientific research in chemistry, for example, who had that work out \n [07:08] almost perfectly, and they had their internship lined up before arriving at their permanent placement \n [07:16] even. that's the best case dream scenario, but that's not how it works for everybody. \n [07:23] but it's good to know that's a strategy that people can use for sure. \n [07:25] another resource to or helpful person to talk to is your betroyer or your betroyeran. my betroyeran \n [07:35] in dresden happened to be somebody who was a current university student as well and had a good idea of, \n [07:42] okay, these are the big job sites. here's how you should phrase certain things in a resume or cover \n [07:48] letter. here's what german students are looking for in terms of internships or jobs when they're in \n [07:57] college. \n [07:57] so do you remember what it felt like when you were first beginning? \n [08:08] it felt very overwhelming in terms of the amount of different steps i would have to take. \n [08:17] it can feel like, i'm trying to figure out a good way to phrase this. \n [08:22] if you focus on the small little details and the steps of, okay, i have to draft a resume, \n [08:32] send it to this person, send it to someone else, then start an account on this job site and this \n [08:39] other job site, it can feel overwhelming because you're just buried in this avalanche of tiny little \n [08:45] details. but once you take a bird's eye view of the process and plan things out, it can feel much \n [08:54] less overwhelming. \n [08:55] i think that's really important. it's like, there's multiple large steps that need to be done \n [09:00] that you can break down, but really we're talking about a few big chunks of things that you just need \n [09:05] to do one after another. \n [09:06] right. \n [09:07] but you use the application tracker to structure your search, right? \n [09:15] that's correct. the cbyx application tracker was something i was going to, was something i figured \n [09:22] i would have to send in anyway. and it definitely helped keep me sane during that application process \n [09:27] by being able to say, okay, i've got these 10 or 12 internships i'm looking at right now. \n [09:35] i've sent an email into that place. it's been about a week, so i should probably follow up. \n [09:43] i still need to apply to place b and place c and send my initial email. one of the big \n [09:53] that a lot of people will find during the process is \n [09:58] explaining what the program is and what they're doing. for instance, because you're enrolled as \n [10:07] a university student, people ask, oh, are you doing a semester abroad? are you doing your full \n [10:12] degree here in germany? and you have to explain, no, i'm doing this program, which is 10 months or so, \n [10:21] and i'm looking for an internship for this time period to this time period. \n [10:28] did you ever run into any issues of employers like misunderstanding that? \n [10:32] yeah. yeah, i definitely had that happen. i sent in apple. i made sure to send in the \n [10:41] bescheinigung from, from pepepe in german that explains what the program is and the internship phase \n [10:50] to when i sent resumes and cover letters to all my potential internships. and \n [10:56] one of the people interviewing me clearly didn't read that piece of paper or someone else had read it \n [11:04] and not explained it to her because she asked me, why are you looking for full-time jobs if you're \n [11:11] done with college already? i was really frustrated, but i just had to explain that this is a temporary \n [11:18] program and the visa only goes so far. so that's why i'm looking for internships in this six-month \n [11:28] or so timeframe and not a full-time job. it can be frustrating to feel like you're explaining things \n [11:36] two or three times or figuring out your elevator pitch for what the program is, but eventually \n [11:43] that just gets easier as you go through the process. \n [11:46] how did you put together your application documents? did you have anyone, for example, \n [11:53] check the documents or what did that look like for you? \n [11:56] i've had two or three people look over my resume and cover letters. i would say that a balance is \n [12:03] necessary between not having anyone look it over and having too many people look it over. i think \n [12:10] there's a saying about that. if you listen to advice from everyone about why you're building a house, \n [12:16] then it looks crooked and it doesn't make any sense because you're trying to put together \n [12:21] contradictory advice from four or five different people. but anyway, i had my petroleum look over my \n [12:30] resume and cover letter. i was also working with a tandem language partner who was a native german \n [12:38] speaker who was willing to look that over. and i also reached out to my university's writing and \n [12:44] career center. \n [12:45] yeah. okay. and in total, you sent how many applications? \n [12:50] i sent about a dozen applications. that number includes applications to organizations like state \n [12:59] political parties and museums or companies in my placement city, dresden, as well as the thing i \n [13:07] mentioned earlier during the university phase of just sending my resume around and saying, \n [13:14] hey, does anyone need a research assistant? or is anyone looking for an intern? \n [13:20] and when did you start looking for the internship then? what was your timeline? \n [13:26] i started the process a bit later than i should have. and this is based on my volunteering. \n [13:35] in my cohort, i was expected to do 40 hours of volunteering between getting to my placement city \n [13:43] in october and the middle of february, i believe. i happened to be volunteering with a music festival \n [13:53] where all my 40 hours were done in the first month and change or so of being in my placement city. \n [13:59] so i had blinders on and focused in on that and didn't take the internship application process \n [14:05] seriously till the first or second week of november when that was basically wrapped up \n [14:11] and i had my 40 hours done. \n [14:14] that was quite late then. \n [14:17] yeah, that was definitely a bit late and made it much more stressful for me than it needed to be. \n [14:23] you don't have to have a spreadsheet of 40 or 50 potential employers or internships lined up \n [14:36] the day you show up in your placement city, \n [14:38] but it definitely can hurt to make sure you're reaching out to the university writing center \n [14:45] or a career center to make sure you've had someone look over your resume \n [14:52] at the very start of the semester and you can start sending it out \n [14:57] or passing it along to people if you need to. \n [15:00] absolutely. and so you applied for about a dozen internships and you did this from like \n [15:08] mid-november to mid-december? \n [15:11] that's correct. \n [15:12] okay. and when did you start hearing back from companies after you sent an application? \n [15:18] in most cases, it took a week or a week and change to hear back from the organization i was applying to. \n [15:26] in my case, that was because i was doing initiative applications or an initiative available, \n [15:36] which means they're not actively looking for interns or advertising open positions on their website. \n [15:44] i'm just emailing them out of the blue saying, \n [15:46] hey, here's this program i'm in. \n [15:48] here's my skills and my background. \n [15:50] can i work for you? \n [15:51] did you know about the initiative application concept ahead of time or why did you choose to go with that strategy? \n [16:01] i chose to go with that strategy because i didn't see many job applications open when i just googled \n [16:07] international affairs dresden or politics dresden on some of the bigger german job sites like stepstone or indeed or monster. \n [16:22] okay. and how many interviews were you, did you get from those 12 applications? \n [16:30] i got five interviews from those applications. \n [16:34] you got five interviews. okay. and then how many of those were successful for you? \n [16:38] did you get offers for? \n [16:40] i got offers for four of those, i believe. \n [16:44] okay. all right. wow. that's a really good outcome. \n [16:49] i was being a bit too picky with some of the offers, to be honest. \n [16:55] one, i turned down because the internship would have been unpaid for all six months. \n [17:01] and i was hoping to get paid to support my cost of living, first of all, \n [17:06] and also be able to build some professional experience during this phase of the program. \n [17:15] then you ended up choosing the two that you chose on purpose. \n [17:19] that's correct. i happened to do the interview in german for the first one, \n [17:25] and i can explain a bit more about the misunderstandings with that. \n [17:29] yeah, go for it. \n [17:31] sure. so germany has two main types of internships, a lichtpracticum, \n [17:38] which is an internship that students are required to do as part of a trade school or university program, \n [17:45] and a freiwilligus practicum, which is a voluntary practicum. \n [17:50] they're regulated slightly differently when it comes to minimum wage laws, \n [17:58] and the application process is going to be slightly different for each of them as a result. \n [18:04] well, my first internship at a small east germany museum in dresden that's no longer open \n [18:11] ended up being a private ligus. \n [18:14] i explained that it was required or flicked for this program that i have an internship, \n [18:22] and that was confused with flicked as in a flicked practicum, \n [18:27] which i didn't need because i wasn't enrolled in a full college program that required that. \n [18:35] i definitely learned something from the initial interview being in german, \n [18:39] but there was lots of chaotic back and forth emailing and copying pay to translate and speak for me \n [18:47] because of some misunderstandings about what freiwillig meant. \n [18:52] i said that i was looking for a freiwilligus practicum in the sense of not doing a flicked practicum, \n [19:01] but my employer took the word freiwillig as me volunteering or working for free for six months. \n [19:16] initially, i expected to do this internship at minimum wage for six months, \n [19:22] and i was very happy with that because any freiwilligus practicum for longer than three months has to be paid, \n [19:30] if i'm correct. \n [19:32] yeah. \n [19:33] but after some emailing back and forth and confusion being cleared up, \n [19:38] that ended up not being the case, and i did that for about two months \n [19:42] before moving on to a flicked practicum at a translation company. \n [19:50] that also involved some emailing with peip pei to explain that, \n [19:59] yes, i'm applying for a flicked practicum, \n [20:03] although i don't need the college credit for it for some sort of university program or trade school training. \n [20:09] i'm just doing the internship as part of this broader exchange program. \n [20:16] and they also paid you, right? \n [20:20] that was paid. \n [20:21] yeah. \n [20:22] because then it was technically, like within the law, it was a freiwilligus practicum. \n [20:25] it wasn't part of your study program, and so then you did it for three months, \n [20:29] and so they paid you minimum wage during that time, right? \n [20:32] no, that wasn't covered by minimum wage because that was technically a flicked practicum. \n [20:38] they still had it underneath that. \n [20:41] okay, interesting. \n [20:43] okay. \n [20:43] i think it was done like that in time terms, \n [20:48] so there was about a-it was just around three months being there, \n [20:53] and there was a two-week gap or so between my first internship ending \n [20:58] and my second internship starting because of that. \n [21:00] mm-hmm. \n [21:00] okay, so they could also probably say, oh, it's not longer than three months, \n [21:05] so we don't also have to pay minimum wage, and yeah, okay, yeah, got it. \n [21:11] okay, so just backing up here a little bit, you did participate in quite a few interviews, \n [21:15] so i'm sure you have some experience to share there. \n [21:17] what were the interviews like? \n [21:18] how did you prepare for them? \n [21:20] i tried to prepare for them by doing some-by reading about the company on their website, \n [21:29] just trying to get a sense of what's the purpose of the program? \n [21:34] what are they looking for this role? \n [21:35] i did a lot of googling in german, based on things like common interview questions, \n [21:46] how to prepare for an interview, to deal with the slight cultural differences \n [21:50] between interviews and work culture in germany and the u.s. \n [21:56] because i was prepared to at least start the interview in german, \n [22:00] i also made sure to look up some relevant vocab ahead of time. \n [22:07] and make sure i had the words to know what i was talking about. \n [22:13] two of the interviews were in english, and for a couple of the ones that were in german, \n [22:19] i was very nervous, to be honest, and they started in german and ended up going into english. \n [22:26] do you have any advice for cbuixers who are going into interviews, \n [22:31] whether it's in german or in english? \n [22:33] i would say that there's not too much reason to be nervous. \n [22:36] because if you've gotten past the cbuix interview and application process, \n [22:43] that's definitely harder and more selective than the process of interviewing \n [22:49] for the internships in this phase of the program. \n [22:52] so as long as you do your research about the specific employer or organization, \n [22:58] and you're able to show that you care enough about the role in the organization to do that \n [23:03] in your interview, i'm sure you won't have a problem. \n [23:09] okay. \n [23:10] and what did your kind of first week look like at both of those different internship experiences? \n [23:17] sure. \n [23:18] my first week at velta ddr was learning what's expected of me in terms of the basics of the job \n [23:26] and trying to get to know my co-workers a little bit. \n [23:30] germans can take a bit longer to open up and be social than co-workers in america. \n [23:37] and so it might feel a bit isolating at first, but you also have to realize that just takes time. \n [23:43] so i also just remembered, i forgot to ask an important question. \n [23:48] i'm trying to recall if you mentioned this already, the contract, the internship contract. \n [23:52] what did that look like for both of your internships? \n [23:55] the internship contract involved, the first internship was unpaid. \n [23:59] so there was, so the, so that involved my salary, which was zero euros because i was receiving a stipend \n [24:07] from pay during that time, as well as a description of what exactly i would be doing at the job. \n [24:15] similar to the job description on a job search website, as well as the exact dates i would be working there. \n [24:23] i recommend making sure that potential employers know and internships know well ahead of time \n [24:33] about things like the mid-year seminar and the end-of-year seminar to make the process of getting time off \n [24:42] from work for that as simple and convenient as possible. \n [24:46] i made sure to send some emails and make my, and make my bosses aware of that in the first week at both internships. \n [24:53] and what types of tasks or responsibilities did you have? \n [24:57] my first internship at an east germany museum was somewhat similar to customer service or retail jobs i've had in the past. \n [25:05] i was, i was mainly working at register where i was selling tickets, picking up the phone and answering questions \n [25:13] about things like ticket prices for, for different groups, various rates, the opening times of the museum. \n [25:25] and also checking people out with objects they were buying at the museum's gift shop. \n [25:31] i also stumbled into my current career field totally by chance during this first internship \n [25:38] because i happened to be the only fluent english speaker at the museum. \n [25:42] and so i was called up to be the resident interpreter and translator for guests at the museum who didn't speak german that well \n [25:51] or only spoke english. \n [25:52] and your second internship was in translating and interpreting then, right? \n [25:56] that's correct. \n [25:57] i got that internship at a translation company. \n [26:02] and i found that just by looking on the agentur for arbeit, actually. \n [26:07] the agentur for arbeit is germany's version of the department of labor. \n [26:14] and they also happened to run a job site like indeed or monster where you can find jobs and internships \n [26:21] as well as general information about different job fields. \n [26:24] and then as your internships were both coming to an end, what did that look like? \n [26:29] did you get a work certificate? \n [26:31] did you do like the typical ausstern where you bring in a cake or something? \n [26:34] how did you end things with both of your employers? \n [26:37] i didn't really have a big ending like bringing a cake in for my first internship at the museum. \n [26:43] it was depressing, to be honest, because i left in february and the museum, which was totally private, \n [26:50] was in the process of shutting down due to lack of visitors. \n [26:54] and they ended up closing in early may. \n [26:58] oh, wow. \n [26:59] ok. \n [27:00] only a few months after i left. \n [27:03] during my second internship at carinage, i brought some suites in to have with my two co-workers in the office. \n [27:11] and i was able to have a bit more of a final cafe and cooking to end the internship. \n [27:20] at both of those internships, i asked for something called a work certificate, which is a practicum zoignis or arbeidszoignis. \n [27:31] that's basically something you can think of as like a yelp review of you, your boss or your boss at the company or your immediate supervisor. \n [27:40] we'll write up a one or two-page document that just says they did tasks x, y, and z. \n [27:49] they did a good job. \n [27:52] they learned what they needed to do. \n [27:55] and it's typically signed as well. \n [27:57] this is definitely a great asset to have if you're thinking about either working in germany or coming back to study in the future. \n [28:06] at the first internship i did, although it was two months, i was still able to build a kind of final project for myself by talking to my boss and doing something useful. \n [28:20] if you walked around the east germany museum, all the museum exhibits and their descriptions were in german, but there were little qr codes taped onto the exhibits with the british flag to show that, hey, you can scan this qr code and see the english translation of what they're saying. \n [28:39] a lot of the qr codes just didn't work to begin with, the ones that did work were total gibberish and filled with translation mistakes, and these qr codes hadn't been placed all around the museum. \n [28:58] so i just talked to my supervisor and said, hey, here's a way i can provide value to you with the skill set i have as an english speaker. \n [29:09] how about in my downtime when there's not many visitors coming in, i sit there in front of the computer and just fix the translation mistakes to make a new qr code system. \n [29:24] at that point, i didn't know that the museum would be closing down completely. \n [29:31] it was just being shrunken down from the previous rental space that they had been taking up in a shopping center. \n [29:40] but the fact that i had the downtime to do that was probably a bad sign for the health of the museum in hindsight. \n [29:47] yeah. \n [29:48] but it still really shows like how important it is to bring self-initiative into the workplace and how you should really also look for, hey, what can i make better here? \n [29:55] what can i improve? \n [29:56] and how can i use my time basically to make the organization a better place? \n [29:59] it's not common that they close down a couple months later. \n [30:02] it's a very special situation. \n [30:03] right. \n [30:04] this program and the internship process itself is really a choose-your-own-adventure type of thing. \n [30:11] i know that the two internships i described lined up really well with my passions and personal interests, but i know there's people who are listening to this that don't want to work in translation or don't know enough german to do that work or just have zero interest in history or working in a museum. \n [30:32] so the advice won't always apply one-to-one to what you're planning to do and apply for, but as long as you put the effort into this and think big about what you'd like to get out of it, i'm sure you can make something work and have a great time during the internship process. \n [30:52] excellent. \n [30:54] that's a really great segue into kind of one of my final questions is like, reflecting back, what are some of the common success factors or some of the common mistakes that you think cbyxers should just be aware of as pertains to the internship process? \n [31:08] i would say that one of the biggest factors is just being okay with hearing no. \n [31:17] i can remember getting my very first job during college. \n [31:20] i applied to 30 different places in my hometown, and i think i got two interviews back at the end of it. \n [31:28] so you have to be willing to hear no a couple times and keep selling yourself and putting yourself out there. \n [31:36] in addition to being ready to hear a couple of nines along the way, i would say just being adaptable is another big thing. \n [31:44] the placement, in my case, i had never been to germany or even outside the us before, so i had no particular special requests as far as where my placement city was going to be. \n [32:02] i ended up there pretty much by chance, like a lot of other people. \n [32:08] and so you really have to adapt your approach and your goals for the internship phase to the placement city and home community you happen to be in. \n [32:18] excellent. those are great tips and kind of insight for the cbyxers. \n [32:25] do you have any final thoughts for the incoming cohort? \n [32:29] any words of wisdom? \n [32:30] and my follow-up on that is, what's next for you? \n [32:34] where are you headed with your career? \n [32:36] how are you using cbyx as a segue into other opportunities? \n [32:41] sure. \n [32:41] i'd say my final concluding thoughts are to really think big about the possibilities of this program. \n [32:46] it was really amazing to see how many different career backgrounds and interests were represented in the cohort i was in. \n [32:57] for instance, we had a chocolate expert who ended up working at a restaurant during the program. \n [33:04] there were people with backgrounds in every career field under the sun that you can imagine who ended up doing really crazy things. \n [33:19] and had a great time either getting farther in their field or trying out a totally new career during their internship phase. \n [33:30] i ended up doing the trying out a career thing during my internship phase. \n [33:41] i always knew that i wanted to do something with languages or traveling when i was growing up. \n [33:48] and i majored in international affairs with the vague idea that maybe i can be a diplomat someday. \n [33:55] this was about as clear of a plan as somebody who's growing up watching movies and says, \n [34:01] man, it would be cool if i could move to hollywood and become an actor or actress. \n [34:06] based on that, i used this program to take a risk and try new things. \n [34:13] and based on that, i ended up shifting from the international relations field, doing more with translation and language services, where i am now. \n [34:23] and you realized the program that that's more of your happy place. \n [34:27] yeah, definitely. \n [34:30] i would say this program is a really unique opportunity to take risks and try new things and build up some really unique life experiences. \n [34:41] this program teaches you not just a lot about germany, but a lot about yourself in terms of the types of places you'd like to live in. \n [34:51] whether you prefer a small town in the countryside or a big city, the type of job fields you'd like to work in, even something as simple as the type of work environment. \n [35:04] would you rather work in a massive open plan office where you're constantly in meetings with people? \n [35:13] or would you rather have a more introvert-friendly job where you're just sitting on a computer and translating documents or something? \n [35:21] yeah, it's great. \n [35:23] it's a real career development opportunity, for sure. \n [35:29] dan, thank you so much for sharing your experience with everyone. \n [35:32] just alone, like laying out the process of how this kind of works, i think is really helpful for incoming cboi upstairs. \n [35:38] so thank you for taking the time to tell us about that and what that looked like for you. \n [35:42] thank you for your time. \n [35:42] and i look forward to following along and where you end up. \n [35:45] and hopefully we'll be drinking coffee and eating kuhn at some point in germany and catching up on everything that you did. \n [35:51] so thank you. \n [35:52] definitely. "}, {"id": "L8-2", "key": "854039627", "vid": "854039627", "title": "Bonus Interview #3", "module": "BONUS MODULE #2: Interviews with International Interns in Germany", "mi": 8, "li": 2, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-3", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
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  1. Honesty about your level is the best policy in Germany - realistic expectations create a safe learning environment.
    2. \n
  2. You're qualified to ask questions - kill imposter syndrome by shifting from \"doing\" to \"learning.\"
    3. \n
  3. German directness is feedback, not rudeness - \"it's nothing personal\"; learn to love knowing where you stand.
    4. \n
  4. Stack opportunities: internship + DAAD scholarship + language classes compound into a mega-accelerator.
    5. \n
  5. Answer \"Why Germany?\" warmly - it's an invitation to bond, not a challenge.
    6. \n
", "summary": "

Bonus Interview #3 - Julia Petron (Medical Internships in Germany, Directness, Learning Culture)

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Module: Bonus Interviews

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Lesson URL: https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-3

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Overview

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Interview with Julia Petron - not a CBYX alum but experienced via DAAD and Fulbright Austria - about two consecutive summer internships at a hospital in Augsburg, Bavaria. She combined pre-medicine with a German major and shows how observation-based learning, honest self-presentation, and German directness translate into a stronger international career profile.

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Key Points

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Frameworks & Templates

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German Phrases / Vocab

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Resources

\n", "md": "# Bonus Interview #3 - Julia Petron (Medical Internships in Germany, Directness, Learning Culture)\n\n**Module:** Bonus Interviews\n**Lesson URL:** https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-3\n\n## Overview\nInterview with Julia Petron - not a CBYX alum but experienced via DAAD and Fulbright Austria - about two consecutive summer internships at a hospital in Augsburg, Bavaria. She combined pre-medicine with a German major and shows how observation-based learning, honest self-presentation, and German directness translate into a stronger international career profile.\n\n## Key Points\n- [01:25] Julia sought an experience combining pre-medicine and her German major in an international context to build a \"more unique and diversified career profile.\"\n- [02:04] Priorities: improving German (vital across German-speaking job markets), joining international-friendly scientific fields, and building an international network.\n- [03:45] Arrived at ~B1/B2 German and was self-conscious about mistakes - the fear is normal; there's no way around the hard work of improving.\n- [04:27] Second summer was funded by a DAAD summer scholarship with language classes (at LMU) - combining an internship + summer scholarship is a \"mega accelerator\" open to internationals.\n- [05:36] First week: heavy observation, note-taking (literally and metaphorically), networking with colleagues; welcoming, student-positive teaching hospital environment.\n- [06:12] Medical \"Hospitation\" (shadowing): never performing procedures, but asking questions and engaging professionally with doctors.\n- [07:05] Lesson for all fields: work your way up - you're not qualified to run a German company's marketing strategy on day one, even if you \"can do marketing.\"\n- [07:11] Anti-imposter-syndrome framing: \"I may not be qualified to perform a c-section, but I am qualified to ask questions about it.\"\n- [09:00] Workplace cultural difference: German directness felt refreshing vs. her indirect U.S. region; Americans now give her the same feedback - \"we always know where we stand with you.\"\n- [10:06] Supervision was positive because her profile was presented realistically beforehand; supervisors had realistic expectations and she was never punished for failing basic anatomy questions.\n- [11:32] Departure custom: she baked a cake for the whole department - in Germany the leaver brings treats (reverse of U.S. custom); colleagues bring big pretzels with butter and mustard.\n- [13:02] Expect the \"Why Germany?\" question constantly - it's curiosity, not hostility; answering it sincerely (\"building an international profile, genuine interest in Germany\") is flattering and a bonding mechanism.\n- [14:57] Biggest advice: be straightforward, humble, and realistic about your profile's strengths and weaknesses - honesty is the best policy especially in Germany.\n- [15:54] Final advice: just go for it - Germany is one of the best places in the world to be a student/intern; people are dynamic and willing to help you learn.\n\n## Frameworks & Templates\n- **\"Answering Why Germany?\" script:** \"It's about building an international profile, the academic and networking experience, the hard career skills - and genuine interest in Germany.\" Deliver it sincerely; it doubles as small-talk rapport with supervisors.\n- **Realistic-profile method:** Present supervisors an honest picture of your skills/language level before you start \u2192 realistic expectations \u2192 room to learn without shame.\n- **Hospitation (shadowing) approach:** Observe \u2192 take notes \u2192 ask respectful, professional questions \u2192 adapt; you're qualified to ask, not to perform.\n- **Abschied (departure) ritual:** Bring cake/treats to the whole department on your last day - in the Germanic world, the person leaving provides the food.\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- **Hospitation** - observation/shadowing placement in a medical or clinical setting.\n- **Praktisches Jahr** - final-year medical students' practical year at teaching hospitals.\n- **DAAD** - German Academic Exchange Service; offers summer scholarships that can be combined with internships and language courses.\n- **Bavarian dialect** - locals speak dialect; expecting standard German everywhere is unrealistic.\n- **Abschied** - farewell; bring treats (cake or Brezeln with butter/mustard).\n\n## Resources\n- DAAD summer scholarships (internship + language course combo).\n- Fulbright Austria (Julia's current affiliation).\n- Teaching hospitals / university hospitals as international-friendly internship hosts.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n1. **Honesty about your level is the best policy in Germany** - realistic expectations create a safe learning environment.\n2. **You're qualified to ask questions** - kill imposter syndrome by shifting from \"doing\" to \"learning.\"\n3. **German directness is feedback, not rudeness** - \"it's nothing personal\"; learn to love knowing where you stand.\n4. **Stack opportunities:** internship + DAAD scholarship + language classes compound into a mega-accelerator.\n5. **Answer \"Why Germany?\" warmly** - it's an invitation to bond, not a challenge.\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]on and welcome to the interview with Julia Petron. We are going to be talking to Julia today
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[00:07]about her experience doing an internship in Germany and now for the CBYXers it's important
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[00:12]to note she's not a alum of the program but she has been very active in working in both Germany
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[00:19]and in Austria. She's been associated with scholarship programs from the DAD as well as
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[00:25]from Fulbright Austria. So she just has a wealth of experience to share and today she's going to
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[00:30]focus on her experience doing internships in Germany two summers in a row within the medical
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[00:36]field and that's why I really wanted her to talk to you all because I know some of you are interested
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[00:39]in medicine or health care and she can provide a lot of insight into what it looks like to intern
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[00:44]in that area. So welcome Julia. Hi thank you so much for having me. I'd also like to announce that my dog
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[00:50]is here with us as well so you might have some important things to to add as well he's a little
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[00:55]bit a little bit talkative himself. I love it our pets are always somewhere in the background. Yeah
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[01:02]yeah it's very dramatic actually to have these pets involved so. Great so you you were a participant in
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[01:10]the summer internships in Germany program from our alma mater College of St. Benedict St. John's
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[01:14]University. Yes. That I coordinated on the ground in Oxford. So can you just tell us a little bit
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[01:20]about yourself and why you chose to participate in an internship program in Germany in the first place?
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[01:25]Yeah definitely so when I first started doing this internship program I was looking for an
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[01:31]experience in the medical field because I had decided I wanted to do pre-medicine and I was also
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[01:36]majoring in German at the time which is the degree that I graduated with so I wanted something that was
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[01:41]going to combine both of these in an international context and I knew that Germany would be a good option
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[01:46]not only because I had been learning German for a while at that time but also because I knew that
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[01:51]Germany was a very good location for international students like myself who were looking to build a
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[01:57]more unique and diversified career profile. I also wanted something that was going to push me out of my
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[02:04]comfort zone because when we're pushed out of our comfort zone we are then pushed to grow and then to
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[02:10]expand our horizons but also adapt to different situations and gain that skill as well especially
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[02:16]in an intercultural environment that's very valuable. And so I knew that this would give me the
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[02:22]opportunity to accomplish all of those while also providing me with some vital career connections
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[02:26]which is exactly what happened. Excellent. So when you were thinking about your internship
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[02:32]you know what were you envisioning or what kind of hopes did you have?
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[02:35]Mm-hmm. I want to say that my expectations going into it weren't very strict because I was just open
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[02:43]to experiencing whatever I could and just kind of seeing what was happening there but what I did
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[02:49]really look forward to was an environment in which I could greatly improve my German language skills
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[02:54]which is vital to the job market in many many fields in German-speaking countries and I also wanted
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[03:01]an environment that I knew would have a nice place for internationals like myself to participate in
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[03:07]which is again a very huge part of the scientific fields in Germany. I think this is a very good
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[03:14]opportunity for people for internationals to go into Germany and to gain career experience so I wanted
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[03:20]to build a more international network that was going to fulfill all of the requirements that I just
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[03:25]previously mentioned with language network and so on but also hopefully discover something new within a
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[03:32]career field that I hadn't seen before and provide more opportunity for me to just kind of see what was
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[03:38]out there. Excellent. So what was your German like when you started the program? I think I was at
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[03:45]about a B1 level, B1, B2 maybe. It was the thing I was the most concerned about actually even though at that
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[03:56]point I'd already been speaking the language actively for a number of years I was really concerned about
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[04:01]making mistakes and I was really concerned about going through yeah going through the hard work of
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[04:08]improving my language that's it's there's no way out of it right like you have to do that but it was still
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[04:12]something that I was very self-conscious about. I would say that it was above the average level of
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[04:18]like somebody who had just started a few years before but there's definitely room for improvement
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[04:23]and that was something that I did get along the way. Well right because the second internship I think
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[04:27]you had a DAAD summer scholarship for and you're able to take language classes right? Yeah at the LMO.
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[04:34]So that's also something that that people can think about in the future if they ever come back to
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[04:38]Germany that you can combine an internship with a summer scholarship and learn you know thank you
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[04:42]have your language classes and have your internship it's also something I did and that's like a mega
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[04:46]accelerator for your learning yeah. I think starting with one and combining it with another is a really
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[04:51]good strategy to be taking and that is an opportunity that's very open to internationals. Definitely.
\n
[04:58]So when you started what did your first day in your first week look like then at the clinic or at the
\n
[05:03]hospital? Yeah my first week was great. I made a lot of new connections with people, discovered that
\n
[05:08]there's a strong support network in my work environment. I also made a lot of mistakes and
\n
[05:14]you know nothing I should be cautious about how I say that because it was the the medical environment
\n
[05:19]but it was no life-threatening mistakes. I'm talking like social mistakes, language mistakes. I spent a lot
\n
[05:25]of time observing and kind of seeing structurally what the what the departments that I was in looked like,
\n
[05:30]how they operated, networking with colleagues and I kind of went from there and ran with it.
\n
[05:36]But it was a really welcoming experience for me. I had a very positive experience onboarding with my
\n
[05:41]colleagues and with fellow international students. I was part of a larger cohort of medical students
\n
[05:47]doing their practical year at this hospital because it is a teaching hospital. There was a lot of students
\n
[05:52]which was great so I felt that we were in a very student positive environment.
\n
[05:57]Um I yeah I showed up took notes literally and metaphorically speaking and I adapted and went along
\n
[06:07]with it this time went on. And you did a lot of what's called like hospitian which is where you
\n
[06:12]kind of just observe and watch what's happening right? Yeah exactly. So I was obviously never performing
\n
[06:18]operations because I'm severely underqualified for that but it was a lot of learning
\n
[06:23]and taking notes and just engaging with the professionals that I was working with asking
\n
[06:28]questions. And they're very appreciative of that because there is a way to do that that is
\n
[06:32]respectful and professional but also benefits you. Yeah and I think that's I think it's good to
\n
[06:37]point out because in medicine it's very clear like oh you're not qualified to like just jump in
\n
[06:42]as an intern. But I think for other fields it's kind of similar but people don't view it that way.
\n
[06:47]Like I think about marketing people are like yeah I can do marketing. It's like but have you ever done
\n
[06:51]marketing? And like why should that German company trust you to like all of a sudden take over their
\n
[06:55]marketing strategy? Like obviously you have to work your way up to things. So I think medicine can be a
\n
[07:00]good like teacher of like hey there's a reason why we train and why things go step by step here.
\n
[07:05]And yeah. Also avoid the imposter syndrome way of thinking too. You know yes I may not be qualified to
\n
[07:11]perform a c-section delivery but I am qualified to ask questions about it. Yeah. And it is the
\n
[07:19]environment to do so and to take notes and to observe. Well because there's like a learning
\n
[07:23]culture there too right? 100%. I think that's I mean that's quite a common experience though. I feel
\n
[07:28]that Germany has a very student positive experience from what I've from what I've heard from people not
\n
[07:33]just from the medical field but a lot of other friends that I might know or other Fulbright scholars
\n
[07:38]or interns or researchers that have gone there or teaching assistants that have gone there to
\n
[07:43]for one reason but then combined it with another reason and I've heard many positive things from
\n
[07:49]a lot of these individuals. So was there anything throughout your internship that you were surprised
\n
[07:57]about or that took you by surprise? I mean there's always the cultural difference. I have to kind of
\n
[08:05]check my own positioning in this as well because I am somebody who passes as German from appearances but
\n
[08:12]also once I got to a language level that was high enough with my German skills I was able to
\n
[08:17]fit in relatively well and people assumed that maybe I was from there. I was in Bavaria and couldn't speak
\n
[08:25]the dialect at all so they definitely assumed that I wasn't from Bavaria but they would assume maybe I
\n
[08:31]was from somewhere further north so I do have to kind of check my privilege in that sense which is
\n
[08:37]something I try to always remain conscious about but I mean there still were cultural differences
\n
[08:43]and workplace differences. I'm from a part of the U.S. where people are very indirect about the way that
\n
[08:49]they speak about workplace issues or they speak about you know organizational tasks or the directness
\n
[08:56]just isn't there and I think for me one of the biggest differences that was refreshing though was
\n
[09:00]the directness that Germans conduct their lives with and I really appreciated that because
\n
[09:05]again it was one of those differences just an inherent difference of working and living in
\n
[09:10]Germany but again it helped me grow a lot and prepared me for the career that I'm starting to
\n
[09:14]build now. And it's something you eventually learn to like a little like I've learned to like the
\n
[09:19]directness. Yeah I do too I do not like to beat around the bush. No no I like to know where I stand
\n
[09:25]with people and honestly that's the feedback I get from Americans now when I've been working here
\n
[09:29]is like oh wow Jess we always know where we stand with you if we've like done something good or
\n
[09:33]we need to improve and I'm like yeah that's how it is in Germany isn't it great? Yeah it can be really
\n
[09:37]refreshing if you view it from that from that point of view. It's not always that way you know there
\n
[09:42]are difficulties when navigating these differences but I think ultimately I've I've grown to to
\n
[09:47]appreciate it because I recognize now that it's something that just is yeah and it's nothing
\n
[09:53]personal. Right and so speaking of kind of like feedback and and direct communication what was the
\n
[10:00]supervision like for you? Very positive experience because it was a student-oriented environment it
\n
[10:06]is now officially part of the medical university or of a recently established medical university in
\n
[10:13]Augsburg but even before it was connected to that medical university explicitly it was a very positive
\n
[10:21]learning environment. Supervision was made very aware of the fact that I was a beginner at what I was
\n
[10:29]doing before I came in. I think they're presented with a very realistic image of my profile which was
\n
[10:36]very beneficial to me and I think it it goes along with the realistic expectations that they had of me.
\n
[10:42]Of course nobody expected me to come in perfectly knowing how to conduct a procedure because I'd never
\n
[10:50]done one and I still haven't done one because I was just an intern right but they would ask me basic
\n
[10:56]questions you know like oh do you know what this muscle is or do you know what which direction blood
\n
[11:01]flows in in that artery or something like the basics. I would fail all of that. Sometimes I knew and
\n
[11:08]sometimes I didn't because anatomy isn't always required at the bachelor's level of pre-medicine in
\n
[11:13]the U.S. so I did fail sometimes but that was okay you know I was never bullied for that. You learn you
\n
[11:20]learn along the way for sure. Yeah yeah definitely. So how did kind of your internship coming to an end
\n
[11:27]what did that look like? Did you have like this typical Ausstand where you do like you bring in
\n
[11:32]like treats or something to work and say goodbye? What did that look like for you? Yeah I baked some
\n
[11:37]cake and I brought it in for the whole department and everybody was just thrilled. It's a little bit
\n
[11:43]different though you know because in the U.S. when somebody is leaving or when somebody celebrates
\n
[11:47]a birthday everybody else brings them treats or maybe you know something in in the Germanic world
\n
[11:54]it's the other way around which is really funny but I knew that ahead of time. I knew that I'd have
\n
[11:59]to bring something and other colleagues you know who were coming and going would bring like
\n
[12:04]pretzels you know the big soft pretzels with butter and and same for good old spicy mustard or
\n
[12:09]something which is very very Bavarian but of course everybody loved it you know. Right. Who doesn't
\n
[12:16]love a pretzel in Bavaria? I had way too many of those when I was there. They're hard to find where
\n
[12:23]I'm at now in Austria but yeah I mean it's a good way to bond with the colleagues and to kind of you
\n
[12:29]know end things on a positive note. I really enjoyed the experience and I my first internship I'd gotten
\n
[12:35]particularly close to the department I was with and we actually ended up sharing a couple of fond
\n
[12:40]um bittersweet tears actually some of the doctors I worked with had had cried and I was just a baby
\n
[12:47]yeah I was like I'm gonna miss you guys so much. Well you were also there then two summers in a row too
\n
[12:52]there's kind of that special connection of you like coming back as well. Yes and I ran into the same
\n
[12:57]personnel that I was with the first time and they did kind of like a double take about the Americans here
\n
[13:02]again. Maybe she never leaves left. Yeah you know but it's um but then I also oftentimes was met with
\n
[13:12]like why Germany thing you know you're from you're from like a certain country why would you want to
\n
[13:17]come here and I think that's a question a lot of people are oftentimes confronted with when they do
\n
[13:22]an international internship in Germany or studies or something it's always oh yeah why Germany
\n
[13:28]um and I don't think it's ever meant as a negative thing I don't think it's ever meant to be like why
\n
[13:33]are you in Germany get out you know it's never it's never been like that for me. It's like curiosity
\n
[13:37]like why would you choose to come here? Yeah because for them it's just Germany you know just it's just
\n
[13:43]normal normal Germany um but for me it was about the cultural difference and it was about the academic
\n
[13:49]experience and the networking experience as well as the hard career skills right um and it's a good
\n
[13:55]it's a good social mechanism of bonding with the people around you um whether that's your peers
\n
[14:01]your fellow interns slash students your supervisors the higher ups the bureaucratic structures of the
\n
[14:08]hospital in my case I got asked that so many times by my supervisors and I just said the same thing you
\n
[14:14]know it's about building an international profile also I'm just interested in Germany and I think if you
\n
[14:21]if you indicate that that interest it it's very flattering for people whether or not they realize
\n
[14:26]it they're really kind of like it's like a nice compliment to them you know they're very interested
\n
[14:31]to hear about why you chose to come there and it's a it's a good way to to bond with people around you.
\n
[14:38]Definitely so now reflecting back what do you think I mean you've worked for different organizations
\n
[14:44]now you've dealt with a lot of expats who are living and working abroad like what do you think
\n
[14:48]some common mistakes that students or maybe even Americans specifically make when they're looking
\n
[14:52]for an internship or even when they're just like on the job or participating in an internship?
\n
[14:57]I think the biggest advice I'd give is be straightforward but also be humble
\n
[15:01]and be realistic with yourself be aware of the strengths and weaknesses in your profile
\n
[15:08]and be ready to tone up to them and address them if you're asked about them in a professional
\n
[15:12]environment per se you come into a situation where you don't speak German yet or your German is very
\n
[15:18]basic it's okay to admit that you don't have to hide that I think honesty is the best policy
\n
[15:23]especially in Germany be realistic about it but also position yourself in a way and honestly be ready
\n
[15:30]to be in a position to learn as you go along and to be open for improvement and constructive criticism
\n
[15:36]because this is the only way you can deal with that but long term it's the most sustainable way
\n
[15:43]to build your profile and your career
\n
[15:45]all right well is there anything else that you would like to add related to interning in Germany
\n
[15:54]you think the students should know? Just go for it don't think about it too much if your heart's in
\n
[16:01]the place where you want to do something like this I would highly recommend it to anybody any industry
\n
[16:05]I think Germany is one of the best places in the world to be a student and to be an intern and to
\n
[16:14]be in a learning environment because people are very dynamic they're very willing to help you learn and
\n
[16:19]they're very willing to help you improve that's also part of the German culture is that efficiency
\n
[16:24]right and it's it's a good and efficient and effective way to improve yourself as a professional
\n
[16:30]I think speaking from my experience I think it's a very good opportunity for all the reasons that I
\n
[16:35]previously mentioned but if you're just looking for some serious growth it's a great place to get
\n
[16:40]involved professionally. Excellent. Julia thank you so much for joining us today and for sharing your
\n
[16:47]experience with the incoming CBYX cohort. Thanks so much for having me again and good luck everybody.
\n
[16:55]Perfect thank you.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/854039627?h=2cd5969d08", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/854039627.mp4", "search": "bonus interview #3 bonus module #2: interviews with international interns in germany key takeaways copy \n honesty about your level is the best policy in germany - realistic expectations create a safe learning environment. \n you're qualified to ask questions - kill imposter syndrome by shifting from \"doing\" to \"learning.\" \n german directness is feedback, not rudeness - \"it's nothing personal\"; learn to love knowing where you stand. \n stack opportunities: internship + daad scholarship + language classes compound into a mega-accelerator. \n answer \"why germany?\" warmly - it's an invitation to bond, not a challenge. \n bonus interview #3 - julia petron (medical internships in germany, directness, learning culture) \n module: bonus interviews \n lesson url: https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-3 \n overview \n interview with julia petron - not a cbyx alum but experienced via daad and fulbright austria - about two consecutive summer internships at a hospital in augsburg, bavaria. she combined pre-medicine with a german major and shows how observation-based learning, honest self-presentation, and german directness translate into a stronger international career profile. \n key points \n \n [01:25] julia sought an experience combining pre-medicine and her german major in an international context to build a \"more unique and diversified career profile.\" \n [02:04] priorities: improving german (vital across german-speaking job markets), joining international-friendly scientific fields, and building an international network. \n [03:45] arrived at ~b1/b2 german and was self-conscious about mistakes - the fear is normal; there's no way around the hard work of improving. \n [04:27] second summer was funded by a daad summer scholarship with language classes (at lmu) - combining an internship + summer scholarship is a \"mega accelerator\" open to internationals. \n [05:36] first week: heavy observation, note-taking (literally and metaphorically), networking with colleagues; welcoming, student-positive teaching hospital environment. \n [06:12] medical \"hospitation\" (shadowing): never performing procedures, but asking questions and engaging professionally with doctors. \n [07:05] lesson for all fields: work your way up - you're not qualified to run a german company's marketing strategy on day one, even if you \"can do marketing.\" \n [07:11] anti-imposter-syndrome framing: \"i may not be qualified to perform a c-section, but i am qualified to ask questions about it.\" \n [09:00] workplace cultural difference: german directness felt refreshing vs. her indirect u.s. region; americans now give her the same feedback - \"we always know where we stand with you.\" \n [10:06] supervision was positive because her profile was presented realistically beforehand; supervisors had realistic expectations and she was never punished for failing basic anatomy questions. \n [11:32] departure custom: she baked a cake for the whole department - in germany the leaver brings treats (reverse of u.s. custom); colleagues bring big pretzels with butter and mustard. \n [13:02] expect the \"why germany?\" question constantly - it's curiosity, not hostility; answering it sincerely (\"building an international profile, genuine interest in germany\") is flattering and a bonding mechanism. \n [14:57] biggest advice: be straightforward, humble, and realistic about your profile's strengths and weaknesses - honesty is the best policy especially in germany. \n [15:54] final advice: just go for it - germany is one of the best places in the world to be a student/intern; people are dynamic and willing to help you learn. \n \n frameworks & templates \n \n \"answering why germany?\" script: \"it's about building an international profile, the academic and networking experience, the hard career skills - and genuine interest in germany.\" deliver it sincerely; it doubles as small-talk rapport with supervisors. \n realistic-profile method: present supervisors an honest picture of your skills/language level before you start \u2192 realistic expectations \u2192 room to learn without shame. \n hospitation (shadowing) approach: observe \u2192 take notes \u2192 ask respectful, professional questions \u2192 adapt; you're qualified to ask, not to perform. \n abschied (departure) ritual: bring cake/treats to the whole department on your last day - in the germanic world, the person leaving provides the food. \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n hospitation - observation/shadowing placement in a medical or clinical setting. \n praktisches jahr - final-year medical students' practical year at teaching hospitals. \n daad - german academic exchange service; offers summer scholarships that can be combined with internships and language courses. \n bavarian dialect - locals speak dialect; expecting standard german everywhere is unrealistic. \n abschied - farewell; bring treats (cake or brezeln with butter/mustard). \n \n resources \n \n daad summer scholarships (internship + language course combo). \n fulbright austria (julia's current affiliation). \n teaching hospitals / university hospitals as international-friendly internship hosts. \n [00:00] on and welcome to the interview with julia petron. we are going to be talking to julia today \n [00:07] about her experience doing an internship in germany and now for the cbyxers it's important \n [00:12] to note she's not a alum of the program but she has been very active in working in both germany \n [00:19] and in austria. she's been associated with scholarship programs from the dad as well as \n [00:25] from fulbright austria. so she just has a wealth of experience to share and today she's going to \n [00:30] focus on her experience doing internships in germany two summers in a row within the medical \n [00:36] field and that's why i really wanted her to talk to you all because i know some of you are interested \n [00:39] in medicine or health care and she can provide a lot of insight into what it looks like to intern \n [00:44] in that area. so welcome julia. hi thank you so much for having me. i'd also like to announce that my dog \n [00:50] is here with us as well so you might have some important things to to add as well he's a little \n [00:55] bit a little bit talkative himself. i love it our pets are always somewhere in the background. yeah \n [01:02] yeah it's very dramatic actually to have these pets involved so. great so you you were a participant in \n [01:10] the summer internships in germany program from our alma mater college of st. benedict st. john's \n [01:14] university. yes. that i coordinated on the ground in oxford. so can you just tell us a little bit \n [01:20] about yourself and why you chose to participate in an internship program in germany in the first place? \n [01:25] yeah definitely so when i first started doing this internship program i was looking for an \n [01:31] experience in the medical field because i had decided i wanted to do pre-medicine and i was also \n [01:36] majoring in german at the time which is the degree that i graduated with so i wanted something that was \n [01:41] going to combine both of these in an international context and i knew that germany would be a good option \n [01:46] not only because i had been learning german for a while at that time but also because i knew that \n [01:51] germany was a very good location for international students like myself who were looking to build a \n [01:57] more unique and diversified career profile. i also wanted something that was going to push me out of my \n [02:04] comfort zone because when we're pushed out of our comfort zone we are then pushed to grow and then to \n [02:10] expand our horizons but also adapt to different situations and gain that skill as well especially \n [02:16] in an intercultural environment that's very valuable. and so i knew that this would give me the \n [02:22] opportunity to accomplish all of those while also providing me with some vital career connections \n [02:26] which is exactly what happened. excellent. so when you were thinking about your internship \n [02:32] you know what were you envisioning or what kind of hopes did you have? \n [02:35] mm-hmm. i want to say that my expectations going into it weren't very strict because i was just open \n [02:43] to experiencing whatever i could and just kind of seeing what was happening there but what i did \n [02:49] really look forward to was an environment in which i could greatly improve my german language skills \n [02:54] which is vital to the job market in many many fields in german-speaking countries and i also wanted \n [03:01] an environment that i knew would have a nice place for internationals like myself to participate in \n [03:07] which is again a very huge part of the scientific fields in germany. i think this is a very good \n [03:14] opportunity for people for internationals to go into germany and to gain career experience so i wanted \n [03:20] to build a more international network that was going to fulfill all of the requirements that i just \n [03:25] previously mentioned with language network and so on but also hopefully discover something new within a \n [03:32] career field that i hadn't seen before and provide more opportunity for me to just kind of see what was \n [03:38] out there. excellent. so what was your german like when you started the program? i think i was at \n [03:45] about a b1 level, b1, b2 maybe. it was the thing i was the most concerned about actually even though at that \n [03:56] point i'd already been speaking the language actively for a number of years i was really concerned about \n [04:01] making mistakes and i was really concerned about going through yeah going through the hard work of \n [04:08] improving my language that's it's there's no way out of it right like you have to do that but it was still \n [04:12] something that i was very self-conscious about. i would say that it was above the average level of \n [04:18] like somebody who had just started a few years before but there's definitely room for improvement \n [04:23] and that was something that i did get along the way. well right because the second internship i think \n [04:27] you had a daad summer scholarship for and you're able to take language classes right? yeah at the lmo. \n [04:34] so that's also something that that people can think about in the future if they ever come back to \n [04:38] germany that you can combine an internship with a summer scholarship and learn you know thank you \n [04:42] have your language classes and have your internship it's also something i did and that's like a mega \n [04:46] accelerator for your learning yeah. i think starting with one and combining it with another is a really \n [04:51] good strategy to be taking and that is an opportunity that's very open to internationals. definitely. \n [04:58] so when you started what did your first day in your first week look like then at the clinic or at the \n [05:03] hospital? yeah my first week was great. i made a lot of new connections with people, discovered that \n [05:08] there's a strong support network in my work environment. i also made a lot of mistakes and \n [05:14] you know nothing i should be cautious about how i say that because it was the the medical environment \n [05:19] but it was no life-threatening mistakes. i'm talking like social mistakes, language mistakes. i spent a lot \n [05:25] of time observing and kind of seeing structurally what the what the departments that i was in looked like, \n [05:30] how they operated, networking with colleagues and i kind of went from there and ran with it. \n [05:36] but it was a really welcoming experience for me. i had a very positive experience onboarding with my \n [05:41] colleagues and with fellow international students. i was part of a larger cohort of medical students \n [05:47] doing their practical year at this hospital because it is a teaching hospital. there was a lot of students \n [05:52] which was great so i felt that we were in a very student positive environment. \n [05:57] um i yeah i showed up took notes literally and metaphorically speaking and i adapted and went along \n [06:07] with it this time went on. and you did a lot of what's called like hospitian which is where you \n [06:12] kind of just observe and watch what's happening right? yeah exactly. so i was obviously never performing \n [06:18] operations because i'm severely underqualified for that but it was a lot of learning \n [06:23] and taking notes and just engaging with the professionals that i was working with asking \n [06:28] questions. and they're very appreciative of that because there is a way to do that that is \n [06:32] respectful and professional but also benefits you. yeah and i think that's i think it's good to \n [06:37] point out because in medicine it's very clear like oh you're not qualified to like just jump in \n [06:42] as an intern. but i think for other fields it's kind of similar but people don't view it that way. \n [06:47] like i think about marketing people are like yeah i can do marketing. it's like but have you ever done \n [06:51] marketing? and like why should that german company trust you to like all of a sudden take over their \n [06:55] marketing strategy? like obviously you have to work your way up to things. so i think medicine can be a \n [07:00] good like teacher of like hey there's a reason why we train and why things go step by step here. \n [07:05] and yeah. also avoid the imposter syndrome way of thinking too. you know yes i may not be qualified to \n [07:11] perform a c-section delivery but i am qualified to ask questions about it. yeah. and it is the \n [07:19] environment to do so and to take notes and to observe. well because there's like a learning \n [07:23] culture there too right? 100%. i think that's i mean that's quite a common experience though. i feel \n [07:28] that germany has a very student positive experience from what i've from what i've heard from people not \n [07:33] just from the medical field but a lot of other friends that i might know or other fulbright scholars \n [07:38] or interns or researchers that have gone there or teaching assistants that have gone there to \n [07:43] for one reason but then combined it with another reason and i've heard many positive things from \n [07:49] a lot of these individuals. so was there anything throughout your internship that you were surprised \n [07:57] about or that took you by surprise? i mean there's always the cultural difference. i have to kind of \n [08:05] check my own positioning in this as well because i am somebody who passes as german from appearances but \n [08:12] also once i got to a language level that was high enough with my german skills i was able to \n [08:17] fit in relatively well and people assumed that maybe i was from there. i was in bavaria and couldn't speak \n [08:25] the dialect at all so they definitely assumed that i wasn't from bavaria but they would assume maybe i \n [08:31] was from somewhere further north so i do have to kind of check my privilege in that sense which is \n [08:37] something i try to always remain conscious about but i mean there still were cultural differences \n [08:43] and workplace differences. i'm from a part of the u.s. where people are very indirect about the way that \n [08:49] they speak about workplace issues or they speak about you know organizational tasks or the directness \n [08:56] just isn't there and i think for me one of the biggest differences that was refreshing though was \n [09:00] the directness that germans conduct their lives with and i really appreciated that because \n [09:05] again it was one of those differences just an inherent difference of working and living in \n [09:10] germany but again it helped me grow a lot and prepared me for the career that i'm starting to \n [09:14] build now. and it's something you eventually learn to like a little like i've learned to like the \n [09:19] directness. yeah i do too i do not like to beat around the bush. no no i like to know where i stand \n [09:25] with people and honestly that's the feedback i get from americans now when i've been working here \n [09:29] is like oh wow jess we always know where we stand with you if we've like done something good or \n [09:33] we need to improve and i'm like yeah that's how it is in germany isn't it great? yeah it can be really \n [09:37] refreshing if you view it from that from that point of view. it's not always that way you know there \n [09:42] are difficulties when navigating these differences but i think ultimately i've i've grown to to \n [09:47] appreciate it because i recognize now that it's something that just is yeah and it's nothing \n [09:53] personal. right and so speaking of kind of like feedback and and direct communication what was the \n [10:00] supervision like for you? very positive experience because it was a student-oriented environment it \n [10:06] is now officially part of the medical university or of a recently established medical university in \n [10:13] augsburg but even before it was connected to that medical university explicitly it was a very positive \n [10:21] learning environment. supervision was made very aware of the fact that i was a beginner at what i was \n [10:29] doing before i came in. i think they're presented with a very realistic image of my profile which was \n [10:36] very beneficial to me and i think it it goes along with the realistic expectations that they had of me. \n [10:42] of course nobody expected me to come in perfectly knowing how to conduct a procedure because i'd never \n [10:50] done one and i still haven't done one because i was just an intern right but they would ask me basic \n [10:56] questions you know like oh do you know what this muscle is or do you know what which direction blood \n [11:01] flows in in that artery or something like the basics. i would fail all of that. sometimes i knew and \n [11:08] sometimes i didn't because anatomy isn't always required at the bachelor's level of pre-medicine in \n [11:13] the u.s. so i did fail sometimes but that was okay you know i was never bullied for that. you learn you \n [11:20] learn along the way for sure. yeah yeah definitely. so how did kind of your internship coming to an end \n [11:27] what did that look like? did you have like this typical ausstand where you do like you bring in \n [11:32] like treats or something to work and say goodbye? what did that look like for you? yeah i baked some \n [11:37] cake and i brought it in for the whole department and everybody was just thrilled. it's a little bit \n [11:43] different though you know because in the u.s. when somebody is leaving or when somebody celebrates \n [11:47] a birthday everybody else brings them treats or maybe you know something in in the germanic world \n [11:54] it's the other way around which is really funny but i knew that ahead of time. i knew that i'd have \n [11:59] to bring something and other colleagues you know who were coming and going would bring like \n [12:04] pretzels you know the big soft pretzels with butter and and same for good old spicy mustard or \n [12:09] something which is very very bavarian but of course everybody loved it you know. right. who doesn't \n [12:16] love a pretzel in bavaria? i had way too many of those when i was there. they're hard to find where \n [12:23] i'm at now in austria but yeah i mean it's a good way to bond with the colleagues and to kind of you \n [12:29] know end things on a positive note. i really enjoyed the experience and i my first internship i'd gotten \n [12:35] particularly close to the department i was with and we actually ended up sharing a couple of fond \n [12:40] um bittersweet tears actually some of the doctors i worked with had had cried and i was just a baby \n [12:47] yeah i was like i'm gonna miss you guys so much. well you were also there then two summers in a row too \n [12:52] there's kind of that special connection of you like coming back as well. yes and i ran into the same \n [12:57] personnel that i was with the first time and they did kind of like a double take about the americans here \n [13:02] again. maybe she never leaves left. yeah you know but it's um but then i also oftentimes was met with \n [13:12] like why germany thing you know you're from you're from like a certain country why would you want to \n [13:17] come here and i think that's a question a lot of people are oftentimes confronted with when they do \n [13:22] an international internship in germany or studies or something it's always oh yeah why germany \n [13:28] um and i don't think it's ever meant as a negative thing i don't think it's ever meant to be like why \n [13:33] are you in germany get out you know it's never it's never been like that for me. it's like curiosity \n [13:37] like why would you choose to come here? yeah because for them it's just germany you know just it's just \n [13:43] normal normal germany um but for me it was about the cultural difference and it was about the academic \n [13:49] experience and the networking experience as well as the hard career skills right um and it's a good \n [13:55] it's a good social mechanism of bonding with the people around you um whether that's your peers \n [14:01] your fellow interns slash students your supervisors the higher ups the bureaucratic structures of the \n [14:08] hospital in my case i got asked that so many times by my supervisors and i just said the same thing you \n [14:14] know it's about building an international profile also i'm just interested in germany and i think if you \n [14:21] if you indicate that that interest it it's very flattering for people whether or not they realize \n [14:26] it they're really kind of like it's like a nice compliment to them you know they're very interested \n [14:31] to hear about why you chose to come there and it's a it's a good way to to bond with people around you. \n [14:38] definitely so now reflecting back what do you think i mean you've worked for different organizations \n [14:44] now you've dealt with a lot of expats who are living and working abroad like what do you think \n [14:48] some common mistakes that students or maybe even americans specifically make when they're looking \n [14:52] for an internship or even when they're just like on the job or participating in an internship? \n [14:57] i think the biggest advice i'd give is be straightforward but also be humble \n [15:01] and be realistic with yourself be aware of the strengths and weaknesses in your profile \n [15:08] and be ready to tone up to them and address them if you're asked about them in a professional \n [15:12] environment per se you come into a situation where you don't speak german yet or your german is very \n [15:18] basic it's okay to admit that you don't have to hide that i think honesty is the best policy \n [15:23] especially in germany be realistic about it but also position yourself in a way and honestly be ready \n [15:30] to be in a position to learn as you go along and to be open for improvement and constructive criticism \n [15:36] because this is the only way you can deal with that but long term it's the most sustainable way \n [15:43] to build your profile and your career \n [15:45] all right well is there anything else that you would like to add related to interning in germany \n [15:54] you think the students should know? just go for it don't think about it too much if your heart's in \n [16:01] the place where you want to do something like this i would highly recommend it to anybody any industry \n [16:05] i think germany is one of the best places in the world to be a student and to be an intern and to \n [16:14] be in a learning environment because people are very dynamic they're very willing to help you learn and \n [16:19] they're very willing to help you improve that's also part of the german culture is that efficiency \n [16:24] right and it's it's a good and efficient and effective way to improve yourself as a professional \n [16:30] i think speaking from my experience i think it's a very good opportunity for all the reasons that i \n [16:35] previously mentioned but if you're just looking for some serious growth it's a great place to get \n [16:40] involved professionally. excellent. julia thank you so much for joining us today and for sharing your \n [16:47] experience with the incoming cbyx cohort. thanks so much for having me again and good luck everybody. \n [16:55] perfect thank you. "}, {"id": "L8-3", "key": "853991974", "vid": "853991974", "title": "Bonus Interview #4", "module": "BONUS MODULE #2: Interviews with International Interns in Germany", "mi": 8, "li": 3, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-4", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
    \n
  1. Start the internship search the day you're accepted - Germany's hiring timelines run 1-3 months (or never), so lead time is everything.
    2. \n
  2. Initiative beats volume: 3-4 well-chosen applications plus one bold in-person ask secured both a paid mini job and an unpaid internship.
    3. \n
  3. Take an unpaid German-language internship if you can afford it - total immersion took Jamari from zero to B2 in one program year.
    4. \n
  4. Say yes to everything, even tasks unrelated to your goal - it builds relationships, language skill, and adaptability.
    5. \n
  5. Leverage CBYX after it ends: keep up the language, stay in the alumni network, and frame the international experience as your differentiator in grad school and career applications.
    6. \n
", "summary": "

Bonus Interview #4 - Jamari Bunn (Mini Jobs, Initiative Applications, Life After CBYX)

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Module: Bonus Interviews

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Lesson URL: https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-4

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Overview

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Interview with Jamari Bunn (37th/38th CBYX cohort) who found an unusual dual path in Germany: a paid mini job as a data archivist at ESL Gaming in Cologne plus an unpaid tech internship at a German-speaking church, arranged through personal initiative. He went from zero German to ~B2 and leveraged CBYX into a fully funded master's at the University of Michigan.

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Key Points

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Frameworks & Templates

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German Phrases / Vocab

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Resources

\n", "md": "# Bonus Interview #4 - Jamari Bunn (Mini Jobs, Initiative Applications, Life After CBYX)\n\n**Module:** Bonus Interviews\n**Lesson URL:** https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-4\n\n## Overview\nInterview with Jamari Bunn (37th/38th CBYX cohort) who found an unusual dual path in Germany: a paid mini job as a data archivist at ESL Gaming in Cologne plus an unpaid tech internship at a German-speaking church, arranged through personal initiative. He went from zero German to ~B2 and leveraged CBYX into a fully funded master's at the University of Michigan.\n\n## Key Points\n- [00:29] Jamari chose CBYX because tech companies in Germany hire English-speaking workers; he applied without any German background.\n- [01:31] Program structure: language school phase + internship phase; he deliberately invested effort in networking during both.\n- [02:02] His focus shifted from higher education (37th cohort) to tech (38th cohort, post-COVID), which made the search easier since IT internships often work in English.\n- [04:50] He only sent 3-4 applications, targeting positions that genuinely interested him - filtered out German-language postings to avoid German interviews (\"don't be like me\").\n- [06:12] Results: one rejection, one interview \u2192 a paid **mini job** at ESL Gaming (Cologne), 10 hrs/week, data archivist for tournament/stream data.\n- [06:45] The internship came from an in-person, initiative-style ask at the German church he attended - informal, no interview.\n- [07:30] Mini job work environment was international and in English; the church internship (20 hrs/week, unpaid) was entirely in German - great for language learning.\n- [11:11] The ESL interview was US-style and one hour: why are you in Germany, relevant experience, do you speak German (asked even though not needed on the job), situational questions.\n- [11:59] ~1 month from interview to offer (early December \u2192 mid-January); German holiday season slows everything down.\n- [12:30] The mini job had a formal German contract (Arbeitsvertrag) with vacation days and salary - his host family helped him decode it.\n- [13:31] Retrospective advice: start the search immediately upon acceptance (processes take 1-3 months), and expand the geographic search - placement often follows where you find the internship.\n- [16:29] First week: ESL ran structured onboarding/training days with the CEO; the church start was low-key and self-directed.\n- [18:09] On ending both roles, he requested **Arbeitszeugnis** (testimonial/reference letters) in both English and German - a key German career asset.\n- [21:40] Post-CBYX: weekly German tutor in Boston, worked with Cultural Vistas to train new cohorts, and leveraged the international/language experience into grad school applications \u2192 full ride for HCI master's at University of Michigan.\n- [25:07] Host mom's motto: \"It's not wrong, it's just different\" - the mindset that made the whole experience work.\n\n## Frameworks & Templates\n- **Initiative application (in person):** Identify a place you already have informal contact with; ask directly: \"I'm here on this program for X months - could I do a practicum with your team?\"\n- **Paperwork checklist:** Have ready before employers ask: high school diploma, college transcripts, copy of passport, letters of recommendation - \"Germans love their paperwork.\"\n- **Leaving a role:** Ask supervisors for Arbeitszeugnis a few days before the end (request both English and German versions); return all equipment; the end date is already in the contract.\n\n## German Phrases / Vocab\n- **Mini job** - part-time job earning up to the mini-job threshold (~10 hrs/week in Jamari's case), paid, with contract and vacation days.\n- **Arbeitsvertrag** - employment contract (in German; lists salary, vacation days, duties).\n- **Arbeitszeugnis** - written testimonial/reference letter from an employer, standard and highly valued in Germany.\n- **Arbeitstag** - workday (referenced re: contract end date).\n- **Praktikum** - internship/practicum.\n\n## Resources\n- Host family, German-speaking church community, and German friends as language accelerators.\n- Cultural Vistas alumni network (training new cohorts, informal alumni encounters).\n- Employer paperwork norms: contracts always in German - use a fluent helper (host family) to review.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n1. **Start the internship search the day you're accepted** - Germany's hiring timelines run 1-3 months (or never), so lead time is everything.\n2. **Initiative beats volume:** 3-4 well-chosen applications plus one bold in-person ask secured both a paid mini job and an unpaid internship.\n3. **Take an unpaid German-language internship if you can afford it** - total immersion took Jamari from zero to B2 in one program year.\n4. **Say yes to everything**, even tasks unrelated to your goal - it builds relationships, language skill, and adaptability.\n5. **Leverage CBYX after it ends:** keep up the language, stay in the alumni network, and frame the international experience as your differentiator in grad school and career applications.\n", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:02]Okay. All right, Jamari, thank you for being here with us today and for sharing your experience
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[00:09]with the CBYX and Professionals Program. You were a member of the 38th cohort at the end of the day,
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[00:17]37-38. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose to participate in the program?
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[00:23]Yeah, for sure. So yeah, my name is Jamari Bunn and I was part of the 37-38 cohorts.
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[00:29]Yeah. So the reason that I initially considered CBYX was because it was during my senior year and at
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[00:36]the time I actually had a friend who was an exchange student from Germany and he kind of
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[00:41]got me on the idea of studying there. And of course, I think at first I was very hesitant because I'd
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[00:46]never studied German before, never been to Germany. But he told me like, yeah, there's lots of
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[00:51]programs in English and because you're wanting to do tech, a lot of German companies will hire
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[00:56]tech workers and work in English. So I think that's kind of what led to me like exploring more
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[01:01]opportunities. And I think the fact that CBYX was offered to people who didn't speak German made it
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[01:06]very appealing. And that's kind of why I applied to begin with. Excellent. And what were your hopes
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[01:13]going into the program? Yeah, good question. So I think for me, like, well, one goal was that like,
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[01:22]you know, I was living in a different country. So I think for me, having not known the language
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[01:26]beforehand, I really wanted to like, you know, come out of the program with a like solid foundation
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[01:31]in German. Then also like, you know, I wanted to have like, you know, something to show for it.
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[01:35]Like, you know, the program, like, you know, incorporates like, you know, language study in
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[01:38]an internship phase. So I definitely was hoping to like get a solid, like, you know, professional
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[01:44]experience out of it. So like, that's why I like, you know, when it came to like, you know,
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[01:47]the more like, you know, professional aspects, like the internship and networking, I did make sure
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[01:51]to like, you know, dedicate time to like, you know, bring towards effort and time towards that,
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[01:55]essentially. So what was what type of internship were you originally then looking for?
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[02:02]Sure. So it was interesting. So between me applying for the 37th and then the 38th cohorts,
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[02:07]my shift actually shifted, my focus actually shifted a bit. So for the 37th, I initially was
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[02:13]focused on higher education. But then for the 38th, that was around the time, like after COVID
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[02:18]had already hit, I had switched to tech. So when I eventually did go to Germany, I was really focused
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[02:23]on finding tech internships. And I also think that made my experience a bit easier. Because as I said
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[02:28]before, like, when it comes to tech and IT internships, which is what I was targeting, a lot of employers are
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[02:34]a lot more understanding that like, you know, a lot of people don't have, you know, German skills that
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[02:38]are necessary that are needed to like live in the country. But a lot of the work can be done in
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[02:43]English. So I think that made my experience overall a lot more effective.
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[02:47]And were you envisioning yourself in like a startup or more like a multinational?
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[02:53]Yeah, so I think for me, like, especially considering the circumstances around the time
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[02:58]I went to Germany, like, I think I was kind of like coping for whatever I could get. Because like,
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[03:02]you know, COVID was still very much a thing. Like, you know, it was only about a year afterwards.
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[03:06]And like, you know, there were just so many restrictions on like, you know, where we could go or what
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[03:10]we could do that I felt that myself and probably many of my cohort members couldn't really like,
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[03:14]you know, be that like picky about what we got. Because like, you know, it was kind of just like,
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[03:18]oh, apply. And whatever you get is kind of like, what is what you're gonna get the most part? Like,
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[03:23]because yeah, a lot of places weren't even offering internships that typically would because of COVID
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[03:27]and like, you know, having to cut back and like, even lay some people off. So yeah, that was a bit hard
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[03:32]in that aspect. Yeah. Yeah, it's true. That was like the year when it was difficult for like anyone
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[03:38]to get an internship, really. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So can you tell us a little bit about what
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[03:45]the internship search process looked like for you then? Yeah, for sure. So I think right around the
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[03:52]time I got accepted, they kind of distributed some like paperwork that said, hey, it's good for you to
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[03:57]kind of start thinking about like, you know, looking for an internship. Now you can kind of prearrange
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[04:01]an internship if you have connections. But essentially, the internship starts now, like,
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[04:05]and that was back in July, I believe. So we had about one month to sort of like prearrange an
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[04:10]internship. But I wasn't able to do that. Because again, I didn't really have much experience in
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[04:14]Germany. I didn't speak German. So I thought I was kind of a bit disadvantaged in that regard.
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[04:18]So for me, I kind of started looking, and I guess planning around the time I got to Germany while I was in
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[04:23]language school. I remember there was a couple of sessions that the language provided us to like how to
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[04:28]make a CV in German, like, you know, what are things that they look for, etc. And so I think
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[04:33]after some of those sessions, which took place in August, I think in September, like a month before
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[04:39]I moved to my final placement is when I started to actually like apply to jobs and start to actually
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[04:43]ramp up my internship search process. And how many applications did you end up sending out?
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[04:49]You remember?
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[04:50]Honestly, so don't be like me, but I think I actually only ended up sending about three or four.
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[04:58]And that's because. Yeah, honestly, I think it was also due to lack of motivation to like,
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[05:04]I felt I found that like, you know, there's a lot of people who had, I think, more experience and
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[05:08]more German ability sending out, like, you know, tons of applications and not getting like any hits
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[05:12]back. So I think for me, I really focused on positions and things that seemed really interesting
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[05:17]to me and apply to those. And I ended up only finding about like three or four. Because again,
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[05:22]like, you know, because I didn't speak German at the time that well, like, I felt like, oh,
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[05:26]yeah, something is like completely in German or the postings in German, then maybe I shouldn't apply
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[05:31]to it. Because if I have to interview in German, I think I'll fail. And I didn't want to put that on
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[05:35]myself. Right? Yeah. Yeah. And it's true. Like, if it is in German, like, they're probably assuming
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[05:41]that you're able to speak German, right? I mean, it's not always the case, because sometimes you have
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[05:45]jobs that are ever internships that are advertised in German, where you do like all the work in
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[05:49]English, but it's definitely technically a good way to kind of sort out positions that maybe are
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[05:53]not a good fit. Yeah. But then from those like three or four applications, how many did you get
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[05:58]callbacks? Did you get interviews? Yeah. So from those three or four, I got denied for one
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[06:04]immediately. Well, not immediately, but it took a couple of weeks. But they said like, yeah, sorry,
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[06:08]this isn't a good fit. I didn't hear back from one of them. And then I actually did get one
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[06:12]interview. So actually, the interview I got was not for an internship, but was for a mini job.
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[06:18]So I got that job. Like, I actually did both an internship and a mini job together. So I kind
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[06:23]of just split my time between both of them. But yeah, for the interview for the mini job, I got that
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[06:27]around December, the beginning of December. And I interviewed for that took about maybe it was only
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[06:32]one interview. And it lasted about an hour. And then I got hired on for that in January.
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[06:38]But for my actual internship, how I ended up, I guess, summarizing that was that I was happening to
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[06:45]be going to a German church at the time. And I was a bit like, familiar with some of the tech that
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[06:50]they did and some of the things that they did. So I basically kind of went up to like the director
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[06:54]and I said, Hey, like, you know, I'm here on this program. And I think I'm into this church for like
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[06:58]X amount of months. Would you mind if I like did like a practicum like in like here and just like
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[07:03]kind of worked with your team, essentially. And yeah, after like speaking with a couple people,
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[07:07]that's how I managed to arrange that. So that's sort of an interview more of like a very informal,
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[07:12]like, hey, like, you know, here's what I use who I am. Can I do this essentially? So
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[07:16]very much like an initiative application, but in person. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, that's a great
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[07:23]strategy, too. So you have so what was the mini job in then? Yeah, so for the mini job, I worked at a
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[07:30]German eSports company called ESL gaming. It's based in Cologne. And yeah, that was like a,
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[07:35]like international company. So their main office per se was in Germany, but they had offices in
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[07:41]Poland, they had offices in the US. So I was based out of their German branch, and I worked as a
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[07:46]data archivist. So essentially, they had a bunch of data from like tournaments and like streams that
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[07:51]they operated. And basically, I was responsible for organizing that data, distributing the materials to
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[07:56]other members of their team. So that's kind of what I did for about 10 hours per week. And I actually
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[08:01]did have the opportunity to work in office. So I got an office space, I got a desk. So it was really
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[08:05]cool in that aspect. And so that was paid then, because it's a mini job. Yeah, it was paid. Exactly.
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[08:12]And then and then you had the internship doing tech at the church on top of that. Was that internship
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[08:16]paid? That one, unfortunately, was not paid. And that was also for a longer period of time. I think I
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[08:22]did that for about 20 hours a week. But the benefit of that one was for one, like, you know, because I was
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[08:27]already familiar with the landscape of the church, it was like not as easy. It was not as hard to like, you
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[08:32]know, get acclimated. And it was to that internship actually was completely in German, like, you know, it
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[08:38]was like the German speaking church. So like, you know, I tried with my colleagues in German, like most of my
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[08:42]work, like, you know, stuff, actual stuff was in German. And so like, my mini job actually was all
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[08:47]mostly in English, I could speak German, because you know, some of my co workers were German, but
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[08:51]like, for the most part, massive, vast majority of my work at the mini job was in English, but
\n
[08:55]at the internship, it was in German. So I think both kind of had pros and cons. But like, I think
\n
[09:00]that definitely helped a lot with my language capability as well. Absolutely. Now it makes so
\n
[09:05]much sense to me, because your German is so good. And like, you learned it in such a short amount of
\n
[09:09]time. So now I'm like, okay, this makes total sense. Because you came in with like, basically no German,
\n
[09:14]right? Yeah. And now you're like, easily, I would say you're more like the B2 level from
\n
[09:19]what I see from your LinkedIn. So that really accelerated your German language learning then.
\n
[09:27]Yeah, I honestly, I think it was like, just a combination of things. Like, I think I was
\n
[09:31]fortunate enough to have a host family that like, you know, was really supportive speaking German with
\n
[09:34]me. And then I had like, you know, the internship at the church. But then I also had friends who are
\n
[09:39]Germans that were really willing to like, you know, help me, even when I made mistakes. So I think
\n
[09:43]all of these things really, you know, contributed to me learning German as well as I did, I think,
\n
[09:48]which was one of my goals. So it helped work out. Yeah, that's great. So just to back up here for
\n
[09:55]a second, the interview processes for both the mini job and the well, the internship wasn't really an
\n
[09:59]interview process then. Yeah, right. So the mini job, it was like a one hour traditional interview.
\n
[10:05]Can you tell me a little bit about what that looked like for you? Yeah, for sure. So yeah,
\n
[10:10]initially, they reached out to me. And honestly, I've forgotten I applied for this mini job. So
\n
[10:14]like, when they reached out to me, I was shocked. I'm just like, Oh, wow, somebody actually replied.
\n
[10:18]Yeah, but it was they replied in English. And he was just like, Hey, like, you know,
\n
[10:23]we read your application. And we'd like to invite you for like, you know, an interview, like, you know,
\n
[10:27]at such and such time, I didn't get to choose a time, I think it was kind of just rearranged for me.
\n
[10:32]So I kind of had to shift my schedule around. I think at the time, I was still in the university
\n
[10:35]phase. So I think it was kind of easy to like, you know, make time for this interview. But for the
\n
[10:40]most part, like, you know, it's kind of just was him reaching out to me. I don't think he asked for
\n
[10:44]anything extra. I know that typically, some employers would ask for like, you know, high
\n
[10:48]school, like, you know, diplomas, or like, you know, extra things. But I don't think I don't
\n
[10:53]remember him asking for anything aside from what he already had, which was like my resume and a
\n
[10:56]cover letter. So yeah, I just essentially just reached out via email.
\n
[10:59]Okay. And then they asked just kind of general questions around the job or your background,
\n
[11:08]or what did that look like? Do you remember?
\n
[11:11]Yeah, so I felt the interview was very, like, typical of like, you know, something that you
\n
[11:16]would find in America. So like, you know, start up asking me like, Hey, like, you know, you're in
\n
[11:20]Germany, but you're Americans, like, what are you doing here? Like, you know, kind of how long have
\n
[11:24]you been here? And he asked me like, Hey, like, you know, I know, this is like a mini job,
\n
[11:27]like, what sort of relevant experience do you have that like, you know, relates to what you're
\n
[11:31]doing. He did ask me also, if I spoke German, though, that I wouldn't need to use German,
\n
[11:35]like, you know, on the job, but like, he did ask that question, just, I think, for the sake of
\n
[11:39]like, you know, team building, and like, you know, just so it was in his mind. But yeah,
\n
[11:43]just typical questions, like, you know, situational questions, things of that nature. He did tend
\n
[11:49]to ramble on a bit, but I think for the most part, it was the typical, like interview, like, you
\n
[11:53]know, similar to what you'd see in the US. But that was only like, you know, my experience
\n
[11:56]with that one. And then you got you heard back pretty quickly after that interview,
\n
[11:59]right? Actually, I think it took about a month to hear back. So yeah, so it wasn't quick at all.
\n
[12:06]Like, yeah, it was forgotten about it. Exactly. Yeah. And also, it was December, too. So it made
\n
[12:11]sense. Because like, you know, in Germany, like people really value their vacation and their holiday
\n
[12:14]time, which makes sense. So like, you know, I interviewed at the beginning of December. So I want
\n
[12:19]to say like December 9. And I didn't hear back until like, January, like 15, I think so over a
\n
[12:24]month. Okay. Yeah, that makes sense. So with the holiday break in there, then. Now, obviously,
\n
[12:30]for the mini job, you had like a mini job working contract, right? Yeah, exactly. So they had HR
\n
[12:36]kind of dropped up. And that contract actually was in German, because you know, it was a German
\n
[12:40]company. So it was all in German, it had like, you know, my vacation days, it had like, you know,
\n
[12:45]what my salary would be like, you know, and all that jazz. And because I couldn't really understand,
\n
[12:51]like, you know, that level of German just yet, I did have my host family kind of walk me through
\n
[12:55]like, Oh, hey, this is kind of like, you know, my Arbeit special life, like, how can I like
\n
[12:59]understand this? Like, how do I know what's like, you know, what's like, you know, legal
\n
[13:03]and what's not legal, like, you know, so I think that part, like, you know, after I got accepted
\n
[13:07]was a bit difficult, because, you know, that was that, like, you know, language barrier. But
\n
[13:11]thankfully, I had resources that I could make use of.
\n
[13:14]Yeah. Okay. Um, let me take a look here. We have the salary questions. I guess I'm interested
\n
[13:25]in, you know, kind of thinking back and reflecting on your your whole process. What would you have
\n
[13:31]done differently? If anything? So I was to go back, I think I would definitely like, have started
\n
[13:39]looking earlier. I think that can never be stressed enough. Like, I think one thing I'd give to like,
\n
[13:44]you know, the next cohort of people is that like, look early, like, as soon as you kind of get
\n
[13:48]accepted, I'd say, like, you know, start looking for like internships, like Germany, because I think
\n
[13:53]one thing I wasn't aware of was how long the process would take. Like, you know, as I said,
\n
[13:57]it was about a month from for the mini job, at least it was about a month between when I interviewed
\n
[14:01]and when I heard back. But I think for other friends and other people I had who were doing
\n
[14:04]internships, sometimes it was like two months or three months, sometimes they didn't hear back at all.
\n
[14:08]So like, I think I definitely would have started a bit earlier, just like, you know, looking. And I think
\n
[14:13]another thing would just also be like, you know, sort of like, you know, it's like a stereotype,
\n
[14:17]but like, it's kind of true in some aspects that Germans love their paperwork. So like, you know,
\n
[14:21]thankfully, I had like, you know, my high school diploma, I had my, you know, college transcripts,
\n
[14:26]I had my copy of my passport, so that if they asked for it, I could provide that. So like, I think
\n
[14:31]definitely making sure that you have like all these things that the program recommends, because
\n
[14:35]like, you know, then it will make things a lot smoother. Like when you're faced with these questions of
\n
[14:39]like, Oh, hey, like, you know, are you legal allowed to work here? Like, you know, what are your
\n
[14:43]credentials? Like, you know, I need like, you know, this letter of recommendation from like an employer
\n
[14:47]from 10 years ago, graduation, but like, yeah, yeah. And you're like, Oh, my gosh, do they still exist?
\n
[14:54]Exactly. Essentially. Yeah. But yeah, I definitely say looking earlier, and definitely, I think
\n
[14:58]expanding my search, because I think the program gave us the option to kind of like look wherever, even
\n
[15:02]though I think our placements weren't decided yet. And there wasn't a guarantee that you'd be placed
\n
[15:07]where your internship was. I think if you found an internship somewhere, it'd be more likely that
\n
[15:12]you were placed there, like before the program started. So I would definitely would have like
\n
[15:17]both looked earlier and expanded my search to like different areas too.
\n
[15:22]Definitely. Yeah. Starting early, I feel like it's like common theme among, among the alumni who are
\n
[15:26]like, Oh, should have done this a lot earlier. Exactly. Yeah. I think it's also that's a, that's a
\n
[15:32]very big difference is like how long these processes take. Sorry, I was just thinking you did say that
\n
[15:38]you had a contract even for the church internship as well, right? So because that one was like not
\n
[15:45]paid, there was less, so more of a contract and was more kind of like a verbal agreement. So
\n
[15:50]we kind of talked about like, Oh, hey, like, you know, I know that they are not officially working
\n
[15:54]for us, but it's kind of like a volunteer. So like, I guess, for the most part, there was an
\n
[15:59]official contract. But like, we agreed, like, hey, like, you know, you come in this day, this day,
\n
[16:02]and this day. And I actually did like, you know, get like an email, I got signed in with HR at the
\n
[16:07]church as well. So like, I did have like, you know, just some vested, like, you know, stuff within
\n
[16:13]the order, like the place where I work, but like, there was an official contract, because I wasn't
\n
[16:17]technically an employee, if that makes sense. Yeah. Okay. Okay. So when you started both the
\n
[16:25]mini job and the internship, what did your first week look like?
\n
[16:29]Yeah, so actually, I would say I started my mini job first. So I started my mini job about
\n
[16:35]midpoint in January. So like, my first week there, like, was very much like, I, it was actually pretty
\n
[16:42]invigorating. So I got to go to essentially, like a series of training days with other like interns and
\n
[16:47]like people who are, who have been hired on for many jobs, essentially. And that was great. Like,
\n
[16:51]you know, they were, the company was like, very international. So there were people who were
\n
[16:55]students, there were people from other countries in the EU, they were German. So I remember like,
\n
[17:00]you know, us doing like, you know, a whole like introduction where the CEO of the company came and
\n
[17:04]like, you know, he's just like, Oh, hey, welcome to all you new interns and mini jobbers. And we got to
\n
[17:10]talk with him for a bit. And then we know, there was the more boring HR stuff. But then I think the
\n
[17:15]first week was kind of just like very, like exciting, because like, you know, I felt like, yeah,
\n
[17:19]they're doing a lot. And like, I actually get like an actual experience. So that was like,
\n
[17:23]really great. My first, I started my internship, then in February, and I think that was a bit more
\n
[17:29]low key. I remember my supervisor kind of walking me through like, you know, different things I'd be
\n
[17:33]doing. He gave me like an office space. I didn't get a name tag or anything like that. But basically,
\n
[17:38]it was just like, Oh, hey, like, you know, these are some of the things that you can expect. If you need
\n
[17:42]help, you can ask this person or that person. So a lot more, I guess, tame in comparison to like,
\n
[17:47]you know, the extravagant endeavors I had with the mini job. But I think, again,
\n
[17:52]they both were beneficial in different ways, you know?
\n
[17:55]Absolutely.
\n
[17:58]And what happened that as your internship and your mini job were kind of coming to an end?
\n
[18:04]Yeah, so I think as they were both coming to an end, I think one thing that I remember that was
\n
[18:09]recommended to me is that I get like, a testimonial, I forgot what the German word for it is,
\n
[18:14]but like, essentially, a soigness, there you go. Soigness showing that like, you know, I had worked
\n
[18:19]here for X amount of time. So I actually was able to get soignesses from both of my mini job and my
\n
[18:24]internship, both in English and German. So like, I remember like a couple of days before my internship
\n
[18:30]ending, like, you know, just kind of asking my supervisors for those. And then I kind of also asked
\n
[18:35]it if there was a potential that I could return maybe sometime in the future, because I think at the
\n
[18:39]time, I was still considering coming back to Germany, maybe sometime. But I think for the most
\n
[18:43]part, like, there wasn't much I had to do in terms of like, you know, paperwork, you know, just like,
\n
[18:49]oh, hey, like, you know, this is kind of the day, at least for my mini job, my ABAX for
\n
[18:53]tag had the day that I was supposed to end, which I think was like, June 30, or something along those
\n
[18:59]lines. So they're just like, yeah, there's nothing more you have to do, like, you know, it's in the
\n
[19:02]contract, just make sure you return your equipment. And I think it was kind of the same deal for the
\n
[19:06]internship as well. Just like, you know, make sure that like, you know, your last tasks are done
\n
[19:09]and return the equipment. I think maybe for both my mini job and my internship, my boss took me out
\n
[19:15]to like, you know, eat. And like, you know, we had just some food. But yeah, it was very much like a
\n
[19:21]very, like, enjoyable experience. I definitely feel like, you know, I got a lot from just both
\n
[19:25]of these positions because of how much they gave, honestly. Yeah, that's really great. I was just
\n
[19:31]thinking, I know you said the mini job is like active, like you had tasks and things that you were
\n
[19:34]doing that you were assigned basically. And with the church, it was a bit more flexible and laid
\n
[19:39]back. Did you do a lot of like observing then with the church internship too? Or did you also have
\n
[19:43]like a set kind of task area there? Honestly, it was kind of both. So I would say with the church,
\n
[19:49]it was definitely no day was the same. So like, there'd be one day where like, you know, I would
\n
[19:54]be like responsible for like documenting like each individual like device that the church has. So
\n
[19:58]like cameras, computers, like, you know, cell phones of that nature. And then there are other days
\n
[20:03]where like, you know, the church was filming like, you know, a video for like some service that they
\n
[20:07]were doing. And so we would go out to like different locations, like, you know, with the actors and
\n
[20:11]like, you know, with all the lights and like, you know, we'd be filming and like, they would be
\n
[20:15]like, you know, have the like little checkboard thing that they snap. And like, yeah, that was just
\n
[20:19]like something I experienced. I'm just like, wow, this is very like, yeah, I didn't expect to be doing
\n
[20:24]so many just different things. You know, I feel like with the church, no day really looked the same. And I did a lot
\n
[20:29]of different things. And so I think it was also invigorating in that regard, because like, you
\n
[20:33]know, there was just so much different things I did that like, I really didn't know what to expect
\n
[20:37]when I came in for work, honestly. Yeah. Yeah. As long as that fits your personality, that can be a
\n
[20:42]really good setup for a lot of people. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. And I think, again, that's something
\n
[20:47]else I would say to like, especially like, you know, being in like a new country, I think being that
\n
[20:52]flexibility and being willing to like do essentially almost anything, I think helped me in a lot
\n
[20:57]because like, you know, I don't think I ever, ever has a point where I'm just like, oh yeah,
\n
[21:00]I don't want to do that. Or like, I'm not feeling it. I think I really took the opportunity to kind
\n
[21:04]of just like jump into everything, even if it didn't happen to relate to what I wanted to do.
\n
[21:08]I think it definitely was beneficial from like building relationships and also just like
\n
[21:11]learning German too and getting to know Germany a bit better. Yeah. That's so important. I always
\n
[21:17]tell students that too, who want to intern, like it's about having all hands on deck, right. And like
\n
[21:21]really being willing to jump in wherever you're needed. So it's great that you also
\n
[21:25]mentioned that and then also see that as being an, you know, an advantage that you had also looking
\n
[21:31]back. So exactly. Yeah. So now I'm thinking about what's next for you. You're moving into or you're
\n
[21:40]kind of moving into graduate school. So you, can you tell us a little bit about what the transition
\n
[21:44]looked like between CBYX and now how you can experience back to the U S for example?
\n
[21:50]Yeah, for sure. So I think when I was coming back to the U S I really wanted to like, you know,
\n
[21:56]think about like how I could like, you know, benefit from my CBYX experience and like how I
\n
[22:01]could use that, like, you know, professionally and personally. So I think one thing I did or I
\n
[22:06]wanted to do rather was like, you know, keep contact to the community. So I think I made sure
\n
[22:11]to like keep up my German. I got a tutor actually. So I lived in Boston for a year prior to starting
\n
[22:16]graduate school now. So while I was in Boston, I found a tutor from Switzerland, actually not
\n
[22:21]Germany, but like still very beneficial who I met with weekly. And then I also, I was reached out to
\n
[22:27]by this cultural vistas and like, you know, help with some of the training, the new cohort members,
\n
[22:33]like both Americans and Germans. So I kept that connection as well. And I think one thing that like
\n
[22:39]when I was applying to graduate school that I really tried to emphasize was just how valuable my
\n
[22:44]international experience with CBYX was like, you know, I remember running my application like,
\n
[22:49]hey, like, you know, I had a full time job prior to going to Germany, but I literally went to another
\n
[22:54]country and learned a completely new language and like, you know, worked in that language in a
\n
[22:58]different country. So like, you know, that's like the benefit to like, you know, me being back in the
\n
[23:03]US is that now I have that cultural competency. And like, you know, if you accept me into this graduate
\n
[23:07]program, like you'll have that, like, you know, knowledge and experience too. So I think I've kind of
\n
[23:12]just been finding ways to kind of use my experience to like, you know, in my favor,
\n
[23:16]while also keeping my connection to Germany and like CBYX as well. And I think it's really been
\n
[23:20]like, you know, an awesome experience. And like I was telling you before, like, sometimes like, you
\n
[23:24]know, CBYX pops up in the most random ways. I remember here in Boston, meeting with a guy who
\n
[23:31]was a research assistant at Boston University. And I remember telling him about CBYX. And he's just
\n
[23:36]like, wait, CBYX, I remember doing a similar thing back in high school. And I found out that he had
\n
[23:42]done the high school version of CBYX. And then he decided to come back, like, for his master's to do
\n
[23:46]like a thesis work. And I'm just like, wow, that's so crazy that like, you know, you did this, the same
\n
[23:50]program in a different capacity, like all those years ago. Well, like, yeah, it's like, program just kind of
\n
[23:55]keeps finding ways to just show up in like, in my life, essentially, like, yeah, CBYX is like, find each
\n
[24:00]other, I feel like you do. Exactly. I'm sure in Michigan, you're going to find some, some alums
\n
[24:06]of the program as well. So, so you're, remind me again, what's your, what's your program is in
\n
[24:11]Michigan? Yeah, so, yeah, so I'll be studying human computer action at the University of Michigan,
\n
[24:17]two year program, a master's, but I think, thankfully, they gave me a full ride. And I
\n
[24:22]definitely attribute like CBYX to some of that, because like, yeah, I don't think I would have
\n
[24:26]gotten it otherwise. But like, yeah, like, congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah,
\n
[24:31]definitely looking forward to the experience. I also be taking German classes. And I hope to
\n
[24:34]at least go back to Germany at some point, like either for a summer internship, or for like a
\n
[24:39]short term visit, like for a language course. But I definitely think like, you know, still keeping that
\n
[24:43]contact, like I said, will be beneficial for me. Absolutely. Such a great story. I love connecting
\n
[24:49]with all of you alums. Just a final question. Do you have any kind of last remarks or final advice for
\n
[24:55]the incoming cohort? Yeah, honestly, like, go in, you probably have already heard this already. But
\n
[25:02]like, really go into this experience with an open mind, learning the language, even if you already
\n
[25:07]know it, like, you know, what you'll experience, like, you know, applying for internships, like,
\n
[25:11]everything will be very new. And I feel like, you know, there's one thing that my host mom always
\n
[25:16]told me that sticks with me. And it was like, which essentially means like, oh, it's not wrong.
\n
[25:24]It's just different. And I think having that sort of mindset of like, oh, I'm in a new country,
\n
[25:29]things don't operate according to my norms that I'm used to. But that's fine. I'm going to like,
\n
[25:34]you know, I can like, you know, complain, I can like, have my my opportunity to ran and like,
\n
[25:39]have my space. But I'm not going to let it like, you know, it's essentially like dictate how I
\n
[25:43]experienced this. It's I think I how I took it. I think it definitely, like aided me well in a lot
\n
[25:48]of aspects, both in Germany and also post Germany as well.
\n
[25:53]Just a good thing to go through life with too, I think, as far as like general cultural
\n
[25:56]intercultural competency. Yeah, exactly.
\n
[25:59]Sounds like you had a lovely host mom too.
\n
[26:03]Yeah, she she was actually, she and she's retired now, but she used to be a German teacher. So
\n
[26:09]she definitely was a big pride in like helping me to, like, perfect my journey, especially when I'm
\n
[26:16]into six. Yeah, you had a lot of things aligning for you there. The host mom is the German teacher.
\n
[26:21]That's that's also a plus. Yeah, exactly.
\n
[26:25]Jamari, thank you so much for for sharing your experience with the incoming cohort. And your story
\n
[26:31]is just so amazing. I'm excited to see where you go and and how your experience in Michigan is and
\n
[26:36]what you do afterwards. Yeah, for sure. Thank you so much.
\n
[26:39]Good luck to all you new CBOXers who are going into this year as well.
\n
[26:43]Hope everything works out for you guys.
\n
[26:46]Amazing.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/853991974?h=e92f9775cc", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/853991974.mp4", "search": "bonus interview #4 bonus module #2: interviews with international interns in germany key takeaways copy \n start the internship search the day you're accepted - germany's hiring timelines run 1-3 months (or never), so lead time is everything. \n initiative beats volume: 3-4 well-chosen applications plus one bold in-person ask secured both a paid mini job and an unpaid internship. \n take an unpaid german-language internship if you can afford it - total immersion took jamari from zero to b2 in one program year. \n say yes to everything , even tasks unrelated to your goal - it builds relationships, language skill, and adaptability. \n leverage cbyx after it ends: keep up the language, stay in the alumni network, and frame the international experience as your differentiator in grad school and career applications. \n bonus interview #4 - jamari bunn (mini jobs, initiative applications, life after cbyx) \n module: bonus interviews \n lesson url: https://www.finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-4 \n overview \n interview with jamari bunn (37th/38th cbyx cohort) who found an unusual dual path in germany: a paid mini job as a data archivist at esl gaming in cologne plus an unpaid tech internship at a german-speaking church, arranged through personal initiative. he went from zero german to ~b2 and leveraged cbyx into a fully funded master's at the university of michigan. \n key points \n \n [00:29] jamari chose cbyx because tech companies in germany hire english-speaking workers; he applied without any german background. \n [01:31] program structure: language school phase + internship phase; he deliberately invested effort in networking during both. \n [02:02] his focus shifted from higher education (37th cohort) to tech (38th cohort, post-covid), which made the search easier since it internships often work in english. \n [04:50] he only sent 3-4 applications, targeting positions that genuinely interested him - filtered out german-language postings to avoid german interviews (\"don't be like me\"). \n [06:12] results: one rejection, one interview \u2192 a paid mini job at esl gaming (cologne), 10 hrs/week, data archivist for tournament/stream data. \n [06:45] the internship came from an in-person, initiative-style ask at the german church he attended - informal, no interview. \n [07:30] mini job work environment was international and in english; the church internship (20 hrs/week, unpaid) was entirely in german - great for language learning. \n [11:11] the esl interview was us-style and one hour: why are you in germany, relevant experience, do you speak german (asked even though not needed on the job), situational questions. \n [11:59] ~1 month from interview to offer (early december \u2192 mid-january); german holiday season slows everything down. \n [12:30] the mini job had a formal german contract (arbeitsvertrag) with vacation days and salary - his host family helped him decode it. \n [13:31] retrospective advice: start the search immediately upon acceptance (processes take 1-3 months), and expand the geographic search - placement often follows where you find the internship. \n [16:29] first week: esl ran structured onboarding/training days with the ceo; the church start was low-key and self-directed. \n [18:09] on ending both roles, he requested arbeitszeugnis (testimonial/reference letters) in both english and german - a key german career asset. \n [21:40] post-cbyx: weekly german tutor in boston, worked with cultural vistas to train new cohorts, and leveraged the international/language experience into grad school applications \u2192 full ride for hci master's at university of michigan. \n [25:07] host mom's motto: \"it's not wrong, it's just different\" - the mindset that made the whole experience work. \n \n frameworks & templates \n \n initiative application (in person): identify a place you already have informal contact with; ask directly: \"i'm here on this program for x months - could i do a practicum with your team?\" \n paperwork checklist: have ready before employers ask: high school diploma, college transcripts, copy of passport, letters of recommendation - \"germans love their paperwork.\" \n leaving a role: ask supervisors for arbeitszeugnis a few days before the end (request both english and german versions); return all equipment; the end date is already in the contract. \n \n german phrases / vocab \n \n mini job - part-time job earning up to the mini-job threshold (~10 hrs/week in jamari's case), paid, with contract and vacation days. \n arbeitsvertrag - employment contract (in german; lists salary, vacation days, duties). \n arbeitszeugnis - written testimonial/reference letter from an employer, standard and highly valued in germany. \n arbeitstag - workday (referenced re: contract end date). \n praktikum - internship/practicum. \n \n resources \n \n host family, german-speaking church community, and german friends as language accelerators. \n cultural vistas alumni network (training new cohorts, informal alumni encounters). \n employer paperwork norms: contracts always in german - use a fluent helper (host family) to review. \n [00:02] okay. all right, jamari, thank you for being here with us today and for sharing your experience \n [00:09] with the cbyx and professionals program. you were a member of the 38th cohort at the end of the day, \n [00:17] 37-38. can you tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose to participate in the program? \n [00:23] yeah, for sure. so yeah, my name is jamari bunn and i was part of the 37-38 cohorts. \n [00:29] yeah. so the reason that i initially considered cbyx was because it was during my senior year and at \n [00:36] the time i actually had a friend who was an exchange student from germany and he kind of \n [00:41] got me on the idea of studying there. and of course, i think at first i was very hesitant because i'd \n [00:46] never studied german before, never been to germany. but he told me like, yeah, there's lots of \n [00:51] programs in english and because you're wanting to do tech, a lot of german companies will hire \n [00:56] tech workers and work in english. so i think that's kind of what led to me like exploring more \n [01:01] opportunities. and i think the fact that cbyx was offered to people who didn't speak german made it \n [01:06] very appealing. and that's kind of why i applied to begin with. excellent. and what were your hopes \n [01:13] going into the program? yeah, good question. so i think for me, like, well, one goal was that like, \n [01:22] you know, i was living in a different country. so i think for me, having not known the language \n [01:26] beforehand, i really wanted to like, you know, come out of the program with a like solid foundation \n [01:31] in german. then also like, you know, i wanted to have like, you know, something to show for it. \n [01:35] like, you know, the program, like, you know, incorporates like, you know, language study in \n [01:38] an internship phase. so i definitely was hoping to like get a solid, like, you know, professional \n [01:44] experience out of it. so like, that's why i like, you know, when it came to like, you know, \n [01:47] the more like, you know, professional aspects, like the internship and networking, i did make sure \n [01:51] to like, you know, dedicate time to like, you know, bring towards effort and time towards that, \n [01:55] essentially. so what was what type of internship were you originally then looking for? \n [02:02] sure. so it was interesting. so between me applying for the 37th and then the 38th cohorts, \n [02:07] my shift actually shifted, my focus actually shifted a bit. so for the 37th, i initially was \n [02:13] focused on higher education. but then for the 38th, that was around the time, like after covid \n [02:18] had already hit, i had switched to tech. so when i eventually did go to germany, i was really focused \n [02:23] on finding tech internships. and i also think that made my experience a bit easier. because as i said \n [02:28] before, like, when it comes to tech and it internships, which is what i was targeting, a lot of employers are \n [02:34] a lot more understanding that like, you know, a lot of people don't have, you know, german skills that \n [02:38] are necessary that are needed to like live in the country. but a lot of the work can be done in \n [02:43] english. so i think that made my experience overall a lot more effective. \n [02:47] and were you envisioning yourself in like a startup or more like a multinational? \n [02:53] yeah, so i think for me, like, especially considering the circumstances around the time \n [02:58] i went to germany, like, i think i was kind of like coping for whatever i could get. because like, \n [03:02] you know, covid was still very much a thing. like, you know, it was only about a year afterwards. \n [03:06] and like, you know, there were just so many restrictions on like, you know, where we could go or what \n [03:10] we could do that i felt that myself and probably many of my cohort members couldn't really like, \n [03:14] you know, be that like picky about what we got. because like, you know, it was kind of just like, \n [03:18] oh, apply. and whatever you get is kind of like, what is what you're gonna get the most part? like, \n [03:23] because yeah, a lot of places weren't even offering internships that typically would because of covid \n [03:27] and like, you know, having to cut back and like, even lay some people off. so yeah, that was a bit hard \n [03:32] in that aspect. yeah. yeah, it's true. that was like the year when it was difficult for like anyone \n [03:38] to get an internship, really. yeah, exactly. yeah. so can you tell us a little bit about what \n [03:45] the internship search process looked like for you then? yeah, for sure. so i think right around the \n [03:52] time i got accepted, they kind of distributed some like paperwork that said, hey, it's good for you to \n [03:57] kind of start thinking about like, you know, looking for an internship. now you can kind of prearrange \n [04:01] an internship if you have connections. but essentially, the internship starts now, like, \n [04:05] and that was back in july, i believe. so we had about one month to sort of like prearrange an \n [04:10] internship. but i wasn't able to do that. because again, i didn't really have much experience in \n [04:14] germany. i didn't speak german. so i thought i was kind of a bit disadvantaged in that regard. \n [04:18] so for me, i kind of started looking, and i guess planning around the time i got to germany while i was in \n [04:23] language school. i remember there was a couple of sessions that the language provided us to like how to \n [04:28] make a cv in german, like, you know, what are things that they look for, etc. and so i think \n [04:33] after some of those sessions, which took place in august, i think in september, like a month before \n [04:39] i moved to my final placement is when i started to actually like apply to jobs and start to actually \n [04:43] ramp up my internship search process. and how many applications did you end up sending out? \n [04:49] you remember? \n [04:50] honestly, so don't be like me, but i think i actually only ended up sending about three or four. \n [04:58] and that's because. yeah, honestly, i think it was also due to lack of motivation to like, \n [05:04] i felt i found that like, you know, there's a lot of people who had, i think, more experience and \n [05:08] more german ability sending out, like, you know, tons of applications and not getting like any hits \n [05:12] back. so i think for me, i really focused on positions and things that seemed really interesting \n [05:17] to me and apply to those. and i ended up only finding about like three or four. because again, \n [05:22] like, you know, because i didn't speak german at the time that well, like, i felt like, oh, \n [05:26] yeah, something is like completely in german or the postings in german, then maybe i shouldn't apply \n [05:31] to it. because if i have to interview in german, i think i'll fail. and i didn't want to put that on \n [05:35] myself. right? yeah. yeah. and it's true. like, if it is in german, like, they're probably assuming \n [05:41] that you're able to speak german, right? i mean, it's not always the case, because sometimes you have \n [05:45] jobs that are ever internships that are advertised in german, where you do like all the work in \n [05:49] english, but it's definitely technically a good way to kind of sort out positions that maybe are \n [05:53] not a good fit. yeah. but then from those like three or four applications, how many did you get \n [05:58] callbacks? did you get interviews? yeah. so from those three or four, i got denied for one \n [06:04] immediately. well, not immediately, but it took a couple of weeks. but they said like, yeah, sorry, \n [06:08] this isn't a good fit. i didn't hear back from one of them. and then i actually did get one \n [06:12] interview. so actually, the interview i got was not for an internship, but was for a mini job. \n [06:18] so i got that job. like, i actually did both an internship and a mini job together. so i kind \n [06:23] of just split my time between both of them. but yeah, for the interview for the mini job, i got that \n [06:27] around december, the beginning of december. and i interviewed for that took about maybe it was only \n [06:32] one interview. and it lasted about an hour. and then i got hired on for that in january. \n [06:38] but for my actual internship, how i ended up, i guess, summarizing that was that i was happening to \n [06:45] be going to a german church at the time. and i was a bit like, familiar with some of the tech that \n [06:50] they did and some of the things that they did. so i basically kind of went up to like the director \n [06:54] and i said, hey, like, you know, i'm here on this program. and i think i'm into this church for like \n [06:58] x amount of months. would you mind if i like did like a practicum like in like here and just like \n [07:03] kind of worked with your team, essentially. and yeah, after like speaking with a couple people, \n [07:07] that's how i managed to arrange that. so that's sort of an interview more of like a very informal, \n [07:12] like, hey, like, you know, here's what i use who i am. can i do this essentially? so \n [07:16] very much like an initiative application, but in person. exactly. yeah. yeah, that's a great \n [07:23] strategy, too. so you have so what was the mini job in then? yeah, so for the mini job, i worked at a \n [07:30] german esports company called esl gaming. it's based in cologne. and yeah, that was like a, \n [07:35] like international company. so their main office per se was in germany, but they had offices in \n [07:41] poland, they had offices in the us. so i was based out of their german branch, and i worked as a \n [07:46] data archivist. so essentially, they had a bunch of data from like tournaments and like streams that \n [07:51] they operated. and basically, i was responsible for organizing that data, distributing the materials to \n [07:56] other members of their team. so that's kind of what i did for about 10 hours per week. and i actually \n [08:01] did have the opportunity to work in office. so i got an office space, i got a desk. so it was really \n [08:05] cool in that aspect. and so that was paid then, because it's a mini job. yeah, it was paid. exactly. \n [08:12] and then and then you had the internship doing tech at the church on top of that. was that internship \n [08:16] paid? that one, unfortunately, was not paid. and that was also for a longer period of time. i think i \n [08:22] did that for about 20 hours a week. but the benefit of that one was for one, like, you know, because i was \n [08:27] already familiar with the landscape of the church, it was like not as easy. it was not as hard to like, you \n [08:32] know, get acclimated. and it was to that internship actually was completely in german, like, you know, it \n [08:38] was like the german speaking church. so like, you know, i tried with my colleagues in german, like most of my \n [08:42] work, like, you know, stuff, actual stuff was in german. and so like, my mini job actually was all \n [08:47] mostly in english, i could speak german, because you know, some of my co workers were german, but \n [08:51] like, for the most part, massive, vast majority of my work at the mini job was in english, but \n [08:55] at the internship, it was in german. so i think both kind of had pros and cons. but like, i think \n [09:00] that definitely helped a lot with my language capability as well. absolutely. now it makes so \n [09:05] much sense to me, because your german is so good. and like, you learned it in such a short amount of \n [09:09] time. so now i'm like, okay, this makes total sense. because you came in with like, basically no german, \n [09:14] right? yeah. and now you're like, easily, i would say you're more like the b2 level from \n [09:19] what i see from your linkedin. so that really accelerated your german language learning then. \n [09:27] yeah, i honestly, i think it was like, just a combination of things. like, i think i was \n [09:31] fortunate enough to have a host family that like, you know, was really supportive speaking german with \n [09:34] me. and then i had like, you know, the internship at the church. but then i also had friends who are \n [09:39] germans that were really willing to like, you know, help me, even when i made mistakes. so i think \n [09:43] all of these things really, you know, contributed to me learning german as well as i did, i think, \n [09:48] which was one of my goals. so it helped work out. yeah, that's great. so just to back up here for \n [09:55] a second, the interview processes for both the mini job and the well, the internship wasn't really an \n [09:59] interview process then. yeah, right. so the mini job, it was like a one hour traditional interview. \n [10:05] can you tell me a little bit about what that looked like for you? yeah, for sure. so yeah, \n [10:10] initially, they reached out to me. and honestly, i've forgotten i applied for this mini job. so \n [10:14] like, when they reached out to me, i was shocked. i'm just like, oh, wow, somebody actually replied. \n [10:18] yeah, but it was they replied in english. and he was just like, hey, like, you know, \n [10:23] we read your application. and we'd like to invite you for like, you know, an interview, like, you know, \n [10:27] at such and such time, i didn't get to choose a time, i think it was kind of just rearranged for me. \n [10:32] so i kind of had to shift my schedule around. i think at the time, i was still in the university \n [10:35] phase. so i think it was kind of easy to like, you know, make time for this interview. but for the \n [10:40] most part, like, you know, it's kind of just was him reaching out to me. i don't think he asked for \n [10:44] anything extra. i know that typically, some employers would ask for like, you know, high \n [10:48] school, like, you know, diplomas, or like, you know, extra things. but i don't think i don't \n [10:53] remember him asking for anything aside from what he already had, which was like my resume and a \n [10:56] cover letter. so yeah, i just essentially just reached out via email. \n [10:59] okay. and then they asked just kind of general questions around the job or your background, \n [11:08] or what did that look like? do you remember? \n [11:11] yeah, so i felt the interview was very, like, typical of like, you know, something that you \n [11:16] would find in america. so like, you know, start up asking me like, hey, like, you know, you're in \n [11:20] germany, but you're americans, like, what are you doing here? like, you know, kind of how long have \n [11:24] you been here? and he asked me like, hey, like, you know, i know, this is like a mini job, \n [11:27] like, what sort of relevant experience do you have that like, you know, relates to what you're \n [11:31] doing. he did ask me also, if i spoke german, though, that i wouldn't need to use german, \n [11:35] like, you know, on the job, but like, he did ask that question, just, i think, for the sake of \n [11:39] like, you know, team building, and like, you know, just so it was in his mind. but yeah, \n [11:43] just typical questions, like, you know, situational questions, things of that nature. he did tend \n [11:49] to ramble on a bit, but i think for the most part, it was the typical, like interview, like, you \n [11:53] know, similar to what you'd see in the us. but that was only like, you know, my experience \n [11:56] with that one. and then you got you heard back pretty quickly after that interview, \n [11:59] right? actually, i think it took about a month to hear back. so yeah, so it wasn't quick at all. \n [12:06] like, yeah, it was forgotten about it. exactly. yeah. and also, it was december, too. so it made \n [12:11] sense. because like, you know, in germany, like people really value their vacation and their holiday \n [12:14] time, which makes sense. so like, you know, i interviewed at the beginning of december. so i want \n [12:19] to say like december 9. and i didn't hear back until like, january, like 15, i think so over a \n [12:24] month. okay. yeah, that makes sense. so with the holiday break in there, then. now, obviously, \n [12:30] for the mini job, you had like a mini job working contract, right? yeah, exactly. so they had hr \n [12:36] kind of dropped up. and that contract actually was in german, because you know, it was a german \n [12:40] company. so it was all in german, it had like, you know, my vacation days, it had like, you know, \n [12:45] what my salary would be like, you know, and all that jazz. and because i couldn't really understand, \n [12:51] like, you know, that level of german just yet, i did have my host family kind of walk me through \n [12:55] like, oh, hey, this is kind of like, you know, my arbeit special life, like, how can i like \n [12:59] understand this? like, how do i know what's like, you know, what's like, you know, legal \n [13:03] and what's not legal, like, you know, so i think that part, like, you know, after i got accepted \n [13:07] was a bit difficult, because, you know, that was that, like, you know, language barrier. but \n [13:11] thankfully, i had resources that i could make use of. \n [13:14] yeah. okay. um, let me take a look here. we have the salary questions. i guess i'm interested \n [13:25] in, you know, kind of thinking back and reflecting on your your whole process. what would you have \n [13:31] done differently? if anything? so i was to go back, i think i would definitely like, have started \n [13:39] looking earlier. i think that can never be stressed enough. like, i think one thing i'd give to like, \n [13:44] you know, the next cohort of people is that like, look early, like, as soon as you kind of get \n [13:48] accepted, i'd say, like, you know, start looking for like internships, like germany, because i think \n [13:53] one thing i wasn't aware of was how long the process would take. like, you know, as i said, \n [13:57] it was about a month from for the mini job, at least it was about a month between when i interviewed \n [14:01] and when i heard back. but i think for other friends and other people i had who were doing \n [14:04] internships, sometimes it was like two months or three months, sometimes they didn't hear back at all. \n [14:08] so like, i think i definitely would have started a bit earlier, just like, you know, looking. and i think \n [14:13] another thing would just also be like, you know, sort of like, you know, it's like a stereotype, \n [14:17] but like, it's kind of true in some aspects that germans love their paperwork. so like, you know, \n [14:21] thankfully, i had like, you know, my high school diploma, i had my, you know, college transcripts, \n [14:26] i had my copy of my passport, so that if they asked for it, i could provide that. so like, i think \n [14:31] definitely making sure that you have like all these things that the program recommends, because \n [14:35] like, you know, then it will make things a lot smoother. like when you're faced with these questions of \n [14:39] like, oh, hey, like, you know, are you legal allowed to work here? like, you know, what are your \n [14:43] credentials? like, you know, i need like, you know, this letter of recommendation from like an employer \n [14:47] from 10 years ago, graduation, but like, yeah, yeah. and you're like, oh, my gosh, do they still exist? \n [14:54] exactly. essentially. yeah. but yeah, i definitely say looking earlier, and definitely, i think \n [14:58] expanding my search, because i think the program gave us the option to kind of like look wherever, even \n [15:02] though i think our placements weren't decided yet. and there wasn't a guarantee that you'd be placed \n [15:07] where your internship was. i think if you found an internship somewhere, it'd be more likely that \n [15:12] you were placed there, like before the program started. so i would definitely would have like \n [15:17] both looked earlier and expanded my search to like different areas too. \n [15:22] definitely. yeah. starting early, i feel like it's like common theme among, among the alumni who are \n [15:26] like, oh, should have done this a lot earlier. exactly. yeah. i think it's also that's a, that's a \n [15:32] very big difference is like how long these processes take. sorry, i was just thinking you did say that \n [15:38] you had a contract even for the church internship as well, right? so because that one was like not \n [15:45] paid, there was less, so more of a contract and was more kind of like a verbal agreement. so \n [15:50] we kind of talked about like, oh, hey, like, you know, i know that they are not officially working \n [15:54] for us, but it's kind of like a volunteer. so like, i guess, for the most part, there was an \n [15:59] official contract. but like, we agreed, like, hey, like, you know, you come in this day, this day, \n [16:02] and this day. and i actually did like, you know, get like an email, i got signed in with hr at the \n [16:07] church as well. so like, i did have like, you know, just some vested, like, you know, stuff within \n [16:13] the order, like the place where i work, but like, there was an official contract, because i wasn't \n [16:17] technically an employee, if that makes sense. yeah. okay. okay. so when you started both the \n [16:25] mini job and the internship, what did your first week look like? \n [16:29] yeah, so actually, i would say i started my mini job first. so i started my mini job about \n [16:35] midpoint in january. so like, my first week there, like, was very much like, i, it was actually pretty \n [16:42] invigorating. so i got to go to essentially, like a series of training days with other like interns and \n [16:47] like people who are, who have been hired on for many jobs, essentially. and that was great. like, \n [16:51] you know, they were, the company was like, very international. so there were people who were \n [16:55] students, there were people from other countries in the eu, they were german. so i remember like, \n [17:00] you know, us doing like, you know, a whole like introduction where the ceo of the company came and \n [17:04] like, you know, he's just like, oh, hey, welcome to all you new interns and mini jobbers. and we got to \n [17:10] talk with him for a bit. and then we know, there was the more boring hr stuff. but then i think the \n [17:15] first week was kind of just like very, like exciting, because like, you know, i felt like, yeah, \n [17:19] they're doing a lot. and like, i actually get like an actual experience. so that was like, \n [17:23] really great. my first, i started my internship, then in february, and i think that was a bit more \n [17:29] low key. i remember my supervisor kind of walking me through like, you know, different things i'd be \n [17:33] doing. he gave me like an office space. i didn't get a name tag or anything like that. but basically, \n [17:38] it was just like, oh, hey, like, you know, these are some of the things that you can expect. if you need \n [17:42] help, you can ask this person or that person. so a lot more, i guess, tame in comparison to like, \n [17:47] you know, the extravagant endeavors i had with the mini job. but i think, again, \n [17:52] they both were beneficial in different ways, you know? \n [17:55] absolutely. \n [17:58] and what happened that as your internship and your mini job were kind of coming to an end? \n [18:04] yeah, so i think as they were both coming to an end, i think one thing that i remember that was \n [18:09] recommended to me is that i get like, a testimonial, i forgot what the german word for it is, \n [18:14] but like, essentially, a soigness, there you go. soigness showing that like, you know, i had worked \n [18:19] here for x amount of time. so i actually was able to get soignesses from both of my mini job and my \n [18:24] internship, both in english and german. so like, i remember like a couple of days before my internship \n [18:30] ending, like, you know, just kind of asking my supervisors for those. and then i kind of also asked \n [18:35] it if there was a potential that i could return maybe sometime in the future, because i think at the \n [18:39] time, i was still considering coming back to germany, maybe sometime. but i think for the most \n [18:43] part, like, there wasn't much i had to do in terms of like, you know, paperwork, you know, just like, \n [18:49] oh, hey, like, you know, this is kind of the day, at least for my mini job, my abax for \n [18:53] tag had the day that i was supposed to end, which i think was like, june 30, or something along those \n [18:59] lines. so they're just like, yeah, there's nothing more you have to do, like, you know, it's in the \n [19:02] contract, just make sure you return your equipment. and i think it was kind of the same deal for the \n [19:06] internship as well. just like, you know, make sure that like, you know, your last tasks are done \n [19:09] and return the equipment. i think maybe for both my mini job and my internship, my boss took me out \n [19:15] to like, you know, eat. and like, you know, we had just some food. but yeah, it was very much like a \n [19:21] very, like, enjoyable experience. i definitely feel like, you know, i got a lot from just both \n [19:25] of these positions because of how much they gave, honestly. yeah, that's really great. i was just \n [19:31] thinking, i know you said the mini job is like active, like you had tasks and things that you were \n [19:34] doing that you were assigned basically. and with the church, it was a bit more flexible and laid \n [19:39] back. did you do a lot of like observing then with the church internship too? or did you also have \n [19:43] like a set kind of task area there? honestly, it was kind of both. so i would say with the church, \n [19:49] it was definitely no day was the same. so like, there'd be one day where like, you know, i would \n [19:54] be like responsible for like documenting like each individual like device that the church has. so \n [19:58] like cameras, computers, like, you know, cell phones of that nature. and then there are other days \n [20:03] where like, you know, the church was filming like, you know, a video for like some service that they \n [20:07] were doing. and so we would go out to like different locations, like, you know, with the actors and \n [20:11] like, you know, with all the lights and like, you know, we'd be filming and like, they would be \n [20:15] like, you know, have the like little checkboard thing that they snap. and like, yeah, that was just \n [20:19] like something i experienced. i'm just like, wow, this is very like, yeah, i didn't expect to be doing \n [20:24] so many just different things. you know, i feel like with the church, no day really looked the same. and i did a lot \n [20:29] of different things. and so i think it was also invigorating in that regard, because like, you \n [20:33] know, there was just so much different things i did that like, i really didn't know what to expect \n [20:37] when i came in for work, honestly. yeah. yeah. as long as that fits your personality, that can be a \n [20:42] really good setup for a lot of people. exactly. yeah, exactly. and i think, again, that's something \n [20:47] else i would say to like, especially like, you know, being in like a new country, i think being that \n [20:52] flexibility and being willing to like do essentially almost anything, i think helped me in a lot \n [20:57] because like, you know, i don't think i ever, ever has a point where i'm just like, oh yeah, \n [21:00] i don't want to do that. or like, i'm not feeling it. i think i really took the opportunity to kind \n [21:04] of just like jump into everything, even if it didn't happen to relate to what i wanted to do. \n [21:08] i think it definitely was beneficial from like building relationships and also just like \n [21:11] learning german too and getting to know germany a bit better. yeah. that's so important. i always \n [21:17] tell students that too, who want to intern, like it's about having all hands on deck, right. and like \n [21:21] really being willing to jump in wherever you're needed. so it's great that you also \n [21:25] mentioned that and then also see that as being an, you know, an advantage that you had also looking \n [21:31] back. so exactly. yeah. so now i'm thinking about what's next for you. you're moving into or you're \n [21:40] kind of moving into graduate school. so you, can you tell us a little bit about what the transition \n [21:44] looked like between cbyx and now how you can experience back to the u s for example? \n [21:50] yeah, for sure. so i think when i was coming back to the u s i really wanted to like, you know, \n [21:56] think about like how i could like, you know, benefit from my cbyx experience and like how i \n [22:01] could use that, like, you know, professionally and personally. so i think one thing i did or i \n [22:06] wanted to do rather was like, you know, keep contact to the community. so i think i made sure \n [22:11] to like keep up my german. i got a tutor actually. so i lived in boston for a year prior to starting \n [22:16] graduate school now. so while i was in boston, i found a tutor from switzerland, actually not \n [22:21] germany, but like still very beneficial who i met with weekly. and then i also, i was reached out to \n [22:27] by this cultural vistas and like, you know, help with some of the training, the new cohort members, \n [22:33] like both americans and germans. so i kept that connection as well. and i think one thing that like \n [22:39] when i was applying to graduate school that i really tried to emphasize was just how valuable my \n [22:44] international experience with cbyx was like, you know, i remember running my application like, \n [22:49] hey, like, you know, i had a full time job prior to going to germany, but i literally went to another \n [22:54] country and learned a completely new language and like, you know, worked in that language in a \n [22:58] different country. so like, you know, that's like the benefit to like, you know, me being back in the \n [23:03] us is that now i have that cultural competency. and like, you know, if you accept me into this graduate \n [23:07] program, like you'll have that, like, you know, knowledge and experience too. so i think i've kind of \n [23:12] just been finding ways to kind of use my experience to like, you know, in my favor, \n [23:16] while also keeping my connection to germany and like cbyx as well. and i think it's really been \n [23:20] like, you know, an awesome experience. and like i was telling you before, like, sometimes like, you \n [23:24] know, cbyx pops up in the most random ways. i remember here in boston, meeting with a guy who \n [23:31] was a research assistant at boston university. and i remember telling him about cbyx. and he's just \n [23:36] like, wait, cbyx, i remember doing a similar thing back in high school. and i found out that he had \n [23:42] done the high school version of cbyx. and then he decided to come back, like, for his master's to do \n [23:46] like a thesis work. and i'm just like, wow, that's so crazy that like, you know, you did this, the same \n [23:50] program in a different capacity, like all those years ago. well, like, yeah, it's like, program just kind of \n [23:55] keeps finding ways to just show up in like, in my life, essentially, like, yeah, cbyx is like, find each \n [24:00] other, i feel like you do. exactly. i'm sure in michigan, you're going to find some, some alums \n [24:06] of the program as well. so, so you're, remind me again, what's your, what's your program is in \n [24:11] michigan? yeah, so, yeah, so i'll be studying human computer action at the university of michigan, \n [24:17] two year program, a master's, but i think, thankfully, they gave me a full ride. and i \n [24:22] definitely attribute like cbyx to some of that, because like, yeah, i don't think i would have \n [24:26] gotten it otherwise. but like, yeah, like, congratulations. thank you. thank you. yeah, \n [24:31] definitely looking forward to the experience. i also be taking german classes. and i hope to \n [24:34] at least go back to germany at some point, like either for a summer internship, or for like a \n [24:39] short term visit, like for a language course. but i definitely think like, you know, still keeping that \n [24:43] contact, like i said, will be beneficial for me. absolutely. such a great story. i love connecting \n [24:49] with all of you alums. just a final question. do you have any kind of last remarks or final advice for \n [24:55] the incoming cohort? yeah, honestly, like, go in, you probably have already heard this already. but \n [25:02] like, really go into this experience with an open mind, learning the language, even if you already \n [25:07] know it, like, you know, what you'll experience, like, you know, applying for internships, like, \n [25:11] everything will be very new. and i feel like, you know, there's one thing that my host mom always \n [25:16] told me that sticks with me. and it was like, which essentially means like, oh, it's not wrong. \n [25:24] it's just different. and i think having that sort of mindset of like, oh, i'm in a new country, \n [25:29] things don't operate according to my norms that i'm used to. but that's fine. i'm going to like, \n [25:34] you know, i can like, you know, complain, i can like, have my my opportunity to ran and like, \n [25:39] have my space. but i'm not going to let it like, you know, it's essentially like dictate how i \n [25:43] experienced this. it's i think i how i took it. i think it definitely, like aided me well in a lot \n [25:48] of aspects, both in germany and also post germany as well. \n [25:53] just a good thing to go through life with too, i think, as far as like general cultural \n [25:56] intercultural competency. yeah, exactly. \n [25:59] sounds like you had a lovely host mom too. \n [26:03] yeah, she she was actually, she and she's retired now, but she used to be a german teacher. so \n [26:09] she definitely was a big pride in like helping me to, like, perfect my journey, especially when i'm \n [26:16] into six. yeah, you had a lot of things aligning for you there. the host mom is the german teacher. \n [26:21] that's that's also a plus. yeah, exactly. \n [26:25] jamari, thank you so much for for sharing your experience with the incoming cohort. and your story \n [26:31] is just so amazing. i'm excited to see where you go and and how your experience in michigan is and \n [26:36] what you do afterwards. yeah, for sure. thank you so much. \n [26:39] good luck to all you new cboxers who are going into this year as well. \n [26:43] hope everything works out for you guys. \n [26:46] amazing. "}, {"id": "L8-4", "key": "1157426586", "vid": "1157426586", "title": "Bonus Interview #5", "module": "BONUS MODULE #2: Interviews with International Interns in Germany", "mi": 8, "li": 4, "url": "/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-5", "tldr": "
Key takeaways
", "summary": "

Bonus Interview #5 - Tom (CBYX, aerospace engineer \u2192 John Deere controls engineering intern)

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Lesson: /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-5 (Vimeo ID 1157426586)

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Who & Background

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Timeline

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Companies / Programs Named

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Concrete Advice

\n", "md": "# Bonus Interview #5 - Tom (CBYX, aerospace engineer \u2192 John Deere controls engineering intern)\n\n**Lesson:** `/finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-5` (Vimeo ID 1157426586)\n\n## Who & Background\n- Tom (Thomas) from Huntsville, Alabama; studied aerospace engineering before CBYX [00:08].\n- Joined CBYX's 41st cohort to explore a different country/culture before committing to work or grad school for the rest of his life [00:14-01:17].\n- Program path: 2 months of Sprachschule (language school) in Cologne \u2192 study phase in Mannheim \u2192 internship at John Deere in Kaiserslautern [00:28-00:45].\n- Now back in Huntsville working at a NASA contractor on the Artemis II moon mission (launch in February) and a nuclear propulsion project; saving for a possible master's in Germany/Europe/US [29:47-30:25].\n\n## Timeline\n- German at start: ~A1.1/A1.2 after a year of Duolingo (\"doesn't really count\") [03:59-04:11]; ended the year around B1.1 [04:45].\n- Placement in Mannheim confirmed only ~1 week before moving (CBYX was torn between Mannheim and Braunschweig), which delayed his internship search [05:20-06:04].\n- Used the waiting period to build fundamentals from the course: internship tracking spreadsheet, German resume template (reviewed by others), letter of motivation template [06:09-06:42].\n- First application round in Mannheim: 15-20 quality applications in one sprint, then wait for feedback before the next round [06:56-07:30].\n- Total ~25-30 applications [08:32]. John Deere (Mannheim) rejected him for C1/C2 German roles but redirected his resume to another position ~1 week later [10:09-10:42].\n- After accepting John Deere (Kaiserslautern), 4-5 more interviews arrived (SpaceTech, Airbus near Lake Constance, Rocket Factory Augsburg) - he used them for interview practice [11:07-11:52].\n- Onboarding: HR checklist - public health insurance (used Barmenia) + Steuer-ID (arrived by mail in 2-3 weeks) \u2192 signed internship contract [17:22-18:20]. Started first week of February; commuted 1.5h from Mannheim (~4:30am wake-ups) for two weeks, then moved into a WG near the Kaiserslautern train station [19:03-19:49].\n\n## Companies / Programs Named\n- CBYX (41st cohort); host family + language school in Cologne; study phase Mannheim [00:28].\n- John Deere - internship in Kaiserslautern (controls engineering; applied via Mannheim factory posting) [00:45, 03:36, 10:38].\n- Rejected/limited by ITAR/arms-export regulations: SpaceTech (Lake Constance), Airbus (Hamburg/Lake Constance), Rocket Factory Augsburg - propulsion tech is export-protected for US citizens; onboarding/security processes took months [01:54-03:06, 11:52-12:44, 16:53-17:04].\n- Also applied to: Honeywell, Zeiss, other Mannheim-area companies [03:25-03:46].\n- Afterward: NASA contractor (Marshall Space Flight Center), Artemis II [29:47].\n\n## Concrete Advice\n- **Apply in English if your German isn't strong - don't oversell with translators.** Aerospace/engineering companies often work in English; but this likely limited German-speaking Mannheim roles [14:18-14:56].\n- **Cast a wide net beyond your niche.** Export controls blocked aerospace; pivoting to controls/software/mechanical engineering landed the internship [02:27-03:51]. \"It's okay to branch out... I wish I had applied to non-engineering jobs too\" [24:52-25:13].\n- **Sprint applications:** send 15-20 tailored applications in a batch, wait, learn from feedback, then next round [06:56-07:47, 27:47-28:22]. Tailoring adds 20-30% effort but \"goes a long way.\"\n- **Don't delay applications.** Cohortmates who waited until December were still internship-less at the Nuremberg mid-year seminar [26:22-26:48].\n- **Ask HR early about paperwork** (health insurance, Steuer-ID) - people had internships delayed over missing documents [26:52-27:24].\n- **STAR interviews:** John Deere sent a template saying interviews follow STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result); he prepped sample questions with ChatGPT + course materials [12:48-13:33]. Actual interview: boss pitched the company for 20 minutes, barely asked questions [13:33-14:16]. Airbus asked the hardest - situational/personal questions, no technical problems [14:57-15:25].\n- **Internship contract & pay:** fixed rate ~\u20ac2,000/month gross (unpaid/Pflichtpraktikum rates would be \u20ac900-1,000); salary not negotiable, but schedule was - took a week off for the Berlin program week [18:20-18:59].\n- **Pre-run your commute** before day one (buses left a minute early - test the route) [20:29-21:13].\n- **Office language policy:** everyone switches to English when a non-German speaker is present - by policy [22:20-22:47].\n- **Offboarding:** email HR a reminder, cancel health insurance, return computer/badge; you receive an Arbeitszeugnis (work certificate) [22:47-24:06].\n- **Mindset:** \"The career experience in Germany won't define your career back home - it gives you a new outlook\" [28:41-29:29]. Things rarely work out how you expect [29:36].\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- Use the course's internship tracking spreadsheet to keep every application organized - it fits type-A workflows [06:09-06:20, 25:30-26:06].\n- Build a German-format resume + motivation letter template and get them reviewed before applying [06:26-06:42].\n- Forced speaking (language school + host family) beats fear of mistakes: A1 \u2192 B1 in a year [04:25-04:50].\n- When a rejection comes, ask if your resume fits another open position - that redirect produced the internship [10:24-10:42].\n- Keep interviewing after you've accepted an offer - free practice, and better offers may follow [11:35-11:52].\n- Work week at John Deere was 7 hours/day (9 during final push); testing happened at a company test farm [19:24-19:35, 23:29-23:41].", "res": [], "transcript": "
[00:00]Hey Tom, welcome to your CBYX alum interview.
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[00:04]Hi, it's nice to be here and I'm excited to talk about my experience.
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[00:08]Excellent. I look forward to listening with you. Tom, to get us started, you were a participant in
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[00:14]CBYX's 41st cohort. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and why you chose to participate in
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[00:21]the program? Well, I'm Tom, full name Thomas. I come from Huntsville, Alabama, and I studied
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[00:28]aerospace engineering before coming on the CBYX program. And during CBYX, I was placed in Cologne
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[00:34]for the first two months for the Sprachschule phase. Then I moved to Madheim for the study phase
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[00:40]that we had. And then at the end, I had an internship at John Deere in Kaiser Saltern.
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[00:45]So the reason I decided to do the CBYX program is that when I was finishing my degree,
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[00:50]I realized that I'm probably going to be working for the rest of my life or doing some sort of
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[00:55]graduate school or something like this. And I wanted a chance to go and explore a different
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[00:58]country, a different culture, and see how those ideas, like how I can incorporate those ideas
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[01:03]into my life and maybe see a different way of living life that's different to how I live in the
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[01:08]U.S. And I had several options before I went on CBYX. I could have done graduate school. I could
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[01:13]have kept working full time. But I decided, like, why not take this chance and just go see how it
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[01:17]changes me personally? And I'm really glad that I went.
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[01:21]And so with that background in mind, what were some of your hopes for the program, especially as it
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[01:26]relates to the internship component?
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[01:28]So for the internship itself, because I studied aerospace, I really wanted to be involved in a
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[01:33]lot of maybe potentially aerospace opportunities in Germany. I was hoping at the start of the program
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[01:38]to be placed near Munich for a lot of reasons. I like Munich. My favorite team, Bayern, played there
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[01:44]before I came on the program. And also most of the aerospace, biggest aerospace companies in
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[01:49]Germany, their biggest presence is in Munich or around Munich. So I was hoping to be placed there.
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[01:54]But I soon came to find that there were other places around Germany that had aerospace companies.
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[01:58]So near the Lake of Konstanz, you had Space Tech, you have Airbus and Hamburg. Near where I lived,
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[02:03]there were a couple of aerospace companies as well. And what I really wanted to get out,
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[02:07]like when I came initially, was to be involved in the aerospace industry and see if there were
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[02:11]lessons or different methods of maybe design or evaluation or testing that I could bring back
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[02:17]and maybe incorporate. So that was my goal starting out.
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[02:20]How did your hopes and expectations change over the course of the program?
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[02:27]Over the course of the program, I realized that maybe pursuing just the aerospace route would
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[02:33]become a little bit difficult in Germany, specifically for reasons of export controls and arms regulations,
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[02:40]which I didn't realize were really going to be a big deal. But there were a couple of instances
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[02:45]during my internship search where I wouldn't be able to participate in the projects because of
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[02:49]onboarding processes that would have taken several months that would basically prevent me from being
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[02:54]able to work at those companies. Because aerospace is a trade protected, like it's very nation
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[03:00]specific, and they don't want secrets or processes from one country being exported to other countries.
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[03:06]So the way I changed the approach was instead of looking at just aerospace companies, I decided,
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[03:10]okay, let me try to find an area that I'm good at or something that I want to be better at
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[03:15]in engineering and look for companies that do that. So I became open to things like software development
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[03:21]or controls engineering or mechanical engineering just as a whole. I started applying to all sorts
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[03:25]of companies in the Mannheim area, which was where I was placed. So places like Honeywell,
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[03:31]I think we had Zeiss as well, and a couple of other companies. And also there was a huge John Deere
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[03:36]factory in Mannheim that I applied to. And I thought that would be a good fit. But overall,
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[03:41]I just decided to cast my net pretty wide. As I realized that was probably the best way to get
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[03:46]a experience that won't be constrained by regulations from the US.
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[03:51]Okay, so that's how you had to pit your search then. Can you tell us a little bit also about
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[03:55]what your German looked like when you started the program and how it changed throughout? So after you
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[03:59]did the German course, the beginning, and then even into your internship process?
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[04:04]So my German coming in was very basic. I had done like Duolingo for a year, which doesn't really
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[04:11]count. I realized when I got to the language school phase that everything that I had learned
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[04:16]for a year was just completely useless. I couldn't speak to one. I was stumbling over words. I was
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[04:21]worried of just like making a mistake. And what I really liked about the program was that when you
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[04:25]went to language school, they forced you to speak German all of the time. And you lived in a host
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[04:29]family, which also forced you to speak German pretty much all of the time. And that, I think
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[04:34]the biggest impediment to me learning German had been the fear of making a mistake while speaking
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[04:39]it. And so just being forced to speak it helped me grow my language from about, oh, A1.2, A1.1 level
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[04:45]all the way up to, I think B1.1 is where I ended at the end of the year.
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[04:50]That's fantastic.
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[04:53]So it's been really fun. And I definitely want to keep working on my German in the US. I just need to
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[04:58]find the best way to do that right now.
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[05:00]So you were able to become relatively conversational within a year then?
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[05:04]A little bit, yeah. There's a lot of stuff. I'm really struggling with vocabulary still. I just
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[05:09]need to find a way to consume more of that. So maybe more reading and things like that.
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[05:13]When you were beginning to apply for internships, what did that process look like for you? How did
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[05:19]you go about it?
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[05:20]So my internship search was actually a little bit delayed compared to some other participants
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[05:25]because my placement location was, I didn't find out where I was living until about a week
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[05:30]before I moved there. So while I was in Cologne, everyone else had their placements pretty much
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[05:33]picked out. But CDYX was having trouble finding, or cultural services was having trouble finding
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[05:38]a location to place me, like a host family in Mannheim. And they weren't sure where I should
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[05:44]live there. So they were between Mannheim and Braunschweig. We had a couple of other CDYXers.
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[05:49]And they basically asked me a week before, like, where would I want to live and had me decide and
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[05:54]find it. So it was a little bit complicated. And because of that, they want us to find an
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[05:59]internship near where we live. So I was basically constrained until I found my final placement to
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[06:04]begin my internship search. But I decided in the meantime, before applying to companies and things
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[06:09]like that, I went through your course. Not in order. I just decided to choose a lot of the setup
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[06:14]video head put out, specifically with regards to the tracking spreadsheet, setting that up,
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[06:20]working on getting my German resume kind of template figured out and had it reviewed by a couple of
\n
[06:26]people to make sure that it was in the right format to send to German companies. And I also wrote like
\n
[06:31]a letter of motivation template. So basically, I was trying to set the building blocks for applying
\n
[06:37]to a lot of companies later. The idea was because I don't know where I am, I'm not going to start
\n
[06:42]applying until I have just the basic fundamentals figured out. So that was my, like, starting
\n
[06:49]approach. Okay, and then you get to Mannheim, right? And then you start to apply. Once I got to
\n
[06:56]Mannheim, I think within about a week, the first week I was there, school was like the university
\n
[07:02]phase. There wasn't a lot going on at the time. So I basically every day after my classes, I would come
\n
[07:08]back to my room and I decided, okay, I'm going to focus on quality applications and sending out
\n
[07:13]about 15 to 20 on my first route. And the goal was just, I'm going to spend like a good period of
\n
[07:19]time, send all of these applications, then wait a bit until maybe I hear back or I start getting
\n
[07:25]feedback from these companies. And then after that, start the next round of applications.
\n
[07:30]So that was the approach that I had because I thought if I go in sprints, it would be a lot
\n
[07:35]easier to manage. And it wouldn't be really as much as a, if I apply every few days, then I would
\n
[07:41]have to wait a few days between those and not really learn a lot from the process. But there was an
\n
[07:47]aerospace company near Mannheim that I wanted to apply to. So I waited to apply to that one for a
\n
[07:51]little bit before I sent it in. So I applied to a couple of other companies beforehand and then figured
\n
[07:57]out what everyone was looking for in their applications. And then I made one specific to this
\n
[08:02]company and sent it to them and hoped that it would work. But they sent me a email back and said
\n
[08:07]that they're not looking for interns for the next spring, which was a bummer a little bit. But
\n
[08:12]the idea was go in groups of applications and really try to tailor each application to the company
\n
[08:20]instead of sending a generic resume and cover letter. We just really try to take the time
\n
[08:27]needed for each application to make it strong. And how many applications do you think you ended up
\n
[08:32]sending out? I think in total, it's about 25 to 30 total. I actually, I would have probably sent out
\n
[08:43]more, but I heard about a month into the search process from John Deere. And so after that point,
\n
[08:50]once they offered the internship opportunity, it sounded pretty interesting. And I decided to take it
\n
[08:56]because I wasn't sure if there would be any other options later on. And so once I received that,
\n
[09:00]I stopped applying as much. I think I only kept applying in order to meet the limit that CBYX was
\n
[09:07]looking for, because they wanted us to reach a certain amount before we went out of city to look
\n
[09:12]for other opportunities. And the John Deere opportunity was in a different city. It was in
\n
[09:17]Kaiserslautern, about an hour west. So I would have had to move for that one. So they, I just wanted to
\n
[09:22]make sure I had my basis covered in terms of, I've applied to a bunch of places in Mannheim and I
\n
[09:28]don't have opportunities in Mannheim before I moved to Kaiserslautern. And did you hear back from any of
\n
[09:32]the other places that you applied to? A couple of them. Most of the places in Mannheim, I didn't hear
\n
[09:39]back from. Very interestingly. What I did, I applied to a lot of places in Mannheim and then I applied to
\n
[09:44]aerospace companies across Germany because I thought, okay, if I don't get anything in Mannheim,
\n
[09:48]I'll look at aerospace companies in Munich, near the Lake Constance. And I didn't hear pretty much
\n
[09:53]anything back from most of the companies until about two to three, maybe four weeks later after
\n
[09:59]I had applied. And most of the time it was automated emails. We're considering your application, we
\n
[10:03]promise, or something like this. But John Deere actually had rejected me within the first year,
\n
[10:09]the Mannheim positions I applied to. And they were, I think mostly because the positions required like
\n
[10:16]C1 or C2 level German to, is what they had on the application. But they asked me when I applied,
\n
[10:24]would you want to send your resume to a different position? Like they found my resume to be pretty
\n
[10:27]interesting for a different position. And so they, I sent it and then they called me about a week later
\n
[10:34]while I was on the way to class. And they were like, hey, here's a cool internship opportunity in
\n
[10:38]Kaiserslautern. Do you want to hear more about it? I'm like, of course, yeah, this would be awesome.
\n
[10:42]And it turned out to be a really great opportunity. Just to recap, you didn't really
\n
[10:46]hear back anything from the other companies, right? The main internship option you had then
\n
[10:50]was from John Deere. At the time, yes. So basically before the John Deere opportunity presented itself,
\n
[10:57]I didn't really hear back from other companies besides like occasional like automated emails
\n
[11:02]saying we're no longer considering you for this role. But after I accepted the John Deere opportunity,
\n
[11:07]I had about four or five interviews scheduled with aerospace companies after I'd already accepted.
\n
[11:15]So I think Space Tech was one company that reached out to me from Lake of Constance and an Airbus as
\n
[11:21]well near the Lake of Constance reached out. Rocket Factory Augsburg was one that I had applied to that
\n
[11:26]also reached out. And I think with those three, I decided even though I had like an internship figured
\n
[11:35]out, I wanted to just practice my interview skills with these companies because it looked like a good
\n
[11:41]opportunity. And potentially if it looked like a really good opportunity, maybe I would try and do
\n
[11:46]an internship there if they had to pay and also a really interesting project that I'd be working on.
\n
[11:52]And so with those companies, I called, we talked, and I guess I can talk about the interview process a
\n
[11:58]little bit later if you'd like. But overall, I ran into the same roadblocks with the arms regulations
\n
[12:03]from the U.S. where basically we had gone through the interview and then at the end I would ask us
\n
[12:08]like, would this be a problem? And they're like, oh yeah, actually it probably would be. Thank you
\n
[12:12]for your time. So that's how it would be. And that was primarily based around your citizenship or?
\n
[12:19]It's primarily because the field that I was applying to was propulsion technology and things
\n
[12:25]like that are protected by arms regulations in the U.S. So they wouldn't, it would be hard for me to
\n
[12:32]work on that project as a U.S. citizen just because Europe has their own standards and we have our own
\n
[12:38]standards in the U.S. So it just would have been a big regulation or bureaucratic process to clear
\n
[12:44]those and make sure it was okay. Why don't we talk a little bit about the interviewing process? What
\n
[12:48]types of questions were asked? Did they have you do an activity? Maybe you can tell us a little bit
\n
[12:52]about that. Sure. My interviews actually were extremely easy for the most part. When John
\n
[13:00]Deere sent me up with a call with my future boss, I was prepared. They sent me a whole template. They
\n
[13:05]said, our interviews will follow the STAR process. So they were like, you're going to need to, what was
\n
[13:11]it? Like something starts with an S then there's like task, action, resolution. It's something where you
\n
[13:17]were supposed to set up, the situation, the task, the action, and then the resolution or the something
\n
[13:22]around this. And so I was prepared. I had gone through sample questions with ChatGPT and other
\n
[13:28]sources and also looking at some of your questions that you had put in your course. And as practice,
\n
[13:33]I was prepared and I get on to the call and then my boss, he goes, he just says, hi, I'm this. Let me tell
\n
[13:40]you about our company. And then he goes through for 20 minutes and talks about how great John Deere is.
\n
[13:44]By the way, the pay is like this. And also you'd be doing all of this. And do you, yeah. And that's
\n
[13:51]it. It didn't really ask me any questions. They were just pitching the company to me.
\n
[13:54]Oh, wow. Okay.
\n
[13:56]So I was pretty surprised by that. And I tried at certain points to like break in a little bit and
\n
[14:02]say, oh, this aligns with my experience and this field or doing this. And I'm really excited to find
\n
[14:07]out how this works. And they were like, yeah, that's cool. But here's the opportunity. So I was like,
\n
[14:10]okay, that's pretty interesting. But yeah, they offered me the job basically after that.
\n
[14:16]This was all in English, right?
\n
[14:18]This was all in English. I should also clarify that I applied to everything in English. I didn't apply
\n
[14:22]to any jobs in German.
\n
[14:24]Yeah.
\n
[14:24]So my resume was completely English and all of my documentation is English because I realized that
\n
[14:30]my German wasn't high enough for me to fake it. And I didn't want to oversell my German by using
\n
[14:35]like translators and things like that to try and make it seem better. So I decided I'm going to apply
\n
[14:40]in English. And that might have limited me with some of the opportunities in Mannheim because I think
\n
[14:44]a lot of them were in German. But the aerospace companies and any engineering companies seem to have
\n
[14:49]like English seem to be more of the working language. So that kind of was, I think it was
\n
[14:56]helpful.
\n
[14:57]And in my later interviews were pretty similar, actually. The one that was the most difficult was
\n
[15:01]with Airbus because they actually did ask me not really technical questions, but more
\n
[15:06]personal questions about like how I would deal with this situation or another situation.
\n
[15:12]But I didn't get into a position where I had to lay out like any, I didn't have to solve any
\n
[15:18]problems or anything like that, which I thought was interesting because they're engineering
\n
[15:21]positions. That was a bit strange.
\n
[15:25]And these interviews were happening then in November or December?
\n
[15:27]The John Deere one, I think was in October, maybe early. If it was in November, then it was early
\n
[15:35]November. I can't recall exactly. But the other interviews were, I think, end of November, start of
\n
[15:42]December. And I heard back from them maybe a month and a half after I applied.
\n
[15:47]Because you applied in October primarily.
\n
[15:50]Yes. And so those is basically everything before Christmas. And then after that point, I think I had a
\n
[15:56]few before February. I think I had my Airbus interview after January or maybe in January,
\n
[16:05]because I remember that I was already moving to Kaiserslautern and looking for places to live there
\n
[16:10]when I was waiting for the kind of response to my application from Airbus.
\n
[16:15]So the other four all sent you then rejection letters?
\n
[16:18]The space tech company that I applied to sent me an offer letter to work there. And they seem to have a
\n
[16:26]really interesting company. And I really wanted to work there, actually. It just would be very difficult
\n
[16:31]to sell to the program because I had a place that was close to where I was placed in Deere. And this other
\n
[16:37]place was all the way near Switzerland. And it would be harder to find a place there. And this is really far away
\n
[16:44]from my mentor. So I thought that logistically, it would make a lot more sense to just stick with
\n
[16:48]John Deere. But so I heard back from Space Tech, Rocket Factory Augsburg, after I received an
\n
[16:53]interview with them, and I talked to them, they got back to me about a week later and said that because
\n
[16:59]of the ITAR regulations, they're probably going to offer it to someone else. Airbus was pretty much
\n
[17:04]the same way.
\n
[17:05]Okay. So it really was a regulatory issue then?
\n
[17:08]Yes.
\n
[17:09]Yeah. And then if we think about the John Deere internship then, so it's, imagine January, you're in the
\n
[17:14]process of looking for somewhere to live, you're in the process of moving. Did they offer you or did they give
\n
[17:18]you an internship contract? Were you accepted the offer?
\n
[17:22]They did. So the HR reached out to me with the offer after my interview with my boss. And they basically said,
\n
[17:31]we're planning to offer you an internship contract. What we will need from you is for you to apply for public
\n
[17:37]health insurance and also your Stoyer ID. And they gave me like a checklist of three things I need
\n
[17:44]to do. They sent me the internship contract. They said, once you figure out your health insurance and
\n
[17:48]your Stoyer ID, fill out the contract. And then after that, we can finish all of your onboarding process.
\n
[17:55]So it took me about a month or so to get everything organized. I think I used Baumer as the health
\n
[18:02]insurance company. And then my Stoyer ID came in the mail about two to three weeks after I requested
\n
[18:08]it. So once I told John Deere that it will take a little bit of time for me to get that. But once I
\n
[18:14]got it, I signed it and sent it to them. And they signed my CBYX as a form for the internship that we
\n
[18:20]need to sign. So they signed that immediately once they made the offer. So I had a contract. I wasn't
\n
[18:26]able to negotiate salary. I asked about it and like how much they paid. And I think mine was about
\n
[18:31]$2,000 a month almost tax. And that was a fixed rate that they paid to anyone doing like
\n
[18:38]Freiwilligspracticum. Anyway, like a fixed practicum would get paid about $900 to $1,000
\n
[18:43]per month. So it was pretty straightforward for me. And they were very flexible. I was even able
\n
[18:49]to negotiate. And we needed to be in Berlin for a week for the program. So I said, this week,
\n
[18:54]I need to be able to take off. And they said, okay, so we'll just work around that. So it won't be a
\n
[18:59]problem with you leaving. And when did you officially start then?
\n
[19:03]I started at the very beginning of February, whichever the first Monday was, February. I'm
\n
[19:09]sure if it was the first or not. Maybe it was the second. But I started that very first week of
\n
[19:13]February. And I was actually still living in Mannheim when I started. So I was making the
\n
[19:17]commute every day for about an hour and a half, which wasn't really as... It was pretty difficult
\n
[19:24]with waking up around four in the morning to be able to get there. But once I realized that the
\n
[19:29]work day was seven hours per day, it got very easy, honestly. But you eventually moved.
\n
[19:35]Yes. About two weeks later, I was able to move into the vega near the train station. And I had two
\n
[19:43]roommates there. And it was like just one bus trip from where I live to work. It was about 10,
\n
[19:49]15 minutes away. And the buses came every 30 minutes. So it was very simple, very easy. Yeah.
\n
[19:55]And did you live with Germans then in the beginning?
\n
[19:58]Yes. So that was a pretty cool thing. They both spoke really good English, but they also,
\n
[20:04]they attended university in Kaiserslautern. So I was able to practice German with them a couple
\n
[20:08]of times and just talk about a lot of different things around the world and in Germany. And it was
\n
[20:13]really interesting, especially like during the German election, I was talking to them before. And
\n
[20:17]after that, it was a pretty interesting experience.
\n
[20:20]So if we think about your internship then, you started at the beginning of February. What
\n
[20:23]did your first day and week look and feel like besides the transportation part?
\n
[20:29]So before my first day, I decided to plan out my commute from Mannheim, just so I'm not late the
\n
[20:35]first day. So I think the day before or like the week before, I decided to wake up at 4.30,
\n
[20:42]find all my trains, figure out how to get to work basically from Mannheim and try to get there
\n
[20:47]before 8 a.m., which was when they said they were meeting me. I did this whole thing. I ran into a
\n
[20:52]couple of snags in Kaiserslautern with the buses because it turned out some of the buses were leaving
\n
[20:56]like a minute earlier than they said they should. So I figured out, okay, don't take this bus.
\n
[21:02]And that whole process helped me calm down a bit from the anxiety of starting like the new job
\n
[21:07]and wanting to be on time. It's everything. So I was able to figure that out and I decided, okay,
\n
[21:13]day of, this is what I'll do. And when I got there, I came to the front desk. They already had
\n
[21:20]everything prepared. They had like my badge and computer and everything ready to go. And I just
\n
[21:24]sat in the waiting room until my boss showed up. And then we went and we got my computer and then
\n
[21:29]some steel-toed boots for the job. And then also some like overalls or protective gear that I can wear
\n
[21:36]that's electrically safe. And then also like prevents cuts and things like that. So it's
\n
[21:40]like this jumpsuit thing that everyone received. So we got all those materials. They took me to
\n
[21:45]where I would be sitting, which was in a room of the other interns who were doing their master
\n
[21:50]arbeite. The first day I ate lunch with my boss and I think I brought some cookies or like chocolates
\n
[21:55]for the first day, which is like customary. And yeah, so it was really cool. And I got a tour of
\n
[22:00]everything. And then the first week was, they basically had me do some onboarding,
\n
[22:05]like some training for the company. And once I finished that, they threw me in the deep end and
\n
[22:09]said, okay, here, this is what you're going to be doing. And it was just everyday hands-on
\n
[22:15]researching and building and trying things. And it was all completely new to me because I hadn't
\n
[22:20]worked in that before. I learned really quickly. And the language of Lepke of communication was
\n
[22:25]English. Everyone spoke German when they were just with other Germans. But the second that somebody
\n
[22:31]who spoke English walked in, which was me, they had to switch to English by policy. And I'd be like,
\n
[22:37]it's okay, speak German. But they're like, no, we can't do that because like, we have to speak a
\n
[22:41]language that everyone understands. Okay, fine. But it was fun.
\n
[22:47]And as your internship was coming to an end, what did that look like?
\n
[22:52]So towards the end, my internship was not really structured from start to finish, because usually
\n
[23:03]with the required internships, the students have a project they're working on, and they need to bring
\n
[23:08]it to completion. But my experience was a lot of, I had three or four different projects that I was
\n
[23:14]working on. And my goal was just to make as much progress on them as possible. And so as I got towards
\n
[23:20]the end of my internship, I told my boss, like, this is my last day. He was like, okay, we need
\n
[23:24]to really focus on trying to make a lot of progress on this. So I think the week before I was starting
\n
[23:29]to leave, or before I left, I was at work for nine hours a day, instead of seven. And we have a test
\n
[23:37]farm where we were testing tractors and things like that. So I was out there every day, and trying to
\n
[23:41]finish up these last few things. But the outboarding process, I just emailed HR. And I said, hey,
\n
[23:46]this is a reminder, this is when I'm leaving. And they said, okay, just make sure you
\n
[23:49]have these things done. And so I went through, I had to cancel my health insurance. And then I
\n
[23:54]think that was pretty much it. And then everything else, they figured out the offboarding process for
\n
[24:01]me. So I just went through that on my last day, turned in my computer, turned in my badge. And then
\n
[24:06]that was pretty much it. And then I received the work certificate as well. Okay, good. And looking
\n
[24:12]back, what do you wish you would have known?
\n
[24:16]I think, honestly, I was pretty surprised by how similar the work practices were to the US. Maybe
\n
[24:24]it's because I worked in an American company, Germany. Maybe that's why it was this way. But
\n
[24:29]overall, I was pretty happy with my experience there. I actually discovered that
\n
[24:34]I really enjoyed the work I was doing. It wasn't in my major or something that I had studied.
\n
[24:42]But it was controls engineering. It made me realize maybe I should consider this for
\n
[24:46]my future. Maybe I can come work at John Deere again, or I can go study this topic more in school.
\n
[24:52]And what I wish I had known going in was basically that it's okay to branch out. And you don't have to
\n
[25:00]focus on your specific field. I stayed in engineering, but I wish that I had also applied
\n
[25:05]to a lot more jobs that were not engineering and had the kind of diversity of options to choose.
\n
[25:13]Because I think that would have also been a really cool experience. But I think the way it worked out,
\n
[25:17]I'm very happy with how it worked out. And I had a very positive experience. And I made a lot of
\n
[25:23]connections and friends during my time. So I would just, I think the timing was good. And
\n
[25:30]following your course helped a lot. I had the internship tracker, and I just kept track of
\n
[25:33]everything on there. And it was like, it was really good for staying organized. And I'm like,
\n
[25:39]I'm a very type A person. So it's always like you, I have to have a list for everything.
\n
[25:44]I'm the same.
\n
[25:46]So for me, like the, having the tracker was just like, perfect for the way I do things. Cause I
\n
[25:51]can't keep track on sticky notes or anything like that. I have to just put it down and then just
\n
[25:56]have something else, keep track of everything. And then I can reference it later. So just that's what
\n
[26:02]I would do in the future again, is basically follow the same structure that you had provided,
\n
[26:06]because it really aligns with how I like to do things in general. So it was very helpful.
\n
[26:12]Excellent. And now when you reflect back and you think about your cohort and what you watched other
\n
[26:18]people do to their internships, were there any kind of common mistakes you saw others make?
\n
[26:22]The biggest mistake I saw people make was honestly just the timing of when they started sending
\n
[26:31]applications. I know a few people decided to just wait until December to start sending applications.
\n
[26:38]And then when we had our mid-year seminar in Nuremberg, there were a couple of people still
\n
[26:42]without internships. And I was just surprised that they hadn't even sent anything. And so that was like
\n
[26:48]the first mistake. And then the second one was just, it's not really a mistake, but I
\n
[26:52]think that a few people didn't apply for their health insurance or things like that. Or they didn't
\n
[26:58]really ask HR questions about what they need in order to start the internship, which would have
\n
[27:04]been really helpful for them to figure out like before they started the internship, because I think
\n
[27:09]one person or maybe two people had their internship delayed because they didn't have these documents
\n
[27:14]figured out. But it's like bureaucratic things that I think only with experience or people telling you
\n
[27:20]this is what you should look out for would be helpful, which I think your course is really helpful for
\n
[27:24]them because it tells you these are the things to expect. But because I had my interview with John
\n
[27:30]Deere pretty early on, a lot of my friends who also got paid internships were just asking me how to do
\n
[27:35]the health insurance. And I just said this was the process. And yeah, that was pretty much the only
\n
[27:40]thing I noticed. Okay, good to know. Do you have any other advice that you would give to incoming or
\n
[27:47]current CBOIXers in regards to finding an internship in Germany? I think just be flexible and just
\n
[27:57]put in the effort to make a quality application rather than sending out a lot all at once. You can avoid that
\n
[28:07]because I think putting in the time to make an application tailored to the company will appeal
\n
[28:13]a lot more and it'll maybe be an extra 20-30% of like effort for the application. And I think it'll go
\n
[28:22]a long way to helping people find things. But yeah, I would say like a couple of my friends on the
\n
[28:27]program, like one person did nuclear engineering and they had trouble with finding internship opportunities
\n
[28:34]in Germany related to nuclear engineering. And so they had to look at completely different opportunities.
\n
[28:41]So maybe an orchestral position or electrical engineering or something similar is just be open
\n
[28:47]to different opportunities and just remember that the career experience you have in Germany is not going
\n
[28:56]to define your career back home. But what it could do is provide you a new outlook on it and a new outlook
\n
[29:03]on your own life that would only add to what you're trying to do. Because I think the, for me, I was discouraged
\n
[29:09]at first that I didn't have an aerospace internship because I really wanted to career build. And then I realized
\n
[29:14]that the benefits of working and living in a different country are already so big. And like, for me, it changed my
\n
[29:23]life being in Germany and changed a lot about how I saw things. I think that all of the factors of the program is that
\n
[29:29]you're experiencing something new for the first time and there's always something to learn from it,
\n
[29:36]even if it doesn't work out exactly how you thought. And that's the other thing is that things
\n
[29:39]won't work out how you think they will.
\n
[29:40]They rarely do. Thank you for that. That's, it's very moving. What are you doing now? What are you
\n
[29:45]up to these days?
\n
[29:47]I am now back in Huntsville where I came from. I'm back here working at a NASA contractor because we
\n
[29:54]have the Marshall Space Flight Center here. So I'm working on the Artemis II moon mission. So we're
\n
[30:01]having a launch in February. So please watch. It'll be pretty exciting. We're sending people to the moon
\n
[30:06]for the first time in 50 years. And I'm also working on a nuclear propulsion project as well. I'm enjoying
\n
[30:12]that. And what I'm really trying to do is focus on saving money and traveling. So traveling right now and
\n
[30:19]also maybe saving money for a master's degree in Germany or in Europe or in the US. So I'm just trying to
\n
[30:25]keep options open right now.
\n
[30:27]I love it. Thank you so much for spending time with me today and for sharing all your wisdom with current
\n
[30:33]and future CVR access. I'll appreciate it. Yeah. Thank you for having me.
", "player": "https://player.vimeo.com/video/1157426586?h=cff46af84e", "local_url": "http://100.112.98.110:8091/1157426586.mp4", "search": "bonus interview #5 bonus module #2: interviews with international interns in germany key takeaways copy \n use the course's internship tracking spreadsheet to keep every application organized - it fits type-a workflows [06:09-06:20, 25:30-26:06]. \n build a german-format resume + motivation letter template and get them reviewed before applying [06:26-06:42]. \n forced speaking (language school + host family) beats fear of mistakes: a1 \u2192 b1 in a year [04:25-04:50]. \n when a rejection comes, ask if your resume fits another open position - that redirect produced the internship [10:24-10:42]. \n keep interviewing after you've accepted an offer - free practice, and better offers may follow [11:35-11:52]. \n work week at john deere was 7 hours/day (9 during final push); testing happened at a company test farm [19:24-19:35, 23:29-23:41]. \n bonus interview #5 - tom (cbyx, aerospace engineer \u2192 john deere controls engineering intern) \n lesson: /finding-an-internship-in-germany-cbyx-edition/bonus-interview-5 (vimeo id 1157426586) \n who & background \n \n tom (thomas) from huntsville, alabama; studied aerospace engineering before cbyx [00:08]. \n joined cbyx's 41st cohort to explore a different country/culture before committing to work or grad school for the rest of his life [00:14-01:17]. \n program path: 2 months of sprachschule (language school) in cologne \u2192 study phase in mannheim \u2192 internship at john deere in kaiserslautern [00:28-00:45]. \n now back in huntsville working at a nasa contractor on the artemis ii moon mission (launch in february) and a nuclear propulsion project; saving for a possible master's in germany/europe/us [29:47-30:25]. \n \n timeline \n \n german at start: ~a1.1/a1.2 after a year of duolingo (\"doesn't really count\") [03:59-04:11]; ended the year around b1.1 [04:45]. \n placement in mannheim confirmed only ~1 week before moving (cbyx was torn between mannheim and braunschweig), which delayed his internship search [05:20-06:04]. \n used the waiting period to build fundamentals from the course: internship tracking spreadsheet, german resume template (reviewed by others), letter of motivation template [06:09-06:42]. \n first application round in mannheim: 15-20 quality applications in one sprint, then wait for feedback before the next round [06:56-07:30]. \n total ~25-30 applications [08:32]. john deere (mannheim) rejected him for c1/c2 german roles but redirected his resume to another position ~1 week later [10:09-10:42]. \n after accepting john deere (kaiserslautern), 4-5 more interviews arrived (spacetech, airbus near lake constance, rocket factory augsburg) - he used them for interview practice [11:07-11:52]. \n onboarding: hr checklist - public health insurance (used barmenia) + steuer-id (arrived by mail in 2-3 weeks) \u2192 signed internship contract [17:22-18:20]. started first week of february; commuted 1.5h from mannheim (~4:30am wake-ups) for two weeks, then moved into a wg near the kaiserslautern train station [19:03-19:49]. \n \n companies / programs named \n \n cbyx (41st cohort); host family + language school in cologne; study phase mannheim [00:28]. \n john deere - internship in kaiserslautern (controls engineering; applied via mannheim factory posting) [00:45, 03:36, 10:38]. \n rejected/limited by itar/arms-export regulations: spacetech (lake constance), airbus (hamburg/lake constance), rocket factory augsburg - propulsion tech is export-protected for us citizens; onboarding/security processes took months [01:54-03:06, 11:52-12:44, 16:53-17:04]. \n also applied to: honeywell, zeiss, other mannheim-area companies [03:25-03:46]. \n afterward: nasa contractor (marshall space flight center), artemis ii [29:47]. \n \n concrete advice \n \n apply in english if your german isn't strong - don't oversell with translators. aerospace/engineering companies often work in english; but this likely limited german-speaking mannheim roles [14:18-14:56]. \n cast a wide net beyond your niche. export controls blocked aerospace; pivoting to controls/software/mechanical engineering landed the internship [02:27-03:51]. \"it's okay to branch out... i wish i had applied to non-engineering jobs too\" [24:52-25:13]. \n sprint applications: send 15-20 tailored applications in a batch, wait, learn from feedback, then next round [06:56-07:47, 27:47-28:22]. tailoring adds 20-30% effort but \"goes a long way.\" \n don't delay applications. cohortmates who waited until december were still internship-less at the nuremberg mid-year seminar [26:22-26:48]. \n ask hr early about paperwork (health insurance, steuer-id) - people had internships delayed over missing documents [26:52-27:24]. \n star interviews: john deere sent a template saying interviews follow star (situation, task, action, result); he prepped sample questions with chatgpt + course materials [12:48-13:33]. actual interview: boss pitched the company for 20 minutes, barely asked questions [13:33-14:16]. airbus asked the hardest - situational/personal questions, no technical problems [14:57-15:25]. \n internship contract & pay: fixed rate ~\u20ac2,000/month gross (unpaid/pflichtpraktikum rates would be \u20ac900-1,000); salary not negotiable, but schedule was - took a week off for the berlin program week [18:20-18:59]. \n pre-run your commute before day one (buses left a minute early - test the route) [20:29-21:13]. \n office language policy: everyone switches to english when a non-german speaker is present - by policy [22:20-22:47]. \n offboarding: email hr a reminder, cancel health insurance, return computer/badge; you receive an arbeitszeugnis (work certificate) [22:47-24:06]. \n mindset: \"the career experience in germany won't define your career back home - it gives you a new outlook\" [28:41-29:29]. things rarely work out how you expect [29:36]. \n [00:00] hey tom, welcome to your cbyx alum interview. \n [00:04] hi, it's nice to be here and i'm excited to talk about my experience. \n [00:08] excellent. i look forward to listening with you. tom, to get us started, you were a participant in \n [00:14] cbyx's 41st cohort. can you tell us a little bit about yourself and why you chose to participate in \n [00:21] the program? well, i'm tom, full name thomas. i come from huntsville, alabama, and i studied \n [00:28] aerospace engineering before coming on the cbyx program. and during cbyx, i was placed in cologne \n [00:34] for the first two months for the sprachschule phase. then i moved to madheim for the study phase \n [00:40] that we had. and then at the end, i had an internship at john deere in kaiser saltern. \n [00:45] so the reason i decided to do the cbyx program is that when i was finishing my degree, \n [00:50] i realized that i'm probably going to be working for the rest of my life or doing some sort of \n [00:55] graduate school or something like this. and i wanted a chance to go and explore a different \n [00:58] country, a different culture, and see how those ideas, like how i can incorporate those ideas \n [01:03] into my life and maybe see a different way of living life that's different to how i live in the \n [01:08] u.s. and i had several options before i went on cbyx. i could have done graduate school. i could \n [01:13] have kept working full time. but i decided, like, why not take this chance and just go see how it \n [01:17] changes me personally? and i'm really glad that i went. \n [01:21] and so with that background in mind, what were some of your hopes for the program, especially as it \n [01:26] relates to the internship component? \n [01:28] so for the internship itself, because i studied aerospace, i really wanted to be involved in a \n [01:33] lot of maybe potentially aerospace opportunities in germany. i was hoping at the start of the program \n [01:38] to be placed near munich for a lot of reasons. i like munich. my favorite team, bayern, played there \n [01:44] before i came on the program. and also most of the aerospace, biggest aerospace companies in \n [01:49] germany, their biggest presence is in munich or around munich. so i was hoping to be placed there. \n [01:54] but i soon came to find that there were other places around germany that had aerospace companies. \n [01:58] so near the lake of konstanz, you had space tech, you have airbus and hamburg. near where i lived, \n [02:03] there were a couple of aerospace companies as well. and what i really wanted to get out, \n [02:07] like when i came initially, was to be involved in the aerospace industry and see if there were \n [02:11] lessons or different methods of maybe design or evaluation or testing that i could bring back \n [02:17] and maybe incorporate. so that was my goal starting out. \n [02:20] how did your hopes and expectations change over the course of the program? \n [02:27] over the course of the program, i realized that maybe pursuing just the aerospace route would \n [02:33] become a little bit difficult in germany, specifically for reasons of export controls and arms regulations, \n [02:40] which i didn't realize were really going to be a big deal. but there were a couple of instances \n [02:45] during my internship search where i wouldn't be able to participate in the projects because of \n [02:49] onboarding processes that would have taken several months that would basically prevent me from being \n [02:54] able to work at those companies. because aerospace is a trade protected, like it's very nation \n [03:00] specific, and they don't want secrets or processes from one country being exported to other countries. \n [03:06] so the way i changed the approach was instead of looking at just aerospace companies, i decided, \n [03:10] okay, let me try to find an area that i'm good at or something that i want to be better at \n [03:15] in engineering and look for companies that do that. so i became open to things like software development \n [03:21] or controls engineering or mechanical engineering just as a whole. i started applying to all sorts \n [03:25] of companies in the mannheim area, which was where i was placed. so places like honeywell, \n [03:31] i think we had zeiss as well, and a couple of other companies. and also there was a huge john deere \n [03:36] factory in mannheim that i applied to. and i thought that would be a good fit. but overall, \n [03:41] i just decided to cast my net pretty wide. as i realized that was probably the best way to get \n [03:46] a experience that won't be constrained by regulations from the us. \n [03:51] okay, so that's how you had to pit your search then. can you tell us a little bit also about \n [03:55] what your german looked like when you started the program and how it changed throughout? so after you \n [03:59] did the german course, the beginning, and then even into your internship process? \n [04:04] so my german coming in was very basic. i had done like duolingo for a year, which doesn't really \n [04:11] count. i realized when i got to the language school phase that everything that i had learned \n [04:16] for a year was just completely useless. i couldn't speak to one. i was stumbling over words. i was \n [04:21] worried of just like making a mistake. and what i really liked about the program was that when you \n [04:25] went to language school, they forced you to speak german all of the time. and you lived in a host \n [04:29] family, which also forced you to speak german pretty much all of the time. and that, i think \n [04:34] the biggest impediment to me learning german had been the fear of making a mistake while speaking \n [04:39] it. and so just being forced to speak it helped me grow my language from about, oh, a1.2, a1.1 level \n [04:45] all the way up to, i think b1.1 is where i ended at the end of the year. \n [04:50] that's fantastic. \n [04:53] so it's been really fun. and i definitely want to keep working on my german in the us. i just need to \n [04:58] find the best way to do that right now. \n [05:00] so you were able to become relatively conversational within a year then? \n [05:04] a little bit, yeah. there's a lot of stuff. i'm really struggling with vocabulary still. i just \n [05:09] need to find a way to consume more of that. so maybe more reading and things like that. \n [05:13] when you were beginning to apply for internships, what did that process look like for you? how did \n [05:19] you go about it? \n [05:20] so my internship search was actually a little bit delayed compared to some other participants \n [05:25] because my placement location was, i didn't find out where i was living until about a week \n [05:30] before i moved there. so while i was in cologne, everyone else had their placements pretty much \n [05:33] picked out. but cdyx was having trouble finding, or cultural services was having trouble finding \n [05:38] a location to place me, like a host family in mannheim. and they weren't sure where i should \n [05:44] live there. so they were between mannheim and braunschweig. we had a couple of other cdyxers. \n [05:49] and they basically asked me a week before, like, where would i want to live and had me decide and \n [05:54] find it. so it was a little bit complicated. and because of that, they want us to find an \n [05:59] internship near where we live. so i was basically constrained until i found my final placement to \n [06:04] begin my internship search. but i decided in the meantime, before applying to companies and things \n [06:09] like that, i went through your course. not in order. i just decided to choose a lot of the setup \n [06:14] video head put out, specifically with regards to the tracking spreadsheet, setting that up, \n [06:20] working on getting my german resume kind of template figured out and had it reviewed by a couple of \n [06:26] people to make sure that it was in the right format to send to german companies. and i also wrote like \n [06:31] a letter of motivation template. so basically, i was trying to set the building blocks for applying \n [06:37] to a lot of companies later. the idea was because i don't know where i am, i'm not going to start \n [06:42] applying until i have just the basic fundamentals figured out. so that was my, like, starting \n [06:49] approach. okay, and then you get to mannheim, right? and then you start to apply. once i got to \n [06:56] mannheim, i think within about a week, the first week i was there, school was like the university \n [07:02] phase. there wasn't a lot going on at the time. so i basically every day after my classes, i would come \n [07:08] back to my room and i decided, okay, i'm going to focus on quality applications and sending out \n [07:13] about 15 to 20 on my first route. and the goal was just, i'm going to spend like a good period of \n [07:19] time, send all of these applications, then wait a bit until maybe i hear back or i start getting \n [07:25] feedback from these companies. and then after that, start the next round of applications. \n [07:30] so that was the approach that i had because i thought if i go in sprints, it would be a lot \n [07:35] easier to manage. and it wouldn't be really as much as a, if i apply every few days, then i would \n [07:41] have to wait a few days between those and not really learn a lot from the process. but there was an \n [07:47] aerospace company near mannheim that i wanted to apply to. so i waited to apply to that one for a \n [07:51] little bit before i sent it in. so i applied to a couple of other companies beforehand and then figured \n [07:57] out what everyone was looking for in their applications. and then i made one specific to this \n [08:02] company and sent it to them and hoped that it would work. but they sent me a email back and said \n [08:07] that they're not looking for interns for the next spring, which was a bummer a little bit. but \n [08:12] the idea was go in groups of applications and really try to tailor each application to the company \n [08:20] instead of sending a generic resume and cover letter. we just really try to take the time \n [08:27] needed for each application to make it strong. and how many applications do you think you ended up \n [08:32] sending out? i think in total, it's about 25 to 30 total. i actually, i would have probably sent out \n [08:43] more, but i heard about a month into the search process from john deere. and so after that point, \n [08:50] once they offered the internship opportunity, it sounded pretty interesting. and i decided to take it \n [08:56] because i wasn't sure if there would be any other options later on. and so once i received that, \n [09:00] i stopped applying as much. i think i only kept applying in order to meet the limit that cbyx was \n [09:07] looking for, because they wanted us to reach a certain amount before we went out of city to look \n [09:12] for other opportunities. and the john deere opportunity was in a different city. it was in \n [09:17] kaiserslautern, about an hour west. so i would have had to move for that one. so they, i just wanted to \n [09:22] make sure i had my basis covered in terms of, i've applied to a bunch of places in mannheim and i \n [09:28] don't have opportunities in mannheim before i moved to kaiserslautern. and did you hear back from any of \n [09:32] the other places that you applied to? a couple of them. most of the places in mannheim, i didn't hear \n [09:39] back from. very interestingly. what i did, i applied to a lot of places in mannheim and then i applied to \n [09:44] aerospace companies across germany because i thought, okay, if i don't get anything in mannheim, \n [09:48] i'll look at aerospace companies in munich, near the lake constance. and i didn't hear pretty much \n [09:53] anything back from most of the companies until about two to three, maybe four weeks later after \n [09:59] i had applied. and most of the time it was automated emails. we're considering your application, we \n [10:03] promise, or something like this. but john deere actually had rejected me within the first year, \n [10:09] the mannheim positions i applied to. and they were, i think mostly because the positions required like \n [10:16] c1 or c2 level german to, is what they had on the application. but they asked me when i applied, \n [10:24] would you want to send your resume to a different position? like they found my resume to be pretty \n [10:27] interesting for a different position. and so they, i sent it and then they called me about a week later \n [10:34] while i was on the way to class. and they were like, hey, here's a cool internship opportunity in \n [10:38] kaiserslautern. do you want to hear more about it? i'm like, of course, yeah, this would be awesome. \n [10:42] and it turned out to be a really great opportunity. just to recap, you didn't really \n [10:46] hear back anything from the other companies, right? the main internship option you had then \n [10:50] was from john deere. at the time, yes. so basically before the john deere opportunity presented itself, \n [10:57] i didn't really hear back from other companies besides like occasional like automated emails \n [11:02] saying we're no longer considering you for this role. but after i accepted the john deere opportunity, \n [11:07] i had about four or five interviews scheduled with aerospace companies after i'd already accepted. \n [11:15] so i think space tech was one company that reached out to me from lake of constance and an airbus as \n [11:21] well near the lake of constance reached out. rocket factory augsburg was one that i had applied to that \n [11:26] also reached out. and i think with those three, i decided even though i had like an internship figured \n [11:35] out, i wanted to just practice my interview skills with these companies because it looked like a good \n [11:41] opportunity. and potentially if it looked like a really good opportunity, maybe i would try and do \n [11:46] an internship there if they had to pay and also a really interesting project that i'd be working on. \n [11:52] and so with those companies, i called, we talked, and i guess i can talk about the interview process a \n [11:58] little bit later if you'd like. but overall, i ran into the same roadblocks with the arms regulations \n [12:03] from the u.s. where basically we had gone through the interview and then at the end i would ask us \n [12:08] like, would this be a problem? and they're like, oh yeah, actually it probably would be. thank you \n [12:12] for your time. so that's how it would be. and that was primarily based around your citizenship or? \n [12:19] it's primarily because the field that i was applying to was propulsion technology and things \n [12:25] like that are protected by arms regulations in the u.s. so they wouldn't, it would be hard for me to \n [12:32] work on that project as a u.s. citizen just because europe has their own standards and we have our own \n [12:38] standards in the u.s. so it just would have been a big regulation or bureaucratic process to clear \n [12:44] those and make sure it was okay. why don't we talk a little bit about the interviewing process? what \n [12:48] types of questions were asked? did they have you do an activity? maybe you can tell us a little bit \n [12:52] about that. sure. my interviews actually were extremely easy for the most part. when john \n [13:00] deere sent me up with a call with my future boss, i was prepared. they sent me a whole template. they \n [13:05] said, our interviews will follow the star process. so they were like, you're going to need to, what was \n [13:11] it? like something starts with an s then there's like task, action, resolution. it's something where you \n [13:17] were supposed to set up, the situation, the task, the action, and then the resolution or the something \n [13:22] around this. and so i was prepared. i had gone through sample questions with chatgpt and other \n [13:28] sources and also looking at some of your questions that you had put in your course. and as practice, \n [13:33] i was prepared and i get on to the call and then my boss, he goes, he just says, hi, i'm this. let me tell \n [13:40] you about our company. and then he goes through for 20 minutes and talks about how great john deere is. \n [13:44] by the way, the pay is like this. and also you'd be doing all of this. and do you, yeah. and that's \n [13:51] it. it didn't really ask me any questions. they were just pitching the company to me. \n [13:54] oh, wow. okay. \n [13:56] so i was pretty surprised by that. and i tried at certain points to like break in a little bit and \n [14:02] say, oh, this aligns with my experience and this field or doing this. and i'm really excited to find \n [14:07] out how this works. and they were like, yeah, that's cool. but here's the opportunity. so i was like, \n [14:10] okay, that's pretty interesting. but yeah, they offered me the job basically after that. \n [14:16] this was all in english, right? \n [14:18] this was all in english. i should also clarify that i applied to everything in english. i didn't apply \n [14:22] to any jobs in german. \n [14:24] yeah. \n [14:24] so my resume was completely english and all of my documentation is english because i realized that \n [14:30] my german wasn't high enough for me to fake it. and i didn't want to oversell my german by using \n [14:35] like translators and things like that to try and make it seem better. so i decided i'm going to apply \n [14:40] in english. and that might have limited me with some of the opportunities in mannheim because i think \n [14:44] a lot of them were in german. but the aerospace companies and any engineering companies seem to have \n [14:49] like english seem to be more of the working language. so that kind of was, i think it was \n [14:56] helpful. \n [14:57] and in my later interviews were pretty similar, actually. the one that was the most difficult was \n [15:01] with airbus because they actually did ask me not really technical questions, but more \n [15:06] personal questions about like how i would deal with this situation or another situation. \n [15:12] but i didn't get into a position where i had to lay out like any, i didn't have to solve any \n [15:18] problems or anything like that, which i thought was interesting because they're engineering \n [15:21] positions. that was a bit strange. \n [15:25] and these interviews were happening then in november or december? \n [15:27] the john deere one, i think was in october, maybe early. if it was in november, then it was early \n [15:35] november. i can't recall exactly. but the other interviews were, i think, end of november, start of \n [15:42] december. and i heard back from them maybe a month and a half after i applied. \n [15:47] because you applied in october primarily. \n [15:50] yes. and so those is basically everything before christmas. and then after that point, i think i had a \n [15:56] few before february. i think i had my airbus interview after january or maybe in january, \n [16:05] because i remember that i was already moving to kaiserslautern and looking for places to live there \n [16:10] when i was waiting for the kind of response to my application from airbus. \n [16:15] so the other four all sent you then rejection letters? \n [16:18] the space tech company that i applied to sent me an offer letter to work there. and they seem to have a \n [16:26] really interesting company. and i really wanted to work there, actually. it just would be very difficult \n [16:31] to sell to the program because i had a place that was close to where i was placed in deere. and this other \n [16:37] place was all the way near switzerland. and it would be harder to find a place there. and this is really far away \n [16:44] from my mentor. so i thought that logistically, it would make a lot more sense to just stick with \n [16:48] john deere. but so i heard back from space tech, rocket factory augsburg, after i received an \n [16:53] interview with them, and i talked to them, they got back to me about a week later and said that because \n [16:59] of the itar regulations, they're probably going to offer it to someone else. airbus was pretty much \n [17:04] the same way. \n [17:05] okay. so it really was a regulatory issue then? \n [17:08] yes. \n [17:09] yeah. and then if we think about the john deere internship then, so it's, imagine january, you're in the \n [17:14] process of looking for somewhere to live, you're in the process of moving. did they offer you or did they give \n [17:18] you an internship contract? were you accepted the offer? \n [17:22] they did. so the hr reached out to me with the offer after my interview with my boss. and they basically said, \n [17:31] we're planning to offer you an internship contract. what we will need from you is for you to apply for public \n [17:37] health insurance and also your stoyer id. and they gave me like a checklist of three things i need \n [17:44] to do. they sent me the internship contract. they said, once you figure out your health insurance and \n [17:48] your stoyer id, fill out the contract. and then after that, we can finish all of your onboarding process. \n [17:55] so it took me about a month or so to get everything organized. i think i used baumer as the health \n [18:02] insurance company. and then my stoyer id came in the mail about two to three weeks after i requested \n [18:08] it. so once i told john deere that it will take a little bit of time for me to get that. but once i \n [18:14] got it, i signed it and sent it to them. and they signed my cbyx as a form for the internship that we \n [18:20] need to sign. so they signed that immediately once they made the offer. so i had a contract. i wasn't \n [18:26] able to negotiate salary. i asked about it and like how much they paid. and i think mine was about \n [18:31] $2,000 a month almost tax. and that was a fixed rate that they paid to anyone doing like \n [18:38] freiwilligspracticum. anyway, like a fixed practicum would get paid about $900 to $1,000 \n [18:43] per month. so it was pretty straightforward for me. and they were very flexible. i was even able \n [18:49] to negotiate. and we needed to be in berlin for a week for the program. so i said, this week, \n [18:54] i need to be able to take off. and they said, okay, so we'll just work around that. so it won't be a \n [18:59] problem with you leaving. and when did you officially start then? \n [19:03] i started at the very beginning of february, whichever the first monday was, february. i'm \n [19:09] sure if it was the first or not. maybe it was the second. but i started that very first week of \n [19:13] february. and i was actually still living in mannheim when i started. so i was making the \n [19:17] commute every day for about an hour and a half, which wasn't really as... it was pretty difficult \n [19:24] with waking up around four in the morning to be able to get there. but once i realized that the \n [19:29] work day was seven hours per day, it got very easy, honestly. but you eventually moved. \n [19:35] yes. about two weeks later, i was able to move into the vega near the train station. and i had two \n [19:43] roommates there. and it was like just one bus trip from where i live to work. it was about 10, \n [19:49] 15 minutes away. and the buses came every 30 minutes. so it was very simple, very easy. yeah. \n [19:55] and did you live with germans then in the beginning? \n [19:58] yes. so that was a pretty cool thing. they both spoke really good english, but they also, \n [20:04] they attended university in kaiserslautern. so i was able to practice german with them a couple \n [20:08] of times and just talk about a lot of different things around the world and in germany. and it was \n [20:13] really interesting, especially like during the german election, i was talking to them before. and \n [20:17] after that, it was a pretty interesting experience. \n [20:20] so if we think about your internship then, you started at the beginning of february. what \n [20:23] did your first day and week look and feel like besides the transportation part? \n [20:29] so before my first day, i decided to plan out my commute from mannheim, just so i'm not late the \n [20:35] first day. so i think the day before or like the week before, i decided to wake up at 4.30, \n [20:42] find all my trains, figure out how to get to work basically from mannheim and try to get there \n [20:47] before 8 a.m., which was when they said they were meeting me. i did this whole thing. i ran into a \n [20:52] couple of snags in kaiserslautern with the buses because it turned out some of the buses were leaving \n [20:56] like a minute earlier than they said they should. so i figured out, okay, don't take this bus. \n [21:02] and that whole process helped me calm down a bit from the anxiety of starting like the new job \n [21:07] and wanting to be on time. it's everything. so i was able to figure that out and i decided, okay, \n [21:13] day of, this is what i'll do. and when i got there, i came to the front desk. they already had \n [21:20] everything prepared. they had like my badge and computer and everything ready to go. and i just \n [21:24] sat in the waiting room until my boss showed up. and then we went and we got my computer and then \n [21:29] some steel-toed boots for the job. and then also some like overalls or protective gear that i can wear \n [21:36] that's electrically safe. and then also like prevents cuts and things like that. so it's \n [21:40] like this jumpsuit thing that everyone received. so we got all those materials. they took me to \n [21:45] where i would be sitting, which was in a room of the other interns who were doing their master \n [21:50] arbeite. the first day i ate lunch with my boss and i think i brought some cookies or like chocolates \n [21:55] for the first day, which is like customary. and yeah, so it was really cool. and i got a tour of \n [22:00] everything. and then the first week was, they basically had me do some onboarding, \n [22:05] like some training for the company. and once i finished that, they threw me in the deep end and \n [22:09] said, okay, here, this is what you're going to be doing. and it was just everyday hands-on \n [22:15] researching and building and trying things. and it was all completely new to me because i hadn't \n [22:20] worked in that before. i learned really quickly. and the language of lepke of communication was \n [22:25] english. everyone spoke german when they were just with other germans. but the second that somebody \n [22:31] who spoke english walked in, which was me, they had to switch to english by policy. and i'd be like, \n [22:37] it's okay, speak german. but they're like, no, we can't do that because like, we have to speak a \n [22:41] language that everyone understands. okay, fine. but it was fun. \n [22:47] and as your internship was coming to an end, what did that look like? \n [22:52] so towards the end, my internship was not really structured from start to finish, because usually \n [23:03] with the required internships, the students have a project they're working on, and they need to bring \n [23:08] it to completion. but my experience was a lot of, i had three or four different projects that i was \n [23:14] working on. and my goal was just to make as much progress on them as possible. and so as i got towards \n [23:20] the end of my internship, i told my boss, like, this is my last day. he was like, okay, we need \n [23:24] to really focus on trying to make a lot of progress on this. so i think the week before i was starting \n [23:29] to leave, or before i left, i was at work for nine hours a day, instead of seven. and we have a test \n [23:37] farm where we were testing tractors and things like that. so i was out there every day, and trying to \n [23:41] finish up these last few things. but the outboarding process, i just emailed hr. and i said, hey, \n [23:46] this is a reminder, this is when i'm leaving. and they said, okay, just make sure you \n [23:49] have these things done. and so i went through, i had to cancel my health insurance. and then i \n [23:54] think that was pretty much it. and then everything else, they figured out the offboarding process for \n [24:01] me. so i just went through that on my last day, turned in my computer, turned in my badge. and then \n [24:06] that was pretty much it. and then i received the work certificate as well. okay, good. and looking \n [24:12] back, what do you wish you would have known? \n [24:16] i think, honestly, i was pretty surprised by how similar the work practices were to the us. maybe \n [24:24] it's because i worked in an american company, germany. maybe that's why it was this way. but \n [24:29] overall, i was pretty happy with my experience there. i actually discovered that \n [24:34] i really enjoyed the work i was doing. it wasn't in my major or something that i had studied. \n [24:42] but it was controls engineering. it made me realize maybe i should consider this for \n [24:46] my future. maybe i can come work at john deere again, or i can go study this topic more in school. \n [24:52] and what i wish i had known going in was basically that it's okay to branch out. and you don't have to \n [25:00] focus on your specific field. i stayed in engineering, but i wish that i had also applied \n [25:05] to a lot more jobs that were not engineering and had the kind of diversity of options to choose. \n [25:13] because i think that would have also been a really cool experience. but i think the way it worked out, \n [25:17] i'm very happy with how it worked out. and i had a very positive experience. and i made a lot of \n [25:23] connections and friends during my time. so i would just, i think the timing was good. and \n [25:30] following your course helped a lot. i had the internship tracker, and i just kept track of \n [25:33] everything on there. and it was like, it was really good for staying organized. and i'm like, \n [25:39] i'm a very type a person. so it's always like you, i have to have a list for everything. \n [25:44] i'm the same. \n [25:46] so for me, like the, having the tracker was just like, perfect for the way i do things. cause i \n [25:51] can't keep track on sticky notes or anything like that. i have to just put it down and then just \n [25:56] have something else, keep track of everything. and then i can reference it later. so just that's what \n [26:02] i would do in the future again, is basically follow the same structure that you had provided, \n [26:06] because it really aligns with how i like to do things in general. so it was very helpful. \n [26:12] excellent. and now when you reflect back and you think about your cohort and what you watched other \n [26:18] people do to their internships, were there any kind of common mistakes you saw others make? \n [26:22] the biggest mistake i saw people make was honestly just the timing of when they started sending \n [26:31] applications. i know a few people decided to just wait until december to start sending applications. \n [26:38] and then when we had our mid-year seminar in nuremberg, there were a couple of people still \n [26:42] without internships. and i was just surprised that they hadn't even sent anything. and so that was like \n [26:48] the first mistake. and then the second one was just, it's not really a mistake, but i \n [26:52] think that a few people didn't apply for their health insurance or things like that. or they didn't \n [26:58] really ask hr questions about what they need in order to start the internship, which would have \n [27:04] been really helpful for them to figure out like before they started the internship, because i think \n [27:09] one person or maybe two people had their internship delayed because they didn't have these documents \n [27:14] figured out. but it's like bureaucratic things that i think only with experience or people telling you \n [27:20] this is what you should look out for would be helpful, which i think your course is really helpful for \n [27:24] them because it tells you these are the things to expect. but because i had my interview with john \n [27:30] deere pretty early on, a lot of my friends who also got paid internships were just asking me how to do \n [27:35] the health insurance. and i just said this was the process. and yeah, that was pretty much the only \n [27:40] thing i noticed. okay, good to know. do you have any other advice that you would give to incoming or \n [27:47] current cboixers in regards to finding an internship in germany? i think just be flexible and just \n [27:57] put in the effort to make a quality application rather than sending out a lot all at once. you can avoid that \n [28:07] because i think putting in the time to make an application tailored to the company will appeal \n [28:13] a lot more and it'll maybe be an extra 20-30% of like effort for the application. and i think it'll go \n [28:22] a long way to helping people find things. but yeah, i would say like a couple of my friends on the \n [28:27] program, like one person did nuclear engineering and they had trouble with finding internship opportunities \n [28:34] in germany related to nuclear engineering. and so they had to look at completely different opportunities. \n [28:41] so maybe an orchestral position or electrical engineering or something similar is just be open \n [28:47] to different opportunities and just remember that the career experience you have in germany is not going \n [28:56] to define your career back home. but what it could do is provide you a new outlook on it and a new outlook \n [29:03] on your own life that would only add to what you're trying to do. because i think the, for me, i was discouraged \n [29:09] at first that i didn't have an aerospace internship because i really wanted to career build. and then i realized \n [29:14] that the benefits of working and living in a different country are already so big. and like, for me, it changed my \n [29:23] life being in germany and changed a lot about how i saw things. i think that all of the factors of the program is that \n [29:29] you're experiencing something new for the first time and there's always something to learn from it, \n [29:36] even if it doesn't work out exactly how you thought. and that's the other thing is that things \n [29:39] won't work out how you think they will. \n [29:40] they rarely do. thank you for that. that's, it's very moving. what are you doing now? what are you \n [29:45] up to these days? \n [29:47] i am now back in huntsville where i came from. i'm back here working at a nasa contractor because we \n [29:54] have the marshall space flight center here. so i'm working on the artemis ii moon mission. so we're \n [30:01] having a launch in february. so please watch. it'll be pretty exciting. we're sending people to the moon \n [30:06] for the first time in 50 years. and i'm also working on a nuclear propulsion project as well. i'm enjoying \n [30:12] that. and what i'm really trying to do is focus on saving money and traveling. so traveling right now and \n [30:19] also maybe saving money for a master's degree in germany or in europe or in the us. so i'm just trying to \n [30:25] keep options open right now. \n [30:27] i love it. thank you so much for spending time with me today and for sharing all your wisdom with current \n [30:33] and future cvr access. i'll appreciate it. yeah. thank you for having me. 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