SRH Hochschule Heidelberg
Profilaufnahme einer jungen Frau

Embark on your career or self-employment

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Ready for your dream job?

As a graduate, a whole new world is open to you, but which is the right path? Who says that you have to go straight from university into a job? What if I’d prefer to be my own boss and want to put my start-up idea into practice? And how do I go about finding the perfect job for me? We’ll accompany you on your path into the world of work.

TIPS FOR STARTING YOUR CAREER

How to jumpstart your career

You’ve finished university and are now a fully-fledged graduate. Congratulations! As a graduate of SRH University Heidelberg, you have the best prospects in the labour market. Here you’ll find out all you need to know to make a perfect transition to the world of work and jumpstart your career.

Junge Studentin im gelben Pullover sitzt auf einem Stuhl

Knowing what you want is important – we all know that. But in reality, many of us find it difficult to formulate concrete goals, whether with regard to our careers or our personal development. But if you are about to launch your career, now’s the ideal time to think deeply about your wishes and expectations.

Having goals gives you something to work towards, offering motivation and inspiration. And yet, your personal goals are bound to be as unique and different as we all are as individuals, especially at the start of your career: Do you want to be a high earner? Are you keen to assume responsibility? Are you looking for the perfect work-life balance? Or do you want to change the world for the better?

Find out what is crucial to you, and how best to achieve your goals. Are you unsure how to go about this? You’re not the only one!

Make use of our career counselling – we will be happy to help you:

Every individual is unique.

The term “unique selling point” (USP) originates from the world of advertising. It refers to one or more performance characteristics that clearly distinguish an offer from its competitors. What applies to products and services also applies to you when you start your career. After all, by submitting a job application, you are advertising yourself!

1. How do I go about identifying my USP?

USPs are not just about skills that you can demonstrate based on the presentation of degrees and certificates. Of course it is primarily about your skills. What was your specialisation at university? Which languages do you speak? Which subjects did you get particularly good grades in?

But other characteristics play a role when identifying what makes you unique: What are my values? What is important to me? What am I deeply committed to? Do I assume responsibility, e.g. in a club or as a volunteer, and am I able to motivate others? Am I a team player or a natural-born leader?

2. What do people around me say?

Before starting out on your career, think deeply and ask yourself: What am I good at and what do I enjoy doing? Also listen to feedback from your friends, fellow students or lecturers, and compare how you assess yourself with what they say about your abilities. Many of us underestimate our potential and fail to recognise our strengths.

3. The right skills for the right job

Once you know your abilities, you should then ask yourself whether your USP matches the job or sector that you are interested in. When mentioning your abilities – in letters of application or later on in interviews – try to back them up with specific examples and think about which of your skills are particularly appealing to your potential employer.

4. It’s the combination that counts

It is often the combination of individual characteristics and skills that makes each of us unique. In other words, it’s the combination that counts. And above all: remember that you are just starting out in your career. At university, you acquired the qualifications you need to enter the workforce. But you will also be able to develop and hone your skills throughout your professional life.

Working in Heidelberg and Germany

As a business location, the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region – and Heidelberg in particular – offer you the best conditions for starting out on your career. Ten of the 100 strongest listed companies have their headquarters here. What’s more, over 160,000 companies in total make the region an economic engine for the whole of Germany. In other words, you and your expertise have come to the right place!

Blick auf die Altstadt der Stadt Heidelberg

Heidelberg is a hub of knowledge-intensive services. Indicative of this is the fact that almost two-thirds of the 91,500 jobs subject to social insurance contributions in Heidelberg require appropriate qualifications. With a degree from SRH University Heidelberg, you will be well prepared to enter this demanding labour market.

Heidelberg is home to more than 7,600 businesses and some 200 research institutes. According to the management consulting firm McKinsey, the city located at the edge of the Odenwald is on equal footing with major cities such as Berlin, Brussels and Rome. The unemployment rate is well below the national average. And the prospects are excellent: the city has been successful in attracting new companies that are looking for qualified skilled workers.

Last but not least, Heidelberg is one of the most creative cities in Germany, a city where targeted funding is provided to the cultural and creative industries. This also has a positive impact on residents’ satisfaction: besides being one of only three Sustainable Cities in Germany, Heidelberg also offers the second highest level of quality of life among all cities and districts. In other words, Heidelberg is an excellent place to live and work.

University graduates generally have very good salary prospects in Germany. In fact, according to the job portal Stepstone, career entrants in Baden-Württemberg earn the most, with an average starting salary of € 47,800. And in the ranking of German cities, Heidelberg takes an excellent tenth place: the average gross annual income is € 61,577.

Having the right partners is essential – you can depend on their support whenever you need them. SRH University Heidelberg can rely on a network of supporters – meaning that you, as a graduate, can too! Benefit from our close relationships with our partners in business, government and the social sector – whether you’re looking for the perfect job, the right internship or a coveted trainee position – and share your expertise with them.

Let us show you the current overview of our companions:

Rhine-Neckar: Upgrade your life

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VOICES FROM PRACTICE

What makes our graduates so special?

Konrad Martin

Partner at WAYES:
“Consultants who come to us from SRH University Heidelberg are very well qualified to handle our restructuring mandates. In addition, we are always pleased to note that they are highly motivated to understand and resolve crisis situations in small and medium-sized enterprises. Based on our consistently positive experiences, we favourably consider applications from SRH graduates.”

Portraitfoto Felix Dreyer

Felix Dreyer – SRH graduate

Consultant at WAYES:
“The solution-focused, challenging way of working in management consultancy appealed to me greatly even before I started university. Given my specialisation at university and the internships I did, I knew I wanted to start working for a management consultancy after graduating. The technical and social skills I learned through the CORE Principle and my specialisation in Restructuring & Recapitalisation were key to my success in landing a job with WAYES.”

Markus Nagel, Co-CEO, JobRouter AG

Marcus Nagel

Co-CEO of JobRouter AG
“We have very positive experiences with SRH University Heidelberg graduates: they have a good combination of specialist knowledge and the ability to work independently and accept responsibility. This is why we would always consider SRH graduates again in the selection process.”

Johanna Karlberger - SRH graduate

Head of People Management at JobRouter AG
“My Master’s programme in ‘International Business and Company Law’ enables me, in my current role of Head of People Management and member of the management team at JobRouter AG, to get involved in an enormous range of different company-wide issues.”

 

75 %
of graduates have a job within 3 months
50.000 €
starting salary with an intl. degree
90%
completion rate