In Germany, you have the option to work while studying and many jobs are aimed specifically at students. Moreover, you have different alternatives to look for jobs. One is the Institute’s mailing list, through which job offers of the Institute of Sociology itself but also external job offers from cooperating institutes and organizations are distributed. You can read more about the institute’s mailing list in chapter I.7 in this brochure.
Aside from this, there is also the job portal of Freie Universität Berlin. Here you can find all current job offers from Freie Universität, which can be categorized either by status groups or by fields of activity.
Another option worth looking into is the studierendenWERK Berlin. The studierendenWERK not only has their own job portal but also offers trainings and workshops to acquire useful skills and knowledge around work, taxes, labour law and social security. Via the job portal Stellenwerk you can find student jobs, internships but also graduate jobs.
To apply for a job you typically need to prepare a cover letter, a CV, and school and university certificates. However, the required documents are nearly always described in the job advertisement. In the following paragraph, you can find a short description of the information your cover letter and CV should contain.
Cover letter
Headline:
- Your personal data (name, surname, address, telephone number, e-mail address)
- The data of the recipient (company name (legal form), contact person, address)
- Date (right-aligned)
- Subject line with reference to the job you apply for
- Salutation (best in person, mention the name of the contact person)
Text:
- Introduction: arousing interest; motivation for the job
- Main part: self-marketing; presenting key competences, special experiences and relevant soft skills
- Company reference: added value for the employer; why should the employer hire you?
- Final part: in the final sentence you can thank for the interest; looking forward to the job interview
- Complimentary close (e.g. "Yours sincerely”)
- Signature
- Mentioning the annexes (CV, certificates, references etc.)
CV
- Title: "Curriculum vitae" or "Curriculum vitae (your name)" are sufficient here
- Personal data: First name, last name, date and place of birth, full address, telephone number, e-mail address, (application photo)
- Professional career: Profession, jobs, experience, positions
- Training: School, vocational training, studies, highest degree, grade, semester abroad, internships
- Special knowledge: Further education, certificates, foreign languages, IT skills, awards, etc.
- Interests and hobbies: Private commitment, voluntary work, own projects, relevant hobbies
- Place, date, signature: Always current date
