NEWSLETTER Zukunft: Karriere und Kompetenzen December 2023

Dear students,
dear alumni
dear employees of the University of Passau,

We are delighted that you have stopped by our newsletter again in the stressful pre-Christmas period.

Today, we have not only prepared an interview with long-time ZKK lecturer Nina Merrens about her seminar 'Personal Leadership' and a follow-up report on the Campus meets Company career fair, but also take a closer look at the impact a disability can have on studies and career opportunities in the Career and Skills ABC.

Josef, who completed his internship at the Bavarian Representative Office in Prague, "flew out" this month, and if you've always wondered how many breaks a ZKK seminar actually has, then you've come to the right place for our December myth.

But now we wish you a peaceful and reflective Christmas season, a good start to the New Year and, of course, lots of fun reading!

Current News
Interviews
Have a Look
Internships Abroad
Career and Skills ABC
ZKK Myth: True or False?
Listen In
Further Reading

For last-minute decisions, we still have a few seminar places left this semester. You can find a selection here:

• 62021D W Projektmanagement: Basisseminar (in German)
  Fr/Sa. 12./13.01.24, 09:00 - 17:00 Uhr
  Ort: ONLINE über Zoom

• 65104 Vorstellungsgespräche, Video- und Telefoninterviews gelassen meistern (in German)
  Sa. 13.01.24, 09:15 - 17:30 Uhr
  Ort: LU 8 SR 307

• 61084 W Intercultural competence: Great Britain
  So. 14.01.24, 10:00 - 17:00 Uhr
  Ort: ONLINE über Zoom

• 64042D Effizient Recherchieren für die Seminar- und Bachelorarbeit (in German)
  Mi. 17.01.24, 16:00 - 18:00 Uhr
  Ort: ZB 213 (Schulungsraum ggü. Library Lounge)

• 64041D W Citavi 2: Intensivkurs mit Übungen (in German)
  Do. 18.01.24, 14:00 - 16:00 Uhr
  Ort: Online über ZOOM

• 64015D MS Word: Formatierung von wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten (in German)
  Sa. 20.01.24, 09:30 - 16:30 Uhr
  Ort: JUR CR 057

Haven't found the best seminar for you? Have a look at our calendar to see what else we have to offer this semester.

• 65015 W Berufe im Profil: Freiberuflicher Karrierecoach und systemischer Berater (in German)
  Mi. 10.01.2024, 18:00 - 20:00 Uhr
  ONLINE über Zoom
  Registration on Stud.IP required.

• 651016 W Berufe im Profil: Stiftungsmanagerin der Alexander-Tutsek-Stiftung (in German)
  Mi. 17.01.2024, 18:00 - 20:00 Uhr
  ONLINE über Zoom
  Registration on Stud.IP required.

• 65056 Der Bewerbungsprozess bei einem Weltkonzern - Interaktiver Austausch zu DOs and DON'Ts mit der Allianz in Passau (in German)
  Includes dinner after the event
  Do. 18.01.2024, 16:00 - 18:30 Uhr, Dinner from 19:00 Uhr
  LU 8 SR 307
  IMPORTANT: This event requires an application. If you are interested, please send your application and your CV to  zkk@uni-passau.de until the 11th of January 2024.

We are looking for a student assistant (with increased hourly rate) for the evaluation of our events from March 1, 2024.

Application deadline: January 23, 2024

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Alexandra Schick (Tel. 0851 509-1420). She is available until the 22nd of December 2022 and then again from the 15th January 2024.

The application deadlines for the PROMOS and FDI scholarship programs end on 01 February 2024.

The Program for the Mobility of German Students and Doctoral Candidates (PROMOS) with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) as the national implementing agency aims to promote study visits and practice-related stays abroad by students.

The programme to promote internationalization (FDI) supports internships of at least six weeks worldwide with a one-off travel allowance.

If you have any questions, please contact Simone Schneider.

Are you interested in sustainability? Subscribe to the ClimUP newsletter. Every month, events and activities on campus as well as tips for everyday life will be sent directly to your mailbox. The newsletter provides you with information about the campus, such as the expansion of the photovoltaic systems and the status of the climate protection concept. Register now!

Originally from Manchester, Nina Merrens has been working as a trainer and coach since 1995. She specializes in coaching, intercultural management and personal leadership and leads team and management development and intercultural training courses. In her almost twenty-year career as a trainer, she has worked for numerous well-known companies worldwide. For the United Nations, Merrens has coached managers in Bangkok, Dakar and Beirut as part of the "Management and Development" program. She has been holding seminars at the University of Passau since 2001. Since 2020, she has also been offering the English-language seminar “Personal Leadership.” We met her for an interview to talk about the challenges and opportunities for young leaders in a globalized, post-pandemic world.

Over 2,300 visitors flocked to the Campus meets Company career fair at the University of Passau's sports center on 20 November 2023 from 11 am to 5 pm. The event took place for the 22nd time and offers students the opportunity to get to know potential employers from Bavaria, Germany, Austria and around the world every year.

If you didn't have the opportunity to attend the fair yourself, you can get an impression by reading our follow-up report.

"One of the best summers of my life!"

Although he was a stranger at first and knew very little about our neighboring country, the Czech Republic, this is how Josef describes the three months he spent as an intern at the Bavarian Representative Office in Prague.

In his report, you can read why this was the case, what attracted him to the Golden City and what tasks he was given as an intern at a Bavarian representative office abroad.

Almost one in four people in Germany lives with a disability or chronic illness that leads to considerable restrictions in everyday life. According to the German Social Security Code IX, a person is said to have a disability if their condition deviates from the typical condition for their age for longer than six months. A severe disability exists if the pension offices have recognized a degree of disability of at least 50. In 2021, this affected almost 10% of the German population.

It is important to note that not all disabilities are visible: Many chronic or mental illnesses are not noticeable to a person. Nevertheless, they can put a huge strain on those afflicted and should not be underestimated.

If you suffer from a disability that makes it difficult for you to study, you can contact the Advice Center for Students with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses at any time. You may also be able to claim exam access arrangements. This is not about claiming advantages over fellow students, but about enabling students with disabilities to complete examinations under conditions that are as equal as possible. Compensation for disadvantages can therefore take very different forms and can be expressed, for example, in an extension of writing time or a change in the form of the examination, but also through the use of technical aids. Such support is not evident in the final certificate.

And at work? People with severe disabilities are particularly protected by law in the workplace. For example, they enjoy increased protection against dismissal, are entitled to five additional days of vacation per calendar year and, if necessary, special equipment for their workplace. In order to take advantage of this, however, it is necessary to inform the (potential) employer as soon as you become aware of your disability - i.e. when you apply for a job if you are already ill before you start work.

In Germany, companies with at least 20 employees are generally obliged to assign at least five percent of their jobs to people with a recognized severe disability. However, according to the independent portal REHADAT, only about a third of employers in the private and public sector fulfilled this obligation in 2021. Many prefer to make a compensatory payment.

The question therefore arises as to whether it is actually advisable to declare a disability when applying for a job. Many employees, especially those with a non-visible disability, refrain from doing so so as not to jeopardize their job prospects. If you are applying for a government job, however, this is not a recommended tactic: employers are obliged to invite applicants with a severe disability to an interview if they meet the other requirements for the job. In the case of an obvious disability, which may require an interview in an accessible setting, the interviewer should be informed in advance so as not to be taken by surprise - after all, it is not a pleasant situation for you to have to get to the third floor without an elevator if you are dependent on your wheelchair.

However, there is no obligation to mention your disability in your letter of application. And, like pregnancy and family planning, asking about illnesses and limitations in a job interview is not permitted. It therefore always depends on you, the nature of your disability and the position you are applying for as to whether you want to mention or conceal your illness.

Further information on legal regulations and tips on how to deal with a disability in the application process can be found at the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, the VdK Social Association, or on job sites such as  Jobware.

This myth is false! There is always a lunch break in our seminars. As a rule, shorter breaks are also taken in between after consultation with the participants. However, if you are attending a seminar and at some point feel that you can no longer absorb any new input, just let our lecturers know. They are experienced and flexible, so they are happy to accommodate requests for breaks.

What can save us in the face of multiple social and ecological crises? As Professor of Sustainability at Bochum University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Oliver Stengel deals with the complex interrelationships and possible solutions for a sustainable transformation. In the podcast, he talks about exciting trends in sustainability research, his role as a lecturer and the opportunities and risks of groundbreaking technological innovations.

You can find the german podcast here on Spotify.

• Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte: "Home Is Where the Office Is. Zur Geschichte der Telearbeit." (from the 08.11.2023)
• National Geographic: "Digitaler Stress. Wie wir die Flut an negativen Nachrichten besser bewältigen." (from the 06.12.2023)
• Neue Zürcher Zeitung: "Entwicklung: Um sich zu entfalten, braucht unser Gehirn Zuwendung." (from the 09.12.2023)