Mentoring
The mentoring program connects students, doctoral candidates or young graduates with working alumni of the University of Würzburg, who will support you with questions and problems concerning your professional development.
- Would you like to know which the requirements of specific professions are?
- Or what your chances in a certain industry are?
- Would you be grateful if someone with experience could help you with your application, interview or contract negotiations?
- Would you like to hear if your self-image matches the image you convey to the outside world?
- Are you wondering whether it would make sense for your professional future to go abroad or do a doctorate?
Then register for the mentoring program of the University of Würzburg!
The aim of mentoring is to bring together students of the University of Würzburg (so-called "mentees") with experienced, working alumni (former students) or doctoral candidates (the "mentors"). This brings enormous advantages for both sides: the mentees benefit from the experience of their mentors, e.g. with regard to career planning, internships & dissertations, leadership and social skills. The mentor remains in contact with academic life through his or her participation; he or she first-handedly experiences current developments in teaching and research and can gain inspiration from them. In addition, the mentor trains his soft skills by supervising his mentee.
The tandems are made up on the basis of personality profiles submitted by the mentor and the mentee. However, only if both sides are satisfied with the matching and both participants have clarified their goals, wishes and expectations - only then the pair will become a firm tandem. The program is planned for 1 year, but this period can also be extended by mutual agreement.
The framework of the program is a kick-off event, a kind of mentoring workshop, which serves to get to know and define the goals of the respective tandems. In the course of the year, the tandems get in contact - face-to-face, by e-mail or telephone - and sometimes the University of Würzburg organises excursions or social gatherings (wine festivals, etc.). At a closing event of the one-year programme each participant receives a certificate for his participation in the programme. The only obligation the tandems have towards those responsible for the programme is to prepare both an interim and a final report.
As part of the mentoring programme, the Career Centre supports interested students with counselling and potential analyses to help them identify options and guidance for mentor matching. Students can then use this knowledge when applying for the programme.
The four-hour workshop "Potential analysis - Well prepared for the mentoring interview" on 3 June from 14:00 to 18:00 will strengthen your self-presentation through a potential analysis, so that you can go into your discussions with the mentors with more precise ideas.
If you are also interested in a preparatory consultation, you can always contact the Career Centre team: career@uni-wuerzburg.de
If you would like to participate as a mentee, you need to register on the Alumni Portal here
Excursion to the mentoring patron Dr Joachim Kuhn
The excursion of the 19/20 mentoring season went to the company va-Q-tec, accompanied by alumnus and entrepreneur Dr Joachim Kuhn. The high-tech company is based in the insulation materials sector and specialises in the development and production of passive thermal packaging systems, which are used in refrigerators and freezers, buildings, aircraft, cars and industry, among other things. Dr Kuhn has taken va-Q-tec public and established it internationally. On the excursion day, students learnt from him what demands are placed on career starters and staff and what working in the company can be like. Since 2003, va-Q-tec's development programme "BEST - Business Embedded Students and Trainees" has offered students the opportunity to combine knowledge from their studies with practical experience in the company.. The programme offers various entry and development opportunities within va-Q-tec, for example through internships, working student activities or final theses. Awarded the "wissen.schafft.arbeit" technology transfer prize in 2010, the programme enjoys nationwide recognition.
Further information can be found here
