At the University of Bremen, several offices support students and provide career orientation services. They are free of charge for students of the University of Bremen. We present these services here, which range from job fairs and consultations to mentoring and podcasts.

Career Center

The Career Center is a joint institution of the German Federal Employment Agency Bremen-Bremerhaven and the University of Bremen. It offers a job search platform and consultations. “With our counseling services and career events, we support students and graduates transitioning into the job market – nationally and internationally,” says Petra Droste, head of the Career Center. New is the “Career Podcast” (in German only). In this podcast, people tell about their experiences entering professional life and what it is like once settled in. In the first two episodes, Ingo Clauß, curator of the Bremen Art Museum Weserburg, and Maimuna Sallah, co-director of the Black Children’s Library in Bremen, talk about their jobs.

Job Fair

The “Praxisbörse” is the University of Bremen’s job fair and takes place every year. Numerous employers from the region and from different industries come to the campus for a day during the summer semester and introduce themselves. This provides students the opportunity for direct contact with employers to ask questions and make a positive first impression. Two days before the job fair, a digital job fair provides workshops and company presentations to prepare for meeting in person.

Organizer Fatma Arici explains how to make the most of the job fair. “Good preparation – both with a job application and for the job fair – is half the battle for success. The job fair offers students the opportunity to receive professional advice. Obviously, getting a job does not always work out right away, but those who give up have already lost – so keep working at it! Don’t miss the chance to find the right job at the job fair. There will be many favorable employers at this year’s fair. To keep you up to date, the job fair is also on LinkedIn and Instagram. I am looking forward to all visitors and presenters and a successful job fair.” The next job fair will take place digitally on June 4, 2024 and in person on June 6, 2024.

Mentoring Program “ProMentes”

“ProMentes” is geared towards University of Bremen’s students in the final phase of their studies, as well as graduates and doctoral students who want to plan their career with the advice and accompaniment of an experienced leader. Mentors provide support by listening, giving feedback, encouraging reflection, and sharing their own experiences. These discussions with mentors on career-relevant and current socio-political issues provide insights and help to build networks by giving an outlook of potential career fields and processes and establishing contacts. The program lasts ten months and starts each year in September. Applications for the mentoring program can be submitted each spring.

Coordinator Wiltrud Hoffmann has developed the program over the years: “Our mentors are coaches and motivators, sparring partners and challengers – and they are very interested in the topics and perspectives of the young generation. Mentoring is more than a contact exchange with a few career tips. Mentoring is an exchange on equal footing and a priceless tool for personal development.”

Career Orientation Offices and Officers

Completing an internship during your studies is the perfect opportunity to apply knowledge in practice, “try out” professions, and establish contacts with potential employers. Depending on the degree program, students can earn credit points for participating in an internship; in many programs, an internship is a mandatory requirement. When looking for internships that fit your field of study, the career orientation offices and officers of your department are your first point of contact.

The career orientation offices will provide support in organizing and carrying out the internship. They also help you with career orientation and preparation for the application process at the end of your degree. “In the Department of Economics, research-oriented and practice-relevant teaching and learning is important to us. With our practical and project-related courses, skill workshops, and career events and with a large network of practical cooperation partners, we support our students in their transition into professional life,” says Maren Hartstock from the Office for Practice and Transfer in the Faculty of Business Studies & Economics. “Students should devote themselves to career orientation, personal development, and future skills early in their studies and build up their professional network at various networking events. Our alumni play a special role in all of these aspects – whether that is as an ambassador for our university and our department, as a role model for students, as a facilitator of knowledge from practice, as a counselor, employer, or cooperating partner.” The services provided by the Faculty of Business Studies & Economics for students and for companies can be found on the faculty’s website.
An overview of the career orientation offices and internship officers of all faculties can be found on the website of the University of Bremen (in German only).

Alumni Network

You can also learn from those who have already completed their degrees at the University of Bremen. The University of Bremen’s alumni network has over 4,000 members at home and abroad. “Our alumni often have responsibilities in large companies or in social institutions. They are in the middle of their professional life or have decades of experience. They know crises and setbacks as well as successes. All have the common experience of having studied at the University of Bremen and the desire to give something back,” says Managing Director Derk Schönfeld. “Therefore, our advice to students is to establish contacts and benefit from the wealth of experience of those who were at the University of Bremen before you.” As a student and young graduate, you will receive a discount on the membership fee. You can find out more about events and services on the alumni of the University of Bremen e.V. website

Start-Up Support at the University of Bremen from the BRIDGE Network

If you have a business idea and would like advice on how to implement it, you can consult with BRIDGE, the start-up support of Bremen’s universities. In addition to start-up advice and various funding programs, BRIDGE offers regularly organizes workshops and events. The “CAMPUSiDEEN” competition also takes place once a year. BRIDGE, which is part of the UniTransfer unit, is the central point of contact for students, alumni, and members of Bremen’s universities when it comes to business start-ups. “We are excited about the variety of business ideas from the University of Bremen and hope that our advice and programs will inspire and encourage you to put your business idea into practice,” explains Meike Goos, Managing Director of the BRIDGE network and start-up consultant at the University of Bremen.