Above all optimistic …

… that’s what the Christmas card of the Career Service should be – if one would think of sending one, in the classical way by mail, printed on cardboard. That was the beginning of the discussion in our team. Then a design. No Christmas tree, no stylized green, simply a face, a look, optimistic and somewhat thoughtful and a wish to be able to form. And because the design led to so much positive feedback, we then really printed a small edition and sent it out in the traditional way. But of course, the card is also available digitally, here on the blog for download with best wishes for a happy holiday season and a good, healthy new year.

For Christmas cards …

… it’s probably still a bit early and maybe not the right time, as everything is becoming and should become digital. I took a look in our archives and found this Christmas card, which the Career Service sent out in 2015.

The archive has been digital since the founding of the Career Service in 2008, and so is this card. Its analog version has not been found. That’s how times change.

With a hot needle …

… knitted or sewn, or even patched up with a hot needle, that’s a German saying. And as this blog entry also was made at the last minute, simply because there was so much to do at Career Service this week, this saying came into my mind. For the application, it’s good to take some time to carefully compile the documents and have someone else look over everything before you press the send button. Better safe than sorry, because mistakes that you see after sending cannot be corrected. This is different with this blog entry. Fortunately you only see the final edited version!

Templates and patterns ..

… can be easily found all over the interent. From knitting patterns of winter sweaters to inspirations for the next elegant evening dress, and all sort of study and work templates, which could be very tempting for students to use. A fast solution to a seemingly complicated problem. For applications, cover letters and resumes, there are countless of templates on the Internet. My experience is that they are not helpful at all. They often even lead to a really bad presentation in the resume or cover letter, which often leads to a bad impression of the candidate. I can adapt the pattern of the garment to my size, but if I insert predefined or recommended phrases into my cover letter or resume, they remain a foreign body. What I myself want to say does not become visible. It is covered by the template. My own good idea doesn’t come up at all, and that’s a pity. Writing your resume or cover letter using your own expressive words will offer a better representation of who you are and what you can offer.