Online workshops for female students and scientists at TU Dortmund University

female.2.enterprises offers female students and academics from all TU Dortmund University departments a program of career preparation workshops every semester. Due to high demand, the seminars were offered digitally again last semester.

Competence profiles workshop

"Where do I stand, how do I convince?" These two key questions were the focus of the first f.2.e event this semester. Twelve participants worked intensively on their individual skills profiles as part of an online seminar on April 28 and 29, 2021. Under the guidance of trainer Petra Sofia Hübers, the students analyzed their professional and personal potential and developed a benefit argumentation for future employers based on this.

The first morning was dedicated to self-reflection. Using various methods, the participants developed their skills profiles in individual and group work. This was not just about the technical and methodological skills taught during their studies. The focus was also on personal skills and values as well as social skills that the female academics bring with them. "A skills profile like this is not created in one morning," explained HR consultant Petra Sofia Hübers: "Over the coming weeks and months, you will keep coming up with new things that will sharpen your profile even further. Make a note of them!"

After all, having a clear skills profile to hand makes it all the easier to apply for a suitable job with confidence. The participants were able to try this out directly on the second morning. Using real job advertisements that they would apply for, they prepared short presentations in which they used arguments to prove their suitability for precisely this job. During the subsequent presentation in the group, all participants learned that self-knowledge and good preparation form the basis for a confident appearance in a job interview.

Workshop Arriving with your voice

As part of female.2.enterprises, eight female students took part in voice training with actress and chanson singer Kriszti Kiss in May. In a digital choir and in individual exercises, the participants learned techniques to help them control their voice better and use it more effectively.

Whether team meetings, presentations or job interviews - our professional exchanges currently take place almost exclusively in virtual space. A large part of non-verbal communication is lost in the process. At best, our conversation partners only see our face and upper body. Consciously used gestures remain unseen, while unconscious movements are even more noticeable on the screen. This makes it all the more important to have your voice under control so that what you say comes across to the listener without having to make a lot of gestures. Kriszti Kiss has many years of stage experience and her voice is her most important tool. She encouraged the participants: "You can train your voice like a muscle."

Just like muscle building, a lot of work goes into voice training. The participants quickly had to get out of their comfort zone: with poetic exercise texts and tongue twisters, they learned the difference between belly breathing and snap breathing, tried out effective pauses (and how to hold them), worked on clear articulation and practised using varying speech melodies. In final short presentations about their previous academic and professional careers, all participants were able to demonstrate how well a confident use of voice underpins a professional appearance.

Assessment Center workshop

June at female.2.enterprises was all about application procedures. While the online workshop "Fit for Assessment Centers" (10 and 11 June) prepared the participants for a particularly challenging type of selection process, the "Application Training" (17 and 18 June) focused on the entire application process: from the job search to the interview.

Ten female students from different departments at TU Dortmund University took the opportunity to deal intensively with questions relating to assessment centers and application processes in general. They not only benefited from the knowledge of the two trainers, but were also able to take away valuable feedback from the other participants. Andrea Kaminski, an expert in aptitude assessment procedures, gave the participants a tip for assessment centers that can also be applied to the application phase as a whole: "Always remain authentic. If you pretend, it's exhausting for you and not useful for the company." Ricarda Scharbert repeated this advice again during the application training. When asked about "witty" introductions in the application letter and quick-witted answers in the interview, she replied: "It always has to match the personality."

It also has to fit between the applicant and the company. Both trainers told the students that an application process is always about getting to know each other. Of course, an applicant has to sell herself well, but so does the company. One question should therefore not be lost sight of during the entire application phase: Is this a job and a company that I can imagine a future with?

female.2.enterprises aims to show female students and academics from various disciplines career development opportunities in the region and support them in preparing for a career outside academia.

f.2.e on stage (online) prepares students for a career in business by offering further training and information on career-relevant topics.