Anastasiia Hrytsyshyna

My name is Anastasiia Hrytsyshyna and I am 25 years old. Currently I am an enrolled student in MSc Transition Management at JLU (I still have to write my thesis). In the last 3 years, I am also employee of the second-largest transport company in the world, Deutsche Bahn. Originally, I am from Ukraine and even at school I was dreaming about moving to Germany. My first experience in Europe started in Poland, where I have completed a Bachelor’s degree in Politics and Modern Diplomacy. I was lucky to gain experience by doing an internship in the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland, working as a Recruitment Coordinator in a Polish-German agency and during that time, step by step planning my moving to my dream country. I moved to Hamburg as an Au-pair until I received my admission letter from Justus-Liebig University in Giessen. And basically, that is how everything has started.

1. You have studied „Transition Management“ at JLU. Why did you decide to take this subject?

I always wanted to study in Giessen or in Frankfurt. I knew that with a background in Politics will not be so easy in the future, especially in a foreign country, so I decided to choose a faculty with a similar direction, but also diversified topics. As mentioned on the main page of JLU, “Transition Management” was established by five faculties at the same time, so it seemed to me a perfect solution. Moreover, the description of Career Opportunities was quite attractive as well. The study program is linking economic, political and environmental aspects, what clearly opens a lot of doors on the way to your career goals. I applied immediately and until today, I have never had any regrets about the choice I've made.

2.What did you like most about JLU?

There is a huge variety of options offered by the university, such as free language courses, lots of sport programs and hundreds of events.

It would be easier to explain what I didn’t like, because I would just leave an empty space after this question 😊 First of all, I should admit that I liked the high level of education relating to the English-speaking programs. Besides interesting classes, we had a lot of practicing meetings. I am not a person who can stay in routine, but at JLU, studying never got me bored. I was going to university every day being excited and motivated. Another attractive criterion for any student is undoubtedly entertainments after the study day. There is a huge variety of options offered by the university, such as free language courses, lots of sport programs and hundreds of events. Every day there is something new, so you never realize how time is flying. In addition, you can always count on support and assistance in case you have any kind of question. If I had to choose a university again, it certainly would be JLU.

3.During your studies, you had to apply for a mandatory internship. What was the application process like?

A motivation letter is not necessary everywhere, but if you have one, do not forget to change it with every new application. Every company has its own requirements, pay attention!

When I was applying for an internship, my German language skills were far away from fluent, so as probably every international student, I had a fear of not being able to find an internship I really wanted. I spent a few weeks just reading articles about how to write a perfect CV and how to make a perfect interview. I had a separate notebook where I was making notes and lists of companies I applied for. I applied for exactly 100 positions and at first, 20 were with negative answers. In two months I had just 4 interviews, because everywhere at least B1 level of German was necessary (in the lists of candidate requirements it was usually not mentioned). Even in critical situations, I never agreed for the offer that I knew I would not be happy with at this period of my life. It directly affects the quality and the results of my job. In my view, it doesn’t matter how many "no’s" you have gotten before, it just means that something better is still waiting for you in front. DB Netz AG was nearly last in my list of applications and in the end, it was the internship I was looking for.

To conclude, lessons I have learnt during my application process are:

• Make notes, have a basic knowledge about companies that invite you for the interview. The very popular question is “Why did you apply to our company”?
• Do not mention in your CV any kind of job that is not relevant to your current expectations in an internship.  It doesn´t matter for the employer that you have worked in a restaurant or in a shop if you apply for a position in the field of Project Management or Agricultural Sciences. Only mention those kind of jobs if they are the only practical experience you have. To mention hobbies is also not necessary, BUT mention certificates, presentations, courses. Short but structural CV is the first step to success.
• A motivation letter is not necessary everywhere, but if you have one, do not forget to change it with every new application. Every company has its own requirements, pay attention!
• During the interview, don’t be stressed, it is just a conversation. In the Project Management field, you give a lot of group presentations and speeches and if you are stressed just speaking about yourself, how will you manage speaking about any other topic in front of a group of people? And again, describe ONLY relevant experience! If you don´t have such, keep in mind the university projects you took part in.
• In case of internships, salaries are usually fixed, so there is no need to speak about your expectations (but it is very important to mention it during the application process for a job).
• Finally, from my experience, German companies pay a lot of attention to your personality. Even if you don’t have so much experience and you don´t speak German, just show you best sides, motivation to work, to learn and your chances for a certain position are getting increased!

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4. Before and during your studies, you already gained some professional experience. How has this professional experience helped you with your career start?

Every student is dreaming that after graduation there is a bright future in front. In reality, the brightness is coming together with a diploma AND experience.

Yes, the professional experience I have gained before definitely helped me in Germany. I realized that in this country, even if you apply only for an internship, employers expect from you not only theoretical knowledge of the various topics, but also examples of implementing this knowledge into projects, business etc. I learnt how to be well organized, how to make priorities, handle critical situations, work alone, in a team, under pressure… It made me more self-confident, and this quality brought me to where I am now. Every student is dreaming that after graduation there is a bright future in front. In reality, the brightness is coming together with a diploma AND experience. If you don’t have the opportunity to study and work at the same time, never miss university offers. I gained also great experience working on projects during my Bachelor studies as well as in JLU. After all, you always can add it into your CV and get more points for your application.

5. Were there other factors that were helpful for finding an internship and for your career start (e.g., personal networks, offers from the university, etc.)?

JLU offered to our group a lot of internship opportunities, but as I remember most of them were in German. So I was using standard platforms such as LinkedIn, XING, Indeed and, of course, checking the offers directly from the Job Portal of the companies I was interested in. Actually, the last one is the best and the most reasonable option.

6. Currently you are working as a Specialist for Programme Management Innovation Projects at DB Netz AG. How can one imagine your current occupation? What does your day-to-day work look like?

I am working for a European project that includes 13 member countries. So, my first task is the administrative management of the project. It is one of the most important functions for every successful organization. I ensure that there is a frequent information exchange among the members as well as with every external partner of the project.

Secondly, I am responsible for controlling and budget planning of a few projects and internal services of the department. I started to be involved in accounting topics only 1,5 years ago. Since my degree was not so much focusing on economics, I had to complete trainings and courses in Finance and Accounting. I must admit, it was not easy for me, but when you have a real interest in any topic, everything is possible. Currently I continue to learn new information on my own (usually I find useful guides at Coursera.org).

In the meantime, I take care of newcomers and make them feel comfortable in the new environment as well as to meet their personal expectations during the internship.

7. What advice would you give to international students?

Have a diary, make plans, define goals, write everything down, follow them one by one and the results will not make you disappointed.

I think I have learnt three main lessons during my studies:

Of course most of students prepare for exams in last three days or last week before the exam (as I did before too)😊. Turns out, if you study from the very beginning of the year, you will have more time for the activities and less stress before exam itself.

Another point, as I mentioned already before, do not lose any opportunity to participate in events, courses, trainings or seminars. Do as much as you can until you find a job, because after you get one, you probably will not have time for nothing else (I say this from my own experience).

Most valuable and most common advice: never give up. Germany can be a quite challenging country for internationals. But what I know for sure, it doesn’t matter which country you are from or how much money you have, just hard work and patience are important. Have a diary, make plans, define goals, write everything down, follow them one by one and the results will not make you disappointed.

Many thanks for your support!

(The interview was conducted in September 2020)