Index

Doctoral regulations

The doctoral regulations are available on the doctoral regulations website. Please note that they are only available in German.

Private use of software

The following regulations apply to private use of software for doctoral candidates:

  • Doctoral candidates who are enrolled may use FAU software for private purposes like enrolled students.
  • Doctoral candidates who are FAU employees and external doctoral candidates may only also use software for private purposes if they have a work computer at the University and a valid license for the software.
  • If there is a valid RRZE software use contract (subject to a fee) for the desired software for your work computer at FAU, please ask the contact person at your institute to obtain confirmation of this by sending an e-mail to software@fau.de. We will then activate your fauXpas access.

Online checking service for English-language applications

When you apply for internships or jobs in anglophone countries, the two most important documents are the cover letter and the CV/résumé. There are some major formal differences compared to German applications.
The Career Service offers students, doctoral candidates and graduates an online checking service for English-language application documents.

Please note we do not offer to prepare your application for you, we can only provide advice on improving your application. In our review we will check whether you have observed all formalities and that the language used is correct. We will also check whether both the formal and logical structure are in line with the appropriate conventions. We will give you feedback and, if required, point out what still needs improving. You can then give us your new version for another review.

Please send us both documents (cover letter, CV) as Word documents to career-service@fau.de. If you are responding to a specific job advertisement, please include this too. We can only check applications via e-mail.
The processing time is one week on average.

Online application

Most employers prefer applications to be submitted online rather than by post. Applications are usually submitted by e-mail or via a company’s online application portal.

You should include the same content and adhere to the same conventions for online applications as you would for a paper application. In addition, you should note the following for online applications:

  1. Make sure you use a sensible e-mail address.
  2. Refer to the job advertisement in the subject of your e-mail.
  3. Use short, succinct file names for attachments.
  4. Only use common file formats, ideally pdf.
  5. Make sure your files are not too large; a single file should be no larger than 2 MB.
  6. If an attachment is too large it is better to split it into several documents.

Curriculum vitae (English)

When you apply for internships or jobs in anglophone countries, the two most important documents are the cover letter and the CV/résumé. There are some major formal differences compared to German applications.

You should not simply translate your German CV into English as there are different conventions for CVs (also called résumés in the USA) in English-speaking countries: photos are never included, and the focus should be on your relevant experience rather than you as a person.

FAU’s Career Service offers students, doctoral candidates and graduates an online checking service for English-language application documents. Simply send your CV and cover letter in Word format to career-service@fau.de. If you are responding to a specific job advertisement, please include this too. We can only check applications via e-mail.

Please note: we do not offer to prepare your application for you, we can only provide advice on improving your application. In our review we will check whether you have observed all formalities and that the language used is correct. We will also check whether both the formal and logical structure are in line with the appropriate conventions. We will give you feedback and, if required, point out what still needs improving. You can then give us your new version for another review.

Curriculum vitae

Application

Whether you’re looking for an internship, a student job or an entry opportunity after completing your degree or doctoral degree, you will generally have to submit a written application before being invited to an interview.

A typical application includes a cover letter, your CV and copies of relevant certificates. Most employers prefer applications to be submitted by e-mail or via an online application portal rather than by post. Employers will usually specify which form your application should take in the job advertisement; if not you can contact them by phone to check. You should always take great care when compiling your application documents and make sure you adapt your application specifically for the company to which you are applying. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.

Cover letter

The cover letter is an important part of all written applications. It is designed to attract the employer’s interest to your application and to explain why you are qualified for and interested in a job at the company. Your cover letter should be reader-friendly, informative and authentic, and should be adapted specifically to the company and the position.

It is important to note that your application should include a letterhead which contains your address, e-mail address and telephone number, as well as the employer’s address. Remember to include the date and a subject line. You should also make sure you use the correct salutation and include your signature at the end of the letter. For online applications you can scan your signature and copy it into the document.

It is advisable to structure your cover letter like an essay with an introduction, body and conclusion.  It should be no longer than a page. An informative cover letter includes details of your motivation, relevant qualifications and experience, as well as your personal skills. If requested, you should also include your expected salary and earliest possible starting date, ideally after the body of the letter and before the conclusion. When writing your cover letter, make sure you describe your experience and skills as specifically as you can, with reference to the job description if possible, and include examples. Avoid generic statements, over-complex sentences, justifications for lacks of skills or gaps in your CV, contradictory statements about your CV, and spelling and grammatical errors.

Curriculum vitae

Your curriculum vitae (CV) should take the appropriate form, be informative, and present your key experience and skills. The following advice applies to German CVs; conventions may vary for other languages and countries. Your CV should include the following sections: a header with your personal details, the main body with your educational and professional history (school and university education, part-time jobs, etc.), additional information (e.g. volunteer work, professional training, language and IT skills). The date and your signature should be included at the end.

The individual sections of your CV should include important information about your knowledge and skills, therefore you should state, for example, your main tasks during an internship, your specialisation in your degree and, if applicable, doctoral degree, and the topic of your thesis.

The content is not the only important factor when employers judge your CV – its format is also very important. For this reason, you should take your time when writing it and apply the following basic principles.

  • Your CV should be reader-friendly, which means it should be arranged clearly and consistently.
  • Avoid too much running text and describe tasks, experience and skills in bullet points.
  • You can highlight particularly relevant points by putting them in bold, for example.
  • Make sure your spelling is correct, particularly for proper nouns such as the names of companies and institutions.
  • Your CV can be longer than one page. Doctoral candidates and graduates should usually find that 2 pages are sufficient.
  • Don’t forget to include the date and your signature at the end.

Certificates

Certificates are an important component of your application documents. Work references from previous employers are particularly important; for doctoral candidates and graduates these will usually be references from internships or part-time jobs. You should also include copies of university degrees in your application. You may also wish to include school leaving certificates, proof of professional training, language certificates or similar. When deciding which certificates to include, you should consider whether the qualifications are relevant for the employer. A certificate showing that your have completed a basic course in MS Word in 2005 is probably no longer relevant.

You should receive confirmation that your application has been received shortly after submitting it. If you have not received a response after around two weeks, it is advisable to contact the company to check whether your documents have been received and what the current status of your application is.

If you would like help compiling your application documents or have any questions about the application process, you can make use of the advice and support offered by the Career Service. Information on our services is available on the Career Service page.

Networking events

Universities and private organisers host networking events to give students, doctoral candidates and graduates the opportunity to get in touch with interesting employers and find out about the internships, places for writing theses and entry opportunities available.

Every summer the School of Law organises its own careers day for law students, doctoral candidates and graduates in collaboration with the Career Service.

The regular networking events Bonding and CONTACT are aimed particularly at engineering students, doctoral candidates and graduates.

If you have any queries please contact the organiser.

Careers day at the School of Law

Organiser: a*jfe e. V. in collaboration with the Career Service
Website: www.jura.uni-erlangen.de/fachbereich/

Bonding at the Faculty of Engineering

Organiser: bonding Studenteninitiative e.V.
Website: www.erlangen.firmenkontaktmesse.de

CONTACT at the Faculty of Engineering

Organiser: ETG Kurzschluss e.V. and Studenten und Jungingenieure Erlangen
Website: www.contact-messe.de

Working abroad

Many graduates are interested in working abroad after completing their degrees. There are many different ways of finding a permanent job abroad, but there are also numerous questions and difficulties that arise in this context. Zentrale Auslands- und Fachvermittlung (ZAV) offers advice in this area. In addition to information and consultation on working abroad, ZAV also provides an international recruitment service and puts job seekers in touch with employers around the world. Information is available at: http://www.ba-auslandsvermittlung.de (in German)

There are many ways to find permanent and temporary jobs in other countries. For example, you can use international job websites. Another option is to join a German company that also operates abroad. In this case, you should check for international job openings on individual companies’ websites. Graduates can also spend a period abroad through work and travel initiatives or volunteer projects.

If you would like help compiling English-language application documents for a position in another country, you can make use of the Career Service’s online checking service.

Specialist library

The Career Service provides interested students and graduates with literature on careers, finding a job, applications and core skills in its specialist library.
Opening times: the specialist library is located in room 0.021 at the Student Advice Center at Halbmondstraße 6 and is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

More information and a list of the literature available can be found on the Career Service page under specialist library (in German)

Sexual harassment

FAU does not tolerate sexual harassment. It has implemented guidelines for dealing with sexual harassment to provide all members of the University with information about this subject and to ensure their protection. If you have any questions or require support, please contact the Office of Equal Opportunities.