Study and then what? And above all, what next? In addition to my lectures, I am often asked how a student should prepare for everyday business life after their studies. This is because my students know that in my previous management roles in companies such as Otto Group, ZARA, Galeria Kaufhof and Tchibo, I repeatedly hired university graduates. I also maintain close contacts with companies from my parallel role as President of the Marketing Association in Hamburg.

In this context, we usually discuss the following aspects, which provide job interview tips and career tips for students transitioning into professional life.

• Get in the mood for the advertised position: Don’t just read the job description, question the content and understand the associated task. If questions arise, use this as an important question to reflect the task in the interview.
• Find out about the company and its current challenges in advance: Job interview preparation is essential. Gather information about the company that is offering the position, the business model behind it and the competition that the company is currently facing. This way you can ask targeted questions and show that you are not only interested in the job but also the exciting company.
• Prepare a convincing explanation for your choice of study programme: In initial meetings, managers often want to know which university an applicant comes from. They are usually less interested in where someone has studied than the motivation behind their choice of study. Therefore, it’s important to be able to explain not only WHAT you studied, but also WHY you chose your specific study programme. 
• What did you learn during your studies? Be prepared to spontaneously and credibly explain what you have learnt during your studies. It’s not just about the simple list of general subjects. Describe the overarching skills that you have gained such as structured thinking and methodical work.  
• Have a comprehensive explanation for your choice of university: There is now a very wide range of possible universities in the field of economics – both state-driven institutions as well as many renowned private institutions. Some interviewers are interested in the reasoning behind your choice of university. This is because the way you describe your studies allows many conclusions to be drawn about your enthusiasm.
• Gain experience alongside your studies: Simply having completed a study programme is no longer the only deciding factor for the majority of job roles. Therefore, many companies seek applicants who have already gained relevant work experience alongside their studies. Simply knowing theoretical methods does not guarantee the ability to apply them in everyday work.
• Stay authentic – prepare for the conversation, but do not just repeat the content from memory: In an interview, it’s not just the results of the final certificate that count, but above all the personal impression that an applicant leaves behind. A convincing applicant will provide well-formulated, substantive answers and leave a credible, likeable and lasting impression.
• Practise the interview and possible reactions before: One of the most important job interview tips is preparation. Find someone you trust who has interview experience and practise your behaviour and responses to possible reactions to your answers. Interviews can be accompanied by a certain amount of nerves – targeted preparation can provide some self-confidence.  
• Networking: Networking is an often underestimated yet extremely important source of learning, experience and inspiration in life. The exchange of questions such as “How do you actually do that?” with like-minded people from different environments and companies often provides a lot of inspiration, especially from a different perspective that you may not have considered. You can also learn exciting content from other industries and cultural environments while creating a web of contacts that can be beneficial in the future.
• Always have a plan B ready: Remember that not every interview is successful and not every role that seems attractive at first glance can be filled. Because there are too many influencing factors in an application process, you can only actively influence some of them yourself. That is why it always makes sense to look for alternative tasks and professional environments.  

Overall, these approaches have helped me in my career and, as I hear from my graduates in business practice, these job interview tips have also helped them significantly in shaping their own career paths.

Hamburg, May 13, 2024
Professor Dr Wolfgang Merkle

Professor Dr Wolfgang Merkle is Professor of Marketing & Management at the University of Europe for Applied Sciences (UE). Before, he held various management positions at Tchibo, Galeria Kaufhof, ZARA, Massimo Dutti und Otto.

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