Job search & application for humanities & social scientists: 12 tips for starting your career

Even if it's an easy one in the course of social change rethink can be heard from employers: The job market for humanities and social scientists is still tense. Why is it and what can the graduates do?

Just in the trend?

It used to be said that humanities and social scientists can only become taxi drivers. Today, in times of globalization and digital Transformation the signs are increasing that even purely economic thinking will not help us socially, the positive signs are increasing for these graduates.

Do you believe that futurologist Dr. Eike WenzelHumanities and culture are even in vogue. Commercially successful examples of this are the book sales of Richard David Precht or Peter Sloterdjik. And the British private channel Classic FM came to 4,2 million listeners a week within four months, providing explanatory lyrics to classical pieces of music. The secret of success was in all cases to translate the highly specialized background knowledge for normal consumers and thus to make it suitable for everyday use.

Hot desire looks different

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But they are not very much in demand, on the contrary, many humanities and social sciences are considered as orchid subjects. They are the exotics among the university offers and rarely found in the course catalog - such as egyptology, sinology or art education.

But whoever thinks the low competition opens up better chances on the labor market, is wrong: apart from a limited special area the chances are rather bad. But what do you do if you do not get this niche?

First explain what you have studied

The humanities are the largest group of the subjects listed by the Potsdam Office for Small Subjects. And they're also the ones with the biggest problems, after that Study to find a job. Because even if only comparatively few humanities scholars are interested in an orchid subject decide, there are still too many for the few positions at universities, museums and cultural institutions.

In the free Economy But first you have to explain what you actually studied: Because which one Companys desperately looking for the designated expert in Comparative Literature or Religious Studies? Because even if many companies like to advertise full-bodied, be open to creative career changers: In practice, no one likes to buy what he does not know. Besides, in Germany you just have to do what you have learned and not something else! The exotics often do not fit into the thinking of most employers and are eyed accordingly suspicious.

The location is difficult, but not hopeless

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But even if the situation is difficult, hopeless, it is by no means: Already 2004 pleaded with the Hamburg Professorin Dr. Martha Meyer-Althoff in an interview Spiegel Online for finally stopping the collective whining about the poor job prospects and showing constructive solutions. I have time for my book The Optimal Career Entry, which deals with the same target group, researched extensively on this subject.

By the way, she explicitly meant her colleagues at the universities, who also like to greet her orchid students with the words: "What do you want here - you'll all be unemployed anyway!" But such inferiority complexes don't help, on the contrary: Meyer-Althof Suggestions to the graduates was also, themselves clear to do which professionally relevant skills you acquire during your studies - these then at the Job Search confident zu merchandise.

Humanities scholars can do more than Professorthink

That it is a lot is also known Dr. Monika Wulf-Mathies, who worked as a historian in the Chancellery, at ÖTV and DHL Career made: “In principle, every course of study imparts key and basic skills that enable you to structure facts, to work on new topics systematically and to be Background apply in different areas. Humanities scholars also develop important Competencies, from the language to the culture that Society and life in general, down to good writing and a sensitivity to soft skills that are useful in many jobs.”

The fact is that many exotics can do more than they believe - as the many examples of successful graduates show. About Juliane Meyer, which, with the study of comparative studies and book sciences, had made it into the editorship of an economic publishing house. Or Stefan Zeilinger's Profile, who as a technology and science historian landed not in the technical museum, but as a patent expert in a law firm.

Spiritual scientists use their chances

A study just published by the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research entitled “Job market opportunities for humanities scholars. analyses, perspectives, Business start” shows: Humanities and cultural scientists use their opportunities in a wide range of work areas.

However, this professional group is apparently more likely to be found in precarious jobs than others, and the average monthly income is around 600 euros below that of other academic groups. Therefore, the exotics define professional Success usually about job satisfaction and self-realization.

12 Tips for getting on the job for spiritual scientists

Anyone who has studied an anthropological orchid study has a lot of explanatory needs in the free economy and not necessarily the best cards.

What else can you do to find a job? These 12 tips will help you:

1. The right minor subjects: If already an orchid subject such as Islamic studies or comparative literature - why not with a minor subject such as law or economics? This increases your chances of a publishing career or the external service considerably.
2. Looking beyond the box: Many exotics know only the universities and have no idea at all, what other possibilities still offer. Just think a step further!
3. Gain Practical Experience: Get Out of the Ivory Tower and gain as much hands-on experience as you can during your studies - then you have a good chance to find a job outside of your niche.
4. Gaining experience strategically: This is shown in many studies by those who know at an early stage where they want to go and acquire specific skills in this area.
5. Show initiative: In the economy: You have to persuade art workers of their abilities - not the other way around!
6. You can believe more than you! In their studies, they have not only learned the subject, but also analytical thinking, organizational skills, teamwork, and many more, which helps in the labor market.
7. Self-awareness is a good thing: Make yourself aware of what skills you have acquired during your studies, which can help you score points. You must bring it over!
8. Conquering thirsty stretches: If it does not work out the way with the dreamjob, you can use the time to reorient yourself.
9. Caution! So many a man who has heard again and again, he could only be taxed after graduation, sinking into a kind of intellectual defiance, if the dream job does not work out right away. This is unfortunately the wrong way!
10. If you can not score with your qualifications, you have to acquire new ones: for example, in a targeted postgraduate course or further education in an economic sense. There are numerous offers from universities or the IHK.
11. Alternative Entrepreneurship: Start-ups can be an alternative to realize your own ideas. But every good idea needs a market to sell. So do not start too blue-eyed, but let yourself be informed and advised in advance.
12. Search for examples: orient yourself on how other successful spiritual scientists have succeeded. On too Best of HR – Berufebilder.de® You will find interviews, CVs and many more tips sorted by subject.

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