During Studies

Plenty of practical application and work experience during your studies will significantly raise your chances in the labor market by providing you with important skills and competencies that you will need in your career.

• Gain work experience during your studies (e.g. part-time jobs, traineeships). While there is nothing wrong with working shifts in a coffee shop chain or at the cinema box office, be aware that this is only of limited use to your future career.
  For further thoughts on this subject, see Work experience and traineeships
• Develop your personality during your studies, e.g. with traineeships, student or holiday jobs, sports and hobbies, international experience, voluntary work, unpaid activities such as political involvement at the University, serving as a Scouts leader, working in clubs and associations.
• Build your network, approach companies, make contacts (e.g. in traineeships, via Internet platforms).
• With Business Tools, gain additional qualifications during your studies (e.g. transferable skills).
• Attend language and computer courses.
• Spend a semester studying abroad. Experience abroad develops your personality and always wins points.
  For further thoughts on this subject, see Studying abroad
• Choose a practice-related topic for your thesis or dissertation or write your paper directly in a company or a public institution. What is common for business administration students is certainly not impossible for humanities students, see www.sirop.uzh.ch.
• Make sure your activities follow a recognizable theme. For example, choose traineeships that give you an overview of a business sector or at least over several activities. Even if this may simply be a phase of trial and error, the fact that you planned and structured your approach can be highlighted in a future interview.