Sofia Haimerl

What did you take away from your studies for your professional future?
Thanks to the practical orientation of the PUK Master's programme, I gained good insights into activities during my studies that I actually encountered later in various jobs or in everyday working life.

If you could study again today, would you do anything differently?
Do another semester abroad and make better use of the semester breaks. If necessary, choose a degree programme with a marketing focus.

Looking back on your time as a student: What would you like to pass on to the students?
Enjoy it!! Take advantage of the family atmosphere in Ansbach and the size (or smallness) of the city. Find out for yourself what really interests you and, above all, where your own strengths lie. In the best case, you can combine both in your future job. Develop your own personality, have parties you won't forget and make friends for life.

To what extent do you still feel connected to the university today? Do you still have contacts with fellow students?
Some contacts and friendships still exist. Every time I see an "AN" car number plate somewhere, I think back to the wonderful time in Ansbach :)

What were the important stages in your career?
When I finished my Master's degree, we were in the middle of the 2nd (or 3rd?) corona wave. It felt like no company had money for new hires - especially not in communications. So I worked as a freelancer for almost 1.5 years before I started a permanent / full-time job. That was the best decision I could have made at the time: By working with many different companies and people, I learned an incredible amount and also developed personally. After 1.5 years, I had several job offers on the table without even having applied.

What do you particularly like about your job today?
I used to think "Internal communication? Mega boring." Absolutely wrong! My job is super varied and at peak times I communicate to about 15,000 people at the same time - that's a bigger reach than other companies manage in external communications.  

What are the three most important skills in your daily work?
Communicative and self-confident appearance, independent work, accuracy.  

In your opinion, how do you make a good career start in your industry (entry routes, application tips)?
Sound knowledge of and interest in the sector, the company and the job advertised. Good preparation before the interview. Be both self-confident and modest at the interview: No one wants to hire people who already know everything or are unteachable. Nevertheless, explain confidently why you would be an asset to the company and the perfect choice for the job!

What career tips do you have for students and young graduates?
Just start! In our generation, it will rarely be the case that we do the same job at the same company until the end of our working lives. So just work in a job for 1-2 years, even if it's not 100% what you had in mind. BUT: After that it will be much easier to get the job of your dreams - not only because you have work experience and thus have a better chance in the application process, but also because you know much better where your strengths lie and what kind of work you REALLY want to spend 8 hours a day doing.