Career Day 2018 – 107 companies meet 850 Frankfurt School students

On November 7, 2018, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management welcomed 107 companies and more than 850 students to the tenth edition of its annual Career Day. This year companies like Daimler, McKinsey & Company, Goldmann Sachs, Zalando, Citigroup, BlackRock, Porsche and Procter & Gamble set up booths and send representatives to introduce their companies as well as entry-level positions, internships, consultancy projects and other employment opportunities.

Professor Dr Nils Stieglitz, President of Frankfurt School, welcomed the guests, students and alumni on campus. “I’m especially proud that more than 100 alumni are representing their companies and are offering advice to our current students today. It is great to have so many ambassadors of Frankfurt School in top companies everywhere. However, this evening shouldn’t be about long speeches, but about exploring new opportunities”, he stressed before wishing everyone an exciting event and interesting conversations.

Personal impressions still key for recruiters

The Career Day at Frankfurt School provides students and HR professional with the opportunity to meet a number of potential employees or employers and to get a first idea of whether company culture and individual personality might be a good fit or not. Being able to meet potential candidates in person is also one of the main reasons why Frauke Jordan of Fraport’s Personnel Marketing and Retention Management team sees career fairs as an important tool. “We are one of the biggest employers in the region and finding new employees who are open-minded team players and have a vital interest in the airport operation is key to staying successful”, she explained.

For the world’s leading chemical company, BASF, it was the first time at the career fair. Ute Richter, responsible for Talent Acquisition for Business and Corporate Functions at BASF, stressed the importance of positioning BASF as an attractive employer. “We came here to make sure students know about us and what we do as an industrial company. To stay a successful innovation-based company in the future, we are looking for people who are optimistic for the future as well as passionate about digitalization and finance”, she said.

“We are looking for interns and new graduates who live and breathe Eintracht Frankfurt”, said Julia Hartmann, HR officer at the German football club that is the incumbent DFB Cup holder. “At the moment we are tackling a lot of new and innovative tasks. This is why we need motivated team players that aren’t afraid of challenging projects”, she added.

Alumni as important ambassadors for the business school

As mentioned by the FS president, alumni played an important role at the Career Day. Not only in giving advice to current students but also in brokering collaborations and fostering relationships between the business school and their employers.

Isabella Euler, a recruiter for TUI, the largest travel and tourism company in the world, visits national and international career and recruitment fairs, looking for the right fit in potential employees. The initiative to visit Frankfurt School’s event for the first time came from the CFO of TUI Germany, Mathias Kiep, who is an alumnus of the business school. “A successful applicant has to embody our values and be trusted, unique and inspiring”, Isabella Euler explained.

Team spirit together with analytical skills and an interest in macroeconomics are key attributes the company’s recruiters look for in candidates applying for a job at PIMCO, an investment management firm specialising in fixed income. Katarina Jost, Vice President at PIMCO Germany, and alumna of the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration class of 2012 at Frankfurt School, was the driving force behind the participation of the company at this year’s career fair. “I am convinced that PIMCO and Frankfurt School are a great fit and I would really like to broaden our cooperation. There are not many universities that are this strong in finance, which is of course essential to our work”, she pointed out.