Professional qualifications are important – but they are no longer enough. Today, HR managers pay at least as much attention to your soft skills: communication skills, teamwork, presentation skills, and self-management are just as important as your professional knowledge in many industries.

The good news: You can develop and expand your soft skills in a targeted manner – and you should do so in a demonstrable way. Workshops and seminars with corresponding certificates belong in your resume under “Further education and training.” They show HR managers that you are consciously honing your interdisciplinary profile.

At LMU, the Career Service offers a comprehensive program: from presentation and rhetoric to negotiation techniques to AI, Excel, and business English or German. Find out more at: www.lmu.de/career-service/events

My tip for maximum benefit: Mix up your training courses strategically!

• Subject-related and non-subject-related seminars: Business administration for non-economists or presentation techniques for STEM students broaden your horizons.
• Inside and outside your organization: At external seminars, you will meet people from other industries, universities, and companies—valuable contacts for your professional network.

Remember: Soft skills do not develop on their own. Consciously invest in your personal and social skills—it pays off!

Tip: In job interviews and on your resume, always back up soft skills with a specific example, e.g.:

“I gained my first experience in professional negotiation when our student research group had to distribute tasks that were initially very unevenly distributed.”