meinpraktikum

Economics students Daniel Pütz and Stefan Peukert created an Internet portal called meinpraktikum.de for students looking for internships and employers offering such opportunities. "People booking a holiday check the Internet as a matter of course for comments of others who have been there. The decision where to spend an internship is certainly not less important," so Daniel Pütz. Stefan Peukert: "Managers have problems recruiting and retaining qualified employees, and in future these problems will increase in Germany's ageing society." According to Daniel Pütz, 600.000 interns are employed in Germany every year - a tremendous potential for optimum utilization, provided students find internship positions that meet their needs and employers find suitable students.

The portal meinpraktikum.de records reviews and assessments of internships; interested applicants see which firms offer internship positions that correspond best to their personal interests and circumstances. Daniel Pütz explains why communication so often fails in this context: " The message to the applicant frequently consists of interchangeable text modules. But the student wants details concerning supervision, assignments, responsibilities, and ways to do something productive for his or her prospective employer."

The website www.meinpraktikum.de went online early in 2011 and is already a great success with students and renowned employers. Numerous enterprises from DAX companies to family businesses advertise on meinpraktikum.de and offer authentic insights into their structure and workings. Pütz describes the advantages for them: "Employers have the chance to present themselves to applicants in interviews, photos and videos. Applicants get a more detailed and immediate impression of what and whom to expect; they may decide in advance whether they can identify with the corporate culture or not." In particular, smaller and medium-sized firms profit from the portal who cannot compete with Porsche or Deutsche Bank as to profile and image: "The portal reveals that a small business in the region may correspond far better to my wishes, priorities and interests that a big corporation which has the only advantage of looking good in my CV."

See the homepage of meinpraktikum.de.