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What are your academic degrees from your studies over the years?
I hold a Bachelor's degree in statistics, a Master's degree in public administration and management of nonprofit organizations, and a PhD in Public and Social Policy and governance of nonprofit organizations.
Your academic accomplishments are rich indeed and I bet it has been interesting for you.
Yes indeed, although there were times when it seemed to be a disadvantage and not a plus. When I finished my studies in Czechia and wanted to move to Germany as a Freelancer, my visa application was rejected on the grounds that I was overqualified, my PhD specialization was not needed in Germany and my annual income was not at par with that of a PhD holder in Germany. I had to consult a lawyer. At first, she asked me to consider removing my PhD qualification from the freelancer visa application in order to scale through quickly but I didn’t think it was right to minimize my academic achievements. She also asked if there were other ventures I earned income from not related to my degree. On the side, I dance professionally and also train others. She advised me to merge this income with my regular income for a fresh application. Although the application was not granted for a long time, I finally got that freelancer visa after thirteen months.
Oh! This was quite a challenge. Glad it worked out finally. Can you share more about your dancing?
Yes! I dance in theatres. However, I also do something called community dance, where dancing courses are used as therapy for women coming from war regions. I give these sessions for free. It has a social purpose: to bring these ladies out of their houses to connect with others and make new friends. It motivates them, gets them talking, and helps them share with each other – about themselves, what they know about their rights, job search in the new city, etc.
That’s amazing.
You participated in the pilot THRIVE program. What was your experience like?
I was in the Data Analysis pathway of THRIVE from April 2023. It was a great experience for me as I had been on the lookout for such an opportunity. I had started thinking about upskilling and pivoting career-wise; however, I could not achieve it for a long time. I’d buy online courses but have no motive to finish them as it felt so lonely and I didn’t have others on a similar journey to bounce ideas off with. One of the reasons I joined THRIVE was because of the group learning aspect. In addition to that, we also had data analyst experts who could clarify areas we got stuck in and that was very helpful.
THRIVE offered many objectives. Which ones did you particularly enjoy?
I grew my professional contacts and learned many networking skills. After the pandemic, I observed that I was anxious about being in big gatherings. Through the workshops and opportunities to interact with others, I improved my networking skills significantly.
Despite having a B2 German language certification, I did not speak German well. However, because THRIVE created German language practice sessions (Sprachcafés) in groups, this helped me build confidence a lot. I speak German better now.
I also enjoyed the online internship through Virtual Internships. The online internship presented an exciting challenge and an opportunity for me to use the skills I had learned in THRIVE. It offered me a real-world experience.
I liked that I had access to several benefits as a result of participating in THRIVE – codes for LinkedIn premium access, event invites, etc. They helped me find job opportunities and contributed to my professional growth. For instance, I was not always comfortable telling a cohesive story of my non-profit and data expertise through the years. I got invited to a Data Stewardship for Civil Society 5-day course with non-profits through an email from Kiron and it offered me a lightbulb moment where I understood better how to narrate my professional experiences.
Glad you had a great THRIVE experience. What has your employment experience been like in Germany?
Before arriving in Germany, I already had more than eight years of work experience. Upon my arrival, I secured a freelance role with a civil society organization that I co-founded with a group of migrants. In this role, I worked as a grant writer, helping the organization secure funding. I also lecture at a school here as a guest professor.
Recently, I have also been looking for full-time employment. However, it has taken me about 2000 applications and close to five years of applications to finally get interviews and concrete job offers. I had to make many adjustments, particularly to my CV, based on the feedback I received.
For example, I interviewed with an organization that works with migrants, and they pointed out a two-year gap in my CV. This gap was due to two internships I completed while pursuing my PhD. I explained that these internships were with two NGOs in Berlin, in addition to my part-time role as a researcher at the Sociological Studies Institute in Prague. However, they perceived this experience as a step backward in my career. My visa during my PhD studies only permitted internships or student roles with a pay cap, not full-time positions. I would have expected an organization focused on supporting migrants to understand this, but their lack of understanding made me wonder how many other organizations might also misunderstand this situation. Consequently, I had to start presenting my experience differently.
Usually, the hiring process takes significant time involving multiple rounds and tasks.
In your opinion, how could the German job market be more inclusive for refugees and migrants?
First, would be to welcome people whose German language skills are not at the highest level yet. I think that welcoming refugees and migrants should go along with the interest to accommodate their German language improvement journey. They may not have the highest German language proficiency, but if they are willing to learn and the role does not need them having this high level from day one, then being in an environment where German is spoken could even accelerate this learning experience too. A German speaking work experience can even help with improving the German language skill.
It is always encouraging when a career development budget is offered as a job benefit. Such resources can help develop hard skills further on the job or improve one's German language skills.
Job offers could also specify if they are open to hire women or migrants. One job offer I received included this detail, which I found to be inclusive. Often, the experience for migrants can be so tough that it seems the job market does not want to hire them at all.
What’s next after THRIVE? Are you seeking a new role? Have you gotten job offers?
Of course, combining THRIVE with my freelance work was not easy. Sometimes, I had to travel, too. I decided to quit the role at the civil society organization to focus on THRIVE, as I was determined to upskill and accelerate my career.
I began interviewing for some positions but didn’t receive an offer for a while.
However, at the THRIVE celebration event, I presented my THRIVE journey to attendees. I was approached by two professionals from an organization there for an interview and got an offer. I now have two job offers – one in the IT sector and the other in the civil society sector. I will be making a choice soon, as the Agentur für Arbeit needs to review the offers and decide which one will enable me to obtain my work permit.
I am happy about this development as it took years to get to this point. I tried different things - upskilling, CV and LinkedIn profile edits, language study, networking, personal branding and more. A new hurdle would be to move from a freelancer visa to a work visa, but I hope it is resolved quickly.
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