Jakob L. Albrecht
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Jakob L Albrecht studied IRIO in Groningen and is now pursuing a master's in public policy at the Hertie School in Berlin while working part-time as a student assistant at a start-up in the field of digital policy.
Could you give us a short introduction about yourself?
"Hi, I am currently studying at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. In my 5th semester of my BA in IR, I went on an exchange in Madrid, Spain, right before the COVID pandemic started. I’ve been living in Berlin for two and a half years, I moved here in summer 2020, after I finished my Bachelors. For the last 2 years, before starting my Masters, I have been working in public affairs consulting firm, and through them I was seconded to the public affairs team of Google in Germany. During my BA, after my 4th semester, I did an internship with this consulting firm, named GAULY, and worked as a student assistant (which is very common in Germany), then joined as a full-time consultant after my degree." |
How did you find your internship?
" Studying in Groningen was part of finding an internship. I remember that when I was taking the Policy and Governance course, we talked about the EU lobbying, transparency register. So, then it was just a matter of coincidences: I knew I wanted to do an internship during summer, but I couldn’t apply for the ministry or government in Germany, as I was not enrolled as a student in Germany, so I looked into the private sector. Then remembering what we studied in P&G, I just looked at the transparency register, and found a German consultancy firm with interest representation at the EU level: GAULY, the one I mentioned before. They sent me an offer and it worked out."
As you are still working as an consultant, what does your job entail? Why did you choose it?
" Yes, so right now I am working again as a student assistant, meaning part-time at a start-up. After experiencing working at a consulting firm, then at Google, I decided to move next to a start-up, in Berlin. What I do here now, is linked to digital policy: mainly we develop solutions for the public sector, through digitalization.
Right now, I am still figuring it out, as I have worked here for only 2 months, but so far I am working in communication, to acquire clients or projects. I design power points slides, I write social media posts, in order to promote our start-up, and I am also working on workforce transformation topics. For instance, what we are trying to do is advise public bodies on ways in which they can become more dynamic. It’s quite similar to a policy brief, so a public institution approaches us with a problem, and we figure out ways in which we can tackle that problem, and find solutions to solve it."
Why did you choose a start-up to continue your professional journey?
"First of all, I wanted to distance myself from day-to-day politics. When I was at GAULY and Google respectively, our work was impacted directly by many things happening in the world, and we always had to be aware and react to what was happening in the news. There can be a lot of pressure and a higher workload, which wouldn’t have worked out with my current university schedule. Yet, at a start-up, we are not directly impacted by world events. And I have learned a lot so far, for example, I have never worked with so many online collaboration tools as I have in the last 2 months, it is a highly digitalized workspace."
How did you find this opportunity at PUBLIC and how was the application process?
"Though I heard about it from my consulting firm, I actually found it on LinkedIn. The application process was very basic and common as for any other similar job. It consisted of my CV and answering 3 competency questions: they described a task, and I would have to explain how I would tackle it."
How much experience did you require for your current job? Or did you gain a lot of skills?
"A key skill that I have learned while working was prioritizing when the workload was high with consulting, I really needed to have a rigid schedule, and prioritize. Another skill that I have learned was proper communication, especially between colleagues in a team. When someone is giving you a task, you need to understand it properly, otherwise, it leads to confusion and you are not as efficient, or you can even misunderstand it. Thus, I know now that when I am not sure about a task, I should rather approach the person again for confirmation. At GAULY, I worked with interns, and I realized how important it is to properly communicate the tasks, give instructions precisely and clearly, and communicate your expectations."
Do you believe platforms such as LinkedIn to be a good resource for student to find intenrships?
"I think searching for a job on LinkedIn is super helpful and accessible. For instance, I found my current job, because I followed the organization prior. Another great thing about LinkedIn is that you can check Alumni and see what they are currently doing. Also, you can find several interesting organizations, and then maybe they have job openings. However, when I apply for a job, I do it through their website. What is good to know for the students starting out, is that people on LinkedIn are actually really happy if you reach out to them- especially RUG Alumni. You can send a text to Alumni that you find inspiring, and then maybe set up a call, to learn more about their professional journey, so don’t hesitate to reach out to people on LinkedIn."
Could you describe typical day at work?
"Well, as you guys would know, as a student it is really hard to pinpoint what a normal day looks like. For me it involves spending time at seminars or lectures and doing the readings, working out 3 times/week, having lunch with friends, or people I used to work with, and thus expanding or maintaining my professional network, and I have fun on the weekends."
What do you like most about your work? And what were its challenges?
"What I like most about my job right now, is the schedule of working part-time. It blends greatly with being a student. It is also very nice that after studying all day or reading, I can actually do something practical, it is a nice contrast.
What I struggled with was time management. When I worked full-time, I had a very rigid time schedule (working 9-17), but now I have so much more flexibility. However, it is also harder to plan everything and be able to meet with everyone. It is still a challenge."
Did this opportunity give you an idea of what you want to do after graduating with your Master´s?
"I can definitely see myself doing public policy in the future, but I don’t have a proper plan after my Master's. When I was 19, a first-year, I wanted to become a diplomat. However, soon after, I realized, that there are many other things you can do with IR, and quickly after I found the internship. My goal was never to work at a startup, but I just went with what was given to me. What really worked for me, was seeing what comes up, as I didn’t have one structured goal, and then ending up being disappointed if it didn’t work out. On a more philosophical level, I go where life takes me. I hope it’s at least somewhere nice."
How relevant were your Bachelor´s degree and the knowledge acquired during university for your position right now?
"Frankly, whether I studied Economics, Political Science, or Law, it could have taken a similar road as I do now. In my job, I don’t have to think about epistemology all the time, but what I realize now is that on a practical level, the theories we learned, are not very important, but they contribute to your personal development, and they improve your critical thinking. Knowing about these theories can help you become a person that can form your own political thoughts and opinions. The workload of the IR program is quite high compared to other countries, and this helps you prepare for a future job, as you improve your time management skills and prioritize often.
Fun fact, in my job, at some point, some things we learned during EU Law, came up such as directives, and regulations, and it helps not to have to do the research. Therefore, I believe it does matters what we study, and the bachelor definitely helped me so far."
Do you think that in the future you will try other areas to work in?
"In the last 2 years, I have been working at the intersection of Politics and Business. I will either do something political, in a party, or the government, or I will go to the business side, working in corporations that are linked to political matters. Right now, what I find interesting is venture capital funds, those fund solutions for climate change."
" Studying in Groningen was part of finding an internship. I remember that when I was taking the Policy and Governance course, we talked about the EU lobbying, transparency register. So, then it was just a matter of coincidences: I knew I wanted to do an internship during summer, but I couldn’t apply for the ministry or government in Germany, as I was not enrolled as a student in Germany, so I looked into the private sector. Then remembering what we studied in P&G, I just looked at the transparency register, and found a German consultancy firm with interest representation at the EU level: GAULY, the one I mentioned before. They sent me an offer and it worked out."
As you are still working as an consultant, what does your job entail? Why did you choose it?
" Yes, so right now I am working again as a student assistant, meaning part-time at a start-up. After experiencing working at a consulting firm, then at Google, I decided to move next to a start-up, in Berlin. What I do here now, is linked to digital policy: mainly we develop solutions for the public sector, through digitalization.
Right now, I am still figuring it out, as I have worked here for only 2 months, but so far I am working in communication, to acquire clients or projects. I design power points slides, I write social media posts, in order to promote our start-up, and I am also working on workforce transformation topics. For instance, what we are trying to do is advise public bodies on ways in which they can become more dynamic. It’s quite similar to a policy brief, so a public institution approaches us with a problem, and we figure out ways in which we can tackle that problem, and find solutions to solve it."
Why did you choose a start-up to continue your professional journey?
"First of all, I wanted to distance myself from day-to-day politics. When I was at GAULY and Google respectively, our work was impacted directly by many things happening in the world, and we always had to be aware and react to what was happening in the news. There can be a lot of pressure and a higher workload, which wouldn’t have worked out with my current university schedule. Yet, at a start-up, we are not directly impacted by world events. And I have learned a lot so far, for example, I have never worked with so many online collaboration tools as I have in the last 2 months, it is a highly digitalized workspace."
How did you find this opportunity at PUBLIC and how was the application process?
"Though I heard about it from my consulting firm, I actually found it on LinkedIn. The application process was very basic and common as for any other similar job. It consisted of my CV and answering 3 competency questions: they described a task, and I would have to explain how I would tackle it."
How much experience did you require for your current job? Or did you gain a lot of skills?
"A key skill that I have learned while working was prioritizing when the workload was high with consulting, I really needed to have a rigid schedule, and prioritize. Another skill that I have learned was proper communication, especially between colleagues in a team. When someone is giving you a task, you need to understand it properly, otherwise, it leads to confusion and you are not as efficient, or you can even misunderstand it. Thus, I know now that when I am not sure about a task, I should rather approach the person again for confirmation. At GAULY, I worked with interns, and I realized how important it is to properly communicate the tasks, give instructions precisely and clearly, and communicate your expectations."
Do you believe platforms such as LinkedIn to be a good resource for student to find intenrships?
"I think searching for a job on LinkedIn is super helpful and accessible. For instance, I found my current job, because I followed the organization prior. Another great thing about LinkedIn is that you can check Alumni and see what they are currently doing. Also, you can find several interesting organizations, and then maybe they have job openings. However, when I apply for a job, I do it through their website. What is good to know for the students starting out, is that people on LinkedIn are actually really happy if you reach out to them- especially RUG Alumni. You can send a text to Alumni that you find inspiring, and then maybe set up a call, to learn more about their professional journey, so don’t hesitate to reach out to people on LinkedIn."
Could you describe typical day at work?
"Well, as you guys would know, as a student it is really hard to pinpoint what a normal day looks like. For me it involves spending time at seminars or lectures and doing the readings, working out 3 times/week, having lunch with friends, or people I used to work with, and thus expanding or maintaining my professional network, and I have fun on the weekends."
What do you like most about your work? And what were its challenges?
"What I like most about my job right now, is the schedule of working part-time. It blends greatly with being a student. It is also very nice that after studying all day or reading, I can actually do something practical, it is a nice contrast.
What I struggled with was time management. When I worked full-time, I had a very rigid time schedule (working 9-17), but now I have so much more flexibility. However, it is also harder to plan everything and be able to meet with everyone. It is still a challenge."
Did this opportunity give you an idea of what you want to do after graduating with your Master´s?
"I can definitely see myself doing public policy in the future, but I don’t have a proper plan after my Master's. When I was 19, a first-year, I wanted to become a diplomat. However, soon after, I realized, that there are many other things you can do with IR, and quickly after I found the internship. My goal was never to work at a startup, but I just went with what was given to me. What really worked for me, was seeing what comes up, as I didn’t have one structured goal, and then ending up being disappointed if it didn’t work out. On a more philosophical level, I go where life takes me. I hope it’s at least somewhere nice."
How relevant were your Bachelor´s degree and the knowledge acquired during university for your position right now?
"Frankly, whether I studied Economics, Political Science, or Law, it could have taken a similar road as I do now. In my job, I don’t have to think about epistemology all the time, but what I realize now is that on a practical level, the theories we learned, are not very important, but they contribute to your personal development, and they improve your critical thinking. Knowing about these theories can help you become a person that can form your own political thoughts and opinions. The workload of the IR program is quite high compared to other countries, and this helps you prepare for a future job, as you improve your time management skills and prioritize often.
Fun fact, in my job, at some point, some things we learned during EU Law, came up such as directives, and regulations, and it helps not to have to do the research. Therefore, I believe it does matters what we study, and the bachelor definitely helped me so far."
Do you think that in the future you will try other areas to work in?
"In the last 2 years, I have been working at the intersection of Politics and Business. I will either do something political, in a party, or the government, or I will go to the business side, working in corporations that are linked to political matters. Right now, what I find interesting is venture capital funds, those fund solutions for climate change."
Is there any advice you would like to give to students who are just entering the job market?
"I think it relates to what I said earlier: do the best that you can do, and something will come up.
Hang in there and then you will find something good for you. I would suggest to not take decisions only based on whether you want this to be your future career, but whether you are excited about it. Because you will do better, and your employer will also see your progress, and this will more likely get you a nicer job."
