Question to the selected people

Well, unfortunately, I didn't get an offer. No idea why. Is it my age, my education (I'm post-Phd, is it possible I'm overqualified?) or what. So could you, happy people (congrats!) explain, whether you contacted the DGs you were interested in, what your age/ status is (are you still a student?) and what you think decided that you got in? Thanks.

submarine wrote:Well, unfortunately, I didn't get an offer. No idea why. Is it my age, my education (I'm post-Phd, is it possible I'm overqualified?) or what. So could you, happy people (congrats!) explain, whether you contacted the DGs you were interested in, what your age/ status is (are you still a student?) and what you think decided that you got in? Thanks.

I think that the most important thing is the specification of your application and how your prefered area matches with your professional experience and education. And I also think that you can gain points if you´ve lived in some foreign country for few months.

But at the end, I think the chance and luck play a significant role too!

But certainly you have to show a lot of enthusiasm and try to by original and different in some way from other applications. And I think YES, you should lobby!

JakubCZ wrote:
And I also think that you can gain points if you´ve lived in some foreign country for few months.

But at the end, I think the chance and luck play a significant role too!

But certainly you have to show a lot of enthusiasm and try to by original and different in some way from other applications. And I think YES, you should lobby!

Have you been selected, Jakub?

I think btw that every single person who applied has lived in several countries ;)can't imagine it being otherwise.

submarine wrote:

JakubCZ wrote:
And I also think that you can gain points if you´ve lived in some foreign country for few months.

But at the end, I think the chance and luck play a significant role too!

But certainly you have to show a lot of enthusiasm and try to by original and different in some way from other applications. And I think YES, you should lobby!

Have you been selected, Jakub?

I think btw that every single person who applied had lived in several countries

Yes luckily I was selected. But it was already the second time that I applied. Last time I finished with no interview after the pre-selection.

Well, I had 1 interview (DG Enlargement, Albania Unit) and that didnt work out at all. Nothing after that, although I lobbied. And today I get the email that I got the Traineeship. For a unit I never contacted, but is actually very interesting to me. So lobbying is not always the best route and some friends of mine who have worked there have told me how many Heads of Units hate it. So just having a good CV and being from a right country (meaning North and East more than South) is already very good. When I say its not good to be from Southern countries it is just because there are so many applicants from those countries that your odds instantly fall way way down.

but are you still students or not? do you think this can influence their decision? and how old are you approximately? is it like, you can't get an offer if you've not just finished your undergraduate course (no idea, 23-25 y.o.)?

submarine wrote:but are you still students or not? do you think this can influence their decision? and how old are you approximately? is it like, you can't get an offer if you've not just finished your undergraduate course (no idea, 23-25 y.o.)?

I´m 25 and in the application I was still a student of Master programme but already with some relevant working experience in the field of media.

JakubCZ wrote:
I´m 25 and in the application I was still a student of Master programme but already with some relevant working experience in the field of media.

I believe you of course, but if it's really like they want very young people at the very beginning of their career then it probably doesn't make sense for me to re-apply. (I'm not that old but still a bit older and because of that with probably a bit more professional and educational experience).

If you have a post-PhD yes, you are over-qualified. Most people have a Bachelor or a Master degree. But why would you want to do the boring job that the interns do at the EC if you have a post-PhD? I was selected and I am very happy, but my job will be posting news to facebook and twitter... not so fun!

erik12 wrote:If you have a post-PhD yes, you are over-qualified. Most people have a Bachelor or a Master degree. But why would you want to do the boring job that the interns do at the EC if you have a post-PhD? I was selected and I am very happy, but my job will be posting news to facebook and twitter... not so fun!

Yeah, it's always better to see the half-full glass
Thanks guys. Have fun.

erik12 wrote:If you have a post-PhD yes, you are over-qualified. Most people have a Bachelor or a Master degree. But why would you want to do the boring job that the interns do at the EC if you have a post-PhD? I was selected and I am very happy, but my job will be posting news to facebook and twitter... not so fun!

Hi Erik!
My job wil probably be in some way the same..    which DG are you going to work for?

JakubCZ wrote:

erik12 wrote:If you have a post-PhD yes, you are over-qualified. Most people have a Bachelor or a Master degree. But why would you want to do the boring job that the interns do at the EC if you have a post-PhD? I was selected and I am very happy, but my job will be posting news to facebook and twitter... not so fun!

Hi Erik!
My job wil probably be in some way the same..    which DG are you going to work for?

Mine, too Facebook and website management, I hope some events management as well since I'll be at DG Interpretation, which organises all the conferences at the EC.

This post is very interesting. I'm 29, I hold a JD, an MA and I'm going to defend my PhD in some months. I speak fluently 2 foreign languages and I lived abroad for several months.
I have extensively lobbied, guess what? No one replied, no one even interviewed me. Then I receveid an email asking whether I were interested in a spot. I said yes and now I'm in.
There's no formula, everything is so random and each CV has its own story

Agree, this post is quite interesting.

I'm 26, I hold an Erasmus Mundus MA and speak 3 foreign languages fluently.

I lobbied at several units of a couple of DGs without any interviews. Then another unit called me at which I hadn't lobbied and luckily they offered me a traineeship at EACEA.

Anyone else selected for an EACEA traineeship?

bosch wrote:
I lobbied at several units of a couple of DGs without any interviews. Then another unit called me at which I hadn't lobbied and luckily they offered me a traineeship at EACEA.

Anyone else selected for an EACEA traineeship?

Did you get an official confirmation from the TO? And by which unit were you selected?

Yes, I received an official confirmation from the TO. That's unit A.2.

Hello guys,anyone received any news today? No email for me,neither positive nor negative,,goodluck to everyone

Same here.. I thought today we were supposed to get at least some news, but yet nothing eventually... Let's see what tomorrow will bring.

I received today the official offer and all supporting docs.

Fingers crossed for you guys!