Verena Zielonka, born in 1985, gained her first professional experience as a trainer in personnel development after training at an insurance company before completing a Bachelor's degree in International Personnel Management and Organization (IPO) at Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences. After successfully completing her degree in 2013, Zielonka started as Human Resources Manager at Freudenberg & Co KG. Since 2017, the 33-year-old has once again been a student at Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences, where she is studying Human Resources Management (MBA HRM) - alongside her work as a Human Resources Manager, now at Freudenberg Business Services KG in Weinheim. SPEKTRUM spoke to her about her time studying in Ludwigshafen, the practical relevance of her IPO course, her work at Freudenberg and the double burden of a part-time MBA course.
Spektrum: Ms Zielonka, you completed your Bachelor of Arts in International Personnel Management and Organization at Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences in 2013. What exactly made it easier for you to enter the professional world, both professionally and personally?
Zielonka: Above all, the practical relevance of the lectures prepared me and my fellow students for the professional world. In addition to the theoretical basics, our professors always included a comparative example from practice so that it became more tangible for us. We also had lectures on all relevant fields of activity in Human Resources (HR). That was a great basis for a generalist introduction to HR.
What made you decide to study at Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences back then?
I found the specialization of the degree programs with a focus on HR interesting and especially the fact that this focus began in the first semester. In addition, it was a very practice-oriented course, which was very important to me personally. I also wanted to stay in the region.
Do you have fond memories of your time at Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences?
Yes, very much! It was a great time. At least in retrospect, the positive memories outweigh the memories of the exam phases.
Is that also the reason why you decided to do a part-time Master's degree at Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the Heidelberg Management Academy?
It's exactly the same. I really liked the content of the Bachelor's course and the whole environment in Ludwigshafen. So it was obvious to me that I also wanted to complete my Master's degree here. However, I wouldn't have done this if the content here hadn't exactly met my expectations.
Today you are Human Resources Manager at Freudenberg in Weinheim. How can we imagine your activities here?
What I like most about my job is the variety of tasks. On the one hand, my area of activity includes the classic HR officer tasks from A to Z, such as looking after employees or recruiting. As a global administrator, I am also responsible for our applicant management system and have been able to gain experience in international project management, as we have introduced the system at our locations in China, India and Mexico, for example. I also particularly enjoy selecting and supporting our trainees as part of a Group-wide trainee program in the IT area.
To what extent did your studies prepare you for your current job?
Of course, a degree course can never prepare you for a specific job, as working life offers a completely different environment than a university. But since, as I said, all facets of HR work were covered during my studies and practical examples were used, I had a secure feeling when I started my career. I always knew what my colleagues were talking about, even without having experienced it in practice. That helped me a lot.
You are currently in the second semester of the part-time MBA degree programs in HRM. What challenges do you face, also with regard to your full-time job?
It is a great challenge to work full-time alongside my studies and to continue to deal with all the issues both professionally and privately. However, time is always in short supply, so in the end it's a question of organization and prioritization. I am glad that I have a great employer who supports me very well, not only financially but also with time flexibility.
What do you like about the MBA HRM? Have you already been able to put your newly acquired knowledge into practice?
I particularly like the topicality and breadth of the topics. It's fun to deal with HR trends scientifically at the university and to put them into practice. You also get to know a lot of different companies and industries through your fellow students and have a great exchange with each other. This also allows you to expand your own personal network.
Would you recommend the part-time degree program?
I would definitely recommend the course to anyone who wants to study current and future HR topics in an academic yet practical way alongside their job.
Would you like to give the university management, the Center for Academic Continuing Education (ZWW) or your old Department any advice?
Perhaps just one tip: in my environment, I am noticing more and more that stays abroad are becoming increasingly important on CVs, even for us HR managers. I would like to see Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences combine the internship semester with a period abroad. In other words, actively support internships abroad. In my time, there was either the option of doing an internship in Germany or going abroad for a semester. I opted for the semester abroad as I had already been able to gain domestic experience as a working student - an internship abroad would have combined the two.
Thank you very much for the interview!
