In the spotlight on the mentoring stage: Markus Simbürger

Markus Simbürger spoke with us on the Mentoring stage. He is a project manager in the field of Climate Solutions at the Green Tech Valley Cluster and Absolvent of the bachelor and master studies of economics and Environmental Systems Science. He told us how his individual career career path, how much university knowledge he draws on in his job, and what he considers to be And what you can do from his point of view for a successful career start.

I also think it's important to be visible. A lot is changing here right now. Companies are actively looking for people and there are some headhunters out and about. We notice through our network that LinkedIn is being used heavily here.

Markus Simbürger, graduate of the University of Graz, studied USW with a focus on economics.

Mr. Simbürger, what do you do for a living? What are you responsible for?

I work at the Green Tech Valley Cluster. There are several clusters throughout Austria whose goal is to network companies and initiate innovative projects. At Green Tech Valley Cluster, we network companies that are active in the field of green technologies and circular economy - be it in the field of hydropower, photovoltaic systems or waste management. In doing so, we organize different types of events - from large networking events to information sessions to small exchange groups where companies get together and work on specific problems.

One of my activities is to prepare information for companies so that they have an information edge about future technologies.  Another service is to inform about scientific tenders, to answer individual inquiries from companies or also to provide tools. For example, we have published a Green Transformation Card. This is a card game that accompanies companies towards climate neutrality.
In essence, our activity is built on communication and trust with the companies' contacts, because we get a lot of internal information from the companies and we try to adapt our services to that.

How big is the team you work in and how many companies are we talking about there that you network with each other?

We are a team of eleven people in total and have around 275 cluster partners, mainly located in Styria and Carinthia. However, we also have many start-up companies spread throughout Austria.

How was the path from university to your current professional position and why did you apply for your current job?

It was a detour. I realized during my master's thesis how much I like programming and working with statistical data. Then I heard from a colleague that Joanneum Research was looking for employees at the LIFE Institute and I applied there on my own initiative because I wanted to deepen my knowledge in the field of research. I was then invited to an introductory interview, which turned out to be a real job interview - with the head of the institute, the head of the research group and two other employees. The interview was good, though, and I was offered a PhD position for the next three years, which I gladly accepted.

After some time, however, I realized - although I am still interested in data, analysis and evaluation - that I miss the human aspect. I really spent a lot of time sitting in front of computers, doing research, reading a lot of literature and evaluating data. That's why I was looking for a new job and first applied to the wood cluster. However, since I don't have expertise in wood science and this was an essential aspect for the advertised position, I received a rejection. However, they knew that the Green-Tech-Cluster was looking for someone and I was asked if I would be interested in applying there. During the interview, I then realized that this is the area where I would like to work and I can bring my expertise from my studies around energy management.

After some time, however, I have noticed - although I am still still interested in data, analyses and evaluations - that I miss the human aspect is missing.

Markus Simbürger

You have already mentioned it: To what extent did your studies generally prepare you for your professional work?

In my first job at Joanneum Research, I needed a lot from my economics studies, such as empirical research methods. Now I no longer need this knowledge. Instead, I now use the interdisciplinary from the USW study, this large, broad knowledge and understanding of many topics. Since we do a lot of information processing for companies, this knowledge helps me a lot in my daily work. Holding presentations, moderating, performing - I also need all of this in my job and I was able to take it with me very well from the university.

What do you recommend to students and recent graduates for a successful start to their careers?

The first thing that comes to mind is that companies are looking above all for motivated employees. You don't find that one person who fits the advertisement 100%. Therefore, it is important to show that you are motivated and open to new things and stand out in some way, be it with a good layout of the application, be it with many internships you have already done.

I also think it's important to be visible. A lot is changing here right now. Companies are actively looking for people and there are some headhunters on the way. We notice through our network that LinkedIn is being used heavily here.

Talking to lots of people, getting information, telling people you're looking for something or what interests you can open up new opportunities as well.
It's also good to think in advance about what structures I want to work in - in a large company or in a small team - and then try that out. If you find it doesn't suit me, you reorient yourself and find something new. Because what you can always take with you is the experience you gain.