Start-up culture has changed a lot. Career boosts can also be traced back to it – those exciting, often humorous formats in which job seekers present themselves to potential employers on stage within a short, prescribed time. The Eurailpress editorial team at DVV Media Group has proven for the second time that this format also works extremely well digitally when it organised another such event in collaboration with InnoTrans, the leading trade fair for the rail sector.
Fourteen candidates had just 90 seconds to introduce themselves via video call to recruiters from renowned companies who were watching at the other end and had the opportunity to contact the talents who impressed them most afterwards. Transport and civil engineers, electrical engineers and computer scientists often use this format. However, Career Boost has also placed people from completely different professional groups, including sales experts and train drivers. In principle, the format is open to everyone.
Career Boost is hosted by Eurailpress editor-in-chief Georg Kern – recently for the fourth time. The event does not always take place virtually, but live on stage every two years. Namely, whenever an InnoTrans trade fair takes place in Berlin. The intervening years are then reserved for digital boosts.
The advantage of the virtual version is that the Boost is usually even more international than usual, as applicants from all over the world can join in via camera with relatively little effort. Candidates from Japan, Argentina and Iran have already taken part. The event team of the Technology & Transport division at DVV Media Group, headed by Daniela Hennig, is responsible for ensuring that people worldwide learn about the opportunity to participate in the Eurailpress Career Boost. The Boost is technically implemented by the DVV media production team led by Markus Wellmer – a challenging task, as it involves connecting participants from all over the world via image and sound.
Incidentally, the Eurailpress team repeatedly sees evidence that Career Boost actually boosts careers. This was also the case for Georg Kern at InnoTrans 2024. At the Eurailpress stand, he was visited by a Career Boost candidate who had attended the trade fair two years earlier. He wanted to express his sincere thanks for the opportunity to take part in the competition, he said. Because it had led to him finding a job as an engineer at Alstom. ‘It’s a great feeling when you realise how your work is making a difference,’ says Kern.
Image: Georg Kern hosting the digital Career Boost 2025 event.
