How do I apply?

Are you looking for a challenging new role and a wide range of tasks in a competent team? We look forward to hearing from you. To help you apply, we have compiled a list of useful tips and pointers.

You are interested in working at one of our many international offices?

Then please contact the local office directly. The contact data are available at:
» Group-wide career opportunities around the globe

University graduates

As direct entrants

Please use our online application form to apply. You can access it via the respective job advertisement in our online job market.

Alternatively, you can opt for the traditional path and apply by post. Please inform us in your letter if you are also applying for the trainee programme. Send your complete application file to:

Münchener Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft
Human Resources
80791 München

Selection procedure

Your application will be reviewed by Human Resources and the department advertising the vacant position. If your profile meets our requirements, you will be invited to a selection interview.

» Munich Re job market

As a trainee

Please use our online application form only. In addition to the fields marked with an asterisk as mandatory, the form contains additional questions which we ask you to answer as fully as you can. This will give us a more comprehensive picture of you. Please also attach your curriculum vitae along with your references and certificates. Your file should not exceed a total size of 5 MB to ensure that it can be uploaded easily.

Please inform us in your letter if you are also applying for a » direct-entry position.

Selection procedure

The initial selection is made by Human Resources and the departments concerned, after which suitable candidates are invited to a first interview. Successful candidates are then invited to attend an individual assessment centre. If this shows you have the right skills and personality, you will normally join our graduate trainee programme on the first day of one of the following three months. We will arrange an appointment for the individual assessment centre with you personally.

» Job market: Graduate trainees (German version)

As a doctoral candidate

Interested in a doctoral candidate contract and looking for a competent and attractive corporate partner for your dissertation project? Please submit your complete application file, enclosing a summary of the proposed subject matter of your thesis to students@munichre.com. We will respond as soon as possible.

» Job market: Dissertations and doctoral theses (German version)

Tips on how to apply

The importance of a professional application nowadays is evident from the amount that is written on the subject. Make use of the literature on offer and find out about current requirements. Whether you apply on your own initiative or in response to an advertised position, whether online, by e-mail or by forwarding an application file, please make sure the documents are of prime quality and carefully prepared.

Your application must include the following:

• A comprehensive CV
• A well-structured letter
• Copies of relevant testimonials and other documents

Five tips for a successful application

1. The covering letter is an initial sample of your work. Write it with care and make sure it relates specifically to the advertised position.
2. First impressions count, so make sure the layout is right: Your letter needs a full company address, date, subject line referring to the advertised position, correct salutation, subject matter split into paragraphs, complimentary close, handwritten signature. Other information to include in the application is your own address, telephone number, e-mail address, and a list of enclosures.
3. The spelling and grammar must be right, so get a friend or another student to check the application letter for mistakes.
4. Make sure you have answered the four Ws:
   What position are you applying for?
   What appeals to you about the position advertised?
   What makes you right for the job?
   What, apart from your knowledge, makes you stand out?
   Important: Keep it short and simple.
5. Change your perspective and always think about the addressee when you are writing the letter. The central question is: “What is it about you that will make the other person sit up and take notice?”

Minimising the file size of application documents

With the right settings in Adobe Acrobat, file size can be substantially reduced. Below you will find some tips for optimising PDF documents.

When scanning

In PDF application documents, high-resolution colour pictures in particular result in disproportionately large PDF files.

• Therefore, please ensure that pictures are scanned at relatively low resolution (150dpi is usually sufficient).
• In the case of references, certificates, etc., a grey-scale scan of the original will suffice.
• When saving the scanned documents, please select a file format that requires little space ("GIF" for graphics and "JPEG" for photos).

Before converting

Adobe Acrobat offers an optimisation function for further reducing the file size of PDF documents. To use this, select menu items "Predefined Settings", "Settings" in Acrobat Distiller and then the option "Smallest File Size" under "Conversion settings".

Please bear in mind that reducing the file size may have an adverse impact on document quality. It is therefore advisable to check after the PDF conversion whether the documents are still readable when printed out.

This is how to find the conversion settings in the other programs that generate PDFs:

• Distiller Printer: Selection via "Start"/ "Settings"/"Printers". Then select the printer "Adobe PDF" and click on the option "Smallest File Size" under "Properties" and "Print Settings".
• MS Office document (e.g. Word): Menu item "Acrobat" / "Conversion Settings"
• You can obtain further information on the conversion settings from your application's help facility.

Prior to uploading

• Documents can also be packed and uploaded as a ZIP file (.zip).
• Prior to uploading your attachments, please ensure that if possible all the documents are combined in a single PDF file.
• Reduce your references and certificates to the essential information and leave out unnecessary cover sheets.

When is the file size of a PDF document minimised?

As a rule of thumb, an optimised PDF application, based on the above tips, should have a file size of no more than 5 MB for a volume of 15 pages, including embedded pictures and other scanned-in documents. If the file size is larger, the best way of reducing it is probably to further optimise the pictures.

Status: September 2010

Students

As an intern, student employee, trainee lawyer

Please use our online-application form only for applying to advertised positions. Unsolicited applications will not be considered.

You can access the online application form directly via the respective job advertisement. In addition to the fields marked with an asterisk as mandatory, the form contains additional questions which we ask you to answer as accurately and completely as possible. This will give us a more comprehensive picture of you. You may also attach further documents, e.g. your curriculum vitae, testimonials and activity reports. Your file should not exceed a total size of 5 MB to ensure that it can be uploaded easily.

Selection procedure

When your online application form is received, your details will be examined by our Human Resources Division to see if they match our requirements. Suitable applications will then be forwarded to the department concerned. The department will interview the candidates whose profiles best meet the specific requirements.

» Job market: Student employees (German version)

For dissertation projects

Most dissertation topics are developed in cooperation and assigned to former interns and student employees. From time to time, we advertise topics in our online job market, and we are also generally open to unsolicited applications. Please address the latter to students@munichre.com. To enable us to forward your application to the right department, please describe the topic clearly. In the case of advertised dissertation projects, please use the online application form.

Selection procedure

Convince us that your topic is relevant to an aspect of our work and that you have the requisite qualities! If your application has been successful, the relevant department will contact you personally.

» Job market: Dissertations and doctoral theses (German version)

Tips on how to apply

The importance of a professional application nowadays is evident from the amount that is written on the subject. Make use of the literature on offer and find out about current requirements. Whether you apply on your own initiative or in response to an advertised position, whether online, by e-mail or by forwarding an application file, please make sure the documents are of prime quality and carefully prepared.

Your application must include the following:

• A comprehensive CV
• A well-structured letter
• Copies of relevant testimonials and other documents

Five tips for a successful application

1. The covering letter is an initial sample of your work. Write it with care and make sure it relates specifically to the advertised position.
2. First impressions count, so make sure the layout is right: Your letter needs a full company address, date, subject line referring to the advertised position, correct salutation, subject matter split into paragraphs, complimentary close, handwritten signature. Other information to include in the application is your own address, telephone number, e-mail address, and a list of enclosures.
3. The spelling and grammar must be right, so get a friend or another student to check the application letter for mistakes.
4. Make sure you have answered the four Ws:
   What position are you applying for?
   What appeals to you about the position advertised?
   What makes you right for the job?
   What, apart from your knowledge, makes you stand out?
   Important: Keep it short and simple.
5. Change your perspective and always think about the addressee when you are writing the letter. The central question is: “What is it about you that will make the other person sit up and take notice?”

Minimising the file size of application documents

With the right settings in Adobe Acrobat, file size can be substantially reduced. Below you will find some tips for optimising PDF documents.

When scanning

In PDF application documents, high-resolution colour pictures in particular result in disproportionately large PDF files.

• Therefore, please ensure that pictures are scanned at relatively low resolution (150dpi is usually sufficient).
• In the case of references, certificates, etc., a grey-scale scan of the original will suffice.
• When saving the scanned documents, please select a file format that requires little space ("GIF" for graphics and "JPEG" for photos).

Before converting

Adobe Acrobat offers an optimisation function for further reducing the file size of PDF documents. To use this, select menu items "Predefined Settings", "Settings" in Acrobat Distiller and then the option "Smallest File Size" under "Conversion settings".

Please bear in mind that reducing the file size may have an adverse impact on document quality. It is therefore advisable to check after the PDF conversion whether the documents are still readable when printed out.

This is how to find the conversion settings in the other programs that generate PDFs:

• Distiller Printer: Selection via "Start"/ "Settings"/"Printers". Then select the printer "Adobe PDF" and click on the option "Smallest File Size" under "Properties" and "Print Settings".
• MS Office document (e.g. Word): Menu item "Acrobat" / "Conversion Settings"
• You can obtain further information on the conversion settings from your application's help facility.

Prior to uploading

• Documents can also be packed and uploaded as a ZIP file (.zip).
• Prior to uploading your attachments, please ensure that if possible all the documents are combined in a single PDF file.
• Reduce your references and certificates to the essential information and leave out unnecessary cover sheets.

When is the file size of a PDF document minimised?

As a rule of thumb, an optimised PDF application, based on the above tips, should have a file size of no more than 5 MB for a volume of 15 pages, including embedded pictures and other scanned-in documents. If the file size is larger, the best way of reducing it is probably to further optimise the pictures.

Status: September 2010

School leavers

As a trainee or candidate for training-integrated studies (AIS)

Please send us your complete application file approximately one year before training commences, i.e. in September of the prior year. We require an informative cover letter, a curriculum vitae in tabular form and copies of the last three school reports. If you have completed internships or attended school outside Germany as part of a student exchange programme, please attach copies of documentary proof – either in the form of copies or scanned-in e-mail attachments.

Please send your application to Michaela Schindler.

By post to
Münchener Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft
Human Resources
80791 München

by e-mail to:
» mischindler@munichre.com

Selection procedure

The selection procedures for vocational training and training-integrated studies are largely identical, but we apply different standards. We first examine your application papers, which must be comprehensive, accurate and complete. If the outcome is positive, you will be invited to attend an approximately three-hour written selection procedure on our premises. If you pass the written exam, you will be invited to a detailed interview – likewise on our premises.

AIS candidates must also pass a maths test at the Universität der Bundeswehr (UniBW, University of the Federal Armed Forces) and attend an interview with the Dean.

» Job market: Interns and trainee lawyers (German version)

As a trial trainee

If you are interested in a three-week trial traineeship during Bavaria’s summer holidays, you should apply at the latest by the end of February of that year. Please use the online application form provided in Munich Re's online job market.

» Job market/“trial traineeship“ application form (German version)

Selection procedure

We trust you will appreciate that, given the generally high demand, we can only guarantee places for some of the applicants. You will be informed, as a rule by the end of April, whether you have been selected.

» Job market: Graduate trainees (German version)

Tips on how to apply

First impressions count, so bear this in mind for your written application. Pay attention to the optical appearance of your application; it should be free of dog-ears, staples, manual corrections, stains, etc. And your file should of course be complete. Better to double-check!

In addition, we require an informative cover letter. By this we mean a letter describing your reasons for applying and why you are interested in that particular job at Munich Re. It is all about finding the right tone and not making yourself sound better or worse than you are. We call it “authentic application writing”. Writing something like “I always wanted to learn this trade and I am very interested in numbers” is not particularly helpful if a look at the marks you obtained in maths in your report shows that they are merely average to poor. In such case, it would be best if you explained why you consider yourself suitable for the job despite your poor performance or why your grades were not that good.

Try to phrase your letter in a way that an outsider will enjoy reading it or finds it interesting. The best way to achieve a change of perspective is by getting a good friend, your parents or teacher to read the letter and ask them: "Would you take an interest in me based on this letter?” You should sign both the completed letter and your curriculum vitae.

You do not need to prepare for the written exam. Make sure you get enough sleep the night before and take an optimistic approach. You will not be expected to do anything superhuman.

However, you should of course prepare for the interview. It is important that you look up information on Munich Re on the internet, read the papers and be well aware of why you want to learn the trade and wish to do so at Munich Re. Your appearance should be in keeping with the company’s image, without abandoning your own personality. There are attractive business clothes for both you and your age.

At a glance:

The main criteria for applying successfully

• Do your documents comply with all the formal criteria?
• Are the documents complete?
• Is the letter correct (spelling? Is the address accurate? Is the salutation correct? Have I used the right term and correct job designation?)
• Is the letter interesting, authentic and meaningful?
• Has someone proofread the application?
• What kind of impression do I wish to achieve?
• Is my attire and appearance in line with company standards?
• Have I collected information about Munich Re and the job profile?
• What questions do I want to ask about Munich Re and the job in question? You may write your questions down and bring them with you to the interview.

Minimising the file size of application documents

With the right settings in Adobe Acrobat, file size can be substantially reduced. Below you will find some tips for optimising PDF documents.

When scanning

In PDF application documents, high-resolution colour pictures in particular result in disproportionately large PDF files.

• Therefore, please ensure that pictures are scanned at relatively low resolution (150dpi is usually sufficient).
• In the case of references, certificates, etc., a grey-scale scan of the original will suffice.
• When saving the scanned documents, please select a file format that requires little space ("GIF" for graphics and "JPEG" for photos).

Before converting

Adobe Acrobat offers an optimisation function for further reducing the file size of PDF documents. To use this, select menu items "Predefined Settings", "Settings" in Acrobat Distiller and then the option "Smallest File Size" under "Conversion settings".

Please bear in mind that reducing the file size may have an adverse impact on document quality. It is therefore advisable to check after the PDF conversion whether the documents are still readable when printed out.

This is how to find the conversion settings in the other programs that generate PDFs:

• Distiller Printer: Selection via "Start"/ "Settings"/"Printers". Then select the printer "Adobe PDF" and click on the option "Smallest File Size" under "Properties" and "Print Settings".
• MS Office document (e.g. Word): Menu item "Acrobat" / "Conversion Settings"
• You can obtain further information on the conversion settings from your application's help facility.

Prior to uploading

• Documents can also be packed and uploaded as a ZIP file (.zip).
• Prior to uploading your attachments, please ensure that if possible all the documents are combined in a single PDF file.
• Reduce your references and certificates to the essential information and leave out unnecessary cover sheets.

When is the file size of a PDF document minimised?

As a rule of thumb, an optimised PDF application, based on the above tips, should have a file size of no more than 5 MB for a volume of 15 pages, including embedded pictures and other scanned-in documents. If the file size is larger, the best way of reducing it is probably to further optimise the pictures.

Status: September 2010