Tag Archives: Barry O’Brien

Mobility: How to prepare for working in Sweden

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Make sure you’re prepared in advance if moving to Sweden for research, says Barry O’Brien.

Barry-OBrien-Naturejobs-blogBarry O’Brien is a careers advisor working for PhD Career link, in Sweden. In this Q&A I find out what it takes to make a smooth transition into Swedish life and research.

Why did you move to Sweden? 

I met a beautiful Swedish girl who dragged me to Stockholm with promises of clean air and open spaces. She forgot to mention the high taxes and expensive beer!

How do you help scientists in Sweden?

PhD Career Link was created to supply fresh ideas for job seekers looking to move from academia to industry. I am helping career centres to deliver interesting courses, workshops and events around the concept of personal branding – first impressions matter! I use LinkedIn, Facebook, Meetup and traditional tools like the good old CV, to improve applicant’s chances of both being found by, and finding recruiters.

What support is there for researchers based in Sweden?

Career support whilst researching comes from the University Career Centres and Unions, but unfortunately not every University has the resources to assist them.

In Sweden a PhD is a paid position, so now there are regulation changes happening that will mean that someone doing a PhD is considered employed and should fall under the ‘state employment’ rules – this means that they are not the responsibility of the University. Many student groups organise their own career events, inviting alumni, coaches and industry speakers. Continue reading →

The hidden job market

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As the majority of jobs aren’t publicly advertised, job seekers should make sure they know where to look for them, says Barry O’Brien.

Contributor Barry O’Brien

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Depending on which article you read, you will see stats that say that anywhere from 70 to 85% of job vacancies are never actually advertised. How these stats are ever calculated, no one knows. What is important is that any job seeker should ensure that their job search strategy involves spending time trying to unearth good roles, whether temporary or permanent, beyond job boards and LinkedIn ads.

One of the most soul destroying things any job seeker can do is spend eight hours a day firing off CVs in reply to job adverts that, often, are clearly not a good match to their skill set. It is essential that you make an effort to discover the unadvertised vacancies out there.

Why aren’t jobs always publicly advertised?

There are several reasons why the hidden job market exists, but the high price of recruiting is one of the main ones. The average cost of hiring someone through a recruitment company is over 4000 GBP, but the larger costs due to lost productivity whilst the position is vacant, can be much higher. Continue reading →

Ask the expert: Meet Barry O’Brien

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Barry-OBrien-Naturejobs-blogThis month’s Naturejobs Expert is Barry O’Brien from PhD Career Link in Sweden. Say hello!

What is your scientific background?

I’m a marketing man. My flirtation with scientific lab work ended with GCSE Biology as a 16 year old, but I admire the dedication of the people I work with and find it frustrating that these super intelligent people are not getting enough opportunities to use their talents.

Why did you decide to leave academia?

I was presented with the opportunity of taking a job at a large UK Insurance firm, so I left before completing my undergrad studies.

Why did you decide to start PhD Career Link?

I saw that scientists in Sweden were really struggling to understand how to market themselves to recruiters, so decided to share my expertise using a range of services.

How do you want to help scientists in their careers?

We live in a digital world and that’s where the recruiters are hanging out. Many scientists are still living in an analogue world. My aim is to show them why tools such as LinkedIn and Meetup are essential for networking and marketing their uniqueness or ‘personal brand’.

Tell us something interesting about yourself.

I am a collector of vintage Nike sportswear – 1980s mainly!

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