Tag Archives: Sweden

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 →

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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AstraZeneca to cut 2,200 R&D jobs

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As part of a major restructuring programme, pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced yesterday it would be cutting 2,200 jobs from its research and development (R&D) workforce.

The bulk of job losses will affect employees in its neuroscience arm as the company looks to outsource more of its R&D via external collaborations. It will set up a ‘virtual’ neuroscience research unit comprising 40 to 50 AstraZeneca scientists working with partners in academia and industry, such as the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. The unit will be based in Boston, United States, and Cambridge, United Kingdom, while R&D activities will cease at two sites that are focused on neuroscience: Södertälje in Sweden and Montreal in Canada.

In a statement, AstraZeneca’s president of R&D, Martin Mackay, said: “We’ve made an active choice to stay in neuroscience though we will work very differently to share cost, risk and reward with partners in this especially challenging but important field of medical research.”

Trends in the wording of job adverts

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Personal drive has replaced the ability to cooperate as the most requested characteristic in job adverts, according to a study of recruitment advertising in Sweden from 1955 to 2005.

Karin Helgesson, who studied the wording of job adverts for her doctoral thesis at the University of Gothenburg, found that being driven, able to cooperate and able to work independently have been the three most frequently cited requirements for the majority of the 50-year period, with personal drive taking the top spot since 2000.

The study also suggests there has been a change in attitude from employers towards employees over the past decade. “Ads from the last ten years or so tend to focus more on the employee,” says Helgesson. “Employers who used to offer workers the security of belonging to large and successful organisations have become partners who are offering their co-workers personal development and stimulating work tasks.”

Have you noticed any other trends in recruitment adverts over the past 10 years? Share your thoughts below.