This week we meet Huijin Ying, alumna from the Master of Psychology programme (class of 2016). Huijin has studied in China, the USA and Sweden, and currently resides and works in Lyon, France as an HR Project Manager at Groupe SEB.

Q: You have a Master’s of Science degree in Psychology from 2016. What have you been up to since your graduation?

During the last semester of my studies I visited my boyfriend at the time in France over the Christmas holidays. At that time I was searching for different internship positions and found a special internship in Lyon, France at Groupe SEB. They offered an internship position where one could work six months in France, and six months abroad. This was very appealing to me as I wanted to try out new things and explore my options. Hence, I applied, and went on the first interview, which went well. I had to return to Sweden after the Christmas holiday and began writing my master thesis, when I received an email from Groupe SEB who wanted a second interview with me. I told them about my situation, that I was studying in Sweden and that I was actually just on a visit in France. They told me that they would pay for my accommodation and flight, just as long as I flew to them for a second interview. How could I resist that? I couldn’t, and flew in to Lyon, or to be more precise, Ecully, for the second interview, and shortly after that they gave me the internship position. Right after I handed in my master thesis I flew to France and began my internship. After a while I became employed at Groupe SEB and today I work as an HR Project Manager there.

First potluck dinner together with my psychology class!

Q: You currently work as a HR Project Manager at Groupe SEB, focusing on the region EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) in Lyon. How does a typical day at work look like for you?

Difficult to answer – there is no typical day! However, there are some common denominators which I work with. I work towards 15 countries: Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, India, Egypt, Central Europe (e.g. the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary), Europe South Eastern Europe (e.g. Romania and Bulgaria) and the region of the Middle East. On a weekly basis I am in contact with all HR managers working at Groupe SEB in or for these countries/regions. There are nine HR managers which I communicate with, and some of them are responsible for several countries. For instance, the HR manager in the Czech Republic, is responsible for Hungary as well. I function as bridge between the local HR manager and the vice President of the EMEA region.

My role includes making sure all HR managers are working strategically and learning from their job. For instance, we arrange what we call “Learning Expedition”. This means that we sometimes, depending on the resources, send people from one country to another to learn from each other for a few days, exchange ideas and communicate what is needed for Groupe SEB to become better. As I mentioned, on a weekly basis I have contact with all nine HR managers, this is always a part of my schedule. Other than that, I have no “typical” day. New topics and projects arise all the time, seeing as the HR project manager role that I have is very versatile and I often have to learn new things, myself.

A picture from after I had done Dune Bashing in Dubai with my colleagues

Q: In what ways do you think your education from Lund University benefits you in your work?

I studied my Bachelor’s degree in the USA and when I came to Sweden I noticed how different the education system was. In the United States, I was used to the professors always providing us with a lot of information and leaving the classroom with all the essential information. However, when I came to Sweden, I remember leaving the classroom thinking: “That’s it?” However, I did not and still do not perceive that as a bad thing. This enabled me to strive to learn more myself, to read more; I don’t think I have ever read as much in my entire life as I did during my two-year Master in Lund! This has benefitted me in my work, as I always have to learn new things and try to understand everything, which I also had to do during my studies.

Q: What is your favourite memory (or one of your favourites) from your student days in Lund?

One of my fondest and strongest memories from Lund University was actually one of my psychology professors, Eva Hoff. She was incredibly supportive regarding my master thesis and helped me in many ways. For instance, she taught me how to think in an analytical way, while at the same time not being limited by the literature and studies that have already been conducted on the subject. She, among other professors, taught me to think creatively and to view things in a more complete, holistic, way. This has helped me in my current work and something I am very grateful for, which is the reason it is one of my favourite memories from Lund.

Group photo taken in the beautiful Swedish island, Ven

Q: Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

Hard to say! I have always had many different ideas, and my life routes always changes, making it hard to answer this question if it were one year, let alone ten years! However, in my future I see myself working for myself, rather than working for someone else. There is more risk in this, however there is more excitement, which intrigues me. Perhaps I will be doing this in ten years. I think it was Tony Robbins, American author and entrepreneur, who once said something along these lines: “if you think of something hard enough, eventually it will happen”, which I believe is true. I will also strive to balance everything in my life better, so I have more time to do more hobbies of mine that I enjoy doing.

Q: You have been working in China, Japan, France, Sweden and the United States. What is your advice for alumni interested in an international career?

• • Speaking from experience, I know how shocked one can be when moving to a different country. I remember how shocked I was when I first moved to France. However, it is important, even though you are shocked, and that is okay, to pretend like you are not shocked. Do things the way the people in the country you work in do them. Do not judge people based on what they are doing, rather, try to learn why they are doing things differently from you, adapt and learn from your differences to create something fantastic.

• • Do not take things personally! Sometimes, people will not answer your emails or your calls. Do not take this personally! It has nothing to do with you as a person, but rather, your professional role, or that they are unavailable for one reason or the other.

  • This is similar to the first point, but try to understand other people, instead of judging them. Everyone is different and different cultures work in different ways. This I have learnt from my different work experiences. This is something I think is incredibly important, together with that you should respect other people’s culture and norms if you wish to work in an international environment.

This week we meet Bojana Atanasova, alumna from the Master programme in Public Health (class of 2017). Today, Bojana lives in North Macedonia and works at the Ministry of Health in Skopje.

This week’s LU alumni around the world, Bojana Atanasova

Q: You received the Lund University Global Scholarship award in 2015. What did this award mean to you?

Lund University is in my heart and I have only beautiful memories from the time that I spent there while studying. When I received the Lund University Global Scholarship Award, I couldn’t believe that my dream came true. I got an opportunity to study at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. This Scholarship was my only way to study in Sweden and I promised myself that I would engage hard in meeting the Lund University standards. This award was a window of opportunity for me and I am very grateful for receiving it.

Picture to the left: Bojana at her workplace together with Dr. Venko Filipce
Picture to the right: The North Macedonian Delegation at the World Health Assembly 71 in the Palais des Nations, UN, Geneva

Q: You work at the Ministry of Health in Skopje. How does a typical day at work look like for you?

Six months after graduation, I got a big opportunity and started to work as an advisor for public health to the Minister of Health. Six months later, I got promoted and I became Chief of Staff. This position is a great chance, but it is also a huge responsibility. I am learning every day. As a Chief of Staff, there is not a single day that is the same as the previous one. Every day is busy, starting early in the morning, and ending 12 or more hours later on some days. It is definitely not a 9 to 5 job. I am taking care of the schedule and meetings of the Minister of Health, taking notes, planning travels, preparing for Government meetings. I am receiving a lot of phone calls every day, providing advices, managing the Cabinet, doing my best to make things happen, participating in a lot of meetings, and finally, together with the Minister of Health, creating public health policies.

Q: Has your Lund University education been beneficial in your work? In what ways?

Master public health (MPH) programme prepares you for your future job in many ways. It has been very beneficial in terms of understanding how the system works, how to implement better policies, and how to communicate with the public in terms of health promotion and health communication. Additionally, it helped me to read and understand papers, to conduct research and based on that, to create policies. With all the knowledge and experience gained at Lund University, I am confident in my everyday job. By working for the Government now, I have a chance to create better public health policies and, in that way, to provide better healthcare for the patients, something that was my wish even before enrolling to the MPH programme.

Q: What is one of your favourite memories from your student days at Lund University?

I have many beautiful memories from my student days and it is really hard to find just one. I remember all the parties, “fikas”, and hang-outs, especially the days around Christmas with “glögg” and “pepparkakor”. However, one of my favourite memories is our group visit to Copenhagen, at UN city and European Environmental Agency. We had very productive lectures there, learned how the EEA, the UNFPA, and the WHO work and made great connections.

Picture to the left: Group visit to the UN city in Copenhagen
Picture to the right: Picture from the last day of the MPH programme

Q: If you could plan an ultimate vacation, where would you go?

I love to travel and this is a very hard question because I have many travel plans on my bucket list. 🙂 However, if I can plan an ultimate vacation, it would be a trip around the USA. I want to visit many places, starting from New York City and all its’ landmarks, to Washington DC and the White House, Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and definitely my favourite destinations, Miami and Hawaii.

Q: What are your top three career tips for current students, especially international master students, at Lund University?

• First of all, dream big. The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams. It is very important to set a goal and go for it. You have to be very persistent and never give up. But once you know what you want, the whole university is a great resource, which can present many opportunities.
• Second, do your best and find an internship. You will be surprised by how much you can learn from it. You will meet a lot of people, even maybe your future bosses. Every recommendation is beneficial, and your previous experience will help you in your future job. You will feel more confident after doing an internship.
• Finally, I know that you can very easily fall in love with Sweden and you will want to find a job and stay there. If that is your dream after graduation, start learning Swedish from the beginning of your studies, stay connected with all your classmates and teachers and apply, apply, and apply for different jobs, and again never give up. Just don’t get disappointed if you cannot find a job after graduation. There is always a chance around the corner, so don’t lose hope and trust in yourself. And finally, choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

“Graduation day, here together with my family”