Several times per year we have the pleasure of checking in with our alumni residing all around the world in our “LU Alumni around the world” series here on the blog. This week we meet Natasha Boella, LUSEM alumna who graduated from the Master’s degree programme in International Marketing and Brand Management in 2019.
Q: You graduated from the Master’s degree programme in International Marketing and Brand Management last year. What have you been up to since then? Since my graduation in 2019, I began working in Brussels under a graduate program with a company called Trane Technologies. I have lived and worked in Brussels for one and a half year. I have recently relocated back to my home country, Kenya, to pursue my own business ideas. 🙂
Q: Would you like to tell us something about your new business ideas, or are they secret? For now, I can tell you, one will be a software company driven towards SMEs. The second, which I have yet to start, will be focused on art, something I enjoy doing. I hope to have it up early next year.
Natasha with a friend at the Comic Book museum in Brussels
Q: You have worked at a US company in Brussels since your graduation, how would you describe the business culture? The company culture is definitely different. It’s very work-oriented and individualistic. If you’re unable to manage this then you may risk getting burnt out. But I would also say that the people in my team and office were very welcoming and helped me out a lot. The company is also very focused on sustainability and has entered into the Gigaton Challenge, which aims to reduce our carbon footprint by one gigaton.
Q: Of all the skills and knowledge you acquired during your studies at LUSEM*, which skills have you found most useful? Definitely the research abilities I developed and the ability to work with people with different work ethics and cultures. These skills were true assets since I have worked in an international company and met and interacted with many different people.
Q: What made you choose to move to Belgium? And what is your advice for someone planning to find a job in Brussels? To be honest, I was posted there, but not voluntarily. However, I loved it! Brussels offers you a lot of different opportunities. For one, you can improve your language skills, such as French, Dutch and German, and have time to practice that with people. So many different people congregate in Brussels as it is the EU commission and parliament HQ. I would say if you want to move to Brussels, remember there is so much to see in the city but so much more in other cities and towns, such as Liege, Bruge, Dinant and so on. It’s a lovely place!
Canal street in Brussels
Q: What is your favorite memory from your time as a student in Lund? I think I really enjoyed meeting new people. So, whenever I was able to, I spent time with my friends – watching movies, cooking together, working on projects or going out for drinks. It was always something I looked forward to.
*LUSEM = Lund University School of Economics and Management
The storage facility of the Lund University Art Collection
The acting director of Skissernas Museum and alumna, Annie Lindberg, is in charge of the Lund University Art Collection and told us about how it came to be. In this post you can also read about it and look at some of her favourite art pieces from the collection.
The Lund University Art Collection is just as old as the University itself. Actually, it’s even older, since the first drawings date back to the 16th century. Traditionally all principals, professors and kings were painted at the University, and in 1772 the first designated art master was hired. The art master was a painter, whose job was to teach drawing. The reason that drawing was a part of education was due to the fact that, during these times, the students were fostered in to a certain class, where not only classical schoolwork was taught, but also fencing, etiquette and holding conversations. Besides that, the art master held private lessons for students as well as public lectures, to which even farmers were invited. This was long before the camera, so the art master often created the illustrations for scientific publications. And of course, he also painted many of the portraits of royals and professors, which are a part of the Lund University Art Collection today. He would paint original portraits, but also copy other artists’ portraits of, for example, the king. It wasn’t until the 1860s that the university started thinking about creating an official art collection, in order for students to learn about different art styles and how to copy them.
Skissernas MuseumAnnie Lindberg, Acting Director Skissernas Museum Photo: Emma Krantz / Skissernas Museum
Annie considers the art collection to be the visual memory of the University because it shows who worked there and what type of art was considered important at the time. It works as a compliment to the written documentation. In the most recent years, the University actively started buying art for the collection and people would donate as well. Therefore, not everything is directly linked to Lund University. But nevertheless, it tells us what focus and aesthetic values existed at certain times in history. Since the collection was for the students, it also tells what the University wanted the students to see and learn about. After the 1860s, the collection was a part of the art history department. When the main University building was built in the late 1900th century, they made a gallery on the third floor, with a ceiling window, to properly display the art. Thus, the student-driven art association, Pictura, was born.
Today, the art collection is managed by Skissernas Museum and the pieces are currently hanging all over the University. Annie’s vision for the art collection is that in the future it will become an open gallery again, available for students and researchers. It would not completely open, but available so that people can book visits and students can be a part of it. Hopefully, the art pieces can hang in the main University building again once it’s renovation is complete.
Some of Annie’s favourites from the Lund University Art Collection
Tedrinkaren, Tea drinker 1970. Ola Billgren (1940-2001). “He painted very photo-realistic images during the 60s and 70s. It was often from inside apartments and of people who either look away or stare straight at you. His art is often melancholic and heavy-hearted.”
Tea drinker 1970. Photo: Gunnar Menander/Lund University Art Collection.
Stilleben, Still life 1926. Agda Holst (1886-1976). “It’s the only painting we have from her and it doesn’t really do her justice. She has also painted many cityscapes and portraits, which are lovely. I chose her because she is not that well known by everybody. She was born in Kristianstad and lived her whole life there. She did, however, travel and study in Paris, where she came into contact with the international art scene.”
Still life 1926. Photo: Gunnar Menander/Lund University Art Collection.
Haremsdam, Harem Woman 1871. Elisabeth Jerrichau Baumann (1819-1881). “She was a Polish-Danish artist. A typical trait of her paintings is that they are very dreamy and have an incredible color scale and lighting. She had troubles establishing in Denmark because she was very controversial, as both a painter and a woman.
Women were often forced to choose between marriage and a career. She did not stop painting when she get married and became a mother nor did it stop her from travelling around the world. Today she has gotten the restitution from Denmark that she deserved.”
Harem woman 1871. Photo: Magnus Nygren/Lund University Art Collection.
På var sida, On each side 1993. Lena Cronqvist (1938-). ”She was born in the 30s. Her work typically deals with themes such as motherhood, childhood and death. The pictures are quite terrifying and she often uses her own face, as well as references to classical art history like the Madonna and child. She isn’t afraid to portray children and girls rather grotesquely, instead of in sweet and innocent way.”
On each side 1993. Photo: Gunnar Menander/Lund University Art Collection.
Kamraterna, Comrades 1912, Tåget till Mölle, Train to Mölle 1918 and Självporträtt, Self portrait 1957. Johan Johansson (1879-1951). “He was based in Lund and had a studio at Clemenstorget. I chose his work because I’m very fond of the colour scale. There is something restful in the art, but still a very vigorous painting style, and there is a luster to it, which I am fond of. It’s almost like it’s glowing from the inside.”
Comrades 1912Train to Mölle 1918Self portrait 1957Photo: Gunnar Menander/Lund University Art Collection.
Cilia, väverskan, Celia weaver 1937 Tora Vega Holmström (1880-1967). “She was also based in Skåne around the same time as Johan Johansson. They were both in the same circles, which you can kind of see, because of the colours and the abstract painting.”
Celia weaver 1937. Photo: Magnus Nygren/Lund University Art Collection.
Thank you, Annie, for sharing some of your favourites with us!
You can read more about Annie Lindberg in our Q&A with her, and you can read a bit more about the Lund University Art Collection by clicking here for English or here for Swedish.
Annie Lindberg, archivist and acting director of Skissernas Museum, Photo: Emma Krantz / Skissernas Museum
This week we meet alumna Annie Lindberg, who studied archival sciences at Lund University. Today she works at Skissernas Museum as acting director and has told us all about her journey to where she is today.
What did you study at Lund University and why?
I studied archival science within the Master’s programme in archival science, library and information science and museology at Lund University and graduated in 2012. Prior to that, I studied art history at Halmstad University. During that programme, I had an internship at Skissernas Museum, which was when I came into contact with the Lund University collection and the archives at the museum. I instantly loved it and this was essentially a whole new world. I strongly felt that I wanted to continue working with it. This was what I was interested in! And this is why I chose that Master’s programme.
During the programme I had a hard time choosing between different tracks, such as museology and archival science. Eventually I picked archival science because it opens the door to more work opportunities (one has to take that in to account, too) and it was a good combination with my previous studies. When applying you had to write a letter of intent and then you were called to an interview. So there were several steps in the process, which was nerve-wracking.
What was the programme like?
Annie Lindberg, archivist and acting director of Skissernas Museum, Photo: Emma Krantz / Skissernas Museum
It was really good, though I do remember wanting a more theoretical approach. The reason for that was because of my background in art history, where you only read, analyzed theories and applied different perspectives and so on. But in retrospect, it was good that a lot was more practical, because working with archives is a craft. You have to learn certain systems, both qualification systems and archive systems.
What knowledge did you take with you from your studies?
During the Master’s programme, many of the tasks we had were group assignments. I went from studying art history alone, to archival studies where suddenly the whole programme felt like one long group project. That experience was very useful for my work life. But of course, everything I learned, I have taken with me in my endeavours.
What was the best part during your studies? Do you have a favourite memory?
All the people, classmates and the community. I was never involved much with the nations, but I had a great time with my group from class. There are many favourite memories that intertwine but my classmates and I often held themed dinners, where we would eat our way through the different food cultures of the world. We would have Moroccan and French evenings, for example, which are some of my best memories.
I sometimes get nostalgic thinking about my time as a student and just being able to indulge and develop within art and archives, which is something I truly love. That feeling would just hit me all of a sudden and I would think: “I can’t believe I get to just sit here and read and learn about my favourite subject all day.” I still feel the same way today – I get to work with my biggest interest – and to me, that is amazing. I can get very nostalgic when I open a new book and think about life as a student, because I really liked reading and I can miss just being able to read and write all day. That’s something I don’t have that much time to do nowadays. I think back on my student days with a lot of joy, much of which is connected to my studies, learning and developing.
What have you been up to since graduating and what do you work with today?
I have been working at Skissernas Museum for the past 9 years. I got the job right after graduation but back then, it was 50% as an archivist. Later I became a coordinator and about three or four years ago, I took over the responsibility for the art collection at Lund University. It happened when the last art curator retired and the art collection had become a big part of Skissernas Museum, which it hadn’t been before. The thought was to make an inventory and figure out what to do with it. Recently, I became acting director, a position I will have for the following year.
Today, Annie works at Skissernas Museum. They have the world’s largest collection of sketches and are in charge of the Lund University Art Collection.
What does a typical work day look like?
Before becoming the acting director, I worked a lot with collection management and digital research infrastructure. This includes everything from digitisation of the collections, to the search ability and development of a functional database. The collections belong to all taxpayers and we at Skissernas Museum are making sure they are stored and preserved forever. If the collection isn’t visible, it’s like it doesn’t exist.
I do, however, especially like working with collections. The work can involve a multitude of tasks: overseeing and storring art pieces in physical storage facilities, making sure it is the right temperature, knowing how the art pieces should be stored in individual acid-free packaging and then registering all of them. There are 30,000 objects and we have to come up with a good system for finding them.
Another challenge I am faced with is the question of what pieces we should keep; because no archive or museum can keep everything. Therefore, it is important to think about the representation, whose stories we tell, but also what researchers would want in 100 years. What might seem insignificant now, can be very relevant in the future.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I will definitely be working with art, hopefully in a museum. I want to work with collections and with research. I don’t know if I will work at Skissernas, but for now I still feel I have some projects to finish there.
Do you have any tips for future students within your line of work?
It is quite easy finding jobs within archival work, but not within art history. The business is tough and there are not many jobs. At the same time, I think one should follow their dreams, but maybe be realistic and broaden your horizons a little. Don’t be scared of taking jobs that might not be your dream job, because all of that will lead to something; that’s how it was for me. So follow your dream, but be open-minded to all kinds of opportunities, be realistic and be prepared that it can be tough in the beginning of one’s working life.
Besides here on this blog, you can read more about Annie Lindberg and the Lund University Art Collection by clicking here for English or here for Swedish.
Lucia, the bearer of light, is an Italian saint celebrated all over Sweden today, 13 December. Unfortunately, there is no “IRL” Lucia celebration this year, but why not light up your day by watching our Lucia celebration in the University building from 2019 (see video below)? Classical Lucia songs with award-winning female choir Carolinae Damkör.
We wish our alumni community a happy St Lucia Day!
A few weeks ago, we hosted another digital webinar, as a part of our career series. This time, it was all about how to make your CV shine. Our speaker was Birgitta Möller, a certified resume writer at CV-hjälpen, who has worked with many clients from all over the world. In this post, I have summarized Birgitta’s major points and her best tips when writing a CV. Before getting in to it, however, it is important to note that there is no perfect formula for how to write the best CV. The perfect CV for you, will not be perfect for somebody else, because it both depends on your experiences and what the employer is looking for. Therefore, it’s not a good idea to use a standardized template, other than maybe for inspiration. Nevertheless, here are some common mistakes to look out for, what to focus on, why you should keep a CV-pantry, and much more.
Common mistakes
– A goal section: People often write a few lines about their goals and where they want to go in life, but that is a waste of space. When writing your goals you only tell what’s in it for you. The company is more interested to hear what is in it for them if they hire you. You could however write a short personal summary.
– Too much information: Even though CV literally means life story, it is more of a smorgasbord. Tell some bits and pieces of your work life.
– Irrelevant information: Only write what is relevant for the job application.
– Messy layout: Some people like to experiment with fun layouts, but be careful not to make it too inconsistent. It will make it harder for the reader to find all information, which after all is the most important part of the CV.
– Selfies: Using a selfie, is an example of a profile photo that won’t do you any favors. Instead, take a headshot with a clean background, look straight in to the camera and smile.
– High school diploma: If you are an undergraduate student or have an undergrad diploma, you don’t need your high school in the CV. Save that space for something more relevant.
Myths
Additionally there are a couple of myths when it comes to the CV:
– The 1 page myth: A recent study suggests that it may in fact hurt a very experienced person to have a short CV on just one page; so a short resume is not always the best option. It all comes down to who is applying and for what position, but keep it between 1 to 2 pages.
– No work experience: Not having had a paid job, does not equal no work experience. If you are in this situation or haven’t had many paying jobs, there are two things you can do:
The first one is to focus on your skills rather than experience. Have a column of your skills on the CV, and stand out that way.
Treat your extra-curricular activities like jobs, because you can just as well gain valuable skills in this way. Examples of these can be volunteering, coaching a sports team, planning activities for organizations or playing in a band.
CV pantry
To make writing your CV easier, think of it as a pantry. Every jar is a different job, skill or experience. Store some key info and dates in each one.
Keeping a CV pantry is a smart way of storing everything you have done in one place. Create a document and think of it as a pantry with different sections, like jobs, education, skills, volunteering, languages and so on. In each section, you keep jars of all the different jobs, skills etc. that you have.
Remember to date all jars and store some key info about them, so you don’t have to remember everything each time you apply for a new job. Also, make a habit of actually updating the pantry frequently. That way you can easily pick and choose the relevant information you need on your CV for each application.
What to include
When it comes to what you should include on the CV, everything isa balancing act. It all depends on what your best qualities and experiences are and what the employer is looking for. For example, your hobbies should normally not be included, but do include them if it is relevant to the job. The same goes for education vs work experience; put the most relevant sector at the top. Write a few lines or bullet points under every work title and education explaining what you did. Do not just describe your everyday tasks. Instead, write what you did that made a difference, which no one else did. Use active verbs and adjectives when doing so, like negotiated, led, produced and so on. You want to avoid using cliché words like successful, because it doesn’t really say anything concrete, the more you can quantify, the better.
Your birth year, marital status or exact address are, on the other hand, something you should not include on the CV. If you are looking for a job in a city far away, write that city instead of where you live. That way, your application is less likely to be immediately discarded in the selection process. References are something you should never put on the CV. Save them until you get further in the hiring process. A good thing to instead add on the CV is social proof. It can be, for example, a quote from a colleague or supervisor when they may have written or said something about you.
Layout
The F symbolises the way people’s eyes will read a document.
It all boils down to making it easy for the reader to find the information he or she is looking for. According to studies, people tend to read in an F-shaped pattern. Imagine laying a big F on the CV. That is the pattern most will follow with their eyes. Because of this, the best strategy is to put the most important information to the left side, and have the text be left aligned. Another way ofguiding the reader, is to use dividing lines, underline words or make them bold and use bullet points (but a maximum of 5 so it does not end up looking like a shopping list). Doing this will additionally make your most relevant experiences stand out.
Using colors and fancy formatting is something Birgitta Möller does not recommend, because that might take away too much attention from the content. The main exception is if you’re in a creative profession, then the CV is a way of showcasing your design skills. One final point when it comes to guiding the reader, is to write in reverse chronological order. The different sections can be moved around, but always start with the last job at the top and then the second to last, third to last, and so on. If your second to last job is the most relevant, use a bold font or other techniques mentioned above to highlight that, instead of losing the structure.
One might think that the font doesn’t matter, but it does. First of all, fonts take up a different amount of space, even though they are the same size. By taking that into consideration, you can optimize the space on the CV – but don’t take it too far. Using too small of a font makes it difficult to read and too big, on the other hand, will instead give an impression of you being underqualified. The style of the font is also important. Some can make you look childish, while Times New Roman for instance, will make you look dated.
These are some examples of fonts to use, and not to use.
ATS
Some employers and recruiting firms use ATS (Applicant tracking system). They are designed to scan CVs and determine which candidates are the best fit for a job. ATS has become more common since it is normal to receive 150-200 job applications for every job posting.
These are some things to take into account in order to get past the ATS:
Use clear and established job titles.
Avoid images, tables and graphics.
Include key words from the job description that reflect your skills
Left align the document
To summarize, there is no perfect formula for a CV. Regarding what to include, it depends on your experiences and the type of job you are looking for. There are, however, some guidelines to stick to. Make it easy for the reader by guiding them, show what is relevant by including key words from the job ad and highlight the factors that make you stand out. I hope that this advice will help you create the best possible CV. For more career-themed posts, click here. Upcoming alumni events, including career webinars, will be posted here.
By now, everyone has heard about the importance of networking to get their dream job. But what does having a network really mean for your career? What should it look like and how should we think about networking in general? To answer some of these questions, the Alumni Office met Nils Gustafsson, senior lecturer at the Department of Strategic Communication at Lund University. He is part of a study called “Network and net worth,” which aims to explore how informal networks develop and why they vary. More information about the study can be found at the end of this post.
Nils Gustafsson, Photo taken by: Camilla Nothhaft
What is networking?
“It’s actually quite a nebulous concept. Different people have different attitudes to it. Some people are happy with a few close friends, whereas some are almost the opposite, preferring to have hundreds of superficial acquaintances. For most people, networking is not something you actively think about. You just start working in a new place, start studying at university or end up in various contexts. In each case, you come across other people that you start talking to and get to know.”
Nils Gustafsson thinks that the larger and more diversified your network is, the more you gain from it. However, there are also advantages to smaller networks that can provide support:
“There is research indicating that for career-oriented female students, it is beneficial to combine large and small networks; to have a close group of female friends made up of people who, in turn, have a large network. This provides both types of contacts. You have the social support, but also access to important information.”
It is also important to have both horizontal and vertical networks, Nils Gustafsson underlines. Horizontal networks are people of your own age or at the same stage in life, whereas the vertical networks consist of people who are both older and younger. Those who are older can function as mentors and help you to gain access to other contacts, while you can perhaps act as a guide to a younger person. To most people, networking appears to be random, but some people consider networking to be more strategic. These people are known as Switchers in the research:
“Some people deliberately go around and mingle in all the contexts in which they operate. They connect different networks and it is also thought that they sometimes fill structural gaps: if you find yourself between two friend groups and you connect them, you create a privileged position for yourself, according to this network theory, because you control the flow of information between these groups.”
How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected networking?
“I am thinking particularly about students and people who have started new jobs during the pandemic. It is much more difficult for them to join a new community and meet their colleagues spontaneously. So much in the way we create relationships gives the impression of happening spontaneously, but it is difficult to meet digitally in a spontaneous way. Some people might think it is not difficult, as we are used to digital communication and contacting each other in various apps, but I still think it is significantly more difficult than in real life. On the other hand, if you can create forums for people to meet physically despite the pandemic, I think it becomes easier. When you have met someone in real life once, it probably becomes easier to stay in touch with them even if you can’t have physical meetings.”
There are many types of networks: Big, small, horizontal, vertical, deversified and so on. It is good to have a little bit of all of them.
Nils Gustafsson’s 5 best networking tips:
Relax and dare to talk to strangers:You should do things you are comfortable doing, but it can be a good idea to venture beyond your comfort zone. One thing that many people find difficult, is talking to strangers. If you think it is hard to talk to people you don’t know, and find it awful to be at an informal gathering or in a similar situation, you can try this out a little in everyday life. When you go shopping, pick up a parcel or ride the bus, try saying a few extra words to the stranger facing you.
Talk to people who are not like you: People tend to want to socialise with people who are similar to themselves. Perhaps they dress in the same way, have the same sense of humour, background or come from the same place. It is very unusual for it to be damaging or dangerous to speak to someone who does not look like you. It is also a way to practise going beyond your own social circle.
Maintain your relationships: It is important to safeguard and maintain the relationships that you enjoy. Although it can be more difficult to stay in touch with others during certain life stages, it pays off in the long run to keep in contact with your friends. Maintaining relationships is not only strategic for access to information, but for your well-being as a person. We need these relationships.
Network with people who are younger than you: Because people like similarity, they often tend to socialise with people in their own age group. Good long-term advice is therefore to network with people who are younger than you. Sooner or later you can end up feeling very lonely if you don’t have any younger contacts.
Don’t be too strategic:Don’t consider people as resources to be used to get ahead, but as human beings with whom you can have a relationship. Even if you are strategic, it can be dangerous only to think strategically in your networking, as people do not want to feel exploited; they want to feel that they have a genuine relationship with others.
Network and net worth
The aim of the study is to explore how informal networks develop and why they vary.
The research team consists of Gergei Farkas from Linnaeus University, Anna Tyllström from the Institute of Future Studies and Nils Gustafsson from Lund University.
The study is funded by the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation.
The study “Network and net worth” is longitudinal and runs between 2018 and 2022, with the researchers following students on a number of business and economics programmes in Sweden and Finland, from their first semester to their entry into professional life. This year is the second round of data collection through surveys and interviews. Students on business and economics programmes, in particular, often end up working in the private sector. However, despite approximately the same number of women and men attending these programmes since the 80s, men still occupy the majority of leadership positions. The “Network and net worth” study is therefore based on the question of why the distribution between men and women in the business elite is so unequal and whether access to informal networks could be one of the reasons.
One general trend that has already been observed is that women prefer to socialise with women and men prefer to socialise with men. People simply want to socialise with others who are similar to them. Besides answering questions concerning women and men on these programmes, the researchers will be able to determine whether different social backgrounds impact people’s opportunities for networking and careers. Is it sufficient to be a diligent student in business school or do you need your relatives to have been diligent for 100 years for you to stand a chance? This is one question Gustafsson hopes the study will be able to answer. “The study will also be able to contribute to society with a general understanding of the significance of informal networks for society as a whole”, explains Nils Gustafsson.
“I am CEO of Elonroad, where we are working to change how people transport themselves, so not an easy challenge”, explains Karin Ebbinghaus at the start of our digital interview. Karin is a Lund law graduate who has chosen to depart from the traditional career path of a lawyer to dedicate herself wholeheartedly to changing the transport and communication sector of the future. Karin describes her own career as an effect of what she calls “bananskalsprincipen” – her version of a Swedish proverb, which means that sometimes in life you get opportunities based on pure coincidence.
But let us start at the beginning. Why did a law degree, specifically, attract Karin to Lund? – If I am completely honest, there were not that many options for me to choose from after upper secondary school. I had opted for the humanities stream and was lacking a maths course required for admission to many university degree programmes, Karin reveals.
When Karin finished upper secondary school, in the financial crisis of the early 90s, her parents thought she should choose a degree with good prospects. So her choice fell on the law degree programme in Lund. In 1992, Karin left her home town to step into what were the premises of the Faculty of Law at the time: Gamla Kirurgen, or the Old Surgery, in Lund. She would spend all her time as a student there, interspersed with active involvement in the Kalmar Student Nation.
When Karin is asked to look back on her law studies and tell us how they have benefited her in her career, she says: – As a law student, you learn the art of quickly absorbing a lot of information and operating within a fixed set of rules. In addition, you get a lot of practice in analysing different alternatives and perspectives, a good foundation in critical thinking.
At the turn of the millennium, Karin had just graduated with a law degree and started her professional life at the legal firm Linklaters (then Lagerlöf & Leman). Her career continued at another legal firm, Vinge, where she was Business Development Lawyer. After that, she was taken on as manager of the E&Y Law division in Skåne. Karin says that her time as legal counsel gave her many valuable insights into problem solving: – One of the most instructive aspects of working as legal counsel is that you learn to see patterns. A company may experience what they perceive as a unique problem, but in fact it is the same problem many others are facing. And there are solutions.
After just over two decades, Karin felt it was time to step away from the traditional legal career to meet new challenges and new people. – Many of my colleagues were happy to focus on, and analyse in depth, the problems that they encountered in their advisory work. I felt I wanted to be more solution-based and see more of the people behind the companies I encountered.
Working to make the future more sustainable also attracted Karin. She got the opportunity to do so as Investment Manager at Almi Invest Greentech. At Almi Invest, Karin worked with investments in climate-focused companies and got to meet entrepreneurs and companies that aimed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions on a global level using disruptive technology. One of these companies was Lund-based electric road company, Elonroad. They hit it off and in early 2020 Karin received an offer she couldn’t refuse – the opportunity to lead Elonroad as its CEO.
Evolution road on Getingevägen in Lund
– Elonroad stands for Electricity On Road and it’s about as simple as it sounds: electricity on the road. We create smart technical solutions to charge electric vehicles on the road as they travel, Karin explains about her new workplace.
Elonroad is described as a successful Triple Helix Model of Innovation in which academia, in this case LTH and Lund University, industry and the public sector work together for economic and social development. Elonroad’s test track, Evolution Road on Getingevägen in Lund, was inaugurated this year and is essentially fully functional. The next stage is to build a thirty-kilometre electric road.
When asked to look into her crystal ball for our future modes of transport, Karin is mainly focused on the role of cars in our lives. – When I was small and wanted to call someone, I had to use a telephone that was attached to the wall by a cord. This is a completely unreal image for my teenage children, who are used to always having a smartphone available within arm’s reach. I believe it will be the same thing in the future when we explain to younger generations that we had to drive to a petrol station to fill the tank before we could transport ourselves anywhere by car.
Karin predicts that future cars will not be used as a product but rather as an on-demand service. We will not need to drive somewhere to get fuel before doing our shopping or travelling. Instead, goods and services will come to us. Means of transport will be adaptable to our needs, so perhaps the same vehicle that delivered your food will drive your children to school.
What plans does Karin have for her own future and what happened with the successful “bananskalsprincipen”? She expects to continue her career together with Elonroad’s expansion worldwide: – In ten years, Elonroad will be a Swedish and international industrial company that revolutionises the transport sector. And in my own career development, I will continue to use “bananskalsprincipen”, but this time I want to do it within my work with Elonroad.
In brief
Best Lund memory: definitely as an active contributor to the Lund Carnival of 1994. It was a wonderful apparatus in which many people volunteered for three days and generated so much joy.
Best life-hack: I am smart-lazy. I can step over an enormous pile of laundry to watch my favourite TV show. Do the fun stuff first, quite simply.
An ordinary day at work: There are really no ordinary days in this job. And that is what is so great. But just now it’s non-stop Teams meetings. A friend described it well: “my calendar looks like Tetris, just before you lose”. And that’s exactly what my calendar looks like right now, too.
Philanthropy Day is celebrated each year on 15 November and is a day where people across the globe highlight the importance of philanthropy, not least for our University and our society as a whole. For the second year in a row, Lund University has chosen to mark the day by thanking all those who have contributed in different ways to strengthening and developing activities. Celebrations were held digitally this year through a lecture event under the theme of “Crisis Management”, in light of the pandemic.
A philanthropist is a socially engaged person who contributes their time, commitment or donations to support cultural, educational and research projects without demanding a service in return. Lund University has many connections with philanthropists who offer their support in different ways. Through philanthropy and donations to the University, research, education and other activities can be developed and give us the keys to solving the major societal challenges of our times.
Our donors include foundations, organisations, companies and private individuals, many of whom are alumni with a strong emotional connection to their Alma Mater. Each gift is significant, whether big or small. The support of our donors helps us to maintain our status as a world-class university and continue to serve as a leading agent of societal development.
To celebrate Philanthropy Day, donors and members of the public were invited to a digital lecture event under the theme of “Crisis Management”, in light of the pandemic. What does the average person do when a crisis hits, and how is this reflected in the national strategy? How do we ensure that the right care is provided during a pandemic, when researchers are running a critical race against the clock? Why has fiscal and monetary policy acted as if there were a new global financial crisis rather than a pandemic? These questions and many others were answered by three prominent researchers at Lund University. Click here to view the entire broadcast here (new window, in Swedish)
Research panel discussion on Philantrophy Day 2020
Click here (new window) if you want to find out more about how philanthropy contributes to the University’s activities.
On 29 October the Alumni Office hosted, for the third time, an alumni panel discussion about finding work in Sweden. However, this time around, it was via Zoom. The panel consists of the three former international students – Angel Nikolov, Allisa Lindo and Markéta Urbanová. They shared their stories on how they acquired jobs in Sweden and Scandinavia. On this occasion, more than ever, the panel received many questions on how to network. Therefore, we dedicated a whole article on the topic. Here are some helpful tips based on the panelists’ stories and experiences with networking.
Seize every opportunity
Something that many students hear when embarking on the job hunt, is that they have to network and make connections in order to get a job. Networking and making connections can seem like a vague concept, but what it means is that you have to reach out to people and start conversations. Yes, that description also sounds abstract. The reason for that is probably because there are a million ways of doing it, and some of them we don’t even think about as networking. Just by talking to people, getting to know them and showing an interest in their work or projects, is a first step of establishing a genuine relationship. It’s possible to network anywhere, but the most common and easily accessible places are career fairs, seminars and other professional get-togethers. Here is how Angel, one of the panelists, described his networking:
“Well, I went to quite a lot of career fairs, guest lectures, you name it. I took every opportunity I could to go to what was out there. Then I would just walk up to the person who was holding the lecture, ask some questions and connect with them on LinkedIn. In my opinion it was important to get to know people and see what they were interested in and I was just basically being myself. I was kind of subconsciously building that network which is very critical for getting a job, especially in Sweden.”
The word network can seem vague, but there are many ways connect and reach out to pople.
Making use of every opportunity can be a way of growing a network and getting that job. Reaching out to people is of course harder now during the pandemic, but it is still possible to connect through LinkedIn, email and virtual career happenings. You should also not be afraid of contacting companies, even though they are not hiring right now. For example, that is what panelist Allisa did when finding her internship. They were looking for a Swedish speaker, which Allisa was not. She emailed the contact person on the ad, explained her situation, and wrote something along the lines of “I know I’m not a good fit for this position, but I wanted to know if there are any possibilities coming up for people who don’t speak Swedish”. It turned out that the international division of the organization had planned to post an ad, but Allisa got the internship before that, just by networking and reaching out.
Nobody should do something they are not comfortable with, and it’s understandable that many find it intimidating to walk up to people or send a contact request. Nevertheless, Angel emphasized that “taking that leap and stepping out of the comfort zone, is where the magic happens.”
The power of fika
To ask people out for fika can be a great way to network. But, it’s too forward to ask that right away. You should get to know people and build foundations for good relationships first, which you can do by having proper conversations with someone. Show a common interest and do not just look to exploit or get something out of others – they will be able to tell if you are not genuine. The same goes for when you invite them to a fika. Do not phrase it as: “I’m looking for a job.”
Allisa used fika as her superpower. She would talk to people working in startups and asking them out to fika because she had a real interest in knowing more about the local startup scene. Connecting with people in this way, does not only expand one’s network, but can also give you insights and tips on job vacancies that may not be on LinkedIn or other job sites.
As pleasant as it is to meet up in a cozy café, we recommend that you instead opt for a digital fika during this current pandemic. Meet up on the screen with your own cup of coffee/tea and let the networking flow!
Ask people out to fika as a way to network.
The Swedish way – proactive but not too aggressive
It is important to have some knowledge about different types of networking, but knowing how to approach someone is crucial. While networking in Sweden is very important, it is not the same as going around asking people for job opportunities. One may be used to a more aggressive or direct style of networking, but that can come across as rude in a Swedish context. As seen in the examples above, it is better to ask nicely and not ask for a job opportunity right away. When contacting a hiring manager on LinkedIn, Allisa suggests reaching out like this: “Hi, I’m really interested in doing this type of work within your organisation. This is my area of expertise/what I would like to develop further. I have attached my CV, and I look forward to hearing from you.” Fill in the gaps with a description of the type of work you are interested in and examples of your areas of expertise or ways you see that you could offer something to the company. This is an example of a way to be active and reaching out, but doing so in a nice and respectful way.
A quick summary:
Make use of every opportunity by attending career fairs, lectures, seminars and so on.
Don’t be afraid of reaching out to companies, even though they are not hiring right now.
Asking people out for fika can be a great way to network.
Think about how to approach people. What works in one country might not always work in Sweden.
Hopefully this article gave you some insight and tips on how to network. Get notified of upcoming articles about networking and career advice by subscribing, or click hereto read previous career-related blog posts.
The alumni panel was back once again, but this time on Zoom, to share their experiences on finding a job in Sweden! On 29 October, the three alumni Angel Nikolov, Allisa Lindo and Markéta Urbanová shared their first-hand experiences, tips and challenges when on the job hunt in Sweden. The webinar was an event within the career series brought to you by the Alumni Relations and Employability team. This article is a summary of the responses to some of the most commonly asked about topics.
Angel Nikolov
Allisa Lindo
Markéta Urbanová
Do I need to speak Swedish to find a job?
For many jobs, one actually does not have to speak Swedish. In general, Scandinavia is very open to international people. Larger companies that work globally are often on the lookout for employees with a worldwide perspective. In international work environments, the corporate language is usually English. However, companies that focus on a local market or companies within certain businesses, like law or economics, are likely to have Swedish as a requirement. The same goes for roles where one needs knowledge of the Scandinavian market.
Because of that, the key is to aim for the jobs where you meet the language requirements. But that does not mean it’s a weakness to only speak English, instead try to use it in your favor:
“Find a way to package yourself and your non-Swedishness as a strength. The moment I started doing that and stopped viewing it as a disadvantage, it really helped me to frame my perspective.” – Allisa
To find a job in Sweden you do not need a proficiency in the language. Nevertheless, it is very good to show an interest in learning the language and make an effort to say some words in Swedish, even if it is just hej, tack or fika. It is a great way to show an interest in Sweden and its culture.
Make a good impression and show an interest of the country, by speaking at least a few words of Swedish.
Applying for jobs
All of the alumni panelists started looking for a job while they were studying, and that’s also what they recommend doing, since it can take a few months to get a job. The cover letter is very important in Sweden, and therefore, one should spend some quality time when writing it. Instead of writing a descriptive cover letter, try to expose as many skills as possible and relate them to jobs or projects you have completed. Examples of school projects are also good to add if you haven’t had much work experience. Make the cover letter and resume relevant to the employer, by matching them to the job description.
One of the most important things to remember is that getting rejections is completely normal when searching for jobs. It’s part of the process and one should not take it personal. There are just too many variables to know why they did not pick you; maybe they were looking for a junior, a senior or something completely different. Another thing to take into account is that many companies hire within the organisation, thus, one’s application may not even make it to the selection process.
“If you get an automated rejection, it doesn’t really say anything about your skills or that you’re not a sufficient candidate. You just have to delete it from your head and focus on your own track and where you want to apply and believe that eventually, everyone of course gets a job.” – Markéta
Figure out what you want to work with before sending in applications to every open position.
It’s when you get rejected further in the application process, after a first phone call or meeting, that you might want to evaluate yourself. Did you get your point across? How did you present yourself? and so on. If the answers to those questions are unclear to you, it can be a good idea to think about what you actually want to do, and what you do not want to do. It is not just about finding a job, but finding a job that suits you and your needs and wants. One way of doing that, is to attend career fairs, exploring what companies are out there and visiting their websites. By doing this, the search for work might go smoother and you won’t have to feel bad about getting 100 rejection letters. Angel, one of the panelists, did not know what he wanted in the beginning of his job hunt and gave this advice during the webinar:
“I didn’t have a good idea of what I wanted to do, so I started applying all over the place. I just wanted a job. Don’t do that to yourselves! It won’t increase your success rate. Don’t go too much on quantity, but work more on quality. Reach out to companies. Figure out what you want, and then go get it!”
In short
For many jobs, it’s alright to not know Swedish, but try showing an interest in the language by at least saying just a few words.
Set aside some quality time to write a cover letter and make sure to match it to the job ad.
Getting rejections is normal and part of the process.
Figure out what you would like to work with before applying for every job out there.
Another very common way of finding a job in Sweden is by networking. The panel received so many questions about networking and making connections, that we made a separate blog post about it that you can find here.
You have probably been told that it’s important to have a LinkedIn account, and that is very much the truth. LinkedIn has grown to be the biggest career website with over 705 million members and every second, 3 members get new jobs. Clearly, it is a good idea to spend some time on improving your profile, even more so today, when we are faced with the consequences of social distancing. Right now, we cannot go to traditional networking functions, career fairs or conferences. Therefore, the need is high for guidance on how to stand out in the complex world of LinkedIn. However, one won’t get far without a good profile. Because of that, the Alumni Office is hosting a series of career webinars with the certified CV expert (and alumna) Birgitta Möller. The first webinar took place on 22 October and was all about the basics of a good LinkedIn profile. In this article, we have summarized the answers to the most asked questions from the first webinar of the career series.
The Banner
Many are aware that a selfie is not ideal as a profile picture, but what kind of picture should one use as a banner? The banner takes up a lot of space in the profile and is therefore very important, because what you show on the picture will affect your profile visitor’s first impression of you. The picture should say something about you, but not be too generic. Something that always works well, especially if you have not had much work experience, is a word cloud. Select 4-5 words that say something about you or your skill set.
Using a word cloud is a great way of showcasing yourself if you have not had much work experience.
The “About” section
In this section you can write about yourself, what you do or what you’re looking for. However, keep in mind that only the first 200 characters are visible before one clicks to “see more” on the desktop. On the smartphone, only the first 50 characters are visible. Because of this, the first sentence is the most crucial. In order to stand out in the “About” section, storytelling is a good idea. Find a way to make others curious to read more. Something you should not do is to write cliché words like successful or experienced, it needs to be more tangible than that.
Keep in mind that LinkedIn looks different on the phone and the desktop.
Quick tips on skills, recommendations and experiences
During the webinar, we received quite a few questions on what type of information is relevant to put in what section. Here are some quick tips that Birgitta Möller gave:
If your profile is in English, add the auto words for skills that come up as you search for new ones. This way it’s easier for recruiters to find you, since they might search for these pre-made specific skills.
Recommendations are very good to have, especially if they contain a lot of information on, for example, different projects you have been a part of. If someone gives you a recommendation, don’t automatically give one back, it can come across as unreliable.
If you have a portfolio, add it to the feature section.
Make sure to write something about every job you have listed in your experience section. How much you should write on each one depends, but at least describe what the job tasks were.
Recruiting
Recruiters use LinkedIn in several ways to find potential candidates for hiring. One such way is by doing searches based on geographic location. If you are looking for work in another city or even country, you can change your address’ zip code in the settings. Now recruiters might find you more easily. Not only will recruiters check all applicants out on LinkedIn, but also use it as a tool to search for new potential employees before the recruiting process starts. To make sure everyone understands how powerful it can be to have a good profile on LinkedIn, Birgitta Möller said this:
“Yes, recruiters do search for employees on LinkedIn! First, they ask their network, because it’s cheaper than using an ad. Then they go to LinkedIn. This is for real. Sometimes people think that LinkedIn is just a fairytale, but it is for real. Every second, three people get a job via LinkedIn.”
LinkedIn is not just a powerful tool to a recruiter, but to everyone looking for a job. The first thing to do is to broadcast that you are open to job opportunities. In case you don’t want others to know, you can choose it to only be visible for recruiters. Searching for jobs can be time consuming, therefore, Birgitta Möller recommends that you set up a weekly notification of job postings. There is a maximum of 6 different titles to get notifications for, but one can select multiple criteria such as what area, the amount of work hours and company type. In order to not miss when specific companies are hiring and to show your interest in what they are doing, it’s a good idea to follow them as well.
Weekly job notifications, following companies and connecting are good ways to look for jobs via LinkedIn.
Connections
The whole point with LinkedIn is to have many connections in order to increase one’s professional network and enhance one’s career. That said, not all the connections have to be directly linked to one’s professional life. Friends or acquaintances can also be valuable contacts, because they could have big networks and know many people. If you want to connect with somebody that you don’t know, it’s better to approach it as if you were meeting physically:
“Think about it as if it were real life. Who goes to a networking function, goes up to somebody hands them their business card and then leaves again without saying anything? So why do people do this on LinkedIn? Make a proper introduction, with a personalized message on LinkedIn while sending the contact request. That will make a better impression,” says Birgitta Möller.
But what do you do with your connections once you have them? One idea is to share lots of content and stories. When sharing something, you should think about whether or not this is content that your connections would like, benefit from or learn from.
We hope that this article can help as a good startingpoint when setting up or updating the profile. More on the topic of how to interact and network on LinkedIn, will be covered in the next LinkedIn webinar on 10 February. That and other webinars we have coming up can be found on our events page. See you on Zoom!
Digital interviews – the phenomenon that before the pandemic was technically possible, but rarely used – seem to be the new normal for job seekers today. Instead of an address to visit, you get a link to a Zoom or Teams meeting. Instead of a handshake, you start your camera and microphone, while praying there will be no technical difficulties.
Emily Knight at her office.
Because of this rapid transition, it can be hard to find information and tips on how they work and how to best prepare for them. We met with alumna Emily Knight, a researcher at Poolia in Stockholm, who gave her insights on digital interviews.
Has it become more common to have digital interviews since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic? I cannot speak for all companies, but here at Poolia in Stockholm it has become a lot more common.
How do you think job interviews will look in the future? Will we go back to traditional in-person interviews or are the digital interviews here to stay? I think it might differ for every company, but I believe that digital interviews are here to stay as a complement to physical interviews.
What are the pros and cons for digital interviews, compared to physical ones? One of the pros with meeting digitally is perhaps that you feel less nervous thanks to the fact that you are having the interview, for example, at home. A digital interview is also time-effective.
The cons with only meeting digitally is that it’s just not as enjoyable as meeting in real life. We work with people and think the personal meeting is fun.
In what way should you think and prepare yourself for a digital interview? What are your tips? Prepare yourself as if you were going to a regular physical interview. Do not be fooled by thinking it’s easier just because it’s digital. Try placing the computer higher up (maybe on a stack of books or you can sit on a lower chair) so that the angle of the camera is placed right in front of you, instead of underneath. It makes the experience a lot better. It is a plus if you also have a computer with a good camera.
If you use a mobile phone, it is better to stand it up against something, rather than holding it in your hand. Try to place yourself in front of a neutral background, where it is clean and tidy, and where you won’t be bothered by too much noise.
Prepare yourself for the digital interview in the same way as if it was a regular one.
Are there any do’s and don’ts when it comes to digital interviews? Don’ts: Even though it is a digital interview, it is best to prepare yourself as if it was a physical interview. Find a quiet spot where you will not be disturbed in the conversation. Shut off notifications on all apps, close websites or apps on your computer and do not Google while the interview is in progress – it shows.
Do’s: A digital interview is a splendid time to show the best version of you, from the place where you feel the safest. Test your microphone and camera and log in to the interview system a moment before the interview, so you have time to adjust should there be technical difficulties to sort out.
Thank you Emily for your helpful tips and insights! Best of luck to all you job seekers in the age of digital interviews!
Q: You graduated from the Master’s degree programme in International Marketing and Brand Management last year. What have you been up to since then?
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