Entering the job market as a recent graduate is not always easy. Positioning oneself in the labor market in a new country is even more difficult. At the webinar Digital Career Day: Education and Preparation, which was arranged by Unimeet Gothenburg, more than 250 international students and researchers have been given tools to best profile themselves on LinkedIn and take part in SKF’s tips regarding the Swedish labor market for international students.

“The purpose of the webinar was to get an insight into the Swedish labor market from an intercultural perspective and learn LinkedIn’s “netiquette” to be able to proactively apply for jobs in Gothenburg and Sweden. Unimeet Gothenburg will continue to arrange webinars to help students and researchers get closer to the Swedish companies as we see a great demand for this from both parties”, says Cecilia Olofsson, project manager for Unimeet Gothenburg at Gothenburg & Co.

Digital Career Day has been organized on two occasions and brought together over 250 students and researchers at Chalmers and the University of Gothenburg, from different countries and with different research areas.

Network – get work!

LinkedIn is the largest recruitment platform with 4 million users in Sweden. Unlike other social media, LinkedIn is sometimes seen as an inaccessible platform. Strategic communicator and SEO specialist Ida Sjöholm shared during the webinar her best tips and tricks for optimal use and showed the participants how to proactively build their profile on the platform. The participants also received valuable information about building networks, how to create contact with companies and how to find jobs that are not published yet.

International competence is needed in Gothenburg

According to surveys conducted with students, there is a great desire and demand to get in touch with the businesses and companies in Gothenburg and its region. Therefore, the international company SKF, with their headquarter in Gothenburg, visited the second part of the webinar. The participants had the opportunity to listen and converse with HR director Ann-Sofie Zaks and Aline Novaes, an employee originally from Brazil who studied at the University of Gothenburg and works today as a Global Category Buyer in Group Purchasing at SKF. They discussed the company’s need for international competence and offered their tips for starting a career in Sweden.

“International competence is very important for SKF. My best tips for international students looking for jobs are to expand your network, because contacts really mean opportunities. Another tips is not to be too picky in your job search and use all your different experiences as opportunities that can lead you to your dream job”, says Aline Novaes.

Digital Career Day is organized by Unimeet Gothenburg, a collaboration between the University of Gothenburg, Chalmers and the Business Group Gothenburg & Co which aims to welcome international students and researchers to Gothenburg. Upcoming events and more information about Unimeet Gothenburg can be found here.