Every year, Career Service at the School of Business, Economics and Law invites the School's students to an evening where recruiters answer questions and give their best tips on how to be successful in the job search. Recruiters from Deloitte, Volvo Cars, Essity, Fortos Management Consulting andJerrie participated in this year's panel.
There were many questions from the students, and it was clear that the recruitment process, what employers look for in your CV and what knowledge and experience is important varies depending on the employer and the role. Something that stood out in this year's panel discussion was the trend towards anonymisation:
“Although the opinions varied, several in the panel believed that you should not have a (professional) photo in your CV. They also talked about the trend towards removing both name and gender. This was barely mentioned a few years ago and it is interesting to see this increased awareness of unconscious bias and the development towards anonymisation of the candidates in the application process,” says Hannah Bäcklin, career coach at the School.
A clear CV that gives a quick picture of who you are
A CV must be tailored to the role you are applying for, give a clear understanding of who you are and your competencies and skills and of course not contain any typos. It can be more than one page, as long as the content is relevant. A simple design can often be preferred compared to a more advanced one. Even less qualified summer jobs can be good to bring along because everything provides you with experience, for example in customer service. The importance of high grades varies between employers and roles and can be outweighed by experience in entrepreneurship, extra work, sports, etc. The need for knowledge in Swedish in workplaces where the business language is English also varies, but to become part of the community and be able to keep up with small talk, it is strongly recommended that you learn Swedish, but you do not need to be fluent in the language.
Prepare for the interview
The first impression of the candidate is important, and it is created even before the interview. Remember that your clothes have an effect, this also applies to a video interview. Take your time before answering questions, silence is not dangerous. If you are asked competency-based questions (eg, "Have you ever had to work against a tight deadline?", or "Have you ever had to make a difficult decision"), you should be able to give examples when answering. Prepare some questions for the employer. For example, they can be about the role or the team.
On-demand interviews are increasingly common and most employers use some form of test. Practice online tests, and you'll improve your ability to answer. Via the Career Service, you can find useful links to online tests.
The best career advice
Relax! The job you get after graduation is only the first in your career. You will work for many years and if you don't think the job suits you, you can change. You don't have to know what you want to work with, it's good to try different things. At the same time, it is good to start thinking about what you want to do after graduation. Go to events, get to know employers and get an idea of what it's like to work there. Try different extra jobs and summer jobs, it gives you experience and develops your so-called "soft skills", which are as important or even more important than your technical abilities ("hard skills").
The recruiters' tips on CVs, networking and which roles they can offer graduates
What do you look for in a CV?
- Essity: Structured CV with clear points on experience, education, languages
- Jerrie: Can I understand what the candidate has done? Is the CV consistent? Are there any gaps in the CV? Is the CV clear and easy to understand and am I being able to get a clear picture of the candidate in less than 1 minute?
- Deloitte: A CV should follow a clear structure & be easily readable so one can quickly find the most important information – such as education, work experience, extracurricular activities, language proficiency and other skills & interests.
- Volvo Cars: Work Experience, Skills, Certifications and languages if needed, Projects, Education as well as clear Contact details.
- Fortos: We have quite clear qualifications that we’re looking for in a candidate so I check if the CV fulfils those and if there are any particular things to bring up in a potential interview
How important is networking for securing job opportunities in your industry, and what tips do you have for effective networking?
- Essity: Very important, proactively connecting with relevant people in the field on Linkedin, or connecting with guest lecturers can be an opportunity for networking within your field. Don’t be scared to ask for internships and summer jobs, the worst thing that can happen is that they say no.
- Jerrie: Networking is important of course but I don’t see that students should network them to death. Activity when looking for a job is key, being persistent. Learn from mistakes and move on. Effective networking could be attending an event such as this. LinkedIn is also a good networking hub.
- Deloitte: It is not a prerequisite for securing a job, but relationship-building is useful for graduates and also later on in their career. I emphasize the importance of getting to know Deloitte as a firm and our culture as early as possible through attending career fairs and events we organize and participate in – a good first step is also to follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram @deloittesweden.
- Volvo Cars: Networking is important in every industry, personally and professionally. Tips: Develop strong Online presence, Use Alumni Networks, Attend Industry Events, Career Fairs, as well as Meet Ups.
- Fortos: networking is always good but we’re also very strict on certain qualifications that need to be fulfilled
What job roles can a newly graduated student from the School of Business, Economics, and Law get at your company?
- Essity: Sales & Marketing Controller, HR, customer service/representative, summer jobs within marketing, sales, finance etc.
- Jerrie: Education is great, but as a newly graduate you need to develop skills. Best is to start from the bottom at entry entry-level position not always necessarily in your “field” but building skills can then lead you to the job you really want or are aiming for in your field. But also as newly graduated understand that the career path is not always straight and that is more than ok!
- Deloitte: At Deloitte, one can find roles within audit and assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax and legal, as well as roles in enabling areas such as IT and HR.
- Volvo Cars: Customer Care roles, Data/Business Analyst, Legal roles, Business Development, Sales roles, HR, Talent Acquisition, Marketing and Financial roles. Many more.
- Fortos: All graduates (work experience less than 1 year) start as an Associate management consultant.
