A report from PhD Career Link giving information and opinions on everything relevant to PhD career development in Sweden, in 2015. This is interesting to read if you are, or have been, in academia, a recruiter, in goverment, a career advisor or a journalist. #phd #careers www.phdcareerlink.se

1. Milica Putnik & Barry O’Brien
www.phdcareerlink.se
@PhDCareerLink
The Value of a PhD Degree in the
Swedish Job Market

2. The Project................................................................................................................3
Project Masterminds............................................................................................4
Project Outline.....................................................................................................5
Background: A PhD in Sweden ..................................................................................6
PhD numbers in Sweden......................................................................................8
PhD disciplines at Swedish universities................................................................9
Doctoral titles in Sweden....................................................................................10
The survey: ”You and Your PhD in Sweden”..............................................................11
University/college affiliations.............................................................................12
Current positions...............................................................................................13
Discipline affiliations..........................................................................................13
Demographics....................................................................................................14
Gender..................................................................................................14
Age........................................................................................................14
Ethnicity and language...........................................................................15
PhD career.........................................................................................................16
Career planning ....................................................................................17
Career support ......................................................................................18
University career support.......................................................................20
Career development courses & seminars................................................22
Careers and Social media.......................................................................23
Unemployment.......................................................................................24
Job prospects for PhDs...........................................................................26
Future prospects ...................................................................................27
PhD Future...............................................................................................................28
PhD skills...........................................................................................................29
PhD skills and industry.......................................................................................30
PhD skills and university.....................................................................................32
Future Trends.....................................................................................................33
PhD career solutions................................................................................................35
Sources and References............................................................................................36
Contact....................................................................................................................37

3. THE PROJECT

4. 4
Project Masterminds
Barry O’Brien is a career coaching professional and owner of
NGSM Development. He has nearly 20 years’ experience in
coaching, recruiting and managing for some of the world’s major
corporations. Recently, his business led him to work with several
Swedish universities and students on PhD programs, as well as
with Swedish corporations as possible future graduate employers.
Milica Putnik is a PhD graduate from Karolinska
Institutet (KI). She started working on the project as
part of an internship organized by KI Career Office.
Networking, market research and creative output are
her main driving forces, and they happened to be
perfectly suited for this task.

5. The team starts a project
investigating the value of a
PhD degree in the Swedish
job market.
2014
September
650 survey answers
More than 20 interviews
Career offices and
career course
organizers
Recruiters,
consultants
PhDs
(students,
postdocs,
alumni)
The goal was to reach out to all 28, by
contacting PhD student and postdoc
associations, career offices and alumni, using a
short career-oriented questionnaire.
In addition, we carried
out interviews and short
surveys with company
recruiters, career course
organizers, consultants,
union representatives
and PhDs themselves.
28
out of 37
universities and
colleges in Sweden
award a PhD title
5
Project Outline

6. BACKGROUND
A PhD in Sweden

7. In Sweden, most PhD
students are employees
– with taxable income
and insurance benefits.
This is not the case for
those on stipends,
including many postdocs.
PhD
phylosophiae doctor
“teacher of philosophy”
docere (lat. v.) - to learn
phylosophia (lat. n.) - love of wisdom
Graduate/doctoral/PhD
student
Sv. Doktorand
Student who performs complex and
thorough research intended to lead to a
PhD degree.
Eligibility
According to Högskoleförordningen (Higher Education Office), as of July 1st 2007, a
candidate eligible for PhD studies needs to hold a basic education degree of at least 240
credits, including 60 credits at advanced level.
Courses
A PhD student is usually required to take a certain number of relevant study courses.
Requirements for course credits can vary from one university to another.
Research studies
The most important part of PhD studies. The candidate is required to
perform at least one original study and publish it in a journal renowned
in the field.
Thesis defense
The candidate defends his thesis to an opponent, an
experienced researcher in the field with no previous
collaborations with the candidate, and a thesis
committee, usually consisting of three well-qualified
researchers (professors or associate professors).
PhD
Only grades “passed" and “failed" are used.
Doctoral Degree Ceremony (sv.
Promovering) is an academic
ceremony where the PhD insignia
is awarded: diploma, doctoral hat
or laurel wreath. The ceremony
confers the newly honored
doctors (Doctores Juvenes), jubilee
doctors and occasionally honorary
doctorates (honoris causa
doctors).
7
Half-time, where a PhD student
presents the development of
his/her research. At certain
universities, a PhD student may
choose to resume the studies
at this point, in which case the
candidate obtains the
”licentiate” degree.
½ or licentiate
½
!

8. 242
24
143
25
625
84
1639
275
1881
252
1590
212
87
11
264
49
23
29
1
17
499
73
1080
163
2155
294
134
13
1200
159
20
202
11
455
67
1162
163
19098
2632
8
50
58
158
39
29
2
2879
369
173
9
2306
337
Total number of
registered
PhD students
Total number of PhD
thesis defenses
8
Swedish
population
1%
has a
PhD
degree
PhD numbers in Sweden*
*for 2013

9. Technology
Social studies
and humanities
Natural sciences
Medical science
Business
and economy
Law studies
9
PhD disciplines at Swedish universities

10. Doctorates in Sweden are awarded in titles related to the faculty
affiliation, though the general term PhD is used equally frequently.
Agronomie doktor (agr.dr, AgrD) Doctor of agronomy
Ekonomie doktor (ekon.dr, ED) Doctor of Economic Sciences
Farmacie doktor (farm.dr, FarmD) Doctor of Pharmacy
Filosofie doktor (fil.dr, FD) Doctor of Philosophy
Juris doktor (jur.dr, JD) Doctor of Law
Medicine doktor (med.dr, MD) Doctor of Medicine
Doktor i medicinsk vetenskap (dr med.vet.) Doctor of Medical Science
Odontologie doktor (odont.dr, OD) Doctor of Dentistry
Skoglig doktor (skog.dr, SkogD) Doctor of Forestry
Teknologie doktor (tekn.dr, TeknD) Doctor of Technology
Teologie doktor (teol.dr, TD) Doctor of Theology
Veterinärmedicine doktor (vet.med.dr, VMD) Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
The faculty affiliation refers to the field of the undergraduate degree.
For example, a doctorate in medicine can be awarded at a technical
college. In some cases, the student may also choose the name of the
degree he/she wants; for example, a grad student in economy may
choose between a doctorate in economics and a more general social
science PhD.
10
Doctoral titles in Sweden

11. THE SURVEY
You and Your PhD in Sweden

12. 12
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
142
81
73
61
53
40
36
23
16
15
15
11
8
8
6
5
4
3
3
1
1
20
21
out of 28 universities and colleges were
represented in our survey. ”Other” in most
cases signifies that those respondents were
affiliated with two or more universities.
Other
University/college affiliations
!

13. 13
PhD
student
Employed PhD
graduate -
academia
23%
Employed PhD
graduate -
outside
academia
17%
Unemployed PhD
graduate
3%
Other
2%
34%
22%
22%
11%
4%
1%
6%
Medical science
Technology
Natural sciences
Social studies and humanities
Business and economy
Law studies
Other
More than half of
respondents are PhD
students. ”Other” in most
cases signifies that those
respondents hold multiple
positions, or that they are
employed part-time.
The majority of respondents are affiliated with medical, natural and technical
sciences, the disciplines in which most PhD degrees are awarded in general.
”Other” in most cases signifies that those respondents do, or did, a PhD in
multidisciplinary studies – for example, material science falls both under
’natural sciences’ and ’technology’.
55%
Current position
Discipline affiliations

14. 14
53% 47%
22-29
23%
30-37
46%
38-45
22%
46-54
7%
55+
2%
Gender distribution of
our survey responses
has been balanced,
corresponding to the
gender balance among
active PhD students,
which in Sweden has
been more or less even
since 2003.
Demographics
The majority of respondents are in the 30-37 age group, which is
in concordance with the recent statistics showing that around
60% of entry-level PhD students are around 29 years of age.
Age
Gender
!

15. None
17%
Basic
32%
Elementary
21%
Professional
28%
Other
2%
15
90.4% of respondents currently reside in Sweden.
Other locations include the USA, China, Pakistan, India,
Iran, Norway, Bangladesh, Belgium, Great Britain, Brazil,
Germany, Switzerland, Vietnam, Canada, Denmark, Egypt,
France, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine
and Zambia.
1
15
1
6
24
2
1
2
1
32
1
36
7
3
5
1
31
6
5
3 7 1
1
4
2
3
1
1
118
2 1
2
14 3
12
2
32 6
Iran (36), Germany and India (32), China (24), Pakistan (18), USA (15), Bangladesh (12), Egypt and Italy (7), UK, Poland and Russia (6),
Norway and Vietnam (5), Colombia and Turkey (4), Ethiopia, Finland, France, Netherlands, Spain and Venezuela (3), Austria, Belarus,
Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech republic, Denmark, Greece, Mexico, Nigeria, Romania, Rwanda and Ukraine (2), Argentina, Belgium,
Bolivia, Iceland, Indonesia, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Mauritius, Moldova, Nepal, Panama, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa,
Switzerland, Taiwan, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Zambia (1).
56 more nations are represented.
Numbers of some of them are indicated on the map.
53,92%
(337) respondents
are Swedish.
Among the non-Swedes,
Swedish language
proficiency varies in
almost equal rates, from
none to professional.
”Other” in most cases
signifies a certain
intermediate level.
Ethnicity & Language

16. 16
32%
37%
6%
2%
14%9%
Official job ad
Network recommendation
Via recruitment/employment agency
Via social media
Continuation of the previous position (MSc, PhD)
Other
The majority of respondents refer
to network recommendations
(once again proving the proverb
“people hire people”) and official
job ads.
Only 2% refers to social media as a
means of finding a position – a low
score considering the current
expansion and impact, especially
in the career domain.
However, under “other”, many
describe “own initiative” – such
as mailing the employer of
interest directly.
Some employed in academia
pinpoint that they have secured
the position themselves, by
obtaining a research grant.
PhD Career
How did you find your current position?

17. 17
only
30% 70%
said that they had a
clear career path
planned at the
beginning of their
PhD studies .
of which
have not
changed
it.
•Described as ”too
specific”, the
respondents have
shared the view
that career
development
courses are
needed during
PhD studies.
PhD studies
• Somewhat
criticized by the
respondents,
due to lack of
security, fierce
competition,
low pay and
lack of
expertise.
Academic
research
•Those who
decided to change
their career path,
refer to moving
from academia to
industry,
emphasising that
developing certain
skills during PhD
studies is of the
essence.
Industry
Career planning

18. 18
Yes
20%
Somewhat
17%
Other
1%
15%
28%
17%
24%
16% At the beginning of PhD studies
Midway through PhD studies
At the end of PhD studies
After PhD studies
Other
If you have
received any
professional career
advice, would you
say it has been
successful?
62%
Yes
21%
No
35%
Somewhat
38%
Other
6%
Those who had, received
it at various stages of
their careers.
And the
success of
that career
advice has
been
variable.
Career support
According to
Högskoleförordning
(Swedish
government
ordinance for higher
education), Chapter
6, § 3, all students
have the right to
study- and career
support, i.e. even
graduate students.
This feature exists
for students at the
undergraduate and
master levels, but
not centrally for
graduate students.
It is important that
PhD students get
the career guidance
both inside and
outside academia.
The supervisors
have a
responsibility, but
there is certainly
room for
improvement!”
A very valuable
comment from one of
the respondents.
”

19. 19
Career support
Friends who have done
internships in companies
have advised me to do an
internship. I'm currently
exploring these options.”
Depending on where the advice comes from, the advice is very different. I
am working with industry, academia, teaching, medical and technology
disciplines, German, Swedish and international societies, and all have
different opinions. So I guess that things will change anyway, and that I do
best if I follow my own way and do what I can. The highest risk ever is to lose
motivation, so I focus on keeping my motivation as high as possible,
counterwork conflicts or strange systems, and focus on those things which I
like most. “
Mostly it was about
how to write a
CV/cover letter, and
to mine they replied
'this is an excellent
CV, why doesn't this
person have a job
already?‘ “
Even though a large
number of respondents
did not receive any
professional career
advice or support, those
who have, described
their experience. Here
are some comments.
”
”
”
Either it is common sense information,
or it is unspecific advice.... ("Stand out
from the rest", ....)””
Usually the career advice does not
take into account the difference
between being: Swedish/being fluent
in Swedish/other and there is very
little competence for helping foreign
people with a research background
that want to take a turn in their career
on the Swedish market.”
”
!

20. 20
Yes
35%
No
9%
Other
2%
Yes
40%
No
11%
Other
3%
do not know whether their
university has any Career
Support Office/Career Centre
54%
do not know whether their university has any
PhD student/postdoc associations that
organize and support career events
46%
University career support
Out of 28 universities who offer PhD programs,
one half has at least a Doctoral Student Board.
Career events are organized by these junior bodies
from time to time, specifically at Stockholm, Lund,
Gothenburg, Linköping and Umeå Universities, KI,
SLU and LTU.
1/2
out of 28 universities which offer PhD
programs have a Career office and/or
a junior body that organizes career
events.
At least
However, they are mostly focused on giving career support to bachelor and
master students, not PhDs, except for Stockholm University, Lund University,
Karolinska Institutet and to some degree Uppsala University, Luleå and Umeå
Universities.
!

21. 21
Yes
26%
Somewhat
26%
Other
3%
Yes
15%
Somewhat
24%
Other
2%
of respondents did not have
support from the university
in their career development
59%
of respondents did not have
support from the
supervisor(s) in their career
development
45%
University career support
Even though a large number of
respondents did not receive any career
advice or support at their universities,
those who have, described their
experience. See some comments below.
The head of my group basically gave us a
timeline of an academic career and briefly
mentioned alternative choices other than
research.”
My boss gave me several pieces of advice during my PhD: how to
continue with an academic career or how to become an editor. He
even recommended me to start to study medicine. These were all
careers that I was not interested in. He was nice but since he knew
only the academic world, he could not help me with advice
regarding a non-academic job. “
Most career advice from more
senior coworkers are not valid. The
competition today is a lot worse. “
”
”
”
!

22. 22
only
35% 24%
had taken career skills
development courses
or seminars
of which
were a part
of the
official PhD
training
Career development courses & seminars
Career seminars are organized by various groups at most universities
we surveyed, but they are rarely a part of the official PhD training, and
they rarely include networking with organizations outside of academia.
Every course or seminar has a potential to be skill-developing.”
”... one of the responders commented. Though this is true, it depends
largely on the field of the studies. Furthermore, regular PhD courses
foster networking and communication, but within the limits of the
university itself.
”Career Skills for Scientists”, Karolinska Institutet, 1.5 pt
”The Science of Your Future”, Karolinska Institutet, 1.5 pt
An official career course initiated by PhD students and postdocs in
2011, originally had a purpose to foster networking within KI. Over the
years, it became a platform for personal branding and interactions with
the industry.
An official career course organized jointly by KI’s Career Service and
the Unit for Bioentrepreneurship.
!

23. 23
No
44%
Other
3%
No
35%
Somewhat
29%
Other
1%
are active social
media users (more
than 1h per day)
53%
uses social media in
career planning/job
search
35%
In general, only about
30% of Swedes look for
jobs via the internet -
however, among the
unemployed, 94% used
the Internet at least once
in search of work, 86%
do so at least once per
week and 49% do so
daily.
7 /10
Swedes
use social
media
1/2
of the
population
does it
daily
~2mil
Swedes
are using
LinkedIn
Careers & Social media
!

24. 24
3 months
or less
20%
4-6 months
19%7-12
months
12%13-18
months
3%
more than
18 months
23%
Other
23%
Yes
14%
Somewhat
12%
Other
17%
Unemployment
Arbetsförmedligen is the largest provider of job opportunities. Their main
task is to bring together employers and job seekers. Their services are free of
charge.
OBS/NB! Financial support during unemployment comes from A-kassa, not
from Arbetsförmedlingen. One has to be a member for a least 1 year in a
relevant A-kassa (Akademikernas A-kassa) in order to get the support.
Arbetsförmedlingen (Swedish Public Employment Service)
If you are/were
unemployed, how
long has it been?
of respondents did not
receive any support from
Arbetsförmedlingen.
57%
15% in total describe their experiences with unemployment in Sweden
3% of respondents are currently unemployed
Most respondents who have had experience
with Arbetsförmedlingen, describe it in a
negative way. It is an overall opinion that this
institution lacks the understanding of PhD
degree skills and academic world, and focuses
more on the unemployed with lower levels of
education.
only
30%
of jobs are
officially
announced.
!
!
!

25. 25
Yes
29%
Somewhat
1%
Other
9%
Yes
14%
Other
6%
Trygghetsstiftelsen (Swedish Security Foundation)
Private career coaches
of respondents did not
receive any support from
Trygghetsstiftelsen.
61%
of respondents did not
receive any support from
private career coaches.
80%
A career coach/ adviser
can be definitely helpful. In
my case we’ve discussed
interviewing skills,
identifying career goals,
and targeting companies.
Also I have learned how to
prepare better for my
interview and prepare
specific CV's. The hours
with my career coaches
helped me isolate my
strengths and understand
where I had areas for
improvement.”
”
Even though most respondents have
never received any support from
private career coaches (or it came
through Trygghetsstiftelsen), those
who have, described it as a great
experience.
When an employee of a governmental institution (as most universities and
colleges in Sweden are) is dismissed due to redundancy or fixed term contracts
(as is the case with most researchers), Trygghetsstiftelsen (TSN) offers further
career help and support. The support is individualized and based on the line of
work; it includes courses and career development sessions with a professional
career coach. The support also includes financial aid, reaching up to 80% of the
salary.
OBS/NB! Researchers on fixed term contracts can
get the support from TSN only if s/he has been
employed for the last three years.
Even though many respondents
could/did not receive support from
TSN, those who did, describe the
experience as very positive.
!
!

26. 26
Poor
12%
Limited
34%
Average
24%
Good
18%
Excellent
2%
I don't know
5%
Other
5%
In Sweden
Job prospects for PhDs
In country of origin
Regardless of
the country,
most
respondents
describe job
prospects for
PhDs on the
scale from
‘poor’ to
‘average’.
Poor
21%
Limited
24%
Average
22%
Good
18%
Excellent
7%
I don't know
4%
Other
4%
Interestingly, more
respondents claim
that the job
prospects in their
country of origin
are ‘excellent’ (7%)
in comparison to
Sweden (2%) –
however, these
numbers are still
low.

27. 27
No
23%
Yes
39% Somewhat
32%
Other
6%
About 70% of respondents at least somewhat
agree that PhDs lack education in certain areas,
that could improve the chances of employment.
Do PhDs lack education in certain areas, that could improve
their chances of employment?
These are the areas most
frequently mentioned by the
respondents as “lacking”:
Future prospects

28. PhD FUTURE

29. Researcher
PhD
Developer
manager
editor
writer
liaison
advisorenterpreneur
consultant
strategist
coordinator
29
PhD skills
It was mainly about recognizing the broad skill set that I had obtained
during my PhD and about the resulting possibilities on the job market that I
found very empowering. I came to realize that a PhD gives you both the
opportunity and the responsibility to lead your professional life in whichever
direction you want.“
”
During the PhD studies, skills that are developed the most are those of
research and development. Beyond them, a PhD student does a lot of
detailed and high-quality writing, management, coordination etc. But how
are these skills recognized beyond the academic world?

30. 30
Companies do not often recruit PhDs for managerial positions - they seek
younger candidates with the actual degree in management. The additional
problem could be that we are too numerous yet too specialized.
Behbood Borghei, PhD student in technology -
environmental innovation at Linköping University
I think businesses are unsure of the skills that those with PhDs possess
and how to integrate them into their workflow. PhDs don't understand
how business works in terms of economics and workflow. I think
educating PhDs to gain some skills associated with business and
businesses to understand the benefits of employing PhDs will help
businesses and academia to grow and thrive.”
”
I lived and worked in the UK for five years on a managerial position in a
biotech company. Generally, in the UK a degree, regardless of level is
more appreciated than in Sweden and it is also seen more as a "driving
license" giving ability to gather and process information to solve a task.
In Sweden, it is generally more common to believe that a persons
abilities are limited by the subject of their degree. This is a
disadvantage for Sweden.”
”
I think that employers ( at least
in private sector) also need to be
educated in what a PhD-degree
contains. Few understand that it
involves project management at
a high level.”
”
In Sweden the 5 years of PhD studies
are often not seen as working
experience in the private industry.
The problem is having a lot of
education, but limited experience,
when you finish your studies. I was
not aware of this during my studies,
otherwise I would have tried to work
part time also outside academia
during my studies.”
”
PhD Skills & Industry
!

31. 31
PhD skills valued the most by industry recruiters
dedication and analytical skills.”
” Independence, drive, getting
things done quickly and
efficiently, ease to learn new
things.”
”Specialist knowledge, methodology.”
”
Analytical skills, critical thinking, accuracy, personality.”
”Presentation skills, the ability to obtain information.”
”
In addition to their knowledge, including personal
characteristics, PhDs are professional, efficient and
understand what is required of them to work in a
commercial enterprise.”
”
I think there is a general belief that as a
graduate student, you are automatically
over-qualified, if it is not a job in science
or similar where the right doctoral
degree is a requirement or qualification. I
think that it is easy to confuse a person's
qualifications / experience / knowledge
(in level as a graduate student) with a
person's motivations and drive. Just
because you are a PhD student does not
necessarily mean that you are
overqualified if you have the right drive
and motivation for the job.”
” It is not the
level of
education that
is crucial, but
the training
and personality
behind
knowledge!”
”

32. 32
It is likely that the Swedish market is saturated with PhDs. To make matters
worse for the job prospects in industry, it seems that the idea of companies
coming, recruiting and interacting with the students, is not in the Swedish
culture…
Michael Gralla, PhD student at Karolinska
Institutet, one of the co-organizers of
”The Science of Your Future” career course
The placement offices in the Universities are not precise and on the target.
Students at the PhD/post graduate level do not require resume writing skills
or interview skills. Placement cells should create a full process model
recruitment facility at the university, rather than just some vague job fairs
which will never be successful. If you have no prejudice, see the Indian
Institute of Technology, Madras placement cell http://placement.iitm.ac.in/.
They are on target and facilitate the platform for quick recruitment process.
Major companies like Google, Microsoft, Skype complete the recruitment
process on campus within a couple of days and hand in the offer. In Sweden,
job fairs at Universities are off target and are just to publicize the
companies. They do not come to fill a fixed number of vacancies out of the
universities. Students end up waiting months to get an initial response. It is
a burden on the students and on the unemployment benefits. I guess a
faster process can be adopted from other places.”
”
The time as a PhD Student (I am speaking here for Humanities) needs to
be more intimately connected to the coming work opportunities. The
PhD Student needs tools and preparation for the working market.
He/she needs advice from well informed people with an academic
career. It is important to make this an obligatory part of the PhD.”
”
PhD Skills & University
!

33. 33
What can PhDs do to improve their job prospects?
There is a huge gap between industry and academia, mostly in terms of
thinking, but producing as well. The Swedish market is too small for the
number of PhDs awarded. Unfortunately, PhDs lack training for real world
situations, which is only partially the universities’ fault.
Therefore, PhDs should focus more on:
1. Time keeping: mark goals and milestones
2. Building work-real life attitude
3. Building managerial skills: e.g. take responsibility for budget planning
of PhD projects
4. Social media (especially LinkedIn and Twitter), because the industry is
also moving in that direction.
Mary-Rose Hoja, PhD, marketing and business communication
consultant.
It is extremely difficult to motivate and guide PhD students and postdocs
towards their future careers, because the (post)doctoral studies are
demanding and most of them simply don’t have time to even think about
the future.
However, if they do not wish to continue with the academic research
they can start by identifying and communicating with companies they
see themselves working for one day.
Additionally, being used to working on their own projects, PhDs make
excellent entrepreneurs and start-up managers, and that is something to
always keep in mind!
Jennifer Polk, PhD, career coach, http://fromphdtolife.com/
!
!

34. 34
Future Trends
Flexibility
PhD
Broad skills
communications
regulations
business and
entrepreneurship
leadership
project
management
data analysis (IT,
mathematics,
statistics)
The report on the trends for the job market for scientists, presented by
Naturvetarna (The Association of Professional Scientists), summarizes some
future trends that are in fact applicable to PhDs in general too.
Overall, multiple skills are highly valued, apart from the expertise obtained
during PhD studies, such as communication skills, leadership and
management. These skills are required in most sectors but PhDs have to
emphasize, and convince future employers, that they have them, as they are
not part of the basic education in most cases.

35. PhD career solutions
success
Internships
Internships for PhD
students and postdocs
in companies and
agencies are
occasionally organized
by Career Centers at
some universities, as
well as by
Trygghetsstiftelsen.
This activity should be
more encouraged and
supported at the
universities, as well as
in the industry. It
provides excellent
ground for gaining
and developing
broader skills, while
making the CV more
interesting and
appealing and
creating more job
opportunities.
Social
Media &
networking
Workshops
Attend them! Many
universities often
organize them – How
to write a CV, How to
write a cover letter,
How to use LinkedIn...
If you are interested
in something more
specific, such as
business and
management, check
e.g. Stockholm School
of Entrepreneurship.
Also, use social media
to reach your goals –
for example
Meetup.com, where
you can find many
interesting groups of
knowledgeable
people with different
skills.
35

36. Higher education in Sweden, 2013 status report,
Universitetskanslersämbetet (Swedish Higher Education Authority)
http://www.uk-
ambetet.se/download/18.1c251de913ecebc40e780003405/1403093
616367/annual-report-2013-ny.pdf
Statistiska Centralbyråns register Befolkningens utbildning 2013
http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/UF0524_2012A01_BR_0
0_UF01BR1201.pdf
Svenskarna och internet 2014, Olle Findahl, .SE Stiftelsen för
internetinfrastruktur (The Internet Infrastructure Foundation)
https://www.iis.se/docs/SOI2014.pdf
Rekrytering via sociala medier - bra eller bara hype?, Stepstone
http://www.stepstone.se/rekrytera-
online/rekryteringsexpertis/undersokningar/images/infografik-
SE.png
Marknadsundersökning av karriärverksamhet för studenter
nationellt och internationellt, Charlotte Bäckström, Karolinska
Institute Career Service
Trygghetsstiftelsen www.tsn.se
Visa dig från din bästa sida: tips om hur du skriver en jobbansökan,
Arbetsförmedligen,
http://www.arbetsformedlingen.se/download/18.306228a513d6386
d3d85c4c/1401114499726/Visa+dig+fr%C3%A5n+din+b%C3%A4sta+s
ida_Broschyr.pdf
Naturvetares arbetsmarknad & trender 2014, Nya möjligheter i en
föränderlig omvärld, Naturvetarna
http://www.naturvetarna.se/Global/Naturvetarna_tycker/Rapporter
/AM-rapporten_20141020_slutversion_low.pdf
Icons made by FreePik www.flaticon.com
Social media Logos created by Tony Thomas
http://medialoot.com/item/round-social-media-icons/
Photography by Milica Putnik
36
References and Sources

37. 37
Contact
For further information
about inviting PhD
Career Link to speak at
your institution, please
contact Barry O'Brien -
barry@phdcareerlink.se
For more information
about the contents of
this report please email
Milica Putnik –
milica@phdcareerlink.se
Also please visit
www.phdcareerlink.se