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CHaSE 2016 – Careers in Health and Science Exposition

On the 11th of February 2016, CHaSE took place in Aula Medica, Karolinska Institutet. The program included company presentations, workshops and company booths where students and working professionals had a chance to learn about career opportunities in life science sector.

By Teresa Daraio

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he idea of having a career fair at Karolinska Institutet originated from the need for students and healthcare professionals to know more about possible career paths after graduation. After the first edition in 2014, in partnership with Medicinska Föreningen and Karolinska Institutet (KI), a group of 10 students started to work on the CHaSE 2016 project. The purpose was to create a unique career fair, where visitors could get an overview on careers in life sciences. We counted with the participation of pharmaceutical companies, consulting firms, recruiting enterprises and with professional associations.

The exposition included company presentations from Novo Nordisk, MSD, E-Phy Science, Militenyi and AstraZeneca aiming to inform about their career opportunities and which skills they look for in their future employees. The session “Meet the Alumni” served as a discussion platform with KI alumni who work in the life science industry, and was followed by the session “Meet the recruiters” where life science recruiters gave tips on job applications and how to succeed in job interviews. Naturvetarna held an interactive workshop to provide guidance and tools on how to access career paths and effective ways to get there. Finally, the “LinkedIn Pop-Up Workshop” held by PhD career Link, offered the chance to have a 1-to-1 session with a LinkedIn coach to create a strong profile and get a professional profile picture.

How did visitors experience CHaSE 2016?
The visitors, mostly Master students, PhD students and Post-Docs, were very satisfied according to the surveys. The value they experienced came from useful information about companies they did not know about before. Furthermore, over 70% of the visitors got in contact with potential employers and almost 90% got insights into their career planning. The participants particularly appreciated the opportunity of having close contact with company representatives and getting tips for entering the job market. The interactive presentations and workshops were also regarded of high value. Overall, 94% of visitors said they would come back for CHaSE 2017.

How did exhibitors experience CHaSE 2016?
The exhibitors participated in CHaSE primarily to increase the visitors’ knowledge about their companies and to recruit potential employees. Regarding feedback, the companies achieved their goals – 91% got in contact with potential employees and were satisfied with the student interaction throughout the day. Furthermore, the exhibitors were very pleased with the overall organization of CHaSE 2016 and many responded that they would come back for CHaSE 2017

A big thanks for their commitment and hard work to the CHaSE 2016 team members: Arya Kurumathur, Camilla Maffezzini, Daniela Papadia, Firoz Roshan Kurudenkandy, Fosco Giordano, Huanling Lai, Laura Liimatainen, Nino Hallén, Subu Surendran Rajasekaran, Teresa Daraio and to the volunteers.

Medicinska Föreningen is currently recruiting  a new team for CHaSE 2017

Send your candidature to: [email protected]

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