Afternoon workshops

'A career at the EU institutions: opportunities, application process and useful tips' (Michiel Humblet)

This seminar offers participants comprehensive information on career opportunities at the EU institutions. It will include an overview of possibilities to work for the EU, the organisation and the various stages of the selection process, as well as a practical module giving participants some hands-on experience with the various tests that have to be passed.

The seminar's facilitator, Michiel Humblet, has been working as a permanent official at the European Commission for four years, and before that also participated in the European Central Bank's Graduate Programme as well as the European Commission's traineeships programme.

'From PhD to the Next Professional Step' (Isabelle Delecaut & Leonardo Ruggiero)

The purpose of this jointly organised workshop is to empower PhD candidates from different fields to confidently make future career decisions by identifying realistic career prospects and by highlighting career opportunities for critical thinkers and problem solvers, within and outside academia.

BioBizz café organised by FlandersBio

The FlandersBio BioBizz café is an initiative of OPINNO – open innovation for successful entrepreneurship. OPINNO aims to bridge the gap between life sciences education and industry, and stimulates entrepreneurship among students.

The BioBizz Café will kick off with a workshop by the recruitment agency Hudson. This workshop will give you the opportunity to prepare for psychometrical screenings within the scope of recruitment.

In preparation of this workshop we would like to ask you to fill in a few tests (you will receive these tests after subscription). These tests will give you more insight into your talents and interest. You will have the possibility to discuss your test results with a Hudson expert during the workshop.

Deadline for filling in the tests: Tuesday September 20. You will receive your personalized report with your results on Wednesday September 21. You need to print these results out and bring them to the workshop.

The workshop is followed by round table discussions with life sciences entrepreneurs that share their industry experience. This is a unique opportunity for students in the life sciences to discuss any questions they may have about career opportunities in the industry, entrepreneurship, etc. The following companies have confirmed their presence: Biocartis, ViroVet, Ontoforce, Multiplicom, Advipro, GSK & Merck Ventures.

'Serving the World' (UNRIC)

Many young people are dreaming of an international career with the UN. But what does one have to study to join the organization? And how do you apply for a job? During the session, the speaker will talk about the different types of jobs (headquarters vs field work), the different working conditions, the opportunities, downsides and pitfalls, all aimed at young professionals. The session will be illustrated with pictures from the speaker’s past experiences in different countries in Africa, Afghanistan and Belgium.

'Dos and Don’ts in CV and cover letter writing' (UCT)

In this workshop we will focus on the written parts of the application procedure: the cv and the cover letter. Authentic examples will be discussed in order to gain insight into general dos and don’ts. The participants’ own documents will be used as further class materials and will be handed back with an individual feedback as well.

Please send in a copy of your cv and cover letter in English to by 15 September at the latest. Your documents can be used as an example during the workshop. If you want to make them anonymous, please do so immediately in the attached file. If you wish not to see them used during the workshop, please state so in the accompanying message.

'The future of work' (Randstad Professionals)

The science of recruitment: reverse engineering a recruitment process to enable upscaling, validation and market access for your personal brand.

Studies reveal the age of ‘post & pray’ is over. Sending your CV to a company is insufficient. A more pro-active, networking approach increases the opportunities.

What is your dream? Are you a purple cow? How to become a thought leader? Where can you find matching companies? How do you combine ‘tech & touch’?

By the end of this workshop, you should be able to discover competencies, match them with interesting employers and use different social media channels to facilitate your job search and increase your personal branding.