Networking leads to jobs
2018-09-28Networking and being involved in different activities during your studies pay off. This was clear at this years’ IT dinner on 20 September when students met representatives from companies that are part of Snits, a network linking industry and IT students at Karlstad University.
During the introductory presentation, all ten participating companies emphasised that many students get job offers after completing their degree projects.
“Sogeti has appointed five new graduates this autumn and four of them participated in Snits activities. Contact companies, it pays off,” urged Åsa Maspers, head of consulting and recruitment at Sogeti.
The IT dinner is also the Snits kick-off for the academic year, and IT students were invited to meet companies in the sector. The theme of this year’s dinner was mentorship and degree projects, two important factors for companies seeking digital talents and students looking for jobs.
Good way of building relationships
“Today, I’m mainly interested in information on mentorship,” says Louise Berenfors, who is currently in the second year of the Computer Engineering programme and attends as many network meetings as possible. “It’s fantastic that this network exists. I have friends studying at other universities who don’t have any contact with the sector during their studies. I think this should be a natural part of the studies.”
One of the attending business representatives was Pontus Ljungdahl from Prevas. He completed his degree in Software Design at Karlstad University, and was appointed after doing his degree project at Prevas in 2014. He has also mentored two students.
“It feels great to be able to give back. I appreciated this a lot when I was a student. It is also always fun to meet passionate students.”
Snits, Samverkan Näringsliv och IT-studenter, comprises representatives of local IT companies, Compare, the student association Linda, as well as the subjects Computer Science and Information Systems at Karlstad University. In addition to the IT dinner, the network also organises lunch meetings, study visits, a mentorship programme and guest lectures.
Participating companies are Altran, Askås, CGI, Elvenite, Prevas, Redpill Linpro, Sogeti, Stamford, Tieto and ÅF.