Career Advice Detail Europe

General tips for finding and applying for a graduate job in Poland

Overview

Poland is a great work destination for UK higher education graduates. Currently, it is the eighth largest economy in Europe who has been constantly on the rise.

Working in fields such as aerospace, biotechnology (see industry-specific page), electronic and household appliances, food processing as well as research and development (R&D) is worth considering. It is because that these sectors are supported by the government. It provides with grants and other forms of assistance.
(source: Country Brief: Poland by British Council, 2016)

Achieving a degree at a British university provides an advantage over Poland’s graduates because of important differences in the British university system. In the UK, a great emphasis is put on so-called “soft skills” such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving and time management. Moreover, UK graduates usually have a higher level of competency in spoken and written English than Poland’s domestic graduates.

Prospects
 

• “GDP growth is projected to remain strong
• Investment will pick up owing to faster disbursements of EU structural funds
• Private consumption will grow strongly thanks to a buoyant labour market”

(source: Poland - Economic forecast summary by OECD, May 2018)

Applying for jobs

The only way to be offered a position that you are applying for is by preparing an outstanding CV and cover letter as well as having a thorough knowledge about the company.

Your CV needs to include:

Personal information

The most basic information is your name, address and contact details. Unlike the CVs that are sent to British companies, in Poland it is required to provide your date of birth and a photo. Do make sure that the photo you are going to use is of good quality and you look professional.

Education

Apart from giving your university course details, focus on achievements you have had at university. You should talk about your good grades, student projects or a society committee role.
 

Skills and abilities

You need to be very specific. Naturally, the more you are capable the better. However, do not be tempted to talk about things that are irrelevant. If there is no link between seething you did in the past and the position you are applying for, do not mention it. For example, if you are applying for an accountant position, you should omit details of your experience when you have walked your neighbour’s dog.
 

Job experience & training

This is a key part of your CV. When providing details of your experience, give information that is relevant and specific to the position and the company you are applying for. Talking about your achievements and individual aspects of your previous roles is more valuable than just simply listing all the responsibilities you had previously held.
 

Interest & hobbies

In this part, you can show your personality. If a recruiter shares some of your interests, it may become a part of the conversation during an interview and thus, you can “earn some extra points”. Although do not say that you like listening to music or reading books as it is too general and vague.

References

You can put personal details of your previous managers and university tutors as the last section of your CV. If there is not enough space in the document or you do not wish to disclose this information at the beginning of the recruitment process, just say “References available upon request”.

Legal bit

It is required by law to insert a sentence that you give consent to the company so it can then handle your personal data. If you skip this part, the company will not be able to process your documents. The sentence is as follows:

Wyrażam zgodę na przetwarzanie moich danych osobowych dla potrzeb niezbędnych do realizacji procesu rekrutacji (zgodnie z Ustawą z dnia 29.08.1997 roku o Ochronie Danych Osobowych; tekst jednolity: Dz. U. 2016 r. poz. 922).

(Source: https://geekwork.pl/jak-napisac-dobre-cv-4/; https://porady.pracuj.pl/jak-napisac-dobre-cv/)

 

Cover letter:
 

• Must be tailored for the company and the position you are applying for
• Think of these of your skills and achievements that will be the most relevant for the potential employer. Find job offers of similar positions and then check what responsibilities and expectations your potential employer may have. Once you have all the information in place, start writing your cover letter.
• Cannot be repetitive
• You need to always stand out of the crowd. If you are going to be using sentences that are full of cliches, there is no chance that you impress a recruiter. Make sure that what you are saying is original and absorbing. Also, avoid repeating yourself - instead, every sentence needs to be different yet still complementary to the previous one.
• Contains evidence
• Recruiters say that job applicants often talk about their personality rather than actual achievements. Instead of saying that you are “communicative and creative”, talk about actual examples when you have utilised such skills. For example, “I know how to successfully build relationships with key clients. Thanks to my sale activities, I have increased the number of companies we have collaborated with by more than 20% in a year time”.
• Matches CV - Your cover letter and CV must work as a tandem. Not only they need to be written in the same format (eg. same font, its size, document margins), but also must correspond with each other in terms of their content. It is in your cover letter where you can elaborate more on the experience (either in volunteer or paid positions) and skills you can offer. Also, you can also provide information that is not present in your CV but will increase your chances of employment.

(Source: https://interviewme.pl/blog/dobry-list-motywacyjny)

Key employers

Poczta Polska
Mainly postal services, also insurance and banking services (83.000 employees)
https://www.poczta-polska.pl/aplikuj/

Jerónimo Martins
Retail and food distribution (47.000 employees)
https://karierawjm.pl/oferty-pracy/

Polskie Koleje Państwowe
Railway operator (44.000 employees)

https://www.plk-sa.pl/kariera/aktualnie-poszukujemy/aktualnie-poszukujemy/

PGE
Power company (41.000 employees)

https://www.gkpge.pl/Kariera

KGHM Polska Miedź S.A
Silver and copper production (34.500 employees)

https://kghm.com/pl/kariera

Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo (PGNiG)
Oil and gas company (31.000 employees)
http://pgnig.pl/pgnig/kariera/oferty-pracy

Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa

Coal mining company (29.000 employees)

https://www.jsw.pl/o-nas/jsw-jako-pracodawca/oferty-pracy/

PKP Cargo
Logistics operator (28.000 employees)

https://www.pkpcargo.com/pl/kim-jestesmy/kariera

Tesco Polska Sp. z o.o.

Groceries and general merchandise retailer (28.000 employees)

https://tesco.pl/kariera/

PKO Bank Polski

Banking services (27.000 employees)
https://www.pkobp.pl/grupa-pko-banku-polskiego/kariera/

Useful websites

Social Media

• LinkedIn: https://pl.linkedin.com/
• GoldenLine: https://www.goldenline.pl/

Tips & advice

• Absolvent.pl - https://www.absolvent.pl/#/
• interviewme - https://interviewme.pl/blog
• Prospects: Work in Poland - https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/working-abroad/work-in-poland
• GraduateLand - https://graduateland.com/s/jobs/poland

Job offers
 

• infoPraca.pl - https://www.infopraca.pl/
• pracuj.pl - https://www.pracuj.pl/
• Jobs.pl - https://www.jobs.pl/en
• Praca.pl - https://www.praca.pl/
• OLX.pl - https://www.olx.pl/praca/
• GazetaPraca.pl - https://gazetapraca.pl/0,0.html
• MediaCV - http://www.mediacv.pl/
• Monster Polska - https://www.monsterpolska.pl/