I've done some applying with one big company (involving first two letters of the English alphabet) but I get rejections, and one interview, where I was overqualified. Can anyone share some information, or even a past experience?
Thanks again
I am graduating from electrical engineering the University of Toronto, in Ontario, Canada. I have always been very interested in living in Switzerland, and I am wondering as I research about Switzerland if anyone knows anything about current opportunities in the engineering fields, particularly electrical engineering. Any information is useful, as I am presently searching the internet, night and day, looking and reading information about Switzerland, Economy, jobs and lifestyles.
Try this one, with the first . .er er
If you need any more info about them - send me a PM.
Also check out Roche, companies in the "space" field (Ruag), and PSI (Paul Scherrer Institut). Cisco has a growing presence is in Rolle near Lausanne, as well as here near Zurich.
You didn't mention your language skills but knowing German or French, depending on where you want to live, helps immensely.
Engineers are in short supply so that will help you. Good luck.
Dan
I have basic knowledge in both French and German, and would really love to improve on them. But I don't think it's enough if it is a completely French/German working environment. At least not for the first few months. But then again, I'm young, I learn fast.
www.jobs.ch is where to look.
I'd like to address one more issue: the system.
Being a Canadian and a Romanian/Bulgarian, puts a huge obstacle in securing a placement with a company in Switzerland. Being a fresh graduate with only a summer internship and a few research projects doesn't help either (even if I've done exactly the same things as in the position description). In the big engineering companies, how common is to have someone hired like me? Is it just one lucky shot I am looking for?
I know it's pretty slim overall, but is engineering included?
I'm also seeing a contradiction:
When I was in Zurich, I saw many people from China, India, Pakistan; from the last names of HR people, I can see that they are from Serbia, Russia; there were also many people from Africa around the Geneva Lake. It is full of foreigners, yet, the system is not made for them. Are all of them (you) people with exceptional abilities, or lucky shots?
I have read the things written in this forum, but is engineering different? I sometimes feel like HR throw away my application, when they see "visa required".
(too bad rejections don't say the reason)
If you want to work at the cutting edge of new technology, do not come to Switzerland.
Last year I was working for a company that still sent new versions of their software to customers on UV-erasable EEPROMs. In 2012!
My recommendation is, if you're serious about a career in Engineering, go somewhere where people are actually doing innovative EE stuff. For that, you just can't beat the Valley. Short of that, I'd consider Singapore, South Korea, or China. But never Switzerland. Not for EE innovation. Never. (shrug).
Just a little advice--perhaps you know, or perhaps it's irrelevant. Not sure if you have a Masters degree or not, but the bachelors degree does not carry as much weight in CH as it does in Canada. From the technical unis here, it is commonly considered that you are not a graduate yet with just a bachelors degree--you are only a graduate with the masters.
That being said my SO is an electrical engineer, and her last position was along side may electrical engineers with no masters at all.
Try out National Instruments as a stepping stone to get a permit (ideal if you have French or German skills as well)--of course you will be first in competition with those who are Swiss, then those from EU countries before they consider North Americans.
Sometimes it's best to ignore people who don't know what they're talking about. OP chose Switzerland for a reason, its engineering capabilities are absolutely top notch and many Swiss engineering companies, electrical engineering included, are technology leaders in their field (and export most of it, despite the high prices, if that's not an indication of superiour technology I don't know what is). That's also not something that can be said about Singapore, which is more well known for its lack of innovation except in the field of finance....
http://sgentrepreneurs.com/2011/09/1...novation-well/
Try landing a job at a Swiss company in Canada and then relocate to Switzerland through an inter-company transfer, the easiest way to move to Switzerland for those outside Schengen.
I am aware, yes. Thanks.
I am curious if that's right? The Canadian bachelors is four years, and the Bologna is 3 years. I've looked at masters programs in Switzerland - they take courses that I've already taken them in my 4th year. From all the expats working in Swiss companies, I'm sure people are aware?
I will bet you a million dollars, that I indeed know much better than you what I'm talking about.
Just because there are lots of good things about Switzerland, it doesn't mean that its EE industry is cutting edge.
It's not. Trust me.
I will have to take your word over that of the international business community who buys overpriced technology from these firms then...
But you're right in a way, Singapore and China do really need your expertise more than Switzerland.
Alas, that is exactly why I came here 27 years ago (the only other real choice at the time being Japan for what I was interested in).
After finishing my BSEE in the US, I did an internship with a Swiss company, who later spent three years trying to get me to come an work for them, and another year to iron out the details (life was not so easy in the early-mid '80s). And at the end of internship I got a 40% bonus of my total salary (and this was in '82), so yes, I would say that I was able to get a job here based on "exceptional abilities". Can't speak for any other EEs.
Tom
You'd have to be inside the industry to know, but yes, a lot of firms that buy Swiss technology are actually other Swiss firms that buy overpriced stuff because they don't know any better. You'd be amazed at what kind of vaporware I've seen Swiss companies sell, and stay in business by incredibly mysterious means, given how much money they waste uselessly in their engineering departments. I couldn't believe it myself when I saw it. But I did. If a company in Silicon Valley adopted the "Swiss way" of doing engineering, with their fear of innovation, 2 to 5 year development cycles, and 15 year old technology (15! not 2, 3 or 4 years old technology, 15 year old technology in a field that, elsewhere in the world, pops out new chipsets every 6 months!!) they'd be out of business in less than a year. That's because they have to sell internationally and they compete with companies with the best minds in the world. Here...Swiss companies just buy Swiss. So there's a market for their crapware, incredible as it sounds. Must be a national solidarity thing. Strange, but true.
Don't be mad at me, simon_ch. It is just stuff I've seen first hand. It is not 3rd hand "business community statistics". Marketroids lie all the time anyway, and that's not just in Switzerland.
Neither. Switzerland is, like most of Europe, so starved for engineers that they'll take anyone with half a clue. So, persistence. Apply until you get an interview. I happen to be an European citizen so it was easier for me because permits were not an issue, so you may have more difficulty. But I see non-Euros being hired all the time, so...persistence.
Just remember what I said: if you want to make a career with fast-paced innovation, in the EE field, this is not the best place, and you'll lose skills fast if you stay here too long, unless you find an exceptional company (ie. a la IBM research labs or something) where you're allowed to take the initiative on projects and are not stifled by the highly hierarchical culture of most Swiss industry.
Alas, total nonsense.
Just starved for GREAT engineers.
Those with half a clue, get no jobs.
Tom
I am very much on that one with RC and btw I also happen to work in EE field and SW development. This country outsources engineers and needs new technology. Ongoing battle to get proudly Swiss made and cutting edge does not bring about expected results. Countries like Finland and Sweden are leaders in new control platforms which local companies have long way to go to get there yet. Had seen several graduates and workmates going to Scandinavia instead as a trade off between good salaries versus innovation and being exposed to the latest. If your inspiration is to become programmer of DSP or FPGA using HDL coder via Matlab/Simulink modules you need to look elsewhere. However if you are an old fashioned Assembly/C coder, Switzerland might be the right place for you.
Interestingly, they are our major customers! (for the past 15+ years or so)
Probably because we do better assembler/C than the average foreigner.
Tom
We must be living in parallel universe then. The very first toys which local engineers play with and struggle to figure out Finland for example uses already in their products. Just for political reasons Swiss seem to be stubborn to admit and try to develop similar proudly theirs.
Interestingly, if you disagree with somebody else's opinion you must drive by groan. Having bad day in the office, eh?