Tell us a little about yourself and what brought you to CERN?

My name is Milosz Zielinski and I'm currently finishing my master's degree in Operations Management.

Previously, I graduated from Lodz University of Technology in Management and Production Engineering, and from La Rochelle Business school in Business Administration.

Before joining CERN I have been working in the United States and in Poland, supporting the production and implementation of the Polish Air Radar System.

I have applied to CERN because I am fascinated by the successful cooperation of countries from all around the world for a non-profit goal, and I decided that I want to be a part of it! A month after I sent my application for the Administrative Studentship Programme, I had an interview with the Open Science team and I started my project.

What do you do at CERN today?

I am supporting SCOAP3—a worldwide partnership of 3000 universities from 44 countries to disseminate scientific information.

The main task of my work is to find and implement a software to manage relations with our partners and optimize SCOAP3 operations. Because of the unique nature of our initiative, none of the systems already used at CERN could fulfill our requirements. Therefore, I did market research, which allowed us to find the most appropriate solution for our needs. After the software provider was registered in CERN's supplier database, we implemented the program, which is now functional and ensures continuity of our initiative.

On top of the software implementation, I had a chance to work with our Executive Committee and Governing Council, which was a terrific experience.

What is working at CERN like for you?

It's great! As I mentioned in the beginning, I really appreciate that CERN created an environment which brings together people from all around the world, working on an extremely wide range of projects and technologies, with the same goal of pushing the frontiers of science and technology, for the benefit of all.

What advice would you give to potential applicants?

I fully agree with what was said before by my colleagues at CERN careers website, and from my side I would like to add two practical hints:

Check out the stories of other CERN employees. They show how people specialized in various domains fit at CERN and where you should with your area of expertise.

The recruitment process for studentships at CERN is different from what I experienced in the corporate world. 

In the companies I worked with before, HR employees were screening and interviewing candidates to check how they fit in the company. At CERN, HR checks if candidates fulfil the legal requirements, and then that pool of profiles is shared with supervisors. The conclusion that can be drawn from it is that if you will not be hired during your first application to CERN, it doesn’t mean that your profile was deemed as unfit, and you shouldn’t apply in the future. It could just mean that at the moment, there were no vacancies in the teams that could use your skills. Don’t get discouraged and apply in the next round!

Inspired? If you're a student looking for a unique opportunity to complement your STEM or administrative studies, check out our different technical, doctoral and administrative programmes and apply!