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Ex-recruiter: Job hunt rigged against foreigners

Foreigners in Sweden are being blacklisted by recruitment agencies for not speaking Swedish - and remain on the blacklist even after they have improved their language skills, according to a whistleblower from one of the top recruitment firms.

Published: 2 September 2013 12:27 CEST
Ex-recruiter: Job hunt rigged against foreigners

According to Mikael Andersson, an ex-recruitment manager from one of Stockholm’s bigger agencies, many job-seekers in Sweden are doomed without even knowing it.

“Let’s say you apply for a job when you first get to Sweden. If you tell the recruiter that you can’t speak Swedish, they have the power to red-flag you for good as a non-Swedish speaker – regardless of whether you later learn to speak Swedish fluently or not at all,” he told The Local.

SEE ALSO:CV name-change leaves foreign student reeling

“Your name will always pop up with a notification that you’re a non-Swedish speaker from that day forth. It doesn’t matter what job it is, you’re red flagged in a global setting.”

The problem, he explains, isn’t in the official pre-filled information boxes that an applicant writes out, it’s in the private side-notes the recruiters keep after the first interaction, notes which are rarely updated and are often made in a way that leaves candidates portrayed in a negative light.

“There’s too much trust in the recruiters, who are usually under-qualified and fresh out of school. The system is absurd,” he added.

Andersson (not his real name), worked in Stockholm at one of the nation’s 15 largest recruitment companies. He said that during the short conversations supposed to weed out the people unsuitable for the job, recruiters take the chance to glean information about an applicant’s capabilities. Recruiters are trained to immediately ask for the job-seeker’s Swedish speaking skills if the applicant has a non-Swedish sounding name, he alleged.

But the troubles don’t stop there. With over 600 recruitment agencies in Stockholm alone, job-seekers are shooting themselves in the foot by being over-eager at the beginning of their job hunt, as many of the agencies operate on similar systems.

SEE ALSO: A look at past My Swedish Career features

“We’ve all heard the stories of people who have applied for 200 jobs without getting called for an interview – even though they may be qualified,” Andersson explained. “This plays a big part in it.”

These people, according to Andersson, have often been red-flagged from day one and their applications never make it past the first stage – even if it’s for a job where knowing Swedish might not be necessary.

Andersson added that many job-seekers don’t know their rights anyway.

“They’re not going to tell you that you’re blocked, but it’s completely in your rights to ask for a copy of the file they have on you from their database,” he explained.

Andersson said keeping people’s information can be in breach of Sweden’s Personal Data Act (Personuppgiftslagen – PuL), something confirmed by Malin Sredholm, legal advisor at Sweden’s Data Inspectorate (Datainspektionen).

“Personal data must be adequate and relative. If information is old and no longer relevant then keeping it could be in breach of the law,” she told The Local.

SEE ALSO: Ten tips for the perfect Swedish cover letter

“I think it sounds wrong,” she said when asked about practices described by Andersson, adding that she hadn’t heard of a similar case before.

Sredholm stated that to determine whether such actions were against the law, an official complaint would have to be registered and the data protection watchdog would have to audit the company, in writing, to ensure that it was a recurring issue and not just a one-off.

“If the complaint implies that it’s a repeated wrong, or a routine problem, then it’s more likely that we would act,” she explained. “Information must be updated, or if not, erased. That is part of the privacy act.”

SEE ALSO: Click here for the latest listings for jobs in Sweden

At Swedish job recruitment agency Academic Work, the process is clear, according to spokeswoman Elin Frejd.

“We know and follow Sweden’s Personal Data Act,” she told The Local.

“While we do write notes during the initial contact, which is usually done via telephone, these notes are about education, work background and skills, we want to find out if they are qualified or if the timing is right for employment.”

She added that the agency updates its information constantly in its own system and the recruiters’ notes were there to help in the specific recruitment process.

“All our recruiters have training and skills for conducting these first interviews and it is done according to our internal procedures,” she added.

But this is not the case at all job agencies, according to Andersson. The problems run deeper than just language capabilities, too, with first-contact recruiters often missing opportunities due to their lack of knowledge about a job position.

“These people are first-tier staff, they’re essentially juniors but they make high-level decisions. But they don’t know what they’re doing,” Andersson said.

“It’s like getting someone who knows nothing about gardening to do the weeding. They have no idea whether they’re pulling out weeds or flowers.

“One stupid comment and you’re out.”

When contacted by The Local, the CEO of Andersson’s old recruiting firm vehemently denied the allegations, claiming that while the phone operators did take notes, they only related to skills needed for the job.

“This doesn’t sound right at all, we work against prejudice. We don’t mind where you’re from, we want to get you a job,” the CEO said.

The CEO added that the telephonists were indeed trained for their job, and that the company specifically quizzes employers who have asked for Swedish speakers only.

“We ask them if Swedish truly is a necessity, because if the job can be done in English then it’s something we can provide for. Employers saying that people must speak Swedish usually just prefer to have Swedish speakers, it’s not a matter of need.”

So what is the advice of the former recruiter left embittered by a dysfunctional system?

“To be honest, it’s better to be lazy when you first get to Sweden, then at least you won’t get blocked everywhere,” Andersson told The Local.

“In my experience, I’d advise anyone to learn a functional amount of Swedish first. That’s your best bet if you want to ever get yourself a job in Sweden.”

SEE ALSO: Quick tips for writing the perfect Swedish CV

Oliver Gee

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READER INSIGHTS

How to find a job in Sweden: Five tips from those who’ve been there, done that

The Swedish job market poses unique challenges for newcomers. The Local's readers share their best tips for cracking the career code.

Published: 10 April 2024 11:32 CEST
Updated: 13 April 2024 15:50 CEST
How to find a job in Sweden: Five tips from those who've been there, done that

Network, network, network!

A statistic that often gets tossed around is that seven out of ten jobs in Sweden are obtained through personal connections, and there’s no doubt that a good network is crucial to your job hunt, making the labour market extra challenging for newcomers to the country.

In fact, networking was the main tip mentioned by The Local’s readers.

“The job market is quite hot in Sweden, and talent is in short supply. People hiring do not have a lot of time to find the right talent, and tips from friends, colleagues and former colleagues are the way to first, find out organisations are hiring, and secondly, get your CV on the short list,” said Kyle, a Canadian reader who works in innovation management in Gothenburg.

“If you are going for a major employer like Volvo, network gets you in the door, as HR does not have much to do with hiring… the hiring managers do all of it and have no time, due to the insane number of consensus meetings. If you are looking for smaller organisations, they have even less time to find people, and networking is their primary way to find talent,” he added.

NETWORKING IN SWEDEN:

Some of the networking tips readers mentioned were going to job fairs, getting an internship to help you establish connections in your preferred field, joining clubs (this could be anything from your local gardening association to meetups for coders, but focus on clubs that may be popular among people working in your chosen field), and drawing on your organic network of friends, neighbours and others.

Don’t neglect the groundwork

The saying “dress for the job you want, not the job you have” is getting worn out (and people may look at you funny if you turn up to interviews in a Batman suit), but there’s truth to the notion of making sure you know what you want – and preparing for it.

In other words, don’t wait for a job ad to appear before you start to customise your CV and figure out what skill set you need. Create your CV now so that you’re ready to tweak it to your dream job – you could even have a general look at job ads in your field to see what requirements are needed. And don’t forget to spruce up your LinkedIn profile so that it fits with your career goals.

“I believe that several factors contribute to successfully landing a desirable job in Sweden. It’s essential to prepare to meet the requirements beyond just having a university degree. Many individuals realise these requirements only after completing their studies when they start searching for a job, which can be too late,” said Adnan Aslam from Pakistan, who works as a food inspector.

“I recommend identifying the job advertisements for positions you aspire to hold in the future and then preparing for those requirements during your studies. For me, acquiring a basic level of proficiency in the Swedish language and obtaining a Swedish driving licence were crucial. I pursued these goals during my studies and was able to secure a desirable job before graduating,” he added.

READ ALSO:

Felipe Cabral even has a GPT assistant trained on his own CVs and old cover letters, and said the set-up only takes ten minutes if you already have your documents. “With that in place, you can give instructions like: Read this job description and create a tailored version of my CV and letter for it. (…) Remember to always review and ask it not to create data aside from your documents.”

Be flexible and ready to adapt

Moving to a new place inevitably means having to learn not just the practicalities such as how to write a CV or which websites to use to look for job openings, but also learning how to navigate a new culture with all its unspoken expectations.

Swedish workplaces are generally less hierarchical than many other countries, but that doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want whenever you want without anyone raising an eyebrow. Swedes are usually direct, but be careful of being too abrasive or boastful: raising your voice, even during a spirited argument, or banging your own drum to show off your skills may not go down well.

“Talk, deliberate, complain like a Swede and you’ll come across like you know what the job entails, so your trustworthiness increases,” said an Indian data analyst who preferred to remain anonymous.

“Office politics are just as strong in Sweden as anywhere else. The flat hierarchy is deceiving as social hierarchy is enforced quite a bit in that lack of formal hierarchy. Take your time in learning these dynamics wherever you work before revealing your talent and capabilities. Expect those internal politics to happen, and they won’t hurt so much when they do,” said Kyle, the Canadian reader in Gothenburg.

This article about Swedish office politics may be useful.

Stay true to yourself

Adapting to your surroundings is one thing. Completely changing who you are is another.

For one thing, your happiness is as important as your career progression, and for another, your foreignness need not be an impediment: it’s also a skill that sets you apart from the rest. It means you have unique experience, and also, in the right setting, provides an opportunity to sometimes violate those social rules we mentioned above, because people assume you will, anyway.

“Trust is key. Build trust in your network, work with integrity. It’s OK to violate jantelagen if you are maintaining integrity. Sometimes your outsider and more honest/open opinion will burn bridges, especially those that may feel threatened by talent. But it will build trust with other colleagues who see it as brave and more trustworthy to work with,” said Kyle from Canada.

Hunker down for the long haul

We don’t want to scare you, because there are plenty of examples of people who quickly find their dream job in Sweden and settle into their new workplace, enjoying perks such as long summer holidays, generous parental leave and the famous work-life balance.

But if you do find it tougher than you expected: know that you’re not alone.

Several readers who responded to the survey said they were still trying to find a job in Sweden.

“I found jobs all over Europe but not here. They say they have a lack of experienced senior engineers but the don’t seem to be doing much to solve this,” said a Brazilian in Gothenburg.

A reader from Bangladesh said she was “at a loss” as to how to make a career change from her current AI role in Stockholm, despite many years of experience as an IT project manager.

“Over the past 18 months, I’ve submitted over 600 applications to various organisations. Unfortunately, despite being overqualified for some positions, I’ve faced rejections at every turn, from both large and small companies. The job market here, especially for foreign-born women, feels overwhelmingly challenging,” she said, adding that the struggle had impacted her mental health.

The Local has on several occasions reported on foreign residents’ struggle to get a foot on the Swedish job ladder, with many facing hurdles such as employers’ unfamiliarity with international degrees, discrimination, or a lack of network that can provide paths into a company.

So during the job hunt, don’t forget to care for yourself. Share your concerns with fellow job-seekers, ask for help and join networking groups – this is good not just for creating new contacts, but also in terms of your social well-being and meeting people who are in a similar situation.

And finally, as one British reader in Stockholm advised, keep looking: “Be open-minded with the opportunities that present themselves. It isn’t an easy market to enter and doesn’t feel inclusive.” But he added, “don’t give up”.

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