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JOBTALK SWEDEN

EDUCATION

‘On-the-job training can give Sweden an edge’

Happier, richer, and with a stab at survival. That's how Swedish researcher Anna Jonsson describes Swedish companies that provide in-house education and mentoring to their staff, and in so doing outfox their rivals.

'On-the-job training can give Sweden an edge'
Anna Jonsson and an archive image from Farsta Interiör. Photos: Private, Tekniska museet/Flickr

The Gothenburg University associate professor spent one year at the offices of Sweden's biggest law firm Mannheimer Swartling,

The high-profile law firm has a culture of senior employees taking juniors under their wing.

"It's in the company's DNA, which I use as a metaphor for learning being part and parcel of all processes and routines at the firm," Jonsson tells The Local.

But that focus on learning is not found in all Swedish workplaces. Too often, she cautions, staff are left to nag and cajole their employer to allow them to attend seminars and courses outside the workplace if not offered in-house.

"Whereas actually it should be seen as investing in the company," she says.

When Jonsson finished her PhD in 2008, for which she had studied the workplace culture of furniture giant Ikea, she received a letter from its founder Ingvar Kamprad, himself a fan of the apprenticeship system.

"He called it 'the world's most overlooked education method'," she recalls. "I got that little letter the same day that I defended my thesis, and it really hit the nail on the head."

She says she would welcome further research into which Swedish industries have a learning-based workplace, and says it has potential long-term rewards for the company as well as short-term benefits – "happier employees".

Preaching the model's virtues may be an uphill slog, however, as Jonsson found out while lecturing about learning and knowledge sharing.

"There's a lot of focus on effectiveness and efficiency, on the new IT e-learning systems or other modern solutions," she says. "Yet a solution that has worked for hundreds of years has been forgotten."

She notes, however, that more and more people are showing an interest in workplace reform. It requires more than goodwill, she points out.

"People want to have a learning culture, but say they don't have the time, but that's because there is not a structure to free up time," she explains, adding that there need to be clear routines in place, so staff can get education and practice-based learning.

To get started, business owners and managers can make sure they give staff regular feedback – not only on their work, but on what they have learned at work.

"Following up on the learning is critical, because it makes people feel engaged and motivated," she says.

Jonsson also recommends that management talks openly about the company's goals, so everyone is pulling in the same direction.

"The key to what makes certain businesses more successful is that they see their staff as a resource to be developed, not an expense, and not as something replaceable," she says. "The employees are actively encouraged to actively contribute to the the company's success."

"The attitude 'We can replace you with someone else' is probably not a good long-term strategy," she adds.

In the Mannheimer Swartling case, the firm's apprentice model attracts Sweden's top law students.

"Students see it as a opportunity for personal development," she says. "And to be involved and contribute to the firm's success."

But it's not just the juniors who stand to benefit – the senior staff do too. The master-apprenticeship model allows experienced staff the time to reflect on their own knowledge and skills, which in turn helps foster innovation.

"That means you can go on to develop not only products and services, but also improve routines in the workplace," she says. "And that allows you to out-compete your rivals, which is vital as the world becomes ever more globalized, no matter how much of a cliché that sounds."

"We should use the resources we already have for sustainable success," Jonsson concludes. "Swedish companies simply can't afford to have people sitting around reinventing the wheel." 

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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.

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.

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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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