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Five golden rules for the Swedish job hunt

So you're looking for a job, but you don't know where to start. Well don't fret, we've talked to a career expert who explained role-playing, selling yourself, and playing by the Swedish rules.

Five golden rules for the Swedish job hunt
Photo:Shutterstock.
 
"It's crucial to take your job-seeking seriously, otherwise you'll end up in the pile," says Peter Helin, marketing coordinator at CareerBuilder.se.
 
"And nowadays the piles are huge."
 
Helin, who has seven years in the recruitment industry, offers the five golden rules for the Swedish job hunt and explains how to stand out from the crowd.
 
1. Do your homework.
 
It might sound obvious, but you can't just send in a bog-standard CV and cover letter. You have to be sales-y as a candidate, you have to really put some effort into it. 
 
First, look at the company's career page, look them up on social media, especially LinkedIn. Read any news stories about them that you can find. Maybe they posted on a site like CareerBuilder.se – check it out. Consume it all, you need to be aware of who they are before telling them who you are. 
 
Click here to get free tickets to Careerdays, the largest career fair in the Nordic Region, held at Stockholm's Ericsson Globe Arena on August 28th and 29th.

 
2. Role Play
 
It can be a great idea to do a cold call before you actually apply for the job – take the chance to find out more and let them know who you are. But if you're going to take the plunge, then you'd better get some practice in. It could be with a friend or your own mother, it doesn't matter – just take it seriously. Call your friend on the phone and make sure you sound convincing. 
 
Another trick is cold calling a company you don't want to work for. That way you don't burn bridges but you get the real experience from a live situation. And be sure to ask plenty of questions, you've got nothing to lose. 
 
In fact, a lot of people who come to our career days aren't necessarily thinking about changing their jobs any time soon, but they're keen to know what's available for someone with their expertise. It's always good to know your market value. 
 
Looking for a job? Follow @TheLocalJobs on Twitter for tips, tricks, and job news across Europe

 
3. Reach out
 
It's time for the live situation. The first port of call is the person listed in the ad. As mentioned above, it's a good idea to cold call them and get on the top of their mind. It can be nerve racking, but it's absolutely the best way to be memorable. You want them to be thinking "Hey, I remember that person" by the time they meet you. 
 
And be careful of being too casual or trying too hard to be funny… play it safe and play it straight. You want to be remembered for the right reasons.
 
Photo: Shutterstock 
 
4. Sell yourself
 
You have to think of yourself as a salesperson when you're applying for a job. But instead of selling a boat or some kind of service, you're selling yourself and your skills. You're selling the solution for them. Perhaps the person you're replacing was let go, perhaps they're expanding. But they're hiring for a reason and you need to know what it is. Think: How can I solve their current problem?
 
Put together a killer cover letter explaining why you're applying and why you're the perfect match. And remember,  they're called CVs in Sweden, not resumés.  
 
Read how to write the perfect cover letter here, and the ultimate CV here.
 
5. Be patient – this is Sweden, remember
 
If you're from the US or the UK, for example, you might have to be more patient with Swedish employers. The lead times can be longer, and direct employers may be more cautious. Often they'll be working through four or five interviews. 
 
Why? Because in Sweden if you hire the wrong person then it's hard to get rid of them – not to mention expensive. 
 
My advice is to stay on top of it, follow up with them, but most of all, be patient. Swedes don't like to rush these things. 
 
Stay tuned for our next JobTalk where Peter gives the golden rules for The Swedish Job Interview.

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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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