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Swedish vocabulary: The words and phrases you need to survive the job hunt

In many companies across Sweden, English is the working language, but understanding at least some Swedish will serve you well in the search for a job.

Published: 26 February 2019 07:59 CET
Updated: 14 November 2021 09:37 CET
Swedish vocabulary: The words and phrases you need to survive the job hunt
Knowing a few key phrases could speed up your job hunt. File photo: Burst/Pexels

There are several ways to look for a job in Sweden. The first is to register with Arbetsförmedlingen (the Swedish Public Employment Service), which you’ll need to do in order to register for any job-seeker benefits you’re eligible for, and they can also help you find a role, which you can look for in the platsbanken (job bank).

Alternatively, you can look at jobbannonser (job ads) online, including on The Local Jobs and other English-language options, but you may want to include Swedish sites to expand your search. There are a few different types of role, so check carefully: vikariat is a short-term job covering absences (this may be for a fixed period or ad hoc, for example as a substitute teacher), sommarjobb is a summer job and säsongsanställning is a seasonal role, while anställning (employment/position) can be either permanent or for a fixed period.

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Job adverts will usually include kravprofil (a profile of the skills or qualifications they’re looking for) which may mention qualities such as: fem års erfarenhet (five years’ experience), noggrannhet (accuracy/attention to detail), IT-kunskaper (IT skills), analytisk förmåga (analytical capabilities). And of course there will be the more wishy-washy terms, such as: serviceinriktad (service-minded), engagerad (committed), vågar drömma stort (dare to dream big) and so on.

The other main section will contain the arbetsuppgifterna (job details), outlining your potential tasks and responsibilities. And you’ll want to check the key information, or anställningsvillkor (employment conditions) such as whether the job is heltid (full time) or deltid (part time) – if it’s the latter, there will often be either a percentage such as 50 percent, meaning 20 hours per week, or it might state the expected hours. For example: Tjänsten är deltid på 50 procent med arbetstider måndag-fredag 8.00-17.00 (The position is part time at 50 percent hours, with working hours Monday-Friday between 8-5pm).

Pay close attention to whether it’s en tillsvidareanställning (a permanent position) or en tidsbegränsad anställning (a fixed-term position) – if the latter, they should specify the time and might mention whether there is god möjlighet till förlängning (a good chance of extension). And look for the following phrases: tillträde snarast/tillträde enligt överenskommelse/tillträde 1 mars (starting as soon as possible/start date dependent on agreement, ie between you and the employer/starting on March 1st).

READ ALSO: Ten jobs for internationals in Sweden you may not have thought of

If the job description is written in Swedish, look closely any mention of language abilities. For example, if they say the ideal candidate behärskar svenska i tal och skrift (has an excellent command of written and spoken Swedish) or ask for flytande svenska (fluent Swedish), it’s unlikely they will accept an applicant who is in the early stages of learning, whereas a job requiring kunskaper i svenska (knowledge of Swedish) might be more flexible.

Look for the phrase är meriterande (is an advantage) after any skills or qualifications; this means it’s not required for the job, while starkt meriterande means it’s not essential but highly preferred.

Depending on what kind of job you’re searching for, it’s also worth keeping an eye out when walking around your town or city. You may well see signs saying personal sökes in cafes, restaurants or shops. And online ads often have the heading är du den vi söker? (are you the person we’re looking for).

MY SWEDISH CAREER: Read weekly interviews with international talent in Sweden

Other phrases you might see:

Urval sker löpande – applications accepted on a rolling basis (ie there’s no strict deadline but they will fill the role once they find a suitable person)

Vid eventuella frågor kontakta (Anna) – please contact (Anna) with any questions (this should be accompanied by a phone number or email address)

Du rapporterar till (vår VD) – you would report to (our CEO)

En tjänst med utvecklingspotential – a position with the chance to develop

Nära samarbete med (kunder/vår CFO) – working closely with (customers/our CFO)

Lön/anställningstid enligt avtal – salary/working hours according to agreement (this refers to collective bargaining agreements or similar, and means you are unlikely to be able to negotiate)

When it comes to the interview, it will generally be carried out in the language you’ve been corresponding in, but it’s worth double-checking. If, for example, you’ve been emailing in Swedish but would rather interview in English or at least have time to prepare, make sure to ask.


In many tech companies the working language is English, but a bit of Swedish always helps. Photo: Melker Dahlstrand

You’ll also want to find out about the benefits and perks offered by the employer, and to ask about the company culture as well as any other factors that would affect your decision as to whether to take the role.

The questions you ask will depend on how far along in the process you are, but here are some ideas:

Är det okej att jobba hemifrån ibland? – Is it OK to work from home sometimes?

Vad är nästa steg i intervjuprocessen? – What is the next stage in the interview process?

Har ni kollektivavtal? – Do you have a collective bargaining agreement? (This is useful to know because it usually guarantees you perks such as extra pay for overtime and ‘uncomfortable hours’, but it may mean you’re limited when it comes to negotiating salary or holiday)

Finns det en klädkod? – Is there a dress code? (One to ask once you’ve secured the job and are working out the final details)

READ ALSO: These are the most future-proof jobs for the next five years in Sweden

Browse thousands of English-language jobs in Sweden

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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.

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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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