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IMMIGRATION

‘There are people in Sweden who can open doors for you – just look for them’

MY SWEDISH CAREER: For journalist Ali al-Abdallah, a move from Syria to Sweden became his ultimate commission.

Published: 9 April 2019 09:04 CEST
Updated: 9 April 2019 14:35 CEST
'There are people in Sweden who can open doors for you – just look for them'
al-Abdallah first came to Sweden from Syria in 2013. Photo: Noor Kabtool

Having trained as a reporter in Damascus, al-Abdallah arrived in Sweden in September 2013 as a refugee of Syria's civil war. Wanting to unearth the 'real story' in Sweden, he focused on finding a job as a journalist – but found it was more difficult than expected.

“In Syria it's definitely easier to become a journalist. The media is owned privately and by the government, so there are more opportunities to write. In Sweden, there are so many people wanting to work in the industry, you can come up against a bit of a wall.”

But it was his journalistic instinct for forming relationships, curiosity and love of languages that proved his 'in'. His first six months in the country were spent in Glava refugee camp in Värmland, a time he used to establish a network in his new home.

“I didn't sit around and wait for people to come to me; I went to events. I was very active – that was important. You can't sit at home and complain about not having contacts. I made friends with those surrounding me, and everything grew from there.”

Learning the Swedish language was a key focus for al-Abdallah, even from his first days in the country. “Being able to communicate with locals is the key to journalism in Sweden. It wasn't easy but through my network – whether through friends or journalists – I was able to practise and to learn about how I could write articles and interview people.”

LEARN SWEDISH: All our language and Swedish vocabulary articles on The Local

The outlook al-Abdallah had received before arriving in Sweden had not been hopeful. From those who had already made the trip he had heard that carving a career would be nigh on impossible, that there was no work to be found for an immigrant with no Swedish. But he cites positive thinking as the determining factor behind his success.

“People told me that it would be hard to be successful here, but I didn't listen to the rumours I heard before coming over. There's power in positive thinking.”

“I don't take any notice of negativity, I let it wash over me. I focused on meeting people, creating my own PR. That's at the heart of what we have to do as migrants – to write our own narrative.”

FIND A JOB IN SWEDEN: Browse thousands of vacancies


Al-Abdallah teaches newcomers to Sweden to focus on creating positive PR around themselves. Photo: Private

His aversion to negativity doesn't mean that he doesn't call out things he doesn't like – in particular, al-Abdallah has been vocal in his criticism of the Swedish media's portrayal of refugees and migrants, which he sees as myopic. “It's one-sided. The Swedish media needs more balance in news coverage. It's not bad to share negative news about migrants, but it's got to be representative of the biggest picture. It's my mission to address that.”

“My feeling has always been that we as migrants in Sweden have a power. We are not helpless people. When I look at Syrians specifically, we came from a war-torn area. Through that we've gained knowledge and experience and have a lot to offer Europe.”

READ ALSO: 'I started my business to give Swedes a more nuanced image of France'

His own journey is a case in point. After five years in Sweden, he has channelled his own first-hand experience into a book aimed at newcomers to the country: Nytt jobb i nytt land (a new job in a new country).

It's the first of its kind: a book aimed at jobseekers who have just arrived in Sweden. It deals with everything from motivating and inspiring to giving advice around how the Swedish job market works. And al-Abdallah wrote it with new arrivals and local authorities in mind – to both help those seeking to access Sweden's society and to aid those working with migrants in understanding how newcomers to the labour market are thinking.

He's sanguine about writing a book in a language in which – by his own admission – he's not fluent. “I have a theory that I really believe in, that nobody is perfect in their mother tongue. Swedes are not perfect in Swedish. I'm not perfect in Arabic. A language takes a lifetime to learn.”

“So, writing in Swedish and making mistakes didn't bother me – plus, publishing houses have editors and copy checkers to correct the language,” he adds.

Despite working in an industry that values words and precision highly, his relaxed attitude towards language applies across every element of his life: “When I give lectures to newcomers to Sweden, I always say: language is always moving, it's like the sea. I give George W Bush as an example to follow – he gets things wrong – even in English – all the time and doesn't let it bother him. You will get it wrong. But you will improve.”

From his new base in Landskrona, a municipality in southern Sweden with approximately 45,000 residents, he's also launched Nyhetscafe (News Café). It seeks to open the media conversation up to citizens and immigrants.

“I started Nyhetscafe as a platform for dialogue. It's what I see as citizen journalism. I interview guests from Swedish society, as well as carrying out live interviews in front of an audience. I ask them about Swedish society, their experiences and their views – and those at the event are able to ask their own questions.”

READ ALSO: I want to talk to the Sweden Democrats

“Dialogue is very important in Swedish society. I saw a gap in knowledge around Syrian culture and our background. That's why I started this platform, to give information, to open the channels of communication between immigrants, newcomers and Swedish society, from residents to politicians and decision-makers. There was a real need for this kind of project – it's become very popular in Sweden. I was even given a Diversityindex Award in 2018 for my work.”

Al-Abdallah's perspective is based on his dual background as an immigrant and journalist. He's got a voice representing two sides of the same coin.

“I lecture in refugees' image in the media. I talk both as a Syrian immigrant and journalist. But ultimately, I really believe that we as human beings are very similar to each other. That's part of the reason that I integrated very speedily. I didn't see there as being any barriers, but instead differences in cultures and behaviours. That's all it is.”


Al-Abdallah and his book 'Nytt job i nytt land'. Photo: Private

And there were many cultural and behavioural codes that surprised the journalist when he arrived. The first thing to strike him was Swedes' tendency to live alone, rather than with their families or friends. It's something he sees as a potentially harmful cultural norm.

“As human beings we need each other. We don't feel good if we don't have friends and family around us. Maybe that's why Sweden experiences more mental health challenges. In Syria we live in a much more communal way – family is very important. We meet spontaneously. Here if you want to meet people you have to book a date in.”

On the other end of the spectrum, al-Abdallah found another element of Swedish life hard to decode – the amount of hugs Swedish people give in greeting.

“In Syria we only give hugs to relatives. And sparingly. So that was something I needed to get used to. It was a bit difficult at the beginning. Now I give hugs to everyone. Even when I see other Syrians in Sweden, I give them a hug! I joke with them, saying 'I'm going to hug everyone now, in the spirit of equal treatment!'”

It's been a five-year journey that's led to the journalist feeling settled in his new country. “Sweden's home to me. I go back to Syria occasionally, but only to visit. This is where I live now.”

In planning his next steps, al-Abdallah is looking beyond Swedish frontiers. “I have so many ideas! I want to write another book in Denmark – the Danish version of my Swedish book. So, I'm currently researching for immigrants in Denmark.”

Even with one eye on wider Scandinavia, he's still committed to carrying on the work he's started in the country he sees as having welcomed him, supporting those who've just arrived in pursuing their career dreams. “I want to show people that it's possible to find a job in Sweden – the golden rule is not to be afraid to ask for help here. There are people here who can open doors for you – just look for them.”

MY SWEDISH CAREER: Read more interviews with foreign professionals 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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