I got a job!

15 February 2019

Today marks the end of my 6-months probation and I am now fully employed. 

To find a job in Sweden, one must be really emotionally and mentally prepared to face rejections over months and months of job-searching. 

Before I moved to Sweden, my boyfriend told me that it will be easy for me to find a job in Stockholm because I can speak English and my profession can be found in international companies in Sweden. I moved to Sweden with that thought - that I can easily get a job.

But it turned out to be the hardest thing to achieve.

Job Searching

For the first six months (after I moved to Sweden in June 2017), I sent out 200 job applications (I have never sent so many in my life) where half got rejected and the remaining half did not reply. I met other foreigners where some told me they sent more job applications than me and got rejected. I got really upset by it. I started to question my own credibility in my profession. I even read in an article that employers in Sweden are cautious in employing foreigners, especially those with last names (family names) that they can't pronounce. I was skeptical when I read the article in the beginning, but when I went through the rejection phase, I started to believe in that article. If you are not in the IT line, it is really challenging to find a job, unless you have got a good network here. Network - another thing that I learnt is so important in Sweden. It is easier to get a job if it is through word of mouth rather than by your resume. Of course, I don't have a network since I just moved to Sweden. I was at a loss.

I decided to apply as a substitute teacher for a kindergarten but my Swedish was not good enough. The interviewer told me to come back when I am more fluent. That was 3 months after I started learning Swedish. So, I decided to focus on my Swedish. 

In December 2017, I joined a job-searching program that was under the Swedish Public Employment Service. It is called Korta Vägen (The Short Way). It helps tertiary-educated foreigners to find a job. It was a 6-month program. This program was a god-sent for me. At the same time, I thought how difficult it must be for foreigners to find a job if the government need to have such programs. There are many job-searching programs, by the way.

For the first 3 months, we learnt on Sweden's job market, the culture and little bit of politics. For the next 3 months, I worked as an intern at a company I chose. We were also reminded on how this internship does not guarantee us a job in the end but a stepping stone in the job market. I listed down about 20 companies with their contact emails (that I got from LinkedIn or the websites). I had a job coach who helped me to liaise with the manager and asked the manager if they are interested to hire an intern. Some of the companies said no as they did not have any vacancies for me. I was sad because I was one of the remaining few in the group to not have an internship yet. And being rejected in my 200 applications did not actually give me a positive outlook to the situation.

When my job coach informed me that a company finally agreed to meet me, I was overjoyed! Then, 2 more companies agreed to meet me. I could not believe my ears. It was one of the best news I have heard since I moved to Sweden. I was so nervous when I did the interviews. I had to carry out the interview in English because I did not know how to describe my work experience in Swedish. The companies gave me a call back and said that they would have me as an intern. I chose a company that I wanted to intern in because we were speaking the same 'financial' language. I was not paid by the company. Instead, I was given a monthly allowance by the Swedish Public Insurance based on my daily attendance. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be an intern because it opened my eyes to how the Swedish working culture is. 

My Internship

My company was made up of 99% Swedes - Swedes who were born in Sweden and Swedes who moved to Sweden when they were little or to study and gradually took the Swedish citizenship. Of course, they could communicate in English but I did not speak a word of English there. I refused to because I did not want to create the habit. I had a headache the first week I was an intern because it was just too much Swedish. I got home and I just wanted to speak in English or not speak at all. I could only understand 50% of what my colleagues spoke, and I was stressing myself to pick up the language as much as I can. When I completed my internship, I could understand 80%.

I was surprised by how the company operates. We could sit wherever we want. It is called the 'open office landscape'. I could find myself sitting next to my manager or the Head of Department or even a shareholder. I was stressed initially because I don't sit with bosses in my prior job. Coming from Malaysia, bosses are always at the top of the hierarchy and always right. But here, it is a flat organisation and there is a concept of equality here. You don't have to be afraid to sit next to your boss. Of course, that took some time for me to process and still is.

Each one is provided a laptop and a phone. I was so surprised that I got a mobile phone despite being just an intern. On my first week, I met with a few managers, few Heads of Department and the CEO himself. Initially, I did not know he was a CEO because in Swedish, it is called VD (Verkställande Direktor) and in my previous employment in Malaysia, V is known as Vice which is similar to an assistant role and nowhere close to being a CEO. So, I was very surprised when I had a 30-minute meeting with him. I thought how amazing it was that I get to meet such roles despite being just an intern.

There is a huge computer screen at every table and one connects the laptop to the screen. You have to leave the table clean at the end of the day because that is not your place. There were fruits every morning. They have 'after-work' events on Fridays where they love to drink and socialise. Sometimes, they go for drinks prior to an event that has drinks too. Unfortunately, I don't drink often so I can't appreciate the joy of tippling. The table moves up and down for ergonomic purposes so you can stand while working too. No one jots down what you take from the stationery. There were 20 microwave ovens, 5 refrigerators and 1 freezer because it is common to bring food from home. It is too expensive to eat outside everyday. Each staff is allocated a cabinet where it is unlocked and locked by your tag.   

By the way, sometimes the bananas I eat are giants! Once, a banana I ate was as long as my face, and I don't have a small face. They are actually pretty skinny once unpeeled. 

They have fika (coffee and delicacies) on alternate Fridays. Sometimes, I feel guilty taking more than 1 delicacy but they look so good. 

Before I left the company, my boss asked me if I would like to continue working here. I was so shocked because I never expected that. While I was doing my internship, I looked for jobs too and a recruiter commented that he cannot hire me because of my language barrier. I thought - Does this mean my internship does not play any role? Don't my working experience matter at all?

Of course, I said yes to my boss. 

My Employment

When I started my employment 2 months after my internship, I could understand what my colleagues were saying but I repeated myself to them each time just to make sure I got them right. You can say that it was an 'on-the-job' training for me as I picked up the language the same time I did my job. 

That is me and my 'confirmed-employment' piece of cake. Happy that I got a job.