Nov
5
I’m a Working Girl!
Filed under Employment in Sweden
Since my moving to Sweden 11 months ago, job hunting has been pretty difficult. I have applied for at least 30 jobs, gotten maybe four automated responses (these coming at least two months after I even applied), and received ZERO personal replies. To quote Stephanie Tanner from 90s TV sitcom “Full House,” “How rude!”
But despite the long, frustrating process, I can now excitedly announce that I’m now employed! And it goes to prove that networking, no matter where in the world, pays off. My thanks goes to a friend through the local American Women’s Club chapter who hooked me up.
So yes, my big piece of advice for those moving here is to NETWORK. If there’s an expat group in your town, join it. If there is any type of club that caters to your hobbies, even a book club, join it! Many people have been in your situation and they want to help you just as they were helped by others.
But don’t forget the usual online job search options:
- Arbetsförmedlingen – Sweden’s job agency is a no-brainer. Go to its nearest office, get yourself signed up and assigned a contact person, and search its online listings. Even better, create a few search filters and have the job matches sent daily to your inbox.
However, I read somewhere that only 60% of job vacancies are listed on the government’s site. Register yourself on various Swedish job sites:
And don’t discount locally-targeted job-listing sites, such as the following two which were created by an American expat (both of her sites list jobs in English!):
Have your sambo or a Swedish friend translate your resume for submission. And for the job sites that want you to fill out your skills directly on their sites, doing so in Swedish will aid companies in finding you more easily. You can always explain in your cover letter that you aren’t yet fluent but are eager to be someday.
The best tool in getting this paying job, however, was Arbetsförmedlingen’s Nystartsjobb (New start job) program. In short, the government will pay an employer 66% of your salary as an incentive to hire you. I’ve written a separate page on how to apply for a Nystartsjobb.
Whatever you do, just hang in there. Your time will come. A new job is a great way to celebrate having lived in your new country for a whole year!
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Congrats Kat! What will you be doing?
Grattis! Good luck in your new job.