(edit title) Desperately need a job! Need some help! Options

[claudiacpc]

I've moved to Stockholm since May 2011 and I still haven't found a job! So I am really really desperate now and need some help.

I have a Master's degree in Arts & Media and experience in administration. I speak fluent English and really beginner's Swedish. Originally I was looking for something within my field but I realized that it is almost impossible. So now I'm looking for anything.

I've been looking on Monster, The Local, and Indeed.com, and I've applied to lots as well, but mostly I don't even hear back from them.

Can anyone give me any advice on where else I can look?

[canuk]

have you tried moving back to your home country and looking there? seriously over a year in sweden and no swedish?

fluent english? wow there is a shortage of people with that abiliity in sweden, glad you can at least speak english.

[Mpf]

Nice advice Canuk, I bet that will be pretty well received by the OP who has come on here looking for advice. I have been a member here for 6 years now and still can't believe how rude some individuals can be towards people they don't know who come to a forum like this looking for advice. If you have nothing constructive to say it is best to say nothing at all.

I bet if you met this person walking down the street and they asked for your advice you wouldn't be so blunt and rude to them so why do it here.

I unfortunately don't have any advice I can offer the OP but feel that your arrogant response required addressing as it was neither helpful nor necessary.

PS - Proper nouns in English start with a capital letter.

[claudiacpc]

I actually understand a lot of Swedish (what is spoken to me, at least); I just have a lot of trouble responding in Swedish. I did say "really beginner's Swedish", Canuk. A little trouble reading there, huh? By the by, 95% of the Swedish people I've met don't speak fluent English. They speak English, but not fluently.

Mpf, thanks, but I don't really mind. There's always gonna be those people who need to half-anonymously bash people on the Internet to feel better about themselves. And don't mind the non-capital proper nouns either; Canuk is obviously a Swedish expert and not an English expert.

[Angusthefirst]

Hmm, it is a very common problem here and there is no easy answer. I have been here for six years and been employed pretty much the whole time (have just moved jobs) but have worked in English.

It’s not as simple as the above poster (canuk) says where you “learn Swedish.” In fact, in my extended friendship group in Stockholm comprising of many English speaking ex-pats, the two that have gone home are ironically the ones who when they got here learnt Swedish the best by far! I feel for them as they put in the effort of learning a language thinking it would pay off. The problem is that, even one year of learning the language will not get you fluent in it so if you’re applying for jobs working with language and need to be an excellent communicator and writer, Swedish companies will not take you on. Why would they? My native English skills have meant I am a real asset where I work and I have noticed more and more companies every day are advertising for “native English speakers” so there are some jobs out there as Swedes are quite overrated when it comes to working in English.

I had an extremely helpful/dedicated sambo who looked up pretty much every website before I arrived of companies and workplaces that had English-speaking jobs or operations. I think it numbered well over 100. I would literally, from 9 to 5 if not as SFI, look through these websites and apply for jobs there. It didn’t take long before I got a job (three months) that paid well and I could speak English in. I had my sambo to answer to if I didn’t apply for a job that day (sounds scary but it was really helpful and it was for the best). Anyway, my point is that you need to be REALLY systematic and dedicated, treat looking for a job like a job in itself and not get disheartened when people don’t answer back.

It is a really tough job market out there in Sweden and you need to find a niche. Swedish language helps but you should endeavor to get a job without it as well as not many people have the luxury or language ability to get a new language down pat while not working for the 1-2 years it takes to learn a new language.

[claudiacpc]

Thanks, Angusthefirst. It's nice to know that there's someone who understands what it's like. And thanks for the advice!

I actually took 2 beginner's Swedish courses at Medborgarskolan, but it was about 2500SEK each and when you're unemployed, that's a lot of money. So I had to stop there. I've recently received a personnummer and want to start SFI, but at the same time I will need a job to be able to afford staying here.

[entry]

Hmm, it is a very common problem here and there is no easy answer. I have been here for six years and been employed pretty much the whole time (have just moved jobs) but have ... (show full quote)

Hmm, it is a very common problem here and there is no easy answer. I have been here for six years and been employed pretty much the whole time (have just moved jobs) but have worked in English.

It’s not as simple as the above poster (canuk) says where you “learn Swedish.” In fact, in my extended friendship group in Stockholm comprising of many English speaking ex-pats, the two that have gone home are ironically the ones who when they got here learnt Swedish the best by far! I feel for them as they put in the effort of learning a language thinking it would pay off. The problem is that, even one year of learning the language will not get you fluent in it so if you’re applying for jobs working with language and need to be an excellent communicator and writer, Swedish companies will not take you on. Why would they? My native English skills have meant I am a real asset where I work and I have noticed more and more companies every day are advertising for “native English speakers” so there are some jobs out there as Swedes are quite overrated when it comes to working in English.

I had an extremely helpful/dedicated sambo who looked up pretty much every website before I arrived of companies and workplaces that had English-speaking jobs or operations. I think it numbered well over 100. I would literally, from 9 to 5 if not as SFI, look through these websites and apply for jobs there. It didn’t take long before I got a job (three months) that paid well and I could speak English in. I had my sambo to answer to if I didn’t apply for a job that day (sounds scary but it was really helpful and it was for the best). Anyway, my point is that you need to be REALLY systematic and dedicated, treat looking for a job like a job in itself and not get disheartened when people don’t answer back.

It is a really tough job market out there in Sweden and you need to find a niche. Swedish language helps but you should endeavor to get a job without it as well as not many people have the luxury or language ability to get a new language down pat while not working for the 1-2 years it takes to learn a new language. ... (hide full quote)

Networking is the key that lets you walk up the ladder in many professions and often in life itself.

You can be the most intelligent person in your community but if the roofer does not know you by name and face you are going to suffer the rain.

If you have a job, know the competition. Know the managers or proprietors of the competition. Make an effort to know all the other people in not only your field but parallel fields. Make friends with a headhunter. If you do not have contacts of your own to increase sales, resolve problems and obtain informed second or third opinions what value are you to a company. If you are in manufacturing you better have the skills but even there you most likely know individuals in other companies that perform similar tasks. In the service industry, bar tenders and waiters know other individuals and proprietors in the same industry. They can often readily grab a phone and call around and find a position rather rapidly.

Relocating even in your native country is often difficult. Welcome wagons have gone out of style. People self-isolate and this is often non-productive. People do not know their own neighbors. When family are either not at hand or unable to offer assistance, friends and acquaintances are good to have on speed dial.

Sweden seems no different to me than any small town in the USA. Unless you make the effort to break the ice and demonstrate that you are someone that is good to have around you are always going to be on the outside looking in. Sweden does present itself a bit more difficult. There is a language/cultural barrier and it is a pretty small pond.

My dream other than becoming a race horse jockey is to independently run a weather station well above the arctic circle, traveling into town only during season change. Unfortunately, the wife does not share my passion in this matter and the opportunities are few and far between.

Networking is key and very hard to utilize retroactively. Angusthefirst, I would suggest you contact people that know what you are capable of doing that may not only be able to recommend places of possible employment but would also be willing to vouch for you.

Good luck Angusthefirst.

[Angusthefirst]

Hi Entry, liked all of your points about networking, it is certainly an important ingredient in getting a job here in Sweden as it is in other places and I overlooked it in my earlier points.

Just for clarfication, I was not the OP though so I don't need the good luck wishes, it was claudiacpc

[Hamsterdam]

Claudia, It's not what you know but who you know. Networking or getting people you know to get you a foot in the door is the way to go.

[claudiacpc]

I understand, but I just don't know where to start. I've tried through my sambo's family and friends, but it's gotten me nowhere.

But thanks for your input anyway

[ljtaylor88]

Hej

Well if it's any consolation I have a mate in the UK who has a degree in interior design and he has been unemployed for a year...sometimes it is not the language that is the issue...I have NEVER found job hunting to be easy but I have always made it in the end so I don't think it is impossible to job hunt as an immigrant at all.

As mentioned above, although Swedes are indeed fluent (in the main) in conversational English they tend to be REALLY lacking in professional English, particularly written. A friend of mine who moved to the Netherlands noticed this with the Dutch so spent her time marketing that skill alongside what she was qualified for (architecture) and it worked. International companies, or companies that might want to find work in an English-speaking country or on an international level, might be in need of your skills.

As an architecture student myself, most job openings are never posted, so speculative applications are the way forward. Approaching companies directly seems to be the best way: send in your CV (by post preferably), follow it up with a phone call. I've not done this myself but another friend went around offices in Stockholm and dropped in his CV. I have also seen immigrants do this in the UK. If you give an office a call you are one step ahead of most people as many are too scared to do it. Just don't take it personally if you are rebuffed!

And of course there is networking. This one can take time but it's how I got my last job. I volunteered at a community project and they put me in touch with their architects who hired me for my internship. It keeps your CV current (and your sanity) if nothing else. Plus it's good practice for your Swedish

[entry]

Hi Entry, liked all of your points about networking, it is certainly an important ingredient in getting a job here in Sweden as it is in other places and I overlooked it in my ... (show full quote)

Hi Entry, liked all of your points about networking, it is certainly an important ingredient in getting a job here in Sweden as it is in other places and I overlooked it in my earlier points.

Just for clarfication, I was not the OP though so I don't need the good luck wishes, it was claudiacpc ... (hide full quote)

I understand, but I just don't know where to start. I've tried through my sambo's family and friends, but it's gotten me nowhere.. But thanks for your input anyway

Angusthefirst, sorry that my comment utilized you as a focal point. My comment was meant for a much wider audience.

I believe claudiacpc understands and at this late date words are not enough. It is crunch time for claudiacpc! You gotta get something going claudiacpc, wish I had a solution for you...

[Yorkshireman]

When You have been applying for jobs, have You rung them up within a day or so? You will find that the recruiting companies etc.. are more likely to ask you in for an interview if You call them quickly, don't wait to hear back from an online application.

Also, just to prevent the gaps widening on the CV, check with some of the agencies that do the hiring out of personel, especially for admin etc... If you can get into some companies temporary that way, you start to build a contact net

Manpower: http://www.manpower.se/MPNet3/Content.asp?...C&LangID=se

There are others also, Poolia I think do that ( www.poolia.se )

[BeckyJL]

Hey,

Have you tried signing up to linkedIn? I've just signed up myself and I'm building a net of contacts already. Though none in Sweden yet *sigh*, though I have found a few Swedish companies I like already and I promptly got to pressing the 'follow' button.

It looks like a good place to join groups, find interesting companies and get to know the kind of people you might be working with.

The networking idea sounds good to me, that is how I got my first programming job pretty much.

I know people who have found work while at parties (gosh...) but it's good to get out there, mingle and get to know people

I will be running about like a crazy person as soon as my feet touch the ground when I get to Stockholm, good luck! Wish me luck too!

[claudiacpc]

When You have been applying for jobs, have You rung them up within a day or so? You will find that the recruiting companies etc.. are more likely to ask you in for an intervie ... (show full quote)

When You have been applying for jobs, have You rung them up within a day or so? You will find that the recruiting companies etc.. are more likely to ask you in for an interview if You call them quickly, don't wait to hear back from an online application.

Also, just to prevent the gaps widening on the CV, check with some of the agencies that do the hiring out of personel, especially for admin etc... If you can get into some companies temporary that way, you start to build a contact net

Manpower: http://www.manpower.se/MPNet3/Content.asp?...C&LangID=se

There are others also, Poolia I think do that ( www.poolia.se ) ... (hide full quote)

Most of the jobs that I have applied to don't have a phone number or contact person; they are just online applications. But thanks for the tip! I will call the ones that have numbers.

Hey, Have you tried signing up to linkedIn? I've just signed up myself and I'm building a net of contacts already. Though none in Sweden yet *sigh*, though I have foun ... (show full quote)

Hey,

Have you tried signing up to linkedIn? I've just signed up myself and I'm building a net of contacts already. Though none in Sweden yet *sigh*, though I have found a few Swedish companies I like already and I promptly got to pressing the 'follow' button.

It looks like a good place to join groups, find interesting companies and get to know the kind of people you might be working with.

The networking idea sounds good to me, that is how I got my first programming job pretty much.

I know people who have found work while at parties (gosh...) but it's good to get out there, mingle and get to know people

I will be running about like a crazy person as soon as my feet touch the ground when I get to Stockholm, good luck! Wish me luck too! ... (hide full quote)

I haven't, actually. Sounds like I should get an account! Thanks for the tip! Best of luck to both of us!