(edit title) Difficulties of finding a job Change careers? Options

[nike-girl]

Hi!

I guess I'm not the only one having problems in finding a job here in Sweden. As I read the other topics, I began to be more and more worried. It's nearly impossible to find anything and of what I read, AMS is not helping much. Should I even try going there? I have a bachelor's degree in tourism, but I haven't seen any related jobs. I though of changing fields, but to what? What could be useful in Sweden?

I finished SFI D level with VG, so I though now my chances are better, but I was wrong. I have been working as an au pair since summer 2010 and that is kinda all of my work experience, except my student jobs I've done in my home country (I'm from EU, btw). I don't want to give up, but where else should I search? Being an au pair for 1-2 hours a day is not enough for me, I need a full time job. Is there any recruiting site besides AMS? Or what about job coaching? I heard that is for free, isn't it?

Some jobs might require references from previous workplaces. How should I resolve that? Should it be a written document or just a phone number in my CV?

[Okin]

Hi nike-girl,

I just wanted to say that its very very hard to find work here in Sweden, Ive been trying for many years, my background is Hospitality and thank goodness for Copenhagen otherwise i wouldn't be working at all.
I dream for the day that I can say " I work in Sweden" I also studied Swedish but it doesn't help much, I am also an on and off member of Arbetförmedlingen (fat lot of good they do), but they do have jobs advertised and its worth looking at, but its a long slog, when you do apply for a job don't expect for a reply back they don't do that here, you have to do the chasing and its time consuming.
I wish I can give you a light at the end of the tunnel, perseverance is the key.

Good Luck

[nickachu]

There are agencies in sweden. manpower, addecco, adacemic work, etc... but it seems like their jobs just end up on ams anyway. Might be best going to the local tourist office and talking to someone there? What I've discovered here is you have to be fast and you have to talk to people to get anywhere. I've got a Masters in Chemical Engineering and am looking for jobs in my field, but are having to consider moving, probably to Göteborg to find something in my field. One place that I know foreigners are able to find work is in the restaurant business, I've managed to get a full time summer job on a boat restaurant here in Umeå which I got told about by our samhalls orienteering guy from SFI.
Job coaching is good for getting Pratiks I think, my girlfriend got an internship with skanska through hers, but I sent in the sheet you get from ams and heard nothing back. I suppose it depends on how proactive you are with the people. You gotta hassle people here over everything I've found out.

[nike-girl]

Heh, what you guys said is kinda a relief in a way...