(edit title) Job Interviews in Sweden? How does this work? Options

[hxcpride]

Ok so i got a great feedback from an advertising & media company regarding Graphic artist jobs.
one of them telling me that they are looking for graphic designer for a game and love to meet me in person and book a date next week.

and the other company saying theyre not hiring at the moment, but they want to have coffee with me and talk & show my work in person, also asking if i can animate?

why would they wanna have a coffee and know about my works when theyre not hiring ? are these the swedish way kind of interview? any tips ? ive only been in Sweden for 3 months and half now and never had a job in Sweden

[Elf_Moon]

Haha! You know... I had the same experience!

I was not told though until the beginning of the interview and upon arriving at the company itself, I didn't much like the atmosphere in the offices, nor did I feel any rapport with the interviewer, whom would have been my superior and day to day 'go-to-guy' so to speak. ( I think it's always important to have some rapport with the guy above you- you will be with them day in and day out for a very long time.)

Also, I already had two offers at this point and I wasn't too happy about travelling so far for no reason, if they'd have told me before the interview I could have saved us both some time!

Based on that experience, I think it is pretty normal, just go ahead with it if you have no other offers and let them get a feel for you. They may take you on regardless of their current recruitment state if you really wow them!

Experience with interviews is really handy! In your line of work there is a lot of competition, so get lots of experience with meeting people and building rapport if you can! Do you have an online portfolio? I wouldn't mind seeing some of your stuff ^.^

I helped to place an artist in a games studio a few years back when I did some work with a university in the UK (having worked within Games myself) - *shrugs* maybe I could give you a few tips- not promising anything though (I may be rather busy for the next few days) and don't feel that you have to take me up on it- I'm simply happy to help

[hxcpride]

cheers for the tips! well i probably dont have a competition since none of them actually hiring anyone and i just kept spamming my CV and my Portfolio to all of agencies/game studios. I mostly get feedback saying " sorry we're not hiring anyone right now but gladly to keep your Links and portfolio when we're hiring or future references"

Now these 2 are on the spot, spontaneously, i like the first one how she spontaneously wanting to see me by next week
and might hiring a graphic designer for a game. (yes i grow up with video games and might choose this one instead of the animation ones for tv commercials ...and only wanting for a cup of coffee when theyre not actually hiring right now) hahaha

but yeah well my portfolio is a bit different than most people doing..haha. theyre more mean and striking haha.could be bad for some people and some probably think an advantage since my arts are " different" )

heres a link www.facebook.com/mygenocidedesign

yes i can pretty much do what other designers do but whats the challenge when everyone doing the same thing and doesnt stand out so its abit extreme haha but thats because i only follow what my previous clients wants and it could be my advantage in other ppls point of view

[Elf_Moon]

Well... First off, with a quick look. You've got some really good/striking stuff! I'll head off now and send any further feedback privately when I get some time

[hxcpride]

haha thanks a lot mate! i really hope i get one of these job, especially the gaming ones. Ya know how hard it is to be a new immigrant and not really speaking Swedish? and especially theres a lot of Swedes that actually unemployed at this stage. I have been pretty lucky already that they take me for an interview i just gotta keep my fingers crossed for the next step looking forward for your tips and thanks for the compliment regarding my artwork! appreciate your feedback heaps!

[HannahSwain]

I've done interviews for companies in Europe that I was interested in that weren't hiring at the time. However, when the position did open up, I was the first one they called. Having your foot in the door and networking is generally not a bad thing - unless you honestly don't have time/wouldn't consider working there/etc.

[John.Smith]

Yeah this is not unusual and is in fact a very positive step. A lot of recruitment here is done by networking and contacts. The more contacts and the bigger network you can build the better the chances you have of getting employment.

Treat is as an interview, even if they are not calling it that. I have no doubt that they have specific projects in mind but are still seeking the right resources and possibly budget to see it through.

Well done and I hope it works out.

p.s. Use www.linkedin.com and connect to these guys beforehand.

[hxcpride]

Ahh thanks a lot for the tip guys. Yeh i do have linkedin, but had no idea using it,but seems so many randoms been adding me since i had it. Im hoping the interview will goes well for both of them. So i guess swedish doin their interview in kinda relax way so we dont get nervous i guess?