When, after twelve years in Spain where I lived, worked and ran my own business, it was time to go back home, that is Sweden, I was convinced that soon I would start a new, stable life there. However, I did not realize how big a cultural hurdle can be, on the road to success.
Everything was to be a walk in the park. I thought to myself: After all, I have Polish roots, I lived in Sweden since I was a child – here I was, brought up, went to school, studied. I speak fluently five languages, have higher education. I am experienced in running my own business, and additionally have very high developed social skills. At this point in my life I did not have my own family, so my availability was basically one hundred percent. Due to the fact that for many years I have been exposed to environments where flexibility, quick decisions and the ability to reach compromises were the basics of survival, finding a job in Sweden didn’t seem like a challenge for me.
Very quickly though, reality rectified my conviction:
- 12 months – length of search for work
- 156 – amount of sent CV’s
- 43 – attended job interviews
- 0 – job offerings
What was the problem then? What was wrong?
Work in Sweden and cultural conditions
Desperate, I decided to go to a specialist for career coaching. The conclusions from our meetings were simple and truly opened my eyes: the basic mistakes that I made were related to … cultural differences! Although Sweden was my home, twelve years spent in Spain had a huge impact on my perception of reality, which I subconsciously measured Spanish parameters, so different from Swedish ones.
So, what was I doing wrong?
Advice # 1: Are you looking for a job in Sweden? Know your weaknesses!
In Spain, no one asks about your weaknesses, nobody is interested in your Achilles heel. What counts is what you do know and what you are good at. At business meetings or job interviews, showing weakness is avoided. When looking for a job in Sweden though, you have to keep in mind your flaws, because your awareness and ability to speak about them not only show that you are a modest person (very appreciated feature for Swedes), but also someone who knows oneself, and has control over one’s emotions. Lack of awareness of your shortcomings or inability to admit them is perceived in negative way, and a person speaking about themselves in superlatives can be perceived as arrogant – attribute disliked in Sweden. In turn I when asked about my weak points, (in accordance with the scheme used in Spain), replied that… I do not possess such.
Advice # 2: Work in Sweden means specifics – do no get carried away
As it turned out, my anecdotes about life in Spain and various comic situations that happened to me were… out of place. If in Spain the ability to chit-chat is a plus, the matter-of-factness and precise, specific information flow is highly valued in Sweden. All information not related to a given topic is simply a waste of time for the conversation partner, and thus – lack of respect. In any case, it does not bring anything positive, quite the opposite.
Advice # 3: Keep a reasonable distance when talking to the Swedes
If the interlocutor gently leans away from you during the conversation, it does not mean that you must lean forward in the pursuit of him/her (very often practiced by me). It simply means that you enter the person’s personal space and make him/her feel uncomfortable. In Spain, distances in personal space are minimal, in Sweden – maximum. It turned out that the attitude I understood as a friendly and kind, was interpreted as intrusive and unpleasant.
I could give you many other examples of misfortunes in business and professional relations in Sweden, but the most important message I want to share with you is as follows: people who conducted interviews with me subconsciously registered my behavior and concluded that “for some reason, this person does not click “. And this, of course, had a key impact on their decisions. Therefore, if you are wondering how to find a job in Sweden, remember:
A well-prepared resume, rich experience and competences is not enough if you are applying for a job abroad. Equally important is the cultural awareness and understanding the mentality of a given nation.
In my case, even my Swedish background or the common language was not able to guarantee a positive outcome after a job interview. The missing (and most important) link, was understanding of the language of codes, norms and principles of the Swedish business culture.