MEMBER STORY | Anna Horvath

I think most of the accompanying spouses have experienced the following conversation:

‘Why did you move here?’ ‘Because of my partner’s career.’
‘And what do you do?’ ‘Looking for a job.’
‘How is your Swedish?’ ‘Not as good as I would like it to be.’
‘When did you move?’ ‘A while back.’

In my case, the answer to the last question was 1,5 years ago, which usually led to an awkward silence. So, normally, I would mention that our firstborn was 4 weeks old when we moved and had just started daycare lately. That helped a little, but I still felt strange.

It all started changing when my husband received a letter from Klarna that they had joined SDCN and the spouses of international employees were welcome to attend the events. After registering as a member, I could finally answer the “what do you do” questions by saying that I was now part of an organization that builds a community of expat spouses and helps them find a way into the Swedish society and job market. In my head, it sounded definitely better than just saying ‘I am looking for a job.’ My personal experience is that people expect you to do something; anything. SDCN, just by existing, helped me feel better about myself and my interaction with the world.

“my work experience rendered me overqualified for junior positions”

One of my biggest challenges during job hunting was that my work experience rendered me overqualified for junior positions but my level of Swedish (language and work experience) was not enough for senior roles or for any professional role, if I’m being honest. At one of the SDCN events, we were told to be brave and try going outside of our comfort zone. So, I started to apply for positions which were not inside my wheelhouse and required almost no experience. And then it happened. I was hired by an international Swedish company in a junior role far from my original education or professional area. Still, it was a job! In the meantime, I tried to stay involved with SDCN.

After a year of working at the international Swedish company, I felt it was not enough anymore and wanted to go back to my field. However, I was concerned with what would happen if I left a position I struggled to find in the first place. Who knows how long it would take me to find another position?

And then it happened! SDCN was looking for new volunteers for the Management team. So, I decided to quit and applied in the Intelligence team. It was already closer to my original occupation and made me happy to contribute. It made my new job search easier because I could now add to my CV that I was volunteering at SDCN. Being more engaged with the organization and getting to know the other members and their stories motivated me even further to keep looking for my dream job. I also joined the Swedish classes offered by SDCN to improve my language level.

“I decided to go for it using all the knowledge I got from the SDCN workshops and trainings.”

In April, I found a job that I was sure was written for me; it was perfectly tailored to my skills and experience… I decided to go for it using all the knowledge I got from the SDCN workshops and trainings. I eventually landed an interview where I talked about my role within SDCN, which positively surprised my interviewer, and set me apart from the other applicants. I got the job and I feel and know for certain that the SDCN community, events and the self-confidence I gained here made this happen!

Last updated 2018/10/22