Job Hunting Expressions
Swedish job-search idiom — få in en fot, jantelagen, spontanansökan and vi hör av oss.
Job hunting in Sweden as it actually feels: the wide net, the cover letter, the very Swedish tension between selling yourself and jantelagen, the silence after vi hör av oss, and the annons-Swedish you must decode (urval sker löpande means apply TODAY). Idioms and HR-language mixed, in the order of one long search that ends well.
- 1
söka jobb
to look for a job
Tip: lit. 'seek job' — the standard phrase.
- 2
en jobbannons
a job advert
Tip: lit. the same.
- 3
sista ansökningsdag
the closing date
Tip: lit. 'last application day'.
- 4
urval sker löpande
we review applications continuously
Tip: lit. 'selection happens continuously' — so apply early.
- 5
kvalifikationskrav
the required qualifications
Tip: lit. the same.
- 6
meriterande men inget krav
meriting but not required
Tip: lit. the same — the phrase in every Swedish advert.
- 7
vi lägger stor vikt vid personlig lämplighet
we value personal suitability highly
Tip: lit. the same — near-universal boilerplate.
- 8
ett personligt brev
a cover letter
Tip: lit. 'a personal letter' — Sweden expects one with every CV.
- 9
skräddarsy sin ansökan
to tailor your application
Tip: lit. 'tailor one's application'.
- 10
kasta ut ett brett nät
to cast a wide net
Tip: lit. the same.
- 11
en spontanansökan
a speculative application
Tip: lit. 'a spontaneous application' — very common in Sweden.
- 12
nätverka
to network
Tip: lit. the same — the verb exists in Swedish too.
- 13
det handlar om kontakter
it's all about contacts
Tip: lit. the same — half of Swedish jobs never get advertised.
- 14
få in en fot
to get your foot in the door
Tip: lit. 'get in a foot'.
- 15
komma in på arbetsmarknaden
to get into the labour market
Tip: lit. the same.
- 16
vara ett skott i mörkret
to be a shot in the dark
Tip: lit. the same.
- 17
vara ett långskott
to be a long shot
Tip: lit. 'be a long shot' — from football.
- 18
sälja in sig
to sell yourself
Tip: lit. 'sell oneself in'.
- 19
slå på stora trumman
to blow your own trumpet
Tip: lit. 'beat the big drum' — mildly frowned upon in Sweden.
- 20
vara lagom blygsam
to be appropriately modest
Tip: lit. 'be just-right modest' — the national balancing act.
- 21
jantelagen
the Law of Jante
Tip: lit. 'the Jante law' — don't think you're better than anyone else.
- 22
sticka ut ur mängden
to stand out from the crowd
Tip: lit. the same.
- 23
vara överkvalificerad
to be overqualified
Tip: lit. the same — a real rejection reason here.
- 24
gå vidare i processen
to make it to the next round
Tip: lit. 'go further in the process'.
- 25
bli kallad på intervju
to be called for interview
Tip: lit. 'be called to interview'.
- 26
en kompetensbaserad intervju
a competence-based interview
Tip: lit. the same — structured, and increasingly standard.
- 27
berätta om en gång när…
tell me about a time when…
Tip: lit. the same — the opening of every such question.
- 28
ett arbetsprov
a work sample test
Tip: lit. the same.
- 29
ett personlighetstest
a personality test
Tip: lit. the same — common at bigger employers.
- 30
en referenstagning
a reference check
Tip: lit. the same.
- 31
får vi kontakta din nuvarande arbetsgivare?
may we contact your current employer?
Tip: lit. the same — say no if you need to.
- 32
en andra intervju
a second interview
Tip: lit. the same.
- 33
träffa teamet
to meet the team
Tip: lit. the same.
- 34
vi hör av oss
we'll be in touch
Tip: lit. 'we'll get in touch' — often means no.
- 35
inte höra något alls
to hear nothing back at all
Tip: lit. the same.
- 36
rekryteringen är pausad
the recruitment process is on hold
Tip: lit. the same.
- 37
tjänsten har dragits tillbaka
the post has been withdrawn
Tip: lit. the same.
- 38
vi gick vidare med en annan kandidat
we went with another candidate
Tip: lit. the same.
- 39
få ett nej
to be turned down
Tip: lit. 'get a no'.
- 40
ta det personligt
to take it personally
Tip: lit. the same.
- 41
hålla huvudet högt
to keep your chin up
Tip: lit. 'hold the head high'.
- 42
be om återkoppling
to ask for feedback
Tip: lit. the same — and usually get some.
- 43
spara ansökan för framtiden
to keep your CV on file
Tip: lit. 'save the application for the future'.
- 44
bränna sina skepp
to burn your bridges
Tip: lit. 'burn one's ships'.
- 45
kämpa på
to keep at it
Tip: lit. 'fight on' — the standard encouragement.
- 46
landa ett jobb
to land a job
Tip: lit. 'land a job'.
- 47
rätt jobb dyker upp till slut
the right job comes eventually
Tip: lit. the same.