Securing a Part Time Job as an International Student!!!
“Damn it! Where do I find a sommar job before summer starts? ”. Amidst a global pandemic, living in a country thousands of miles away from home I spent about half of my spring term goggling English speaking jobs in Sweden. I remember sending my portfolio to all the companies featured on career portals, yet getting rejected one after another shaken my confidence. I started inquiring with my classmates about the probable opportunities. Some recommended strawberry picking, some referred to newspaper delivery while others suggested to look for a long term part time work that could be more than a summer fling.
My eagerness to work signed me up in multiple strawberry picking and newspaper delivery positions but not hearing from them disappointed me to my bones. I thought there was some trick I was not getting, yet I made sure to share my job hunt to all the people I met. One of my good friends who works in a makeup store suggested that I “walk to every cafe and
restaurant in Lund and ask them if they were hiring”. Coming from a country with a different job seeking culture I was a bit hesitant to do so. “How will I ever walk up to them?”, “What will I say them?”, and “What will they think of me?” were some limiting questions that stopped me from approaching restaurants.
After spending months doing nothing but daydreaming myself in Swedish
labour market, I finally found a friend who wanted to work like me. Together we printed our resume and dropped it to every restaurant in Lund centrum. I could never do it if I didn't have a friend with me. I am shy by nature, so confronting my fear was my biggest win. We didn't hear from any restaurants we applied to so we decided to search for opportunities in
Malmo. After a day of job hunting, trying to sell sellers our work ethics, we
succeeded in getting a part time job that I have been doing for more than
seven months now.
During these seven months I have learned a lot, my Swedish has improved from Hej Hej and tack så mycket to a two way conversation. I don’t work much, but I can cover monthly rent and I am so grateful to be able to do that.
Here are some of my tips to successfully get a part time positions in
restaurants and cafes:
1. Share that you are looking for a job to people surrounding you.
2. Go around in the restaurants at Lund C and ask with the staffs if they
are hiring
3. Learn basic Swedish communication words and use them while
looking for jobs
4. If you are learning Swedish tell that to the restaurant owner/staff you
because they might think you will improve while working.
5. Have a good attitude and greet people with big smile
By- Dikshya Gautam
Masters Student at Development Studies
My eagerness to work signed me up in multiple strawberry picking and newspaper delivery positions but not hearing from them disappointed me to my bones. I thought there was some trick I was not getting, yet I made sure to share my job hunt to all the people I met. One of my good friends who works in a makeup store suggested that I “walk to every cafe and
restaurant in Lund and ask them if they were hiring”. Coming from a country with a different job seeking culture I was a bit hesitant to do so. “How will I ever walk up to them?”, “What will I say them?”, and “What will they think of me?” were some limiting questions that stopped me from approaching restaurants.
After spending months doing nothing but daydreaming myself in Swedish
labour market, I finally found a friend who wanted to work like me. Together we printed our resume and dropped it to every restaurant in Lund centrum. I could never do it if I didn't have a friend with me. I am shy by nature, so confronting my fear was my biggest win. We didn't hear from any restaurants we applied to so we decided to search for opportunities in
Malmo. After a day of job hunting, trying to sell sellers our work ethics, we
succeeded in getting a part time job that I have been doing for more than
seven months now.
During these seven months I have learned a lot, my Swedish has improved from Hej Hej and tack så mycket to a two way conversation. I don’t work much, but I can cover monthly rent and I am so grateful to be able to do that.
Here are some of my tips to successfully get a part time positions in
restaurants and cafes:
1. Share that you are looking for a job to people surrounding you.
2. Go around in the restaurants at Lund C and ask with the staffs if they
are hiring
3. Learn basic Swedish communication words and use them while
looking for jobs
4. If you are learning Swedish tell that to the restaurant owner/staff you
because they might think you will improve while working.
5. Have a good attitude and greet people with big smile
By- Dikshya Gautam
Masters Student at Development Studies
