Job interview in Sweden: how to prepare

A job interview runs in both directions. The employer wants to understand how you think and work, and you get to find out whether the job suits you. This guide follows an interview with a Swedish employer step by step, from the preparation at home to the reference check at the end.

From here you can go on to common interview questions, to how you talk about your strengths and weaknesses and to the tests that often come before the interview. If you want to start right away, our free interview practice tool has questions, tips and sample answers.

Before the interview

Start with the job ad. Underline the requirements that come up more than once, because the questions often center on them. Then read up on the employer: what they do, who their customers are and what has happened there recently. The more you know, the easier it is to ask questions that show you have thought about the job.

Think about why you want this particular job. The question nearly always comes up in some form. An honest answer that connects the employer with what you want to do makes a good impression, and it is much easier to prepare at home than to make up on the spot.

Then prepare examples. Employers want to hear about real situations where you showed what they are looking for. If you have little work experience, examples from your studies or your free time work just as well. Pick three or four situations you can use for several questions: a project that went well, a problem you solved, a conflict and a mistake you learned from. The guide to the competency-based interview shows how to build answers like these with the STAR method.

Practice out loud. It can feel silly, but an answer you have already said a few times comes out calmer when it counts. If you can, ask someone to put the questions to you.

Call your references before the interview so they know someone may get in touch. The guide to references explains who to choose and what they will be asked.

Checklist for the evening before

• Double-check the time, the address and the name of the person you are meeting. Save a phone number in case something goes wrong.
• Plan the trip with a margin and aim to arrive 15 to 20 minutes early.
• Bring copies of your CV and cover letter, any work samples, a notepad and a pen.
• Write down the questions you want to ask. The guide to questions to ask has ideas.
• Choose clothes that suit the industry and that you feel comfortable in. The guide on what to wear explains how to find out the dress code.
• If the interview is online, test the link, camera, sound and connection well ahead of time. More in the guide to the video interview.
• Turn off your phone before you go in.

During the interview

Most interviews follow the same pattern. First comes some small talk and a presentation of the job and the workplace. Then the employer asks their questions, often starting with “tell me about yourself.” Toward the end, it is your turn to ask.

Listen to the whole question and answer that question. A pause to think is better than talking around the subject. Don’t lie, because it often shows in the follow-up questions and can catch up with you later.

If there are several interviewers in the room, look at and talk to all of them, including the ones who do not seem to make the decision. Being nervous is normal, and it is fine to say so. The nerves often ease once you have said it out loud.

Before you finish, glance at your notes so you haven’t forgotten anything you wanted to say or ask. Always ask what the next step is and when you can expect to hear back.

The salary question

Salary can come up as early as the first interview. Find out what the job usually pays before you go, for example with salary statistics from a trade union. Then decide on two numbers: what you want and the lowest you can accept. If the question comes early, you can ask to come back to it once you know more about the role. You will have more to negotiate with by then.

After the interview

Write down your impressions the same day. Which questions went well, and which would you answer differently next time? What did you learn about the job? Notes like these help before your next interview, whatever happens with this one.

If you haven’t heard anything by the time they promised, it is perfectly fine to get in touch and ask. If the answer is no, you can ask for feedback. Not every employer replies, but the ones who do give you something concrete to work on.

If you are still in the running, the reference check often comes next. At the Swedish Public Employment Service, for example, checking references is the last step for the final candidates before the hiring decision.

The tests and the interview

Logic tests and personality tests often come before the interview in Swedish recruitment. At the staffing company Academic Work, the tests are in most cases the second step, after your application has been reviewed. The Swedish Public Employment Service tests early in its selection so that all candidates get the same conditions. That means a test can decide whether you are invited to an interview at all. Our guide to psychometric tests explains the types you are most likely to meet.

You can practice for a logic test, so the task types and the time pressure are not new on the day. A personality test has no right answers, but it helps to have thought about how you would describe yourself, so you can give examples if the recruiter brings up your results. Our free personality test shows what the statements look like.

Questions that go too far

Sweden’s Discrimination Act protects you from the moment you apply for a job and throughout the recruitment. An employer may not treat you unfavorably because of your sex, transgender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, disability, sexual orientation or age. You also may not be turned down because you are pregnant or will take parental leave.

If you get a question about any of this, you can answer briefly or calmly ask how it relates to the job. If you think you have been discriminated against, you can report it to the Equality Ombudsman (DO). If you are a union member, you can also contact your union.

Is there a test before your interview? Start with our free logic test: twelve matrix tasks with a timer and an explanation for every answer, with no account needed.