Monday
It's interview time once again, and I head back to the city. This role is much more aligned with my career goals, and the company itself seems to contribute to the sustainable green transition that's a hallmark of this region.
We have a good conversation, and I get a positive feeling from it. The next stage, if I make it, is to meet with the CEO of the company for a second interview.
One interesting aspect of this interview was that it was mainly conducted in English. Since it was with the same recruiters as last week, perhaps they already acknowledge my level of Swedish, as last week's interview was 99% in Swedish.
It makes me wonder again about the barrier that seems to exist with learning the language.
Of course, you should try to learn the native language if you come to live here, but I think the level of expectation is perhaps not as severe as it's often portrayed. As long as you can understand the majority of what's being said and can form a response, you're in a good place.
Swedish is not an easy language to learn, and it has taken me a long time to get to where I am with it. It can be learnt but you absolutely must take it seriously.
Tuesday
Reality bites today, as it starts to become clear that the next salary payments from the trustees at Northvolt will be late for the second month in a row.
A notification has been uploaded to the web portal we use to communicate with the trustee, but there's still no salary payment from April. Once again, the information isn't clear about what actions, if any, we should be taking to receive the payments. It's also unclear if this first payment will arrive separately from the April salary, or if we need to wait for them to come together.
Either way, it means that once again, some savings will have to be used to pay bills on time, which I imagine isn't an option for everyone. Answers from the trustee aren't forthcoming, so we're left to try and figure things out via messages and group chats with friends and ex-colleagues.
Later in the afternoon, I had some phone calls. Since I've been applying for jobs, I get many calls each day, but they're mostly from some kind of salesperson. Any of the calls could be about a prospective job, so I feel obliged to answer all of them. I'm becoming very good at saying “No thanks” to salespeople in both languages!
Two of the calls, however, were ones worth answering. Firstly, yesterday's interview must have gone well, as they already want me to meet the CEO! The second was for another role I applied for, and I had a preliminary interview of sorts over the phone. It's safe to say things are hotting up!
Thursday
I am back in the city to meet with the CEO. We started off in Swedish but ended up in English; overall, I hope it went well. I was asked some challenging questions by the CEO that have left me guessing, but I felt that the goodbye handshake and the look in his eyes were positive. So, it's fingers crossed I make it to the next round.
I always stick to a basic interview strategy that has served me well in the past. My strategy is to use my experiences to give examples of how I can be a good fit for the role, and then just be honest. Don't be afraid to mention something you might feel is a negative about your past career or your feelings, as long as you can end it on a positive note.
Friday
I get immediate feedback from the recruiter. At first, I thought it must be bad news, as it was so soon after the meeting, but I was wrong. The CEO liked me, and now I'm into the next stage of the process! I have to take some tests over the weekend: a personality and logic test. If I get past that, then I'll be at the final stage with references. This feels like I'm close, especially as it seems to be moving at quite a fast pace. I am asked if I have anything else on the table that could affect this job. The chance to rekindle the motorsports flame seems to have gone as the conversation has dried up. I am honest and mention this but admit it is sadly probably not going to materialise.
But this job is a step-up for me, so it comes with a bit of trepidation, but it's also exciting at the same time. I think it's good to challenge yourself and even scare yourself a little sometimes, in the right sort of way. So, we head into this weekend with a real sense of momentum for the future.