THIS KEDGER ALUMNUS LIVES IN STOCKHOLM AND WORKS AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF H&M

• CLASS OF: 2018

• POSITION: E-commerce Visual Merchandiser for Northern Europe
• COMPANY: H&M
• LENGTH OF TIME WORKING ABROAD: 1 year

 

 

INTERVIEW :

Hello Soumaya! Please say a few words about yourself:

My name is Soumaya. I’m 25 and I come from Toulouse, France. I have now been living in Sweden for a year and work with digital and e-commerce. 

 

Can you tell us more about your years at Kedge? What’s your best memory?

After two years of ”classes préparatoires”, I enrolled in the ”Grande École” program in 2014 in Bordeaux.. Alongside classes, I joined the school cinema club. We had a great team, and we organized the 19th annual European Short Film Festival of Bordeaux, the second biggest short-film festival of France. I learnt to plan a big event from scratch, and it was really my first professional project.

 

You did three internships during your studies. Why?

I did two internships in Paris during my gap year: a six-month internship in marketing/communication at a media & broadcasting company and another six-month internship in advertising at Publicis. After that, I went abroad for an exchange semester in Canada. When I came back to France, I did a third internship at Ubisoft in PR, again in Paris.

I had three very different internships in marketing; both in terms of industries and in terms of competences and skills. It made me discover marketing with a 360° approach. After those internships, I had a better idea of where I wanted to go next.

 

Why did you move to Sweden, and are you living in Stockholm now?

I moved to Sweden in January 2019 and have been living in Stockholm for a year now. When I got back to France from my semester in Winnipeg (Canada), I realized how much I enjoyed living abroad. I absolutely loved Canada and I felt like I couldn’t see myself living in Paris anymore. So after graduating, I looked for a job in Europe and started working at Gant in Stockholm in 2019.

Why Stockholm? Even though my experience in Canada is dear to my heart, I have always been attracted to Scandinavia’s economic and social model. I had the chance to visit Stockholm and fell in love with the architecture and the way of living.

In your opinion, what places are a must-see in Stockholm? Which one is your favourite?

First, when visiting Stockholm, you should start in Gamla Stan, which means "The Old Town" in Swedish. It's very much a tourist attraction, but it’s iconic. You can quickly lose yourself in the island very narrow and colorful streets.

Drottningholm Palace, located outside the city, is a beautiful castle where the Swedish Royal Family lives. When the weather is warm and nice, it’s a delight to walk in the gardens and have a picnic next to the water.

But my favourite place though is Rosendals Trädgård, an outdoor café located in the middle of Djugården island. Djurgården is an oasis in the middle of Stockholm with green nature, parks and cultural attractions.

Rosendals Trägård is a garden café using organic and biodynamic ingredients, a lot of them coming from their own garden! They serve really good salads, soups, sandwiches and is a perfect location for a Swedish Fika (which is a “coffee and cake” break where Swedes enjoy a hot bevarage with a small pastry).

 

How is working and everyday life in Sweden different from France?

There are minor and major differences between Sweden and France. Firstly, working in Sweden is a very different experience from working in France. Swedes tend to be more efficient and get things done faster. Usually, in Sweden we start working between 8 and 9am and end the day between 5 and 6pm. Working days are shorter, but it doesn’t mean that Swedes work less!

In addition, Swedes are afraid of conflict. If a manager is not happy with their team members, they won’t be as direct as French people can be. It will be said in a way that avoids conflict. Which, sometimes, can lead to a complete misunderstanding from the team member (especially if they are expats) who don’t really understand that something is wrong. There’s work to do in reading into their cues and understanding the “Swedish communication” and body language.

The everyday life is also quite different. Stockholm is not as fast paced as Paris. There’s a better work-life balance. After work, Swedes like to hit the gym, cook, hang out with friends over dinner, or chill at home. In France, I didn’t have time to do much after my working day. Now, I can work out AND meet some friends AND cook, the same evening. Even executives don’t have to stay as late as they do in France because they are very efficient when at work.

If employees have children, they can evn leave earlier, usually at around 3 or 4 pm, and then work from home or work those hours another day. The Swedish model is built on flexibility. There’s a lot of trust between managers and team members. Working from home is more than encouraged.

Something that I really appreciate here is that Swedes (and Scandinavians in general) are extremely creative in their working methods. We’re constantly encouraged to think outside the box, find new solutions and come up with new ideas.

 

Is there any discrimination at work for non-Swedes?

I would say that the main barrier for foreigners is to know Swedish, which is required in 85-90% of job ads. It can be very discouraging when you are looking for a job because sometimes, you come across an offer that fits you perfectly, but then they are hunting for someone who speaks Swedish fluently. That’s why it is important to understand how the job market is structured in Sweden and what are companies looking for. You will then find out that global companies mostly have English as a working language (like Spotify here in Stockholm, for example).

Additionally, Stockholm is a large hub for highly innovative start-ups that are on the lookout for international talents. Those can be a great stepping-stone for a career in Sweden.

I usually find that French candidates are well perceived here in Sweden. Firstly, we tend to have a higher level of education, while most people here stop studying after their bachelor’s degree. Then, the French model is better at allowing getting professional experience while studying, mostly through internships, compared to the Swedish one.

 

Where do you see yourself in the future?

Overall, I’m pretty much happy here in Sweden. Now that it’s been a year since I moved here, things are starting to settle nicely. For this reason, I would like to stay in Stockholm for the time being. But who knows, a few years from now I might want to live somewhere else too! It's so interesting and enriching to learn about new cultures, new ways of working, and how to adapt to people.

Currently, I work in Digital Marketing, but I would like to work more with project management, strategy, and data analytics. I also want to learn Swedish, which will help me integrate even more.

 

What would you say to graduates and future graduates who are unsure about living abroad?

Having second thoughts about moving abroad is quite common, since it’s a life changing decision. But go for it! It's an amazing experience. You will learn a lot on a personal and professional level, and you will grow so much.

It’s also a plus when you move back home. If you have lived abroad and then decide to go back to France, your experience abroad, new working methods and your English skills will be valued by future recruiters.

Don’t get me wrong though, living abroad is challenging. It takes a lot of efforts to make it work. In the beginning, you might feel stressed and discouraged by the number of administrative obstacles you need to deal with, and finding a job requires time and a lot of commitment, but you have to keep going.

Those years of expatriation will also be an opportunity for you to deconstruct most of your beliefs about yourself and others. It’s a great way to seek more self-awareness and get to know yourself at a deeper level, with an open mind.

 

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Interview conducted in Stockholm by Damien, a KEDGE Alumni Travel of Northern Europe student.

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