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Change your mindset

Are you having a problem with your job hunting in Sweden? Did you lose your job during the pandemic? Or are you sending a lot of applications with no response and starting to get frustrated? You might simply need to change your mindset. In this podcast we will be giving you some tips and inspiration on how to change your mindset and hopefully we can inspire you to think in new ways when job hunting in Sweden.

Transcripton of Arbetsförmedlingens Ny i Sverige-
podd: Change your mindset

Intro music (FIRST STEP MUSIC)

(Ziza)

It can feel frustrating and tough not

getting the job you want.

You might be applying for different jobs

but keep getting rejected for jobs you're perfect for,

even though you have lots of experience and a great education.

When things don't turn out the way you want, it can affect your mood,

your attitude, but also your mindset.

In today's podcast, we're going to talk

about how to change your mindset, become more positive

and think outside the box.

With me today I have my colleague, Tara,

and my name is Ziza.

(Ziza)

Hi, Tara. Welcome to this episode.

(Tara)

Well, thank you, Ziza.

I'm very happy to be here with you today.

(Ziza)

Thank you. Tell me more about yourself.


Who are you?

(Tara)

Well, my name is Tara, and I've been working

as a public employment officer in the Swedish

Public Employment Office for a few years.

And today you invited me to talk about the

positive mindset.

(Ziza)

Exactly. You can start by just telling me what is a

mindset.

(Tara)

Well, a mindset is an established set of attitudes that you hold about

your life and what you believe about yourself.

But the mindset has the power to impact your success.

It plays a crucial role,

how you overcome and cope with challenges,

and it's crucial for your job seeking.

(Ziza)

Why do you think people's mindset and

attitude can change while they are applying for jobs?

(Tara)

Well, it's not easy putting yourself out there and applying

for job after job and maybe not getting any response,

or not getting a positive response, so

I can understand if it can leave someone

feeling frustrated or stuck, so mindset can play a big role

when you're job seeking.

(Ziza)

But what if I feel I'm stuck? Is it ever too late

to start this positive mindset journey?

(Tara)

Well, I personally think there's nothing too late.

It's never too late to change something in your life,

not... not mindset thinking.

(Ziza)

But can you give us any examples of, like, negative mindsets

and how to change it?

(Tara)

Well, we all felt that negative mindset.

It could be anything from I'll never get this job,

I'm never good enough for this job,

I lack the skills, my language is not so perfect,

my age is not the perfect age,

I don't have the right background, and so on,

these negative thoughts that affect your overall, you

know, feeling.

(Ziza)

Let's say I want to start to change my mindset and attitude right

away. Where do I start? What can I do right now?

(Tara)

Well, if you're saying right here and right now, my advice for you

is to grab a piece of paper and a pen and start listing

all that negative mindset that you have.


I'm not good enough. I don't have the right background.

I don't have the right skills.

My language is not enough.

Write them all down, and on the other side of the paper

try to replace them with a more positive thinking.

I'm good enough. I have the required skills and experience.

I have an international background. I have so and so.

So replace all those negative words to positive words.

You start from there.

(Ziza)

Because everyone actually have good, like, experience

and they maybe have a language or skills in a certain, like, field,

like everything you should put on.

(Tara)

Absolutely, Ziza. Absolutely. Everybody is good at something.

They just don't realise it, maybe.

(Ziza)

And I guess it builds up your confidence and self-esteem

by writing all these, like, positive thoughts and things

about yourself into that paper, and probably makes it

easier for you to also, like, start applying for jobs and maybe be

out there and networking.

(Tara)

Of course it's good for everything,

and, of course, your self-esteem.

When you have high self-esteem and you feel good

about yourself, you can do everything.


Everything suddenly seems possible.

(Ziza)

Have you ever changed your mindset while job seeking before?

(Tara)

Well, funny that you ask that. A few years ago, I had fallen

into a negative mindset. That was maybe a few years

after my graduation. I felt I was applying for jobs

and never getting a positive response.

So I felt that I was in a negative mindset.

So, yeah, that was a few years ago.

And then I started reading, asking my friends for advice,

and I got one small advice that changed my mindset,

and I actually ended up getting the job.

(Ziza)

What did you do?

(Tara)

Well, I was searching for jobs in the same way over and over

in the same branch, and there was no luck,

I never got a positive response. And a friend of mine told me,

well, try to search for jobs by using other competence and skills,

and I did, and then it opened my eyes on new possibilities.

And even when I got a positive response, everything else was

suddenly so good and so positive and I felt very good about

myself. And that was many years ago, and now we're here.


(Ziza)

That's very impressive. But what if someone has a degree

from their home country that they really want to work with

but don't have the experience?

What would you say is the first step they should think about,

like, taking?

(Tara)

Well, from my experience at the Public Employment Office,

I've met so many people that are in the same position

you're describing, and my advice was always for them

is to first of all list all the good things that they are...

they brought with them. That's a very important thing.

And then start looking, applying for jobs, of course, but also

considering internships or praktik as we call it in Swedish. Praktik

is a very good step for getting a job, lifting your self-esteem.

You go to an interview and you get accepted and you move

on. You start the internship, you make a network, you get some

experience in the Swedish job market and the Swedish

job environment. You make colleagues networking, use

your Swedish references, and maybe, who knows, maybe

they will have an opening for you.

(Ziza)

Very, very good, actually. And I thought about, when you mentioned

this, I thought about volunteering jobs too.


(Tara)

Well, that's a very good way also,

almost the same thing as an internship, you know.

You get the same benefits, and, of course, you feel good about

yourself doing... serving a cause that's close to your heart.

(Ziza)

I really like what you mentioned before about to just start

somewhere. Maybe that's not your dream job right now,

but you can always work your way up, and I guess that many

opportunities and doors can open for you.

Maybe you'll get a new contact, a new experience,

or maybe it turns out that you really like what you're

doing.

(Tara)

Yes, definitely. I don't know if you've seen... One of my favourite

movies, you know, about changing mindset is the Yes Man.

Have you seen it?

(Ziza)

Yeah, I've seen it.

(Tara)

Jim Carrey, yeah. This is almost like having a positive mindset.

It will open doors.

(Ziza)

Yeah, for sure, and I actually also like the volunteering part,

'cause I feel like it also, like, fulfils your heart, boosts

your karma and makes you feel happy,

and you get to go out, meet people and have a good daily routine.


(Tara)

Definitely, Ziza.

(Ziza)

Thank you so much for joining me today.

(Tara)

Thank you for having me.

It was a pleasure talking to you.

(Ziza)

Thank you.

You have been listening to Ny i Sverige-podden, with me,

Ziza Madani. Our guest today was Tara Khaffaf, and technician

was Sylvester Gyan. This episode was recorded in March 2021.