Mentee Jessie Leu: "Meeting other mentors and mentees was a great networking opportunity"

Jessie Leu moved to Sweden from Malaysia as a child and completed her university studies in Sweden. However, finding a job after her maternity leave was not an easy task for this young business graduate, which is why she enrolled in Mitt Livs Chans as a mentee.

What was your experience with the mentoring program?

It was very interesting and inspiring to get to hear about my mentor’s career path. She started as an assistant manager in Romania, then slowly worked her way into the Swedish job market by taking different roles and is now Senior Manager at Vattenfall. Meeting other mentors and mentees was a great networking opportunity. I also found the joint meetings very useful, especially when it comes to getting really good tips for how to conduct yourself at a job interview.

After your participation in Mitt Livs Chans you have found a job as a Business Controller, and decided to come back to the program as a mentor. What do you hope to give your mentees?

Since I have been down the same road, I know how it might get a bit frustrating and even feel helpless at times, so I hope that I can give them support, some few pointers and a lot of encouragement.

What tips would you give to foreign professionals in Sweden looking for a job?

Be fully prepared and believe in yourself! If you have no luck, go for a more junior role or a trainee position, just to get a foot in the company and then work your way up.

I have also noticed that some mentees’ CVs are not very well structured and too long. Instead of putting your whole life story in your CV, it is important to pinpoint what is relevant for the job that you are applying for.

Furthermore, newcomers might only look for jobs through Arbetsförmedlingen, but from my experience networking and contacts are crucial. Moving to Sweden from another country usually means that you do not know and engage with many people outside your family or group of friends. This is where being a part of Mitt Livs Chans mentoring program can be of great help.

What piece of advice would you give to Swedish employers or politicians to improve diversity and inclusion in the Swedish labour market?

Encourage companies to have internships where jobseekers can show what they are capable of. If the company does not employ them afterwards, it is still a good experience and merit for the jobseeker to put in their CV.