Marian, job coach for Ukrainian refugees

Marian Aden is employed as a business consultant at Hyllie Park folk high school and is working at the moment on a project called Care, which helps refugees from the Ukraine and is financed by Europeiska Socialfonden.

She says that perseverance is important in her work, because it helps the participants to keep on working hard and and fight to reach their goals.

– It's important that immigrants have access to the proper support and resources to help them find a suitable job and become integrated in the community.

– I think that my perseverance has helped me to make a positive difference in the lives of many of the refugees I've worked with by helping them find their feet in the new country.

With her non-Swedish background Marian knows exactly what a new immigrant needs. She came from Somalia in 2011 and has long experience of how to find a job and the challenges that face the new arrivals when they try to find work.

– Because I went through almost the same procedure myself I know precisely what they need and I know what to emphasise in order to get a job.

– I know how hard it can be to ger a toehold in a new culture and a new country, she says.

This young woman who, in addition to her work, runs her own import/export firm, is often told by people around her that she is good at establishing relations, a quality that is useful to her in her role as job-coach. But she can often make use of here own experiences of job-hunting.

– We begin by helping our clients to improve their Swedish. We also offer advice on how to write a proper CV and a personal letter, and also help them to find suitable advertisements for 'staff wanted', she says.

But Marian does not offer only practical help. She also understands that it can be a problem dealing with the feelings of frustration and hopelessness that can arise when a person is trying to find work.

– I work in close so-operation with employers in order to help refugees to find relevant trainee places and jobs. I try to instil a feeling of hope in my clients and support them during the whole process.

Ukrainian immigrants have all sorts of qualifications and experience, our aim is to help them to adapt to the new country and its labour market.

– I have helped a lot of people to find a job and feel more at home in Sweden.

– At present we have four people from the Ukraine who have found a job, two who have been to a job interview and another with a trainee place. .

It's very rewarding to see when they are successful. I'm glad I can make a difference in their lives, she says.

What are the biggest challenges facing Ukrainian immigrants when they try to find a job in Sweden?

The biggest challenge is the language barrier. A lot of the refugees find it difficult to communicate in Swedish, so it can be tricky for them to understand the Situations Vacant column and understand questions in an interview. In addition it can be hard for many of them to get employers to take them seriously, because they have no working-life experience in Sweden or they perhaps lack a formal education.

– And that's where I come in, to give help and offer different kinds of support such as language lessons, careers advice and help in creating contacts with the labour market. I also work in close contact with employers in order to help the refugees find relevant trainee places and jobs.

What do you do to help the refugees with these challenges?

– I offer all available methods of support, I try to start with language to help them to improve their knowledge of Swedish. I help to create CVs and personal letters in Swedish, and I help them to find suitable Situations Vacant advertisements I try to put them in touch with employers too, and explain their situation so that the employer will take them seriously.

What is the most rewarding thing about your work?

– It is truly rewarding to see refugees manage to find work and feel more at home in Sweden. It is hard to come to a new country and try to find work, so it is really satisfying to be able to help them overcome the challenges and find a meaningful occupation.