Swedish job interview: questions, answers, CV and salary talk

How hiring works in Sweden

A typical Swedish recruitment process looks like this: you apply online with a CV and a cover letter, you may get a short phone or video call, then one or two interviews, sometimes a test, and finally the employer calls your references before making an offer. The whole process often takes several weeks, and in July it can stop completely while everyone is on holiday.

Swedish interviews are usually relaxed on the surface. You will be offered coffee, people will use first names and say du, and the tone is conversational. Don't let that fool you: interviewers are listening carefully for how you work with others, how you handle problems and whether you would fit into a team that makes decisions together. Bragging tends to go down badly; concrete examples go down well.

This guide gives you the questions you are likely to hear in Swedish, phrases for answering them, and the practical side: CV and cover letter conventions, references, salary and probation. It is general information for learners, not legal or careers advice, and employers differ. Once you have the job, our guide to Swedish at work covers meetings, emails and fika.

Key words in a job advert

Before the interview comes the jobbannons (job advert). These words appear in almost every one:

CV and cover letter conventions

The CV

Swedish CVs are short and factual. The Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) recommends one to two pages. Put your most recent job and education first, and make each role concrete: what you did and what you achieved, not just your title.

What about personal details?

• Contact details: name, phone number, email and town are enough. A LinkedIn link is common.
• Photo: optional. Arbetsförmedlingen's templates include a version with a photo, and it advises a professional-looking picture if you use one. Many applicants leave it out, and it is never a requirement.
• Age and date of birth: not needed. Age is one of the seven grounds of discrimination under Swedish law, alongside sex, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, disability and sexual orientation.
• Personnummer: leave it out. An employer needs it once you are hired, not when you apply, and there is no reason to spread it around. If you want to know what the number reveals, our personnummer tool explains it.
• Marital status, children, religion: leave them out.

Language skills deserve their own short section. Be honest about your Swedish: svenska (goda kunskaper) (good knowledge of Swedish) or a CEFR level such as B1 is clearer than vague claims. If you are studying, say so: studerar svenska på Komvux.

The cover letter (personligt brev)

The personligt brev matters more in Sweden than in many countries. Arbetsförmedlingen advises keeping it to at most one A4 page, tailoring it to each job and not repeating the CV. Explain why you want this particular job and give one or two concrete examples that show you can do it. Write in a professional but plain tone; long, formal sentences sound old-fashioned in Swedish.

If the advert is in Swedish, write in Swedish if you can, or ask whether English is fine. Our Swedish email templates include short messages for asking about a job.

Questions you will be asked

Many Swedish interviews follow a similar pattern, with a lot of competency-based questions (kompetensbaserade frågor): "Tell me about a time when…". Prepare two or three real stories you can adapt.

Interviewers may also ask how you feel about working in Swedish: Hur ser du på att jobba på svenska? Answer honestly and show that you are learning.

How to answer

Swedish interviewers value honesty, self-awareness and examples. A good structure for competency questions is: the situation, what you did, and the result. Say jag (I) about your own contribution, but also show that you worked with others.

Avoid overselling. Phrases like "I'm the best at…" sound boastful in Sweden; "I'm good at…" with an example sounds confident. On the other hand, being too modest can make you invisible, so make sure your examples show what you actually did.

Questions to ask the employer

Asking questions shows interest, and Swedish interviewers expect it. These all sound natural:

References (referenser)

Swedish employers almost always contact referenser (references) before making an offer, usually by phone. Typically you give two people, ideally former managers who can speak about your work. Ask them first, and tell them about the job so they know what to emphasise.

On a CV, it is common to write Referenser lämnas på begäran (References available on request) rather than listing names. If your references do not speak Swedish, say so; English-speaking references are usually fine.

Salary: löneanspråk and collective agreements

Sweden has no statutory minimum wage. Instead, wages are set through collective agreements (kollektivavtal) between employers' organisations and trade unions. According to the National Mediation Office (Medlingsinstitutet), about 88 percent of employees aged 18 to 68 were covered by a collective agreement in 2024. Some agreements set minimum wages or a pay structure; many white-collar agreements leave the amount to individual negotiation.

When an employer asks for your löneanspråk (salary expectation), give a monthly figure before tax, because Swedish salaries are almost always quoted per month. Prepare by checking salary statistics for your profession; trade unions publish them for their members, and many publish summaries openly. Name a figure you can justify, and expect some negotiation.

Once you are employed, salaries are usually reviewed once a year in a lönesamtal with your manager. When and how that happens is often set by the collective agreement, so ask about it if you are unsure.

Probation: provanställning

Many permanent jobs in Sweden start with a provanställning (probationary employment). Under the Employment Protection Act (lagen om anställningsskydd, LAS), a probation period may last at most six months. If neither side has said otherwise by the end of the period, the job automatically becomes permanent (tillsvidareanställning).

Either side can end a probation period early unless you have agreed otherwise. If the employer wants to end it, the law requires at least two weeks' notice, and if you are a union member the union must be told at the same time. Collective agreements can change some of these rules, and the law also allows the probation period to be extended in some cases, for example after long absence, so read your contract.

After the interview

A short thank-you email the same or next day is welcome but not expected. Keep it brief:

Note höra från er, with er as the plural "you", because the email is addressed to the company as a group.

FAQ

Should I put a photo on my CV in Sweden?

A photo is optional. Arbetsförmedlingen's CV templates include a version with a photo, but many applicants leave it out and employers do not require one.

Do I need to include my age or personnummer on a Swedish CV?

No. Your age and personnummer are not needed when you apply, and the employer only needs your personnummer once you are hired. Age is a protected ground under Swedish discrimination law.

How long is the probation period in Sweden?

Under the Employment Protection Act (LAS), a probationary employment can last at most six months, after which it becomes permanent unless either side ends it. Collective agreements can change some details.

Is there a minimum wage in Sweden?

No, there is no statutory minimum wage. Pay is set through collective agreements, which cover close to nine in ten employees, and through individual negotiation.

How long should a personligt brev be?

Arbetsförmedlingen recommends at most one A4 page, tailored to the specific job.

Can I do a job interview in English in Sweden?

Often, yes, especially at international employers. If the job requires Swedish, expect at least part of the interview to be in Swedish.

Prepare in Swedish, not just in English

The best preparation for a Swedish interview is hearing and saying real Swedish sentences until they come naturally. Season 1 of our course Complete Swedish is free in full: video lessons with synced Swedish transcripts, from your first words to everyday conversations. Start the free course, and check your level with the Swedish level test so you can describe it honestly on your CV.

Sources

Last checked 7 October 2026.

• Arbetsförmedlingen: Skriva cv and Writing a CV (length, optional photo), Skriva personligt brev (at most one A4 page).
• Diskrimineringsombudsmannen (DO): Diskrimineringsgrunder, the seven grounds of discrimination.
• Lag (1982:80) om anställningsskydd on riksdagen.se: forms of fixed-term employment (5 §), probation (6 §), minimum notice period (11 §), notice when ending probation (31 §).
• Medlingsinstitutet: Kollektivavtalstäckning och arbetsmarknadens organisationer 2024 (88 percent coverage in 2024) and Yttrande om minimilöner (no statutory minimum wage in Sweden).