“Be your first audience”

Johan Sonde has been with CareerBuilder Sweden for more than 15 years. He started in a finance role with Jobbguiden.se, a small job board startup, which was acquired by CareerBuilder soon after he joined. His  career has evolved from finance to sales, as he wanted to be in a more client-facing role. He now sells the full suite of CareerBuilder Sweden product offerings.

What sets CareerBuilder apart?

From what I hear when chatting with clients, friends, partners, etc., I would say CareerBuilder Sweden really feels like a family business within a global corporate structure. For me, CareerBuilder really is a family; not many companies seem to have that spirit. I also feel that CB is agile and has a solution-oriented mindset; we try things and if it doesn’t work, we move on the next and try the next solution.”

How to you hit goals and stay motivated?

Checklists and part goals – they keep me motivated and organized. Just write down the tasks and goals for the day/week/month, and you’ll get a feeling of accomplishment and success for every checkbox checked. Team motivation has been harder lately because of the pandemic, but it feels more natural now to just call and chat with colleagues to discuss business, and that’s what motivates me.        

Best piece of advice you ever received?

Don’t think that you work for anyone but yourself. You can interpret so much from this. It has helped me stay focused and remember that I generally am responsible for the situations I end up in. It’s also good for self-reflection: Look at what you have performed for yourself first. Be your first audience. If you don’t enjoy what you do, don’t like it, or don’t think it’s any good, neither will anyone else. It helps me do my best work and enjoy it. I don’t care if you’re stacking shelves, preparing a report for the chairman of the board, or presenting solutions for a client. Do it according to the high standards you set for yourself in everything you do.