IT companies working together helped Elham find the right one

IT company Data Ductus was well advanced in the recruitment process with software developer Elham Ali. Then office manager AnnaCarin Falkman realised that Elham's skills would be an even better fit at Infovista, so she contacted Ulf Marklund, development manager at Infovista's Skellefteå office. It turned out to be a perfect match and since August Elham has been working as a developer at Infovista.

- I am very grateful for this opportunity. The job was a turning point in my life, says Elham, who moved to Skellefteå in 2021 with her husband Hassan Farag, who got a job as a mechanical engineer at Northvolt.

It all started with a meeting organised by the Skellefteå business office at Sara Kulturhus in April 2022, where companies and employees had the chance to get to know each other and it was here that Elham introduced herself to AnnaCarin.

- She told me that she had been working as a developer and support for a telecom operator in Egypt, which I had worked with before. I thought her skills could be something for Data Ductus," AnnaCarin says.

Elham had to do a code test where she showed her programming potential and the two then met for a formal interview.

- Once I had a full picture of her skills and experience, I realised that there were many more things that matched Infovista's needs. I then said to her: "You know what, you should work at Infovista where I used to work", AnnaCarin says.

Unique matchmaking

She contacted Ulf, who gratefully accepted Elham for an interview.

- It's not easy to find the right skills in our latitudes, but Elham had the background we were looking for. She had worked for a telecom operator and her customer-facing experience is extremely valuable to us in the work we do to develop our products. It's great to find new talent that has come here," says Ulf, noting that it's unique for companies to pass on candidates when they've come this far in a recruitment process like Data Ductus and Elham.

- We are a few technology companies in Skellefteå that collaborate on resources, but this usually happens at an earlier stage, for example by sharing a CV that they think might be better suited to another actor. Now that Northvolt is attracting many people to Skellefteå, it benefits the whole community that we can work together and find suitable jobs for fellow migrants," says Ulf.

"Better with partnership"

AnnaCarin says that there is a network of former employees from the Ericsson Erisoft era.

- Here we keep track of each other's needs and we help each other with tips on potential employees. Expertise should be used where it can do the most good, and I hope it can be even better now that Skellefteå has such a large influx of people. We can't fight each other in the duck pond, it's better to find partnerships, work together and talk about skills needs. We also hope to have more mingle meetings where we get the chance to meet IT-savvy people, says AnnaCarin, who is happy that Elham found the right place at Infovista.

- It warms your heart for several reasons. Elham is a nice and ambitious person who you want to meet as soon as you meet her. It was a successful match and both she and Infovista are satisfied, says AnnaCarin.

"Developing all the time"

Elham says that she had low expectations before the mingle meeting at Sara Kulturhus.

- At first I wasn't keen to go because I didn't know if anyone could really get a job through these meetings. But it turned out to be a turning point in my life and I'm grateful for the help I got from AnnaCarin. Without her, I wouldn't have had this great opportunity," says Elham, who is thriving in her role as a software developer at Infovista.

- I have helpful and supportive colleagues, who make me feel at home, and I am constantly developing, both professionally and as a person, she says.

Elham and Hassan live at Anderstorp, a short walk from Infovista's offices in the Svalan office building in central Skellefteå.

- I like Skellefteå, it's a very nice city, and we've learned to love the winters here. Now we go skiing and take part in other activities.