Johan had worked for many years in the restaurant at Mcdonald's and had no intention of switching careers. Still, in connection with him stepping into a more prominent leadership role and being given more responsibility for recruitment and staff, his interest in HR and personnel questions awakened.
“I took a few sabbaticals and started studying the Human Resources program at Södertörn before I returned to McDonald's, but this time as HR manager in combination with the role as Deputy Restaurant Manager. However, after a few years, I felt that I wanted to work in a different context and applied for a role at a recruitment company focusing on educators, where I worked as a recruiter for two years”, Johan says.
Johan had no plans to move but got interested when he was contacted regarding a role at Sharper, one of the group's companies before rebranding to Clevry, that focused on recruiting senior profiles. Johan explains that what attracted him most was the set-up, which he was not familiar with before, to be able to recruit together in a team.
“You were supposed to help each other and go through all the clients and candidates together in what was and still is called “One Team” and get the opportunity to work together, which is comforting when you work with complex senior recruitments. It sounded like an enjoyable way of working”, Johan continues.
In the middle of 2020, in connection with the merge and the beginning of Clevry, Johan got asked if he wanted to become a team manager and create his own team.
“Of course, it was a challenge to create a context; we went from a relatively small company to a larger one and started to contact our colleagues abroad and put together a team that works well together. I wanted to bring the ways of how we worked at Sharper, that you work together, which we do today. It works incredibly well, and I am very proud of that”, says Johan.
Johan emphasises how much freedom he experiences at Clevry compared to previous jobs.
“Clevry is a very flat organisation, where everyone is very accommodating. For example, during the pandemic, you have had the opportunity to control your own time, which gives you flexibility. It's what you do that matters and counts”, Johan concludes.
