Working with an Independent Recruiter in Stockholm: What Candidates Need to Know
I am an independent recruiter based in Stockholm placing specialist profiles across Europe. Here is how working with a recruiter actually works, what to expect, and how to get the most out of it.
Noelia Teruel Ortega
Career Coach and European Recruiter
I get a lot of messages from people who are not quite sure how to work with a recruiter. What to send, when to follow up, whether it is worth reaching out if they do not see an exact match, whether the recruiter works for them or for the company.
These are fair questions. Here is how it actually works, from my side of it.
What an independent recruiter does
I work with companies that need to hire specific profiles and do not want to use a large agency. They give me the mandate, I run the search, I manage the process from sourcing to offer. I am paid by the company when a hire is made.
This means I am technically working for the company. But it also means I need to find the right candidate, which requires taking candidates seriously and being honest with them. If I send someone to a client who is not the right fit, I lose the relationship. The incentive is to find someone who actually works.
What you should send me
Your CV and a short paragraph on what you are looking for. That is it. I do not need a cover letter written specifically for me. I need to understand your background quickly and know whether it overlaps with anything I am working on.
The CV should be in English unless I have specified otherwise. If you have relevant experience in technical B2B sales, financial markets, or specialist industrial sectors in Europe, your profile is likely relevant to something I have now or will have soon.
What happens after you contact me
If your profile is relevant to an active search, I will reply within 48 hours and we will have a short call. I use that call to understand your background better, explain the role, and be honest about whether there is a match. No one's time gets wasted.
If you do not match anything current but your profile is strong, I keep it on file. This is not a polite no. I work on multiple mandates and new ones come in regularly. A profile I cannot use today might be exactly what I need in six weeks.
Tip
When you reach out to a recruiter, include one line on your right to work status in Europe. It is often the first question and it saves a round of messages.
What I am focused on right now
My current mandates are concentrated in Switzerland and Stockholm. On the Swiss side, I am placing specialist profiles in technical B2B sales and business development in industrial sectors. In Stockholm, I have an active search for a Scandinavian government bond broker for an established interdealer desk.
Outside of active mandates, I work primarily with international professionals based in or targeting Northern and Western Europe. If your background is in technical sales, commercial roles, or financial markets and you are open to Switzerland, Sweden, France or the UK, it is worth being in touch.
What I cannot do
I cannot take a profile to a client if the work authorisation is not in place. I cannot introduce someone to a Swiss client without an EU or EFTA passport. I also cannot make promises about timelines — a process can move quickly or take months depending on the company.
What I can do is be straightforward. If there is no match, I will say so. If there is, I will move quickly. That is about all anyone can promise.
How to find me
You can see my active mandates on the Jobs page and apply directly by email. Or if you want to send your profile for future opportunities, you can do that too. I am based in Stockholm, I work in English and Spanish, and I try to reply to every message.
About the author
Noelia Teruel Ortega
Career coach and international recruiter based in Stockholm. I help international professionals get hired in Europe through CV rewrites, LinkedIn optimization, and 1:1 coaching.
Work with me