Helena Sjöberg and Mohamed Maher share their experience from Mitt Livs Chans

Mitt Liv had the opportunity to chat with Helena Sjöberg, HR Lead at Microsoft Sweden and Mohamed Maher, leadership and organizational behavior consultant. Helena and Maher are mentor and mentee pair in Mitt Livs Chans mentorship program spring 2018.

Why did you apply to Mitt Livs Chans mentorship program?

Helena (H): I applied as a mentor because I am curious. I want to get new perspectives as an individual but I also want Microsoft to have new and broader perspectives when it comes to diversity and inclusion. I thought the mentoring program was a great opportunity to develop on both the individual level and organizational level.

Maher (M): I applied to this program because I needed someone to guide me in entering the Swedish job market. Someone to help me shorten the distance to job and give me a complete understanding on how things work in the Swedish job market.

What do you think of the program?

H: I think the program has a huge opportunity. As always, time is precious for all of us, so I really like the idea of having a systematic way where we meet regularly. The structured meetings enable the knowledge building in my role as a mentor. The method of the program is very robust and suits big companies like Microsoft. To me however, the game changer is the commitment I gave myself and to Maher during the length of the program.

M: I think the program bridges the gap between people with foreign background or newcomer in Sweden and the Swedish job market. The program has the opportunity to be an advocate to promote diversity and inclusion as an asset to companies and organizations in Sweden.

What are your goals in the mentorship program?

H: I have two goals in the program. My individual goal is to learn from Mohamed and to really understand other perspectives that diversity brings. I want to be able to step back, reflect and learn from each other. The other goal is to drive diversity and inclusion from a company perspective. I would really like to make an impact internally at Microsoft by being a part of Mitt Livs Chans.

M: My first goal is to get a role in a company or organization where I can add value and learn more about my profession. The other goal that I gain from Helena is to be a mentor the next time around.

Click here to see a short video clip of Helena and Maher's interview.