---
company: SEB
position: Data Architect
applied-date: 2024-12
status: rejected
priority: high
tags: [job-application, seb, data-architect]
broker: TBD
---

# SEB - Data Architect

## 📋 Overview
**Job URL**: 
**Broker**: (Check with Henrik)
**Contact Person**: 
**Applied**: December 2024
**Interview**: Completed - did not go well
**Status**: Waiting for final response

## 🎯 Position Match Analysis
### Requirements Match
- **Technical Skills**: 8/10 - Strong database and architecture background
- **Domain Knowledge**: 7/10 - Financial services experience
- **Modern Data Terminology**: 4/10 - **This was the problem**
- **Overall Fit**: 6/10

### Key Requirements
- [x] Database architecture expertise
- [x] Financial services experience
- [ ] Data Mesh understanding - **weak articulation**
- [ ] Data Governance knowledge - **conceptual only**
- [ ] Data Mart design - **not well communicated**

### My Strengths for This Role
1. 25+ years SQL Server expertise
2. Financial services domain (TCM, AbaSec)
3. Azure cloud architecture
4. Integration architecture

### Gaps That Hurt Me
- **Terminology gap**: Understood concepts but couldn't articulate in modern "data architect lingo"
- **Data Mesh**: Knew the concepts but couldn't discuss fluently
- **Preparation**: Should have studied terminology more before interview

## 💭 Interview Reflection

### What Went Wrong
- Struggled to articulate experience using modern data architecture terminology
- Data Mesh, Data Governance concepts - I understand them but couldn't speak the language
- Interviewer probably thought I lacked current knowledge
- Should have prepared more on translating my experience to their vocabulary

### What I Learned
- **Critical lesson**: Technical ability ≠ Interview ability
- Need to **study terminology** for data architect positions
- My experience is relevant - I just need to **translate it**
- Should have reviewed: Data Mesh, Data Fabric, Data Catalog, Data Governance frameworks

### If I Could Do It Again
1. Study modern data architecture terminology for 1-2 weeks
2. Practice translating my projects into Data Mesh concepts
3. Prepare examples of data governance from TCM work
4. Map my AbasecGateway work to modern patterns

## 🎓 Action Items for Future Similar Roles
- [ ] Complete Data Mesh learning module
- [ ] Study Data Governance frameworks
- [ ] Create translation guide: My experience → Modern terms
- [ ] Practice interview answers with new terminology
- [ ] Create "SEB post-mortem learning note"

## 🔗 Related
- Learning needed: [[Data Mesh]], [[Data Governance]], [[Modern Data Architecture Terminology]]
- Similar roles: Watch for more Data Architect positions
- Profile: [[Data Architect Profile]] - needs update with terminology