How to find work in Finland

You should be active when looking for a job and find out about fields, workplaces and work tasks which interest you. Some jobs can be found online on job seeking websites, but some jobs are not advertised. Finding hidden jobs requires good searching skills as well as networks.

In addition to being active and building networks, an integral part of job seeking is carefully compiling application documents, meaning your CV and job application. You should spend a lot of time on these, because employers invite candidates for interviews based on the applications. Social media can also be used for searching for jobs and presenting one’s competencies

You can prepare for a job interview by thinking about answers to questions the employer might ask. It is important to find out about the organisation which will be interviewing you.

Finnish law forbids discrimination in work advertisements and recruitment. All jobseekers must be treated equally and the person with the most suitable skills for the job must be chosen.

You need to be active when searching for a job

Employment services offer services to jobseekers, but the main responsibility for finding a job is always with the jobseeker. Looking for employment and applying for jobs requires good digital skills because job advertisements can be found online and applications are usually sent electronically.

Sometimes it can be difficult to find a job and often there are dozens of people competing for the same job. Job seeking may take a lot of time and effort. You should stay positive while searching for a job and use all the ideas that come to mind.

There are many different ways to find job advertisements. There are job advertisements online and in newspapers describing the open position and the desired applicant. Many different websites have job advertisements, for example, Job Market Finland (Työmarkkinatori). You can search for jobs according to region or profession. Jobseekers can also publish a jobseeker profile describing their competencies.

• More information on job advertisements (Työmarkkinatori.fi) (Finnish, Swedish, English, easy Finnish, Sámi)
• More information on job seeking (infofinland.fi) (Finnish, Swedish, English, Russian, Estonian, Ukrainian, French, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese, Farsi, Arabic)

Jobs can also be found on companies’ and organisations’ own websites. Almost all organisations have a section for open positions on their websites. Often an open application can be sent through the organisation’s website. This means that the jobseeker gives their information to the organisation. If a suitable position becomes vacant later on, the organisation can contact the applicant.

Hidden jobs are not advertised, but there are a lot of them

When a job is advertised online, there are often tens or even hundreds of people who apply for the same job. As a jobseeker, it is important to know that not all vacancies are advertised. Most vacancies are so-called hidden jobs, which are not advertised publicly.

When an organisation wants to hire a new employee, they often look for candidates from their own or their employees’ contacts and networks. This helps the organisation save time and money. Only when a suitable employee cannot be found from their networks, the organisation advertises the vacancy publicly.

Jobseekers should thus actively look for hidden jobs. Here, the role of networks is important. You should talk about your job hunting with all friends and acquaintances because someone may have heard of a vacancy.

Jobseekers can directly contact companies’ or organisations’ recruiting teams and offer their services. You should be able to clearly describe your skills. It is important to think about what would interest the employer. Jobseekers should call or try to arrange a meeting with the recruiter instead of sending an e-mail.

You can find contacts at recruitment events

Työnhakijan kannattaa rakentaa oma kontaktiverkosto ja kasvattaa sitä tietoisesti. Esimerkiksi rekrytointimessut ovat hyvä paikka tutustua yrityksiin ja saada hyödyllisiä kontakteja. Rekrytointimessut ovat tapahtumia, joissa tiettyjen alojen työnantajat kokoontuvat esittelemään organisaatioitaan ja etsimään uusia työntekijöitä.

You should make use of social media in your job search

You can ask about vacancies and advertise yourself as a good employee on Facebook or X. You should also make use of LinkedIn, which is meant for creating job-related networks. A jobseeker can create a profile to raise the interest of recruiters. Many big companies look for employees through LinkedIn. On LinkedIn, you can create and grow your network and contact recruiters.

A good job application and CV describe competencies

When searching for a job in Finland, you usually have to write a job application (työhakemus) and CV (ansioluettelo). These are documents through which the jobseeker tells the employer about themselves. The CV and job application can be in an electronic form or they can be written freely and sent to the employer via e-mail.

The CV contains information about education and work experience

The Curriculum Vitae or CV contains basic information about the applicant. These include education, work experience, language skills, computer skills and hobbies. A good CV is rather short, a maximum of two pages. It needs to be clear and easy to read.

A CV can also include a reference (suosittelija). This can be a former supervisor or colleague who can say positive things about you. You should always ask the reference for permission to add their contact information to your CV. The recruiter may call the reference and ask what they think of you as an employee.

The applicant’s education and work experience are the most important factors when applying for jobs in Finland. You should also mention hobbies and volunteer work because these can teach necessary skills for the job. Your own contact information needs to be clearly written in your CV. You can also add your own picture. There are good templates for CVs online.

The job application shows why the applicant is applying for the job

The job application is an important part of applying for a job. It is a marketing letter through which the applicant strives to stand out from others. A good job application is clear, short, and to the point, as well as distinctive enough to catch the recruiter’s attention. The length of a job application is approximately one page.

In the job application, it is important to state why you are applying for the job and what skills you have. The job application is a way for you to describe how you fill the requirements for the job and what sort of employee you are. You should be able to explain the most integral matters relating to the job. The text should succeed in making the recruiter interested enough to invite you to an interview.

It is important to prepare well for a job interview

When the employer has gone through the applications and CVs, they invite some of the applicants to a job interview. You can practice answering possible interview questions in advance. Sometimes interviews are done via video calls or you may need to prepare a video talking about yourself and your competencies according to the employer’s instructions.

The applicant can be asked the following questions in a job interview:

• Tell me something about yourself.
• What skills do you have for this job?
• What are your strengths?
• What is your greatest weakness?
• Why did you apply for this job?
• What plans do you have for the future?

Before the interview, you should think about how you fill the requirements for the job. This makes it easier to answer the interview questions.

As an applicant, you should search for information about the organisation. When you know about the organisation, it is easier to explain why you would be a good employee for the employer. Often the interviewer also invites the applicant to ask something. You can think of some questions that relate to the task or the organisation.

It is important to make a good first impression. You should dress neatly, but not formally. You can make a good first impression by showing up early and greeting the interviewer by looking them in the eye and shaking hands.

You should take earlier work and education certificates to the interview, even though the employer might not ask to see them every time. You should speak clearly and truthfully in the interview. If the interviewer asks about your weaknesses, you can try to turn these into things that you want to learn more about. Honesty and modesty are appreciated at work and when applying for jobs in Finland. Modesty in this case means that a person talks about their competencies without exaggeration.

More information about applying for jobs: Job application and CV (infofinland.fi) (Finnish, Swedish, English, Russian, Estonian, Ukrainian, French, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese, Farsi, Arabic)

The video below discusses applying for jobs and working in Finland.

Video: KotonaSuomessa Applying for jobs and working in Finland (Työnhaku ja työn tekeminen Suomessa) (youtube.com)(Finnish, Swedish, English, Russian, Estonian, Ukrainian, French, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese, Farsi, Arabic)

Discrimination in recruiting is forbidden

Discrimination in job advertisements or recruiting is forbidden by Finnish law. Discrimination means that the applicant is treated worse than others due to a personal characteristic.

A job advertisement should not demand characteristics or skills from applicants which are not necessary for the job. In the job interview, the employer is not allowed to ask questions about the employee’s personal matters which are not connected to the job. These include the applicant’s religion, political views or plans about having children.

In recruiting, discrimination is not allowed based on gender, age, origin, nationality, language, religion, beliefs, opinion, political activity, union activities, family relations, health, disability, sexual orientation or gender expression.

If you encounter discrimination while job seeking, you can report this to the occupational safety and health authority (työsuojeluviranomainen) or Non-Discrimination Ombudsman (yhdenvertaisuusvaltuutettu).

More information about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s telephone service: Administration Telephone service Occupational Safety and Health Administration (tyosuojelu.fi) (Finnish, Swedish, English)

More information about non-discrimination in job seeking and recruiting: Working without discrimination (infofinland.fi) (Finnish, Swedish, English, Russian, Estonian, Ukrainian, French, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese, Farsi, Arabic)