5 Tips for International Job Seekers in Finland (2025) | Recruiter Advice | Job Search Tips 🇫🇮

Hmm... I wonder how do I get a job in Finland? If you're wondering how to get a job in Finland, you're in the right place because that's the topic we're discussing today. Welcome to Couple of Expats. My name is Megha and on this channel we talk about living, studying and working in Finland. You clicked on this video so you know that we are going to talk about job searching tips for international job seekers in Finland and today we have a special guest for you. We have Reena Jha who is a talent acquisition specialist joining us. So let's dive right in. Welcome Reena to Couple of Expats. We're so happy that you're able to join us today. Thank you so much Megha for inviting me. Really excited about our conversation today. Me too, me too. So if you could please introduce yourself to the audience. We would love to know what brought you to Finland, how long have you been living here and a little bit about yourself. Yeah, yeah happy to share. So I'm Reena, I'm a talent acquisition specialist. Currently I work as a recruitment and career advisor with Get Hired in Finland. I have like over nine years of experience in talent acquisition across different industries but past few years my focus has been on tech recruitment. My journey started in Finland a little over seven years ago. I followed my spouse because he landed a project here and that's how we joined as a family together. So I must ask, how do you feel about the current Finnish job market? Yeah that's a very good question. Current market has been really different, very dramatic for past one and a half, two years. But in general also Finnish job market is like running a marathon and not a sprint. I love the analogy. Yeah because you see when you are running for a marathon you need a lot of preparation in the background, you plan ahead and it's a journey that you actually have to plan. So you need to be positive, resilient, open-minded and adaptable and all these kind of skills is required when you are actually looking for a job in Finland because it is time-taking and you really need to prepare yourself and prepare for maybe what you're looking and then do your own research but also keeping an open mind and positive attitude can actually come a long way. Yeah and I think anyone who has run a marathon knows that you don't wake up that same morning and say I'm going to run a marathon. It's something that you put months of work in advance and the same applies for the Finnish job market. Your chances are going to be much higher if you have already put in the work before starting to run. Exactly, exactly. So you're well said that how it is with marathon and exactly it is similar with the job search as well in Finland. So I'm sure the viewers of this video are looking for a new job in Finland and they would love to hear your thoughts on how they can maximize their chances of finding a job. So what would be your first tip for our audience? Yeah that's a very good question and my first and one of the most important tip would be to cover your bases. When I say cover your bases, I mean doing the planning and kind of understanding a few important things how different it is in Finnish job market because it's very different how it is at least in back home in my country. So for me to first even think about looking for a job, it's very important to understand these differences. It could be cultural differences or how different the Finnish work culture is right and there are few things like punctuality for one is one of the most important thing to keep in mind and then there is individuality, direct communication. Do's and don'ts, things that you don't necessarily do in Finland but you might be doing back home in India that's very important to not raise any red flags. Got to get on the wrong side of the recruiter maybe. Yes so knowing these you're already kind of you know covering your bases in a way you're applying these nuances already from your job search and not just after landing a job in the work practice. So I think this is a major gap as well that I see in a lot of job seekers so I would say this is one of the most important area to cover to begin with. So the applicant should cover their bases. What's next? So when I say applicant should cover their bases it also means that next step is to really make a thorough research about the job market. It's not just the job market but also the industry that you're targeting. It involves planning and researching the job market, the industry that you are looking to, kind of roles that are available in the role that you are targeting to. So basically everything comes down to research as well. Yeah and I think a lot of it goes hand in hand so it goes together and also in the current job market when there are easily a hundred plus applicants for one position if you haven't done that first stage the likelihood of getting to the next stage which is obviously you want to be invited to the interview. I think it goes down your chances of getting it the call that goes down a lot if you haven't done the basics because simply if you haven't someone else has. Yes absolutely yeah so it makes a lot of difference and it shows that you have done research. It clearly shows in your job application, in your cover letter, the way you're approaching the whole process itself. So it definitely shows at every step. Yeah and it answers are you prepared? Absolutely. So in an increasingly competitive job market when there are hundred plus applicants what do you suggest that one should do to actually be able to stand out? Yeah that's another great question. I would say it's quality over quantity because we all have this urge to try and apply for every role especially when we are desperate. We think that okay this role is interesting I might be a good fit but we don't know are you a good fit so and that's when this quality over quantity kind of matters and it also shows in your application. So I would say when I say quality over quantity what what do I really mean by that as well? I mean that please analyse the job, how much are you really matching to the role and based of that then you are actually working towards aligning your CV and cover letter to the role that you're targeting and not just sending same CV and cover letter to every other role. So yeah yeah that's that's very important as well and I always stress that please don't send same application to 10 jobs but customise and send two application to two jobs that aligns best to you and the like likelihood or the chances of getting invited for the interview is really high. I definitely understand that quality and quantity these can be a little bit challenging because the applicant one might want to apply in many different places but at the end of the day it's quality that gets you results. So what else? So when we say quality it means that your application is really targeted and that's my next tip so sending out really customised and targeted cover letter and CVs. So customising. Customising yes also when I say customising before that there is one task that as a job seeker we need to do that you have to analyse to what extent are you a good fit for this role because that can lead you to kind of really customising your CV and cover letter if you are a good match. So analyse the job and see how much are your skills and your experience are matching based off that customise your CV with irrelevant experiences that is required for the role and then when we talk about customisation of the cover letter it means you're customising your motivation for that particular role for that particular company or that particular industry why are you genuinely motivated. Yeah I think that makes perfect sense and I think also in the past when Chris and I whatever CVs and cover letters we have sent out what we've tried to pay attention to are the details that are in the job vacancy itself and cross-referencing that to our own skills. Now some skills will be more relevant than others so you can maybe see that okay this is the skill that would be most relevant for this job application and highlight that maybe in your cover letter maybe draw attention to that because you don't have to be a complete match 100% match with the job vacancy I don't think that's always necessary but it is necessary to have definitely some of the things that they are looking for and that would make you basically suitable otherwise what Reena just said it's not targeted enough if you don't qualify any of the job vacancy descriptions. Absolutely and you well said that picking out the right keywords and then kind of bringing it into your CV you might have various experiences but the most important thing is that you show your relevant experience to the role that you're targeting to. Very good discussion so far and what is tip number five? Networking. So although it's very broad and it sounds super nice or super easy at some time but what exactly it means when we say networking my understanding to that is it's like sowing a seed and waiting for the plant to grow so you don't see the result overnight right so once you sow a seed you try to nurture it you you know give it all the necessary things that is required for a plant to grow from time to time and you wait right and then finally once you nurture it you see the result. I think networking is very similar nothing results overnight it's an investment that you do today and then it can lead to something down the line however when I say networking it's again very broad but then few few principles that I think we should always keep in mind when you're networking is don't do networking because of some expectation like you don't expect anything instantly yeah if you're open-minded and if you're you know connecting with somebody with open mind it can definitely lead to something but then you know don't go to networking or don't connect with somebody immediately asking for something that's not the you know best way to network. Yeah absolutely and I think people might not like it if you just meet someone immediately and ask them for something I think as human beings that's not really the best way to move forward but if you just genuinely get to know each other build a human connection I think that has much more impact than asking something from someone that you just met. Yeah yeah absolutely and I think also I've heard this from a lot of job seekers when we suggest that okay how is your networking going we hear that okay I have sent connection requests to so many people but nobody has accepted or then okay somebody accepted and then I sent my CV so I say them I want to stop you here because this is not networking just connecting with somebody on LinkedIn and sending them CV or your cover letter doesn't mean that it is a meaningful connection when we say networking it means you are able to make a meaningful connection in a way that you have a rapport with that person and in future if something comes up that person should be able to think about you that okay I know somebody who could be a good fit right so this is the way of approach especially as a job seeker if you are kind of connecting with somebody learn more about that person learn more about the industry that person is working in or gain some insights and try to build that rapport and connection eventually it will lead to something for sure because you know there's a saying one thing lead to another so that's how also you know networking goes absolutely and maybe just one tip if I can give also because again as I said networking is very broad and often people think where do I start so to narrow it down you can use online platform which is LinkedIn to connect with professionals but also whom to connect so I would recommend that connect with people from your own profession to begin with because they are the most likely the most relevant connection that you can make in the beginning and then apart from that meet people in person as much as possible so attend relevant events attend community events and talk to people and make connections yes it's great that you brought up networking and I think networking is not only relevant for job seekers but for all of us especially as internationals in Finland even as a professional as an entrepreneur I think networking plays a really important part and I know actually that you also have your own business so if you would like to tell a little bit about how has it been running a business in Finland for you yeah yeah great point and thank you for bringing it up so I started my art journey little over four years ago now so I am along with being a talent acquisition specialist I'm also a mandala artist I'm doing this for little over four years now as I said although I have a bit of background in art from my childhood like trying out different art practices but somehow mandala stuck with me I started exploring this mandala art and then slowly I realized that this is one art form that is very meditative in a way when you're practicing yourself but also as a viewer when you're seeing it so and I felt that there is absolutely no one at that point who's doing this art and then because it also has infinite yes and it is very close to me because I felt that it has roots being an Indian you know mandala has originated from India, Asia and you can see also in Buddhist culture and everything so kind of instantly connected to this art so if anyone doesn't know what mandala art is do you want to show them so that they can see what is actually mandala art that we've been talking about yeah absolutely I have one here to share so this is one of the art that I've created in 2020 I have named this metsa which means forest mainly because of the color and the intricacy that this art has basically the original mandala art are usually in this circular form and then it is it starts from a central point and then it goes in layers it also represents your phases of life and then the word mandala itself is derived from the Sanskrit word mandala which also means universe so it has really deep connection and I got connected because it has this roots Indian roots to this and then I thought why not kind of create more awareness about this art here in Finland as well because not everybody knows so back to job searching do you feel like internationals struggle to adjust to the Finnish working environment in your experience of working with internationals that's a very good question again Megha but I think it's not that they struggle but then certainly there's a bit of reluctance as to how they kind of come in so again I would say to really equip themselves you know beforehand my recommendation would be to you know do the research cover your basis but then how do you even do the research right that's the bigger question because everybody's saying over and over again that do your research before doing anything but then where do they also start well it it can start from their own employment like we have a lot of people especially from India who come here on their project basis so I think these companies have their own way of supporting them and then they have a lot of resources which they share internally to their employees that helps them to equip I think somewhere if employees are able to take it seriously and really spend some time in kind of understanding it more deeply that would be helpful but on the other hand for people who are directly moving here I think still there are a lot of resources and a lot of materials available at different communities there are a lot of communities as well who are like supporting in this journey of transition and then you know helping the people who relocate to kind of integrate so there are a lot of integration support a lot of communities that support in these challenges of cultural differences and how to overcome that or understanding at the first place yeah and if they are having facing challenges then there are a lot of ways to get help if one requires absolutely yes yes so what kind of jobs are there a demand for in Finland there has quite a lot of demand for say healthcare practitioners, nurses, early childhood education, teachers, people who work in construction side and also a few specialist roles and on the specialist side maybe if I can emphasis a bit a little changing landscape the upcoming trend is cyber security, AI and machine learning, quantum computing, data so these are the areas that has you know demand all the time here in Finland and at least 2025 looks really positive for specialist roles in these areas as well very good I know that our audience will keep that in mind and that could be a helpful start for someone maybe that matches already what some people are looking for or know what to expect so Reena how does the Finnish language requirements differ between these different professions especially for internationals who might be interested that's a very good point actually specifically on the IT side it might be a kind of a less requirement but on the other you know areas that I just spoke about definitely Finnish is big plus and then kind of a big requirement and then nevertheless I'm a big advocate of you know integrating early to the society which actually starts with learning the language for instance so anybody who loves living here and you know really see them living here for a long time they should start learning Finnish at least in some possible way or to their capacity because it's never too late to learn a language and that's one of the best way to integrate actually. Okay so we are just touching upon the subject of cover letters and CVs because this topic can go on for very long so I just want to ask you is there any winning trends that you have noticed among the best cover letters and CVs? Yeah absolutely so I think one of the most important thing that stands out is like clear concise and relevant CV and cover letters so just follow these two C's and one R principle. Secondly in the application process there is always this option field where you can maybe attach something extra which is not like mandatory but then it can be your video introduction or it can be your portfolio or anything that is relevant to the role so if as an applicant I am taking that extra step and making that extra effort to create something and then attach that will definitely stand out because not 100 applicants are doing it because it's a lot of energy and effort but there are only five who's doing and then it immediately catches attention. So this is something to think about and it also kind of shows your initiative and being proactive so it says a lot with that one extra step. Maybe last point I would like to add is like in quite many applications or job advertisements there is a contact person's details mentioned it could be their phone numbers and there's also a specific time and date which is mentioned and they say that okay if you have any questions you can reach out or them you can send an email not everybody reaches out to them so my advice is like reach out to them they have given a time that means they are willing to answer your questions right and then when you reach out again do some research really thoroughly understand the role and ask some good questions which is relevant to the relevant yeah but not the same questions that is already there in the job advertisement so really important questions which you don't see in the job advertisement but that can help you to understand the role better yeah and this way don't also just say hi hi no that doesn't work so this way asking the good questions can really help you stand out because then the recruiter or the person whom you're calling they remember your name okay this person made an extra effort to call me and I spoke to this person for a few minutes he had really good questions let me look back and see his his or her experience you know so it really helps a lot yeah and all of it is a game to stand out exactly especially when you're one in a hundred or one in 200 then I think it becomes what can you do to be uh different yes thank you Rina so much for joining us today I think when you're a job applicant one of the things that you really wish for is to get advice from someone who is doing talent acquisition because you really hear from the lion's mouth that what it is that you need to do to stand out what is it that you need to do to get the job so I really think that this is very valuable for viewers to learn from you an experienced talent acquisition specialist and I am so glad that we were able to have you here with us today thank you so much Megha thank you for the opportunity to share some insights whatever I've shared here these are from my own experiences and also practical tips that actually works which comes from my experience again so thank you so much for having me here and giving me this opportunity to share the real tips and tricks and I really hope most of the audience finds it helpful and beneficial for their own job search yeah I'm sure they will and for job seekers if you're interested to connect with Rina we will leave her LinkedIn profile in the description of the video and good luck to all of the job seekers I wanted to hear five tips from Rina but to be honest I think it was way closer to 10 tips so I hope you found a lot of valuable and actionable tips from this discussion together with her if you have enjoyed this video remember to hit a thumbs up button and subscribe to our channel about life in Finland for more videos like this one thank you so much for watching if you do want to connect with Rina we've left her link in the description box below and that's it for today and see you next time