applications to jobs

[GaryTheHedgehog]

Hello,

I've been reading these forums for quite a while and I'd like to see if anyone has any advice about finding work in Finland.
My career has so far been in IT systems and I have been applying for relevant jobs from the Finnish job boards for the last few months but with no luck so far - not even getting through the first selections.
I guess the IT job market in Finland is tough at the moment with the amount of job seekers in this sector, but I'm at the stage of wondering what I'm doing wrong with my CV (address/contact details in UK as I'm currently working here) or cover letters (details on level of Finnish and ability/timescale to relocate all included)?

We're not fussy on the region as my fiancé could in theory work anywhere.
I couldn't quit my job here and take the chance of finding something when we arrive.

I'm a native UK citizen and my fiancé is Finnish so within the next year I wont need a permit I believe. My Finnish isn't fluent yet but I'm working on it!

Thank you!

[Pursuivant]

IT systems as in hardware/networking? The software side is as you know flooded with "nookiemen" but it doesn't help either that a whole of of the middleware and platforms have been outsourced overseas the past few years... the right "magic words" in the CV should do the trick though as always.

As for "few months" and how many applications? < 100? And you expecting an answer? I think people here will have reply letters framed on the wall, they're a rare commodity.

[rinso]

With the downscaling of Nokia the IT market indeed becomes more difficult.
The first hurdle is your name. With a foreign sounding name you end up more quickly on the rejected pile, even if you fit all requirements.
If you don't have some very interesting features in your cv, it's going to be an uphill struggle.

[Rick1]

So just start your own website for some minority, collect all the flowerhats around you, take yourself every month a salary of 6k out of the honeypot and let it run for some years without any income and then move to Stockholm without even speaking one decent word of Finnish. (it happened).

[Rosamunda]

This looks promising and sounds dynamic...

http://www.kiosked.com/jobs/


Probably would be a good idea to put a Finnish address on your CV, even if you are currently working in the UK. Where possible you should probably use the company's online application forms. I don't know how good Finnish companies are at reading random emails (or opening envelopes that arrive in the snail mail). BUt the general rule is, keep your CV short and factual. Don't prattle on about how great you are. Your qualifications and experience should do the rest.

[Rick1]

I think people here will have reply letters framed on the wall, they're a rare commodity.

Used to save on toiletpaper but not any more since I get them electronically

[Pursuivant]

Probably would be a good idea to put a Finnish address on your CV, even if you are currently working in the UK.

In addition to the address you can also get a "Finnish number" that actually voip's to your UK mobile.

[Oombongo]

you and your fiancé has more chances in UK than in Finland.

[GaryTheHedgehog]

Thank you for all the replies!

IT systems as in hardware/networking? The software side is as you know flooded with "nookiemen" but it doesn't help either that a whole of of the middleware and platforms have been outsourced overseas the past few years... the right "magic words" in the CV should do the trick though as always.

As for "few months" and how many applications? < 100? And you expecting an answer? I think people here will have reply letters framed on the wall, they're a rare commodity.

IT systems meaning coding/analysis/support so a fairly wide variety. I'm obviously missing those magic words!
I'd say about 4 months and maybe 35-40 applications.

With the downscaling of Nokia the IT market indeed becomes more difficult.
The first hurdle is your name. With a foreign sounding name you end up more quickly on the rejected pile, even if you fit all requirements.
If you don't have some very interesting features in your cv, it's going to be an uphill struggle.

I may adopt the Finnish surname but not for a while - i'd be interested to know exactly how important that would be though
I just wish I knew what those 'interesting features' would be and then I could do something about it!

This looks promising and sounds dynamic...

http://www.kiosked.com/jobs/


Probably would be a good idea to put a Finnish address on your CV, even if you are currently working in the UK. Where possible you should probably use the company's online application forms. I don't know how good Finnish companies are at reading random emails (or opening envelopes that arrive in the snail mail). BUt the general rule is, keep your CV short and factual. Don't prattle on about how great you are. Your qualifications and experience should do the rest.

Thank you - i will have a look. I've got a couple of Finnish addresses I could use. Most of the applications have been the companies own. Maybe there are a few things I can shorten on my CV.

you and your fiancé has more chances in UK than in Finland.

My fiancé has more job/studying opportunities in Finland than the UK at the moment.


In addition to the address you can also get a "Finnish number" that actually voip's to your UK mobile.[/quote]
I'm intrigued on how to do this - can you give me a bit more info? Thanks!

[rinso]

I just wish I knew what those 'interesting features' would be and then I could do something about it!

It depends what they are looking for. In direct relation to the job but also based on the ideas how they think it might develop and what they are missing in the team.
It is difficult to predict which features will trigger a special interest for each job.

[Sami-Is-Boss]

My fiancé has more job/studying opportunities in Finland than the UK at the moment.

That may be true, but I guarantee you that she has more chance of getting a job in the UK than you do of getting one in Finland, mainly for reasons like this;

With a foreign sounding name you end up more quickly on the rejected pile

which is a problem usually experienced by kids in the Paris suburbs rather than people in an apparently advanced country

[GaryTheHedgehog]

My fiancé has more job/studying opportunities in Finland than the UK at the moment.

That may be true, but I guarantee you that she has more chance of getting a job in the UK than you do of getting one in Finland, mainly for reasons like this;

With a foreign sounding name you end up more quickly on the rejected pile

which is a problem usually experienced by kids in the Paris suburbs rather than people in an apparently advanced country

Well it's the other way around (I'm the girl despite the u/n!) so if I want to I have the opportunity to have a Finnish surname.
The jobs market in some sectors in the UK is terrible too and his opportunities there did seem to outweigh the ones he has here.

But it sounds as though in general the advice is not to bother wasting my time and forget about ever working in Finland, which is a shame. At least I'll save plenty of money not bothering with the language anymore though!

[irnbru]

Can you program Java?

[cors187]

Well it's the other way around (I'm the girl despite the u/n!) so if I want to I have the opportunity to have a Finnish surname.
The jobs market in some sectors in the UK is terrible too and his opportunities there did seem to outweigh the ones he has here.

But it sounds as though in general the advice is not to bother wasting my time and forget about ever working in Finland, which is a shame. At least I'll save plenty of money not bothering with the language anymore though!

Finnish can be prejudice in many areas.

The surname-> ( Awww thank you Mr townianen, i can see that your trying to be one of us),LOL.

Im one of the immigrants who tries not to be assimilated , i can be kicked out, disappointed, leave with a tear in my eye,all of the above really.

But if they ask me, i say, yes i am taking the money,yes i am taking your jobs, yes you are strange people, yes i think Finnish language is bothersome, yes basically im here to take as much as i can .

They dont like to hear those points .
Basically changing your name fools them.

[Mook]

My Finnish isn't fluent yet but I'm working on it!

but fluent enuff that you wish to apply "to" a job rather than "for" one.