Get A Good Starting Point
First things first: register with the employment office as an unemployed job seeker. You will be eligible to either Unemployment Allowance if you have worked at least 6 months in the past two years before your unemployment. Otherwise you will be eligible to Labour Market Subsidy if you have never worked, worked less than 6 months in the past two years, or been unemployed receiving Unemployment Allowance for more than 500 days. You can find more information on the KELA website.
Brush Up Your CV And Practice Your Interview Skills
In order to land a job, you have to “sell” yourself. A good CV can make a difference; just make sure it is no longer than 2 pages and in the right (Finnish) format. The CV will serve as your presentation card. Your potential employer will want to learn more about you and will likely invite you over for an interview. Remember to practice for this: ask yourself some questions the employer could ask, such as ‘what are your strengths and weaknesses?’ and ‘what value can you bring to the company?’.
Find Resources And Grind, Grind, Grind
In this day and age, the information highway (Internet for the layman) is one of our best resources for job seeking. The Ministry of Employment and the Economy (TE-Palvelut) is a good place to start (www.te-palvelut.fi/te/en/). Here you can find some job vacancies and labour market training programmes. For English speakers, a page that can provide some valuable resources is www.expat-finland.com. For Finnish speakers a good resource is www.aarresaari.net. Apply to as many places as you can. Don’t worry – this does not make you look desperate. If you don’t show your interest, the companies won’t know you are available.
Call Them, Maybe?
Job seeking is not an exact science. What one employer finds desirable might be a turnoff for another company. However, one great way to get the attention of your potential employer is by calling the contact number in the job application. Introduce yourself and let them know you are planning to apply for the position. I know it sounds scary, but it will prove them that you are not afraid to face challenges. Ask some questions about the company and the job opening. Remember to be polite and don’t extend the call more than you have to.
Share Your Legacy
Once you have defeated unemployment by finding a job, you could share your story with others: in forums, circles of friends, social media, whichever you prefer. Newbie employment seekers could benefit from your amazingly vast wisdom. Let them know which resources you used, what worked, what didn’t work. You will be part of someone’s legacy one day when they tell their own story of their quest to find a job.
