Job searching tips

In Finland, only 25% of the jobs are advertised, the remaining around 75% are so called hidden jobs. You can find these hidden jobs through your networks and directly contacting potential employers.

Furthermore, for one advertised job opening it is common for companies to receive 50-300 applications. Just imagine, that your application is one out of 300 others!

The Finnish job market is competitive for everyone, and there are some cultural rules, that are important to know and to follow.

Below we have gathered some tips to help you navigate the Finnish job market.

Where to get help for applications

If you are new in Finland, knowing where to start to look for a job might be challenging.  Haaga-Helia offers job-seeking support for students, and in the capital region, many services are also available to help you.

• Check out Haaga-Helia’s Career Services or ask your guidance counselor or work placement coordinator for help.
• Check out some career courses like Employment in Finland (STU011HH1AE) or Discover Your Career Path in Finland (STU009AS2AE). We also organise monthly employment webinars offered for students. Learn more about our webinars support for international degree students.
• Check out JobTeaser, Haaga-Helia’s career portal. There, you can find job postings, events, and services.
• Visit International House Helsinki. They offer free employment coaching.
• Both the City of Espoo and the City of Vantaa have newsletters, mentor programs, workshops, and networking events.
• Check out municipal employment services like the Helsinki Employment Services.

What kind of jobs can you apply for?

Specific jobs are easier to get than others. Depending on your background and interest, the following fields are the easiest to get a job from.

With no or little previous work experience, or if you need a paying job as fast as possible, you might want to check out opportunities in the following sectors:

• Restaurants and hotels. Please note that to work in a restaurant, you may need a hygiene passport.
• Supermarkets
• International daycares. Daycares always lack helping hands, so if you have any background with children, this might be a good lead to check out. To be a daycare teacher, you will need specific qualifications. However, for other roles, it is possible to work without certification.
• Petsitting. There are different applications and websites to get information about petting opportunities.
• Delivery (For example food delivery and mail)

Make sure your application looks good and is in line with Finnish standards

The quality of your application should be outstanding, even if you are applying only for a part-time job.

You must custom-make your application with great detail for each job. It is much better to spend 3-5 hours writing one application and send only that one application a week than spamming 10-50 companies with the same general CV and cover letter.

Haaga-Helia has put together sample CVs, Cover letters and job advertisements to help you understand how to write a good application.

• CV
• Cover letter
• Sample job advertisement

Pay attention to scams and exploitation

When you need some work to stabilize your finances, it is easy to become a victim of employment scams and exploitation.

However, you must be alert for offers requiring pre-payment, sign-up fees, or free trial work.

• Learn more about how to avoid employment scams
• Learn more about what your work contract and work circumstances should be like  

Think about your well-being

Having financial insecurities, relocating to a new country, starting new studies, and handling rejections (or applying and not even getting rejections) can be very heavy on your mental health.

Haaga-Helia has a free and confidential well-being service available for its students that you can use to strengthen your well-being.

Better mental health makes it easier to handle the challenges you meet on the way, and with more confidence, it makes it easier to show your future employer that you are the one they are looking for.

Learn more about Haaga-Helia's Well-Being Services