Embracing adversities and landing a job as an immigrant in Finland

Blog by Jamk alumni Ram Chhetri

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”- This simple yet powerful quote by Mahatma Gandhi is what I have always admired and corresponded with. I decided to commence my blog with this quote as I want to highlight the impact you can create on your life through daily small consistent actions and self-belief.  

Introduction:

Hi, My name is Ram and I am an alumnus of Jamk university of applied sciences. I graduated from JAMK in May 2022 and I am currently working as a Talent acquisition specialist at WeAre solutions oy. Before this, I used to work in a similar position at Digipool Group. Despite my very brief employment history, my learning curve has been exponential. I want to share everything I’ve learned through this blog in the hope that it will benefit and inspire other students or recent graduates who are aiming to land their first job in Finland.  

The 5th of January 2020 marked my arrival in Helsinki for the first time. The past two and a half years have been quite a ride for me. From losing my beloved father due to lung cancer to working part-time as a cleaner and dishwasher to survive and finishing my studies in two years time-frame with excellent grades and securing a position in two companies was quite challenging.   

This photo of me was taken when I went to school for the first time. I was naive and clueless but contrary to that, I had a vision along with a learning & exploring mindset, which I greatly believe has led me to where I am so far, and this brings me to my first suggestion. 

Tips to students:

1. Have a vision, explore and be open to opportunities: Robin Sharma has mentioned a quote in his book: “You will never be able to hit a target that you cannot see”. It is of utmost importance to have a clear picture of what one wants and wishes to explore. Thus, I would suggest students who are looking for placements or jobs, have a clear idea of what kind of position you want to work in, what excites you the most, and how you could contribute to society. Ask yourself questions about what role would best suit you and what sort of soft skills and hard skills you have or what you need to learn to excel in that position. Obviously, this may or may not give you an exact answer but this would definitely help you to narrow down your choices. Personally, for me, I really enjoyed the Human Resource Management and technology business courses at JAMK. I was so intrigued that I wanted to work for a tech company and most particularly in the Human resource domain. Then, I also wrote my thesis by combining knowledge from both courses, which was “Implementation of Blockchain technology into human resource recruitment.”  

You can read my full thesis here: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202203153557.  

2. Network, Network, and Network: It is very true that your network is your net worth. You should be open to building relationships with new faces. Especially, while you are at your school studying; build great relationships with your teachers, career tutors, and your colleagues. Professors generally have good connections with their past companies and have projects to offer you. Thus, I would suggest you to be active and ask your professors, or career tutors if they have any projects or roles to offer you. Please note that always focus on building natural relationships with them. Showcase your talent, curiosities, leadership skill, and side projects( if you have any) to get recommended by the professors. Another really great way to network is to participate in career fairs and events. There you get to know about company hiring trends, what kinds of talent they value, what is their selection process and how you can gain a competitive advantage in the job market. LinkedIn is another best tool to build solid networks which I will write about in the next paragraph. 

3. Be active on LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a great professional tool that everyone can benefit from and it is an excellent initiative from Jamk that they conduct a separate session about LinkedIn and setting up our personal profile at the beginning of our studies. I have been able to find my jobs at these two companies through LinkedIn. Try to make your LinkedIn profile as attractive as possible and update it frequently by adding new projects or certifications. You can find tons of videos on the internet on how to make your LinkedIn profile more attractive. Most companies, nowadays, use LinkedIn to hire their next talent and they directly reach out to candidates who have excellent profiles and meet the need of companies. Through LinkedIn, Job-seekers can directly reach out to hiring managers or recruiters in the company, which gives great visibility and makes you stand out from the crowd. Further, while sending a connection request, it is recommended to add a personalized note to ensure a response from the people. The other way you can benefit from LinkedIn is by accessing their professional courses on LinkedIn learning. They have developed great quality courses taught by professional experts in their field. Free LinkedIn Learning courses 

Always remember “Your LinkedIn profile is your virtual resume and there are vast opportunities there which you need to explore more deeply and more meticulously.”  

4. Give attention to your resume, Cover letter and get involved in different projects:  After a LinkedIn profile, a well-written and well-formatted resume is of high importance while applying for a job or an internship. If you are applying for a job, clearly mention what you did in your previous assignments, and what are your quantifiable achievements. The resume looks more appealing if you could quantify your achievements (i.e. measurable metrics). I have personally used the free resume template by Wonsulting. (Wonsulting Resume Template). If you are a student, specializing in Sales or marketing, or graphic design, utilizing resume templates from Canva is a no-brainer. 

 Free Online Resume Builder | Easily create standout resumes – Canva 

A cover letter is another important thing that needs to be written strategically when applying to entry-level, internships, or trainee positions. In a cover letter, you explain in more detail about points that you have enlisted in your resume.  

On the other hand, it is very important to get involved in various projects which you can showcase in your resume and flourish your leadership skills. Thankfully, JAMK and other Finnish schools sponsor numerous projects and extracurricular activities that students can actively participate in and highlight on their resumes.  

It is to be noted that companies are always looking for candidates who have leadership skills, are organized, and can always over-deliver in terms of results and efforts. Most of the workplace in Finland has a relaxed atmosphere where there is no any sort of micro-management from the seniors and almost everything is based on trust. Thus, while in an interview, it is recommended to showcase that you are result-driven, responsible, independent, and trustworthy. 

Finland offers a fantastic work-life balance and is an excellent place to work. However, I must acknowledge that finding employment as an immigrant is extremely difficult because of high competition and many employers insist that applicants speak Finnish. In contrast, it is also true that Finland has a severe labor shortage and that the majority of businesses are switching to English as their working language. Further, the Finnish government is also making every effort to keep and recruit qualified foreign workers.  

 The job search process will be daunting and demoralizing. It all comes down to surrounding yourself with an inspiring set of people who share your values and who could serve as your mentors and sources of constructive criticism and feedback. Always maintain an optimistic attitude, be confident, trust the process, and have faith that great things are waiting for you; it’s just a question of time. I must admit that before finding a job, I submitted hundreds of applications and received hundreds of rejections. As they say, rejection is redirection, it is all about improving every day, up-skilling yourself, and being patient.  

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”  

                                                                                                                  – Alice Walker 

The photo was taken on the day of my graduation.