GO STRONG!
Enhancing the employability of students in Finland
Project information
Funder: Central Finland ELY (ESF)
Administrator: Häme University of Applied Sciences
Implementation period: 1.9.2018 – 31.1.2021
Budget: 198 944€
Area of operation: Pirkanmaa
Target group: The international degree students of HAMK and the international students of Tietotie High School and Valkeakoski Vocational College
Background
The GO STRONG! project’s main aim was to increase the possibilities of the international students of HAMK Valkeakoski campus to get employed in Finland. We worked towards this by offering students help with job search, organizing workshops to help students with e.g. CV writing and creating opportunities for students to network with the businesses of the region.
Get help to starting your career in Finland!
We offer versatile help to the students of HAMK Valkeakoski campus to land jobs in Finland. Check out the tips and links below to get you started! Also, check the upcoming workshops and other possibilities from the “Events” page to make sure you don’t miss out on any great events.
Find Work in Finland job hunting guide
Read through the Find Work in Finland job hunting guide that was created during the project. There you’ll find versatile information about different topics from CV writing to taxation in Finland.
Quick tips for job search in Finland
- Create a personal CV that stands out and looks like YOU.
- Guides to creating a good CV:
- Use for example Canva to make a CV that visually stands out.
- Create a good LinkedIn profile. It works as your online resume.
- Guides to creating a good LinkedIn profile:
- Check the online job sites frequently, for example:
- Monster
- Oikotie
- Glassdoor
- Rekrytointi.com
- Duunitori (the site is in Finnish, but there are open positions in English)
- Indeed (the site is in Finnish, but there are open positions in English)
- CareerJet (the site is in Finnish, but there are open positions in English)
- TE-Services (the site is in Finnish, but there are open positions in English)
- Search for work in social media.
- Facebook groups to check:
- Guides for using social media in job hunting:
- Contact employers directly.
- It could very well pay off to ask around in local companies for job openings. It also shows initiative! (Check Victoria’s story in the videos below, where she tells how she basically created a job for herself in a local company!)
- Follow the “Työpaikat ja projektit / liiketalous (FI/EN)” and “IB WorkPlacement” groups for International Business students and “Työpaikat ja projektit / tekniikka (FI/EN)” for Electrical and Automation Engineering students in HAMK Yammer. There you can find job and internship advertisements.
- Keep an open mind.
- It’s very unlikely to get the top position right away in the beginning. All work experience is valuable, and will help you on your career path!
- Learn some Finnish!
- Almost all Finns speak rather good English, but it will help you a lot in job search if you can speak Finnish. And when you are asked if you speak Finnish, don’t answer “Not really.” or “Not that much.” Rather answer “I do, and I’m learning more!”
- Consider entrepreneurship
HAMK Alumni career stories
If you need inspiration for job search, or tips from actual experts, listen to these stories of three international HAMK alumni who got employed in Finland! Their presentations were filmed in the Career Week event in Valkeakoski.
IB alumna story – Viktoriya Riyaka
IB alumna story – Festa Isufi
IB alumnus story – Mirza Sagdati
More useful links about the topic
Just Landed: A guide to finding a job in Finland
Foreigner.fi: Need to find a job in Finland? Here are some tips and links
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health: Working in Finland – Information for immigrants
International Tampere Hub team – Employability Guide
Events
| Date | Event |
| 18.2.2021 | Go Strong’s Final Seminar. If you couldn’t participate the seminar, you can watch the recording here. |
| Autumn 2020 | Work life mentoring pilot programme. |
| May 2020 | Job search in social media -online workshops for students. |
| November 2019 – May 2020 | Help in job search for IB’s and automation’s international students. |
| 21.-22.1.2020 | 21.1. Career Days & Inssitreffit -minirekrymessut/mini recruitment fair 9:00-12:00 22.1. Career path workshop for IB students |
| 18.1.2020 | CV workshop for IB part-time students. Possibility for taking a professional photo for your CV. |
| 4.12.2019 | European Business Etiquette workshop for VAAO and Tietotie High School students |
| 7.5.2019 | Networking visit to Crazy Town Tampere and Tribe Tampere |
| 17.4.2019 | Ensiaskeleet KV-uralla -workshop (in Finnish) |
| 28.3.2019 | Osallistuminen Kasva ja kansainvälisty -tapahtumaan / Participation to Grow and Internationalize event verkostoitumista paikallisten yritysten kanssa / networking with local companies |
| 28.-31.1.2019 | Career Week event in Valkeakoski campus a week long event that brought together the students of Valkeakoski campus, local companies and international HAMK alumni. You can read a blog post about the event here. |
| 3.12.2018 | Personal branding & CV workshop |
| 13.11.2018 | Recognizing one’s own skills workshop |
| 27.9.2018 | Verkostoitumismatka Alihankintamessuille / Networking trip to Subcontracting Fair |
Contact information
Please note that the project has ended in January 2021
