Applying for a job

Remember that there is no one right job application template or way to apply for a job. It is important that you write about yourself, your skills and your goals in a personal and clear way. As a general rule, you should write your job application and CV in the language in which the position or job opportunity was advertised.

Tailor the content of your documents to the employer and the position you are applying for. In addition to the traditional CV and cover letter, social media and executive search are increasingly used in recruitment. This is why digital CVs or profiles, such as LinkedIn, play an important role in your job search.

Articulating your skills

Before preparing your job application documents or applying for jobs, you should take a moment to identify and articulate your skills. You will then be in a better position to provide employers with useful information about yourself, your skills and your goals.

Before you submit any job applications, it is also a good idea to clarify the direction you want your career to take and draw up a plan for your job search. Planning will help you make decisions that are meaningful to you. Identifying your skills will help you to think about the kind of jobs you would like to apply for. This will also make it easier to communicate your skills at different stages of the job search. So first, it is worth learning about career planning and how to identify and articulate your skills here.

Present your skills

The purpose of a CV is to attract the interest of an employer and to give a clear picture of you and your skills in a concise format. Your CV tells the basics about you, such as your educational background, work experience, responsibilities, achievements and specific skills that match the job you are applying for. It is important to include things that are relevant to the job you are applying for. It is therefore always a good idea to tailor your CV to the job you are applying for.

Structure and layout

Always structure your CV according to the content. The recommended maximum length for a student CV is two pages. The recruiter should be able to skim the document easily, so it is best to keep it to 1-2 pages.

A good CV is clear and reader-friendly. A well-designed CV layout supports finding relevant information.  Make sure that the font is easy to read and that there are no long or heavy paragraphs. The reader should be able to find the necessary information quickly.

Photo and visuals

Adding your own photo is recommended, but not mandatory. A photo gives the recruiter a more complete picture of you and helps them to remember you better. The safest choice is a good-quality, natural portrait photo.

More important than the visuals is the content of the CV, but visual solutions can help you to present your skills more clearly. A visually clever CV can help you stand out among applicants and give an impression of yourself as an applicant who is up to date. For ideas on how to create a visual CV, you can use Word templates or Canva.

Content

The features that are most relevant to the job you are applying for should be placed first in your CV. As a student or recent graduate, your educational background or recent degree can play an important role. If you have work or internship experience with useful skills, you should also highlight these in your CV. The more relevant something is to the applied job, the more space and attention it should be given in your CV.

In addition to your education and work experience, it is a good idea to start your CV with a short profile text in which you present yourself, your skills and your goals. In your CV you should mention any experience that has contributed to your skills. This could include hobbies, positions of responsibility, military or civilian service, voluntary work or other projects. Even seemingly insignificant experience can be used to demonstrate useful skills in working life. Your hobbies and interests paint a picture of your personality. They can sometimes work to your advantage in the job application. Also, be sure to include your contact details in your CV.

Select relevant information

A good cover letter complements your CV and explains why you should be hired. It does not repeat the content of your CV but highlights, in a very compelling manner, the points that are most relevant to the position you are applying for. Therefore, when writing your cover letter, it is a good idea to keep the employer's perspective in mind.

Tailor the cover letter

You should always tailor your cover letter to the job you are applying for. The more the cover letter has been customised for that particular position, the more effective it is in attracting the reader’s interest. A cover letter can be thought of as a motivation letter. With your cover letter, you convince the reader of your motivation for the job in question. Explain and justify why you are interested in the employer and the job in question.

It is also a good idea to highlight the added value you can bring to the employer. In your cover letter, describe your skills and strengths in relation to the position. Think about what it will take to be successful in the position and what you can offer if you are hired. Be sure to justify your arguments. A cover letter is also a better way to show your personality and your way of working than a CV.

Length and format

A cover letter shouldn’t take more than one page. Please follow the instructions given in the job advertisement, such as where to send your application, the requested file format and the application deadline. Sometimes the cover letter must be typed directly into a text field in the employer’s recruitment system – make sure that your text is carefully inserted in this format too. Additional information, such as a salary request or a possible starting date, should be included in the cover letter if specifically requested.

LinkedIn as a search tool

A LinkedIn profile often serves as a digital CV or business card. It allows you to showcase your background, skills and interests. The purpose of a LinkedIn profile is to create a credible and professional image of you as an expert in your field and to highlight your experience and skills.

In your profile, you can describe where you are in your career and what your goals are. You can also include information about your strengths and motivation. By sharing your LinkedIn profile with recruiters, you can provide additional information about yourself for your job application.

Make yourself visible

A well-designed profile can also help you get discovered. Employers and recruitment specialists are now looking for various types of talent directly through LinkedIn's search tools, so a well-made LinkedIn profile can help you get discovered by recruiters.

A clear and informative LinkedIn profile will also help your network members and other LinkedIn users to get to know you when they visit your profile. It is therefore worth keeping your profile up to date for job search, networking and professional profiling purposes.

Optimize your profile

LinkedIn is first and foremost a search engine. This is something to keep in mind when building and editing your profile. The more comprehensive your profile is, including content that is relevant to your skills and interests, the better LinkedIn will be able to suggest relevant and appropriate content for you. It can suggest jobs, interesting companies, people and other content for you. You may also be more likely to appear in recruiters' search results when they're looking for talent like you.

Since LinkedIn uses keywords to find people, it's a good idea to write your profile in a way that uses keywords that match your skills. You can use keywords similar to those used by other people in your field or typically used in your field. You should use keywords in all parts of your profile. Remember, however, that the keywords you use should match your skills.

Examples of keywords include

• Job titles and degree titles
• Job roles
• Tools and equipment
• Processes
• Software and programming languages
• Certifications and courses
• Methodologies
• Keywords specific to your field
• Other concrete things related to your field

Search for frequently used keywords from

• Job advertisements in your field
• Company websites and social media
• Other users' LinkedIn profiles
• Discussions and posts related to your field

Building your profile

You should use your CV as the basis for building your LinkedIn profile, as there are many similarities in their content. In addition to the textual content, you should also pay attention to the layout and discoverability of your LinkedIn profile. By adding a profile picture and background image, you can stand out more and leave a stronger impression. In your LinkedIn settings, it's worth checking which things on your profile are publicly visible to ensure that the things you want to communicate to potential employers are also visible.

Headline

The headline at the top of your profile tells readers what you are currently doing professionally or what you are aiming for next. Therefore, it's a good idea to include keywords that describe you and your situation. If you are a student, you can use the headline to tell readers what field you are studying, what stage you are at in your studies or what you are particularly interested in. If you are employed, you can also mention your job title or relevant areas of expertise. If you are applying for jobs, you can mention your goals and the job you are looking for in your headline.

About

At the beginning of your profile there is a field for a summary. It is a particularly important part of your profile and should be filled in carefully. In this summary, you can write freely about your skills, interests and goals. You can also use it to tell a little about yourself. Since the summary is usually the first thing people read in a profile, it is often the first thing that helps them decide whether they want to read the whole LinkedIn profile. That is why it's worth putting thought into this summary.

Examples of things you can say in the About section:

• What are you currently doing or what goals do you have.
• What skills do you have and where and how you have acquired them.
• What are your main achievements or accomplishments.
• What are your strengths and what are you interested in.
• What kind of a person are you and what is your style of working.
• What kind of job are you looking for or what are your career goals.
• How to contact you.

Keep the About section short so that a visitor to your profile will be encouraged to read it in full. It is a good idea to place information at the beginning of the text that will capture the reader's interest. You can also ask a friend or family member to read the summary and tell you what they think.

Experience

This section of your profile allows you to present your professional and educational experience. In the Experience section, you can describe your previous jobs, such as summer jobs, internships or thesis placements. When describing your work experience, you should write in sufficient detail – a job title alone rarely provides essential information about the role. For example, write about the responsibilities you had, what you achieved, or who you worked with and how.

Education

In the Education section, you can describe your education and training leading to a degree, your major and minor subjects, the topics of your theses and any other information of interest in relation to your education and training. You should also mention any exchange studies abroad and study-related positions of responsibility in your profile. For shorter training courses or stand-alone courses, you should consider whether they are more appropriately listed under Education or under Licences and Certifications.

Skills

This section allows you to list your skills. Fill it in as comprehensively as you can and use keywords that match your skills, so that this section of your profile also generates keyword hits. Once you have listed your skills, other users can give you endorsements. Please note that without clicking on the Skills section, the reader will only see the first three skills. Make sure that these first three include your most important skills. You can modify the skills and the order in which they are displayed whenever needed. .

Porfolio in job search

A portfolio is a tool for presenting your professional profile and marketing your skills. Working on a portfolio helps you to identify and structure your own skills. At its best, the portfolio also serves as a career shaping tool, in addition to supporting you develop your skills and grow professionally.

The portfolio is often the most important job application tool for creative and visual arts students and graduates. As a visual representation tool, it is usually the most important job search document in architecture, design and the arts. In many other fields, the cover letter and CV are more important, but a well-designed portfolio can also add value to the application.

Showcasing your skills

A portfolio is a carefully and thoughtfully selected collection of the most successful, interesting and informative examples of your skills and competences. The key is to narrow down the sample and cut out excessive content to keep the portfolio concise and clear. A job application portfolio can also be seen as a business card. Think about the impression your portfolio will leave of your skills and professionalism for the employer.

You can use your portfolio as a job application and skills marketing tool while you are still a student, as a well-designed portfolio helps to make your skills visible, even if you have only a limited amount of work experience in your field. Even if your portfolio feels complete and perfect at some point, it is never finished – much like your own skills, the portfolio is a continuum and an ever-changing process. It is essential that the portfolio always highlights skills and experience sought after in the current labour market, so that the content is as relevant as possible to the current needs and demands of employers. Don’t be afraid to start working on your job application portfolio and adapt it along the way.

How to create a portfolio

Every portfolio is unique and different. There is no single template or way to prepare one. Whether your portfolio will be read by a potential future employer or a client, it is important to target your portfolio to your reader. When you are creating your portfolio, think about what your reader will get out of it.

As with any job application document, it is a good idea to always have a draft version of your portfolio available, which contains all the material that could be included in a specific job application portfolio. By always having a draft portfolio available, you can easily create a tailored, targeted and updated portfolio for a specific job application or situation in which you are presenting your skills.

Portfolio structure

At the beginning of the portfolio, it is a good idea to include a front page, a table of contents and a professional statement, i.e. a two- or three-sentence summary of your skills. You can also include a CV at the beginning of the portfolio. After that, you can present your skills in pictures and words by means of a carefully selected sample of your work and working processes. Make sure the content is organised around themes and that the length is appropriate.

When you are a student, it is often best to structure the content of your portfolio by themes. As you gain more experience, you may also consider a chronological presentation. It is important to keep the length moderate so that the portfolio paints a succinct picture and keeps the employer interested in the content. 10-20 pages is usually a sufficient length for a portfolio.

Online reputation, brand and risks

The internet and social media offer a number of linking opportunities for a job application portfolio, which can at best multiply the visibility of your portfolio. You should use the internet and social media extensively, but be mindful of the potential risks, such as someone plagiarising your ideas or copying your images or text. Being aware of the risks makes it easier for you to choose what to publish in your portfolio, when, to what extent and in which format.

What is a recruitment portal?

Nowadays, many larger companies use online job portals and recruitment systems. For the applicants, the system means filling in an online form. The systems are particularly useful when recruiting for a job that may attract a large number of applicants. This allows the person responsible for the recruitment to easily look for applicants using keywords and browse through the applicants’ experience and competence without having to open the attachments.

You can usually use the same profile to apply for other job openings in the company. Once you have carefully filled in the form in the system, the next application process will be much easier.

How to proceed with application?

Finalize your CV and cover letter as a word document before you start filling in the online form of the system. Filling in the form is easier if you already have the necessary information at hand. In addition, the form may have a time limit, so make sure you will not find yourself in a hurry.

Filling the application form

You should be careful and thorough when filling in the form even if it asks for the information you already have in your CV. You must fill in all fields, as blanks will be noticed quickly when your information is reviewed. Also keep in mind that it is not possible to attach additional files to all forms. Include all necessary information directly in the form.

Compress the essential information about your competence into the character limits of the fields. Remember to emphasise any skills that are particularly relevant to the job you are applying for. Never copy your application text into the fields or answer with just a couple of words!

Remember this

You should keep search engine optimization in mind when filling in the form, as recruiters often run word searches on the information submitted to the system. Use keywords to describe your competence when filling in the free additional information fields in the form.

Think carefully about your answers to any open questions concerning the job and the required expertise. The recruiter will pay particular attention to them. Good answers will allow you to make a good first impression.

Where to find jobs?

You can find a job practically anywhere. It is a good idea to follow job sites or social media and meet employers at recruitment events. You might even get a tip about a job from an acquaintance or other network. Contacting an employer requires groundwork and a dash of courage, but it can open doors either now or in the future.

Career support by the university

Universities publish job ads and internship or theses work offers in their own portals. They also invite employer to campuses for students to meet and discuss career opportunities. Make sure to use the opportunities on your own campus actively.  Get to know the Career Services offered to students in your own university. 

Make yourself visible

Employers are often actively looking for suitable candidates themselves, so it is also important to be discoverable. Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start. We have put together some tips to help you get started in your search for a summer job, internship or thesis placement. 

Job offers via university Career Services

Each university has its own portal, where they publish job ads and internship vacancies as well as thesis placements for their students and recent graduates. Most universities use the JobTeaser service and the rest use the Valo Jobs service.

You can access the portal of your own university via your university's website. You can also find links to all portals through the Aarresaari website of university Career Services.

Links to job portals of each university

Career support at the university

University Career Services offer a wide range of tools for you career plans and job search. Make sure to get to know the offerings in your own university. 

Job portals and recruiters

In Finland, there are many different job advertising websites and recruitment companies. Some of these services are specifically aimed at recruiting young professionals and talent. 

To make your job search easier, we have compiled a list of suitable job sites and recruitment companies on this page. Some recruitment agencies are also included.  

TE-services, municipalities and the government

Työmarkkinatori.fi

Kuntarekry.fi
Valtiolle.fi

Job portals

Barona.fi
Duunitori.fi (-> Jobs in English)
Ework Group
Jobilla.com
Jooble.org
Jobly.fi
Oikotie.fi
Rekrytointi.com

Recruitment companies

AcademicWork
Adecco.fi
aTalent Recruiting
Barona.fi
BoltWorks
Clevry
Compass HRG 
Eezy.fi
Eilakaisla
Games Jobs Finland 
HR4 –Accountor
Maximus 
Palkkaaminut.fi
Poolia.fi
Selekta
StaffPoint

Meet the employers

Many universities organise various recruitment events for their students and recent graduates. These events often take place between November and February, which is the best time to look for summer jobs. Events and fairs are a good and easy way to meet employers and gather information about job opportunities.  

The best way to get the most out of recruitment events is to prepare in advance. Familiarising yourself with the communication channels of the companies that will be attending will provide a good basis for discussions at the fair. It is also a good idea to reflect on your own aspirations and skills before the event, so that you know how to tell employers about yourself.

Recruitment events for students are organised both at universities and nationally.  

Aalto Talent Expo at Aalto University
DuuniDay event at LUT University
Pesti Career Day at University of Oulu
Yrityspäivät at Tampere University
Talent Forum Vaasa  for higher education students in Vaasa

National recruitment event Contact Forum for all students in higher education

In addition, there are also some smaller, field specific events where you can meet employers. Some events may also be organized online. 

Social media in job search

If you want to succeed as a jobseeker in social media, you should check out LinkedIn. It allows you to create your own professional profile, which will accompany the different stages of your career and support your job search.  

You can search for employers, jobs or hidden vacancies that interest you and network with people of your interest. LinkedIn also provides a wealth of information about the different jobs people are doing in your field. You'll also find lots of different industry groups to join, depending on your interests. 

Read more about LinkedIn in section 03 Documents

Find suitable platforms

In addition to LinkedIn, which is a professional networking and interaction platform, you can also find job opportunities or interesting employers on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok or Facebook. It is worth looking into channels where experts in your field are active and that the employers you are interested are using for communication. ** LINK Find out more about how to use LinkedIn under Job application documents.  

On Facebook, you can find a number of recruitment sites for employers and recruitment services. Many employers target their recruitment marketing on Facebook specifically at students and recent graduates. Follow the companies you are interested in, and you will be informed about vacancies as soon as they become available. There are also groups on Facebook that publish job vacancies from different industries and regions. These groups make it easy to keep track of the jobs on offer. 

Use keywords and hashtags

On social media, you should search for jobs using hashtags such as #hiring, #recruitment, #jobs, #vacancies, #careers. You can also limit your search by region, such as #jobs #finland or even #jobs #vaasa. 

Spot the hidden jobs

A hidden job is a job opportunity that has not been advertised. It can also mean a job that only materialises when the employer and employee meet at the right time, in the right place. Research shows that around three out of four vacancies are filled through this veiled market, i.e. without an open call for applications.  

Despite their name, hidden jobs can be an easier route to work than open positions, as there is often less competition.

Make a plan

The search for hidden jobs is best supported by planning. So first think about what you're interested in and what kind of job you're looking for. Also think carefully about what you already know and how you can showcase your skills. Then you can start looking for jobs where your skills are needed. 

Don’t be afraid to contact employers you are interested in and tell them about your skills, interests and motivation. Choose the employer carefully before contacting, get to know the company and find a suitable person to approach. You should also think about why you would want to work for that particular company and what added value your skills would bring to them.  

Ask about opportunities

You can approach interesting employers at recruitment fairs, by sending an open application and CV, or by contacting the recruiter directly. Sometimes it's only when you put your case directly to an employer that they realise they need someone like you.  

If your skills are not in demand at the moment, make sure you make a good impression and stay in the employer's mind. A suitable position may open up unexpectedly and you may be contacted by the employer! 

Make yourself visible

Being discoverable on social media, especially LinkedIn, can also be useful when looking for a hidden job. Many recruiters use LinkedIn to find talent that fits the profile they are looking for. It is a good idea to create a LinkedIn profile for yourself and carefully describe your skills and interests.  

Don’t be afraid to network and be active in various social media groups. If a job search or online campaign related to your job search comes naturally to you, it's worth a try. Sharing your website or video can give you visibility that can lead you to the right employer. 

Follow the news

A good way to get tips on hidden jobs is to follow current news. Which companies are expanding abroad, which have just received funding or which have had a change of CEO? Changes in companies signal opportunities for new roles to emerge. You should also follow news about start-ups and growth companies. These may need new talent but do not yet have the resources to run large recruitment campaigns. 

It is worth updating your own information at regular intervals on the websites of the various recruitment and direct search companies. It is also worth keeping open applications active on the companies' own electronic systems. Recruiters also go through existing vacancies when they are looking for talent for new positions. 

Build your networks

Not all jobs are publicly listed, so make sure you use your own networks when looking for a job. Talk openly about your job search to your friends, relatives, study and hobby buddies – in other words, anyone in your network. Ask them if they know of any job opportunities.  

Someone from your university staff, such as your professor, can also be a useful contact for finding a job. Don't forget the networks you've built up through leisure activities, which can also be useful when looking for a job. Don’t feel shy about sharing your job search on your social media channels.  

Find your way

Networking is not just for the hyper-social; everyone can find a way to network that suits them. Networking is very versatile and can be done from the comfort of your own home. Choose the networking channels that suit you, such as LinkedIn or other social media channels, or even attend trade fairs or conferences in your field. Many events are also organised virtually. 

Networking is a two-way street – if you share your knowledge, skills and help with others, these favours will come back to you. It's worth making a habit of networking and maintaining relationships. It increases your chances of hearing about new job opportunities. 

Suitable jobs for TEK members

TEK offers a platform for employers and recruiters to advertise for open positions and job offers. Join our TEKrekry LinkedIn group to receive the posts for current openings in technology and architecture.