Working life orientation for students

Many students engage in various part-time jobs during their studies. This can be an excellent way to gain exposure to Finnish work culture, practice the Finnish language, and connect with local people. It is important to prioritise your studies to ensure timely graduation and secure a job that matches your qualifications.

Here are a few key aspects of working life in Finland:

Assess your skills and competence: Consider your skills, the types of jobs that interest you, your past experiences, and the new things you want to learn through work.

Gain diverse work experience: It is beneficial to accumulate work experience in various roles, from production to specialist tasks, as this will help you understand the entire work process in Finland.

Curriculum vitae (CV): Create a CV that details your history, interests, and previous experience. A CV is a crucial document in the Finnish job market. It provides a concise overview of who you are, your educational background, skills, and any previous work experience. If you lack prior work experience, mention the type of work you can do or are eager to learn. Being able to identify and articulate your skills and competence is essential. Search “how to write a CV” on Google to learn more and draft your own. Maintain and update your CV regularly, tailoring it to suit specific job applications. These CV skills are also studied at SeAMK certain courses.

Job application: Each job requires a unique application document. In your job application, politely address the employer, specify the job you are applying for, explain why you are interested, and why you would be a good fit. Look up examples by searching “how to write a job application letter” on Google.

Finnish language: In this region, Finnish is widely spoken. While there are some jobs where you might manage with English, it is common for the working environment to require Finnish. Therefore, start learning Finnish immediately – even a basic vocabulary can help you get started and significantly improve your employment prospects. As you may see, most of the job announcements are also in Finnish. Read more about studying Finnish at SeAMK here.

What could be more impressive than sending your CV and job application in Finnish to a potential employer? Start by creating these documents in your native language, then translate them into English, and finally into Finnish. This process not only helps you reflect on your skills and experiences but also provides a meaningful way to practice the Finnish language needed in the workplace.

After graduation, it’s time to transition into working life! We hope you have settled into our area, learned Finnish, and are ready to achieve success here with us.

The same principles mentioned earlier still apply, but now you can proudly include in your CV that you have completed your studies and are a professional in your field.

It’s crucial to start networking within your field during your studies to make job searching easier. Who knows, you might already secure a position during your studies, through practical training, or by completing your thesis with a local employer, and be ready to continue with that employer.

If not, you can register as a part-time or full-time job seeker at the employment office. The employment office has a broad database of open positions, but you can also find jobs through various online job search engines. By becoming a registered job seeker, you can access appropriate services and support.

Seinäjoki – TE-palvelut (the TE-palvelut, employment services, web page only available in Finnish and Swedish but they serve also in English)

Job Market Finland (tyomarkkinatori.fi)

Please note that as of January 1, 2025, employment services will transition from regional services to services offered by cities, so keep an eye on this development.

Work in Finland

Job application and CV (infofinland.fi)

Work and Enterprise (infofinland.fi)

Jobs | Jobly

International talents for South Ostrobothnia | SeAMK.fi