Are you ready to take your first real step into the Finnish job market? This course is designed to guide and empower international students who want to build a career in Finland. With expert support, hands-on workshops, and real networking opportunities, you’ll learn how to take meaningful action toward employment.
What you’ll gain
- A deeper understanding of Finnish work culture and recruitment practices
- The skills to analyze job ads and recognize the right opportunities for you
- Tools to craft strong CVs and cover letters tailored to Finnish employers
- Insight into how to use AI and platforms like LinkedIn in your job search
- Strategies to grow your professional network and find hidden job opportunities
- Confidence in pitching your skills and presenting yourself to employers
Course Format
You’ll complete self-study tasks during the autumn weeks and take part in interactive, in-person workshops during the intensive week. The course is run jointly by Haaga-Helia, Laurea, and Metropolia (3UAS), and includes a company visit for real-world insights.
Schedule
Schedule (Autumn 2025)
- Enrollment: May 5 – August 29 (post-enrollment open until August 29)
- Kick-off: Thursday, September 4, 15:00–17:30 at Haaga-Helia Pasila Campus (mandatory)
- Self-study period: Weeks 37–41 (September 8 – October 12)
- Intensive Week: October 13–17 (Mon, Wed & Fri at 12:00–16:00, Pasila Campus) (mandatory)
- Company Visit: Tuesday, October 14 (details TBA)
- Final Report Deadline: November 30
Weekly Themes (Self-study)
- Week 37: Introduction to the Finnish job market and work culture
- Week 38: Identifying your skills, interests, and motivation
- Week 39: Writing your CV and cover letter, understanding job ads
- Week 40: Building your network, discovering hidden jobs, using LinkedIn
- Week 41: Preparing for working life and what to do in case of unemployment
Course content
- Visits to workplaces, organizations, or recruitment events
- Utilizing AI in job search
- Decoding job advertisements and tailoring applications accordingly
- Leveraging networking for finding job opportunitie
- Writing compelling CVs and cover letters that resonate in the Finnish job market
- Independent learning in the online platform Moodle
- Active discussions
- Writing a final report and completing learning assingments
Entering the Finnish job market might require quite a different approach from what you are used to in other countries. This course focuses on familiarizing international students with the specific requirements of the Finnish job market. By the end of the course, you will:
- learn what attributes recruiters appreciate the most in Finland
- learn how to write compelling CVs and cover letters that are tailored to a specific job
- gain tips for job searching in Finland
- get to know why networking is an essential part of career-building
- getting familiar with digital tools and platforms that will help you with job searching and creating contemporary application documents
- learn why in job-searching strategy almost always quality beats quantity
A more detailed course description can be read in the Haaga-Helia’s Study Guide.
Teachers
Mia Blanc (Haaga-Helia), Esa Hukkanen (Laurea) and Anu Luoma (Metropolia)
Student feedback from the last implementation
“This course was a true eye-opener for me due to multiple reasons as I was new to the Finnish job market. The norms of applying to a job in Finland and how to stand out from the crowd were demystified for me by the amazing team of lecturers.”
“This course has been very insightful and clarifying. During the course I was able to understand the different approaches from my home country and Finland for companies and applicants, therefore I was also able to adjust my CV and Cover Letter accordingly to the job market available. Now I understand the importance of tailoring a CV and cover letter accordingly to each job application. I also understood how important networking and connections are for the Finnish job market.”
Key words
career path, employment, work life, Finnish job culture, building networks
Enrollment
This course is open for all.
Enroll for this course on Peppi/Pakki/OMA. You can find the course with code STU009AS2AE.
Enroll for this course via this link.