Hi, who has experience with recruiting, or finding a job in Norway?

Welcome to Expat.com mirjamb

For eventual employment opportunities, you can also have a look at the Work in Norway page. There are some links which might help you! Hope other members will advise you also, and share their career experience with you!

I wish you good luck for your career.

Best Regard

mirjamb wrote:

I'd like insights in the do's & don'ts for the Norwegian (marketing-comnmunication) market.

After more than 12 years working in international advertising in Amsterdam, I recently moved to Norway and am now looking for a new job.

So far none of the selected companies have responded to my unsolicited applications, or to my ‘reminder' mail. Not even a polite ‘No thank you'. (The CV and letter are professionally written).

In The Netherlands it is normal to give the company a call, a week after you have sent a letter. But since Norway is different, I don't want to come on too strong.

Who can give me insights in the do's & don'ts for the Norwegian market? How can I best proceed?

Thanks!

It takes Norwegian companies a long time to get back to people.  Usually around two weeks.  If you sent out your CV and covering letter by post or e-mail, it would be okay to ring them, but I would say to put in your last paragraph that you're going to phone them on such-and-such a date at such-and-such a time, to tell them how your last employer earned €1 000 000 thanks to you, and that if that's not convenient, they should get back to you with a better time/date.  That way, when you call them, they're expecting your call (or they're not, and they're embarrassed), or you'll get an interview, or, at the very least, you'll get a "no thanks".

Most people in Norway get their job through a network of friends and relatives, so if you've got a Norwegian kjæreste, make good use of him/her.

And remember, it takes an average of ten applications normally to get an interview, and in Norway, you can jack that up to twenty; so hang in there.

Thanks YUD and SCTLD for your comments,
i'll keep them in mind and be more patient!

hopefully i have good news soon.

mirjamb wrote:

I'd like insights in the do's & don'ts for the Norwegian (marketing-comnmunication) market.

After more than 12 years working in international advertising in Amsterdam, I recently moved to Norway and am now looking for a new job.

So far none of the selected companies have responded to my unsolicited applications, or to my ‘reminder' mail. Not even a polite ‘No thank you'. (The CV and letter are professionally written).

In The Netherlands it is normal to give the company a call, a week after you have sent a letter. But since Norway is different, I don't want to come on too strong.

Who can give me insights in the do's & don'ts for the Norwegian market? How can I best proceed?

Thanks!

Hi, I've been living in Bergen Norway for over 3.5 years, job searching for 2.5.  I to have had the experience of not having replies back from my applications, followed by constant rejection.  I have extensive international experience both in the field of international law and criminology, but apparently thats not enough.

I was told by Norwegians themselves that i would need to take a degree in Norway and learn the language, so i did, but i still haven't found a job in my profession. I'm a qulified criminologist with a masters in International Law. Part of the reason i chose this field of work, was due to it's high level of job opportunities. 

How to get a job in Norway if you're not from Norway? The media are currently trying to tackle this problem

Hi LisaE,


OMG how terrible, job searching for 2,5 years with your qualities!
thanks for your reply. I thought it was best to get a job asap,to fully integrate as soon as possible. And then focus on the language. But now I feel that it is maybe better focussing on the language first.

it's complicated....

a few advises to complement what have already been said:
* network and professional associations are key in finding a job, most of the job offers never get published and many times when they are it is just because a procedure requires to do so even if the person is already found. Professional associations are key to meet people and getting known.
* always write resume in norwegian even if you are not fluent, do not bother with long cover letter or e-mails, a few short sentences are enough.
* have your cv reviewed by a norwegian, especially for how it should be organized and have references - this is key, the more norwegian persons you can have, the best.
* do not hesitate to take jobs outside your area of expertise, even for some time, it helps with the language and with understanding how things work

As for your LisaE, I would say the best would be to pass a bar exam as many lawyers in Norway are also advokat. the police academy could be a good choice also ...

mirjamb,

I don't have near the experience you do, as I am a recent college grad from the States now in Norway, but even as I attempted numerous applications, phonecalls, and speaking with employment agencies upon coming here, I had a tough time as well and it all primarily lead down to one thing: the fact that I was not fluent in Norwegian.  Certain professions such as engineering, are easier when one doesn't speak Norwegian yet, because there is such a shortage of that skill.  I studied Business Marketing in college, and if I want to get into that sort of profession I must focus on the language first and foremost, so that is exactly why I enrolled in a norskkurs in the town we are in, and so far am loving it.  It's going to take time to get to the next step of pursuing my career, but I know it's worth it.  In the meantime, as others have suggested, I wouldn't give up continuing applying and networking with people to get your foot in the door early, even if it's outside of your expertise - an excuse to learn Norwegian that much faster!

Best of luck
-K-