Applying for jobs in Norway

This book is available in English, Norwegian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Russian edition

The unemployment rates in Norway have been among the lowest in Europe for a number of years. Although Norway recently suffered a financial recession after a dramatic fall in the oil prices, the Norwegian job market is growing again with lower unemployment and redundancy rates than before the fall of the oil prices.

There are now more vacant positions and too few job-seekers, which have led to a lack of qualified manpower in Norway. In many cases, Norwegian employers fail to find qualified candidates for their positions, and sometimes have to recruit candidates with lower qualifications than they were hoping for. It is therefore a good time to seek work in Norway.

However, the challenge of finding work should not be underestimated. It may be difficult for foreign job-seekers to get a job in Norway, particularly the first one, and especially if they have no prior work experience. Norwegian job-seekers also struggle to find their first job, since most employers seem to look for people with some work experience.

‘Applying for jobs in Norway’ is specifically written for job-seekers who did not grow up in Norway and will help you help you crack the hidden codes in the Norwegian job market. It is tailored to your needs, and will guide you step-by-step through the job-seeking process, along with useful advice from people on the inside.

You will learn how to read and interpret the job announcement, and write application letters and CVs that are adapted to the Norwegian job market. The book explains what you should emphasise, in order to present your competence and personal qualities in a credible way for those who may hire you. You will get suggestions on how to deal with the additional challenge of being a foreign job-seeker, whilst exploring the mistakes that are typically made by non-Norwegians in each step of the process.

The book will explain what Norwegian employers think and how they prioritise when they select their candidates. It also covers personality tests, why they are used and how you should deal with them.

This book is based on my own experiences as a job-seeker, leader and recruiter. It is also based on research, as well as input from Norwegian employers/recruiters and job-seekers attending my courses. By sharing this information with you, you should be better prepared for job-seeking, and it should also boost your self-confidence when applying for jobs in Norway.

Sample feedback from the book and the course with the same name:

You are the light at the end of the tunnel! Thank you for your books and these extra templates. I wish your books had come out a few years earlier, it would have saved me many tears, and years of unnecessary loss and suffering.

This is great, thank you so much!

– Linda Soon

Oslo

I just wanted to thank you for the teaching you do – I enjoyed every minute of it. It is people like you that change lives!

– Mindaugas Kavaliauskas

Siauliai, Lithuania

I attended your seminar in June, and also bought your book. Soon after that, I landed in an interview. It was 3 rounds in total, and it went great. I can surely say that most of the questions asked in the hourly long interviews were from your book. As I was lucky enough to read your book before that, I was prepared with answers and stories 🙂 Also, all the tips and techniques worked out just perfect as well. Now finally i have landed in my dream job and started in August.

Heartfelt thanks to you 🙂

– Tulika Sheel

Oslo

 

Thanks for the book. It is well-written, easy-to-follow and full of helpful insights. After reading your book and applying your recommendations, I landed my first interview. Isn’t this amazing? I think your book helped me a lot in getting into the interview

– Hossein Baharmand

Kristiansand

I am very happy that I had the opportunity to listen to a very inspiring talk from a wise instructor. Thanks a lot for the lecture, sharing the slides and the books! All these have benefit me a lot as a foreigner to  better integrate into the society. Now I also got the motivation to learn Norwegian. I was quite excited afterwards and talked a lot with my husband and my colleagues about it. 🙂

Both books are very practical and useful. I normally don’t read such books as how to apply for jobs in any language. But this one I wish I had read earlier! It’s instructive, down to earth and guide me how to do things at the right level!

– Keke Zheng
Ås

I was as as a postdoctoral researcher at NTNU when I attended one of your courses “Applying for Jobs in Norway”. Now I have found a position in a good Norwegian company in the field my interest. It was quite tough but very interesting interview series and I was lucky enough to reach my final goal.

I personally believe that taking your course helped me a lot in the case of both job application and interview preparation. I was able to remember most of the important points/tips from your lecture. Finally I would like say a big thank you very much for sharing very useful and effective information.

– Daham Gunawardana

Trondheim

I just read your book ‘Applying for jobs in Noway’. Wow, it is treasure! 

I feel like sharing with Norwegian friends and family. I have learned a lot about the cultural clash (e.g. Janteloven). This book is also helping me a lot to remake my CV and aim better my targets. 

Thank you so much!

– Juliana Koury Gaioso
Kristiansand

This book is also published in Norwegian under the title ‘Kunsten å arbeide med nordmenn’, please refer to the Norwegian version of this webpage for information about it. It has also been published in Russian: ‘Искусство поиска работы в Норвегии’ and Lithuanian: ‘Menas susirasti darbą Norvegijoje’. If you press ‘Buy’, you will be able to choose the edition you want.