I want to find a job

After registering as a jobseeker, you are entitled to employment-promoting services. As soon as you register as an unemployed jobseeker, you will receive advice and guidance to help you find a job.

Even if you are not yet an unemployed jobseeker, you can receive guidance and advice on finding a job from the advisory service in your municipality Vantaa city and from the Ohjaamo Vantaa for people under 30.

Prepare your job application documents carefully for each job you apply for, for example, following the guidelines below.

Create search alerts for job search portals

You can create search alerts for job search portals, which will send you alerts about vacancies in the sector you are interested in. There are several job search portals. You can find open job opportunities, for example, on the Employment Market.

Create search profiles for job search portals

Job search profiles will help you in your job-seeking and networking. For example, Job Market Finland and LinkedIn will suggest suitable jobs for you. These platforms will connect you with employers who can contact you directly based on your profile.

Create a profile on Job Market Finland

Job Market Finland’s job application profile is a useful tool for everyone, regardless of their life situation. Whether you are working, an unemployed jobseeker, student or entrepreneur, creating a profile will help you find new opportunities.

Your job application profile will help employers to get in touch with you. You might even get a job offer without the job being publicly advertised. The more detailed your profile, the more job offers you will receive that match your search.  Your job application profile will make your job-seeking faster and more efficient.

You can easily add your job application profile to the EURES portal, which can open up job opportunities for you also outside Finland. Your job application profile may be your first step towards new career opportunities and professional development!

Prepare a CV

When you are looking for a job, you will need an up-to-date CV. You can create your own CV with a free or paid application. If you need help, discuss it with your employment specialist. They can arrange for you to attend Live Foundation's coaching sessions, which are one-to-one meetings with a recruitment professional. These days, employers also often ask jobseekers to submit a video application. 

A CV can contain information such as:

• Personal and contact details: name, phone number and email address.
• Work experience: your work experience in chronological order. Enter your most recent work experience first. Your earliest work experience should come last. Enter the name of your employer, your duties and the duration of your employment.
• Education: your qualifications and names of the institutions. Enter the start and end dates of your studies. List the details of your studies from the most recent to the earliest. Also include any other courses you have taken.
• Language skills: indicate your level of knowledge of different languages (satisfactory, good, excellent).
• IT skills: list the computer programmes and operating systems you know how to use.
• Remember that volunteer work and positions of trust may also contribute to your employment and you can add these experiences to your CV.
• Finally, add a referee or referees with contact details.

How to make a good job application

Jobs are usually applied for with a written job application. The job application can be either targeted to a specific job or an open job application.

What should you include in a job application?

• Write your name, phone number and email address at the top of the application form.
• Start your application by briefly telling about yourself.
• Specify the job you are applying for. Explain why you are applying for that particular job.
• Briefly describe the jobs you have held in the past and how the skills you have learned in them will benefit you in the job you are applying for.

Finally, review your application carefully. Check that you have answered the questions posed in the job advertisements.
The application should not be too long – one page is usually enough. Ask someone else to comment on your application before you send it. The other person may spot typos or be able to provide you with useful feedback.

Make an open job application

You can contact employers directly to ask about job vacancies or temporary positions. You can send your application to the employer after contacting them. In your application, describe the kind of work you would be willing to do.

In order to get unemployment benefit, you must reside in the country that pays your unemployment benefit. However, in some situations, you can go to another EU country to look for work and still get unemployment benefit in the country where you became unemployed.

You can get unemployment benefit for at least three months in the EU country where you last worked. In the following cases, the employment office can extend the period up to six months: 

• If you are fully unemployed (not temporarily or partially unemployed), you can get unemployment benefit. This requires that you are eligible for unemployment benefit in the country where you became unemployed.
• Before going to another country, you must have registered as an unemployed jobseeker at least four weeks earlier in the country where you became unemployed. In addition, you must apply for a U2 form from the employment services in your country to request permission to transfer your unemployment benefit abroad.

When you are looking for work abroad, you have the same rights as the citizens of your host country, for example, in the following matters:

• access to employment,
• support from the employment office, and
• financial assistance for job-seeking.

Looking for a job in another EU/EEA country or in Switzerland

If you are receiving earnings-related or basic unemployment allowance, you can apply for work in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland for three months. However, you must have been a jobseeker in Finland for at least four weeks before that. You must apply for a certificate of entitlement to unemployment benefit from your unemployment fund or Kela. Also remember to inform your local employment services, for example through Job Market’s E-services, of your intention to leave.

In the country of destination, you must register as a jobseeker with the local employment office. The registration must be done within seven days of the day you ceased to be available on the Finnish labour market. When making a notification of your job search in an EU/EEA country, mark yourself as a jobseeker in the country of destination starting from the day you left Finland.

Take your European Health Insurance Card with you on your trip. It entitles you to medically necessary treatment in case of sudden illness. If you become unemployed in an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you are entitled to unemployment benefit. However, you should check in advance the conditions for receiving this benefit.

Interested in working in Europe?

EURES experts from Vantaa Employment Services are here to support you if you're considering applying for jobs in Europe. We offer guidance for job searching in the EU/EEA area and Switzerland. Our services are free of charge. Contact us: eures@vantaa.fi

We help you with:

• finding job opportunities
• questions about living and working abroad
• information about the European labour market
• exploring different mobility support options

Vantaa’s employment services organise recruitment and other events for jobseekers. These events give you the opportunity to meet employers and network, improving your chances of finding a job. At the events, it is often possible to participate in short interviews with employers. Depending on the event, there may also be representatives from educational institutions who you can ask about entering a sector through studies. You are welcome to come and explore new career opportunities!

Megarekry is Vantaa’s largest annual recruitment event for jobseekers

Megarekry is the largest recruitment event in Vantaa, where employers, educational institutions and jobseekers meet. Megarekry features dozens of employers from a wide range of sectors. The event attracts thousands of visitors every year. 
 

As a jobseeker, you may be eligible for discretionary allowances to help you in your job search.

Discretionary expense allowance

The employment services may grant you a discretionary expense allowance for participating in a service agreed upon in your plan that supports you in your search for employment. Participation in the service must be agreed upon in your plan, and the service must be related to employment. You may be eligible for a discretionary expense allowance if you are not entitled to an expense allowance from an unemployment benefit provider or under the law.

Generally, the allowance is €9 per day. If you participate in a service outside your working area or if you incur verifiable accommodation expenses for a service outside your municipality of residence, the reimbursement will be €18 per day. The amount of the expense allowance depends on whether the service is provided in your working area or outside it. Your working area covers a radius of 80 km from your home. The allowance is paid for up to five days per week.

Apply for the expense allowance by the end of the month following the month in which you are participating in the service. Remember to include the number of days of participation in your application for the allowance.

Reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses

The employment services may reimburse you for the expenses you incur when participating in services supporting your job search or employment. To be eligible for reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses, you must be unemployed and registered as a jobseeker with the employment services. 

The basis for reimbursement of travel expenses is the distance in kilometres multiplied by €0.21. Travel expenses above €12 are reimbursed up to a maximum of €200. The journey is deemed to have started from the applicant’s actual place of residence. Accommodation expenses are reimbursed on the basis of the expenses incurred, up to a maximum of €80 per day.

The City of Vantaa announces vacancies on its website and social media channels. The vacancies include permanent, fixed-term and temporary positions, internships and summer jobs.