1. Summer Job Day
Otaniemi January 19, 2012
Heini Hult-Miekkavaara
Career Counsellor
Academic Architects and Engineers in Finland - TEK

2. You want a job
• What can
you do?
• What do
you want to
do?
3 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

3. The employer wants a person who
• Can do the job
• Fits in the
organisation
4 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

4. Job application in Finland =
CV + cover/application letter
• Compliment each other
• Can work on their own
5 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

5. 6 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

6. 7 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara/TEK

7. A good CV is
• Your personal, professional description
• Concrete, concise and informative
• Understood by an outsider
• Easy to read with a glance
• Written with a specific job and/or employer
in mind
8 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

8. A good CV has…
• A date
• Your picture
• Your personal information
• Name
• Contact information – address, telephone, e-mail
• Date and place of birth
• Links to your professional social media profiles
(LinkedIn)
9 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

9. A good CV has your…
• Education
• Degrees
• Current/latest first
• M.Sc (Technology) student
• School
• Year of graduation/number of study points or credits
• Major and minor subjects
• Matriculation examination (high school)
10 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

10. A good CV has your…
• Work experience
• Your title/position
• Name of employer
• Employment period
• A short description of your company and department
• Your tasks and responsibilities concretely
- what you did
- what you achieved
- in proportion to the company
11 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

11. A good CV has…
• Verbs!
• Accelerate, accumulate, acquire, act, adapt, add, administrate,
advise, alter, amend, analyse, anticipate, arrange, assign,
assist, audit, automate, begin, budget, build, buy, calculate,
capture, change, clarify, code, combine, communicate,
compete, conduct, connect, construct, consult, control,
construct, convince, coordinate, counsel, customise, cut, edit,
decide, decrease, define, deliver, design, determine, develop,
direct, discover, distribute, draft, edit, educate, eliminate,
employ, ensure, establish, estimate, examine, experiment,
facilitate, finance, finish, form, found, generate…
12 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

12. For example…
• I worked on a software project
• What was the product?
• Who is the product for?
• In which part of the project did you participate?
• How much responsibility did you have?
• Which tools did you use?
• Who else participated in the project?
• How important was it for the company?
13 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

13. A good CV has your…
• Language skills
• IT skills
• Proficiency (excellent, good, basic)
14 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

14. A good CV has your…
• Positions of trust
• Active participation in e.g. student organisations
• Excellent when you don’t yet have much work
experience
• Show that you have networks
15 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

15. A good CV has your…
• Hobbies
• Active hobbies
Nature photography…
Off-road cycling…
German detective stories…
16 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

16. A good CV can even have…
• A summary of your
• Key skills OR
• Career objective OR
• Professional profile
• In the beginning of your CV
• Must be short, concise and have focus
• Avoid bullshit bingo
17 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

17. A good CV does the thinking for
the reader
• Don’t assume that the reader understands what you mean
• Different positions have different meanings in different
companies
• Something that is ordinary for you can be very special
somewhere else
• Remember – you are not there to answer any questions or
explain things
• Don’t take unnecessary risks
18 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

18. 19 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

19. Cover letter
• Always addressed to the applied position
and/or employer
• Answers the criteria the employer is looking for
•  What you have to offer for the employer
20 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

20. Cover letter
First paragraph – Introduce yourself
• Be brief
• Professional perspective
• Why the position and company interest you –
show your motivation!
21 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

21. Cover letter
Second paragraph – Your competence
• Study the job advert
• Match the position’s requirements with your
relevant competence
• Be concrete; give examples
22 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

22. Cover letter
Third paragraph – You as an
employee
• Your personality
• The way you work
23 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

23. Cover letter
Last paragraph – Final details
• When you can start
• Salary request only if it has been asked for
• End salutation
24 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

24. Always call, if given the
chance!
You’ll get ideas on what
to emphasise on your
cover letter
25 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

25. Five easy tips
• Keep it short
• Be clear about what job you are applying for
• Show that you have researched the company
• Address it to the right person
• Use standard business fonts
www.careerealism.com
January 19,
26 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

26. Applying via employers’ web
pages
• Applications go to a database  searches
with keywords
• Carefully fill in the whole form
• Use complete words, avoid abbreviations
• “Here you can tell more about yourself” 
attach your cover letter
27 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

27. Here’s the beef
28 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

28. The employer is interested in…
• Your role and responsibilities on a concrete
level
• The results and meaning of your work;
significance for the employer
• Who you’ve worked with
• What tools you’ve worked with
• The scale and proportion of your work;
comparison to other tasks
29 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

29. …so that she can evaluate
whether
your competence
can be applied to
the job she is
offering.
30 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

30. More tips and information:
Aalto University Career Services
http://www.teekkarintyokirja.fi
http://www.facebook.com/teekkarintyokirja
31 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara

31. Thank you!
Slideshare: heinihm
32 January 19, 2012 Heini Hult-Miekkavaara