It is very common in Finland to work during your long summer break. Job hunting normally starts in January, sometimes even before that. Like many Aalto students, I have gathered some summer work experience. As a fourth year Industrial Engineering and Management student I would like to share my tips for applying summer jobs and working in Finland as an Aalto student.
Note: I am not a recruiter, these tips are based on my own experience 😊
Free CV templates
If, like me, you’re not a graphic designer free CV templates are an easy way to make a CV that pops out. I personally use Canva.
Aalto JobTeaser and LinkedIn
Googling summer jobs and using other job advertisement pages will give you thousands of ads. If you want more “sorted” list of available jobs I recommend using Aalto JobTeaser or LinkedIn. Aalto JobTeaser is an excellent way to find jobs for Aalto students and LinkedIn uses algorithms to show you employers that might be interested in hiring student in your field of study.
Check what excursions your student association has had
Those companies want students in your field of study. Check those companies’ websites and see if they have any summer jobs available.
Prepare for the interview
This one is quite obvious, but some of you may think that since “you just have to be you” that you don’t have to prepare for the interview. Preparing for the interview is super important even if it’s just a “chat”. Internet it full of instructions on how to prepare for an interview.
“Would you like to continue after summer?”
Most companies are not actually looking for just summer employees and this question will most likely come up in the interview. Remember to be honest if you are planning to study full-time during next semester.
If you’re a tech student check your contract with TEK’s lawyers
Did you know that as a member of TEK you can run your work contract through TEK’s lawyers for free? I recommend this for TEK members, even in your dream job, before you sign anything. TEK also has recommendation salary for technical students which can be used during salary negotiations.
Remember your rights!
If you’re not familiar with worker’s rights in Finland, remember to check them. These include regulations for example for minimum wages, working hours, holidays and sick pay.
Don’t stress
Lastly, don’t stress about landing on your dream job during your first years of studies. Any work experience is valuable. Especially during these unnormal times studying or having a break during summer (if possible) is very common. Luckily, Aalto offers a large variety of courses during summer.
Also, many companies realize during spring that they need summer employees and open their positions in March or April. (I’ve once applied for a summer job in May and started in two weeks!)
Good luck with the job hunting!
Oona Kallela
Industrial Engineering and Management
Aalto study options
Contact email: aaltosquad(at)aalto.fi