Low-threshold coaching helps with employment

The ICT Career & Recruitment event, organized by the Business Development and Employment Services of the City of Jyväskylä, is an opportunity for employers and stakeholders in the ICT sector to network and showcase job and study opportunities to job seekers. At the event, a new low-threshold service was piloted, where an ICT professional coached job seekers one-on-one and offered tips for their job search. The event was held for the second time last fall.

The coaching sessions attracted a significant number of job seekers with immigrant backgrounds. For them, job searching is often particularly challenging due to a lack of networks and language skills. The sessions received a lot of positive feedback, as they provided a neutral space to discuss skills and gain job search advice.

- In Jyväskylä, the population is growing partly due to immigration, and we have many companies that could benefit from this potential, says Business Coordinator Ilkka Finnilä.

- International professionals can be a competitive advantage for companies because they bring skills that may not be readily available here. They may know things we don’t do locally or have networks abroad and specialized expertise.

In the Jyväskylä region and elsewhere in Finland, there are many highly skilled immigrant professionals who often end up in jobs like cleaning. In reality, they may have a PhD-level education but are unable to find the right networks or employers, making it hard for them to progress in recruitment processes. Prolonged unemployment makes finding a job even more difficult.

- If you think about Jyväskylä or all of Finland, educated people are a wasted potential if they can’t find jobs matching their experience. That’s why we wanted to develop a new concept for job searching, Finnilä explains.

Employers and stakeholders networked and presented job and study opportunities to job seekers.

Coaching sessions boost confidence

One of the experts coaching job seekers was Teemu Karhu, the CEO of BearIT. Originally a software company, BearIT has evolved into an expert organization specializing in workforce services.

Immigrants are a special group close to the company's heart. Teemu Karhu has worked extensively with highly educated immigrants and has been vocal about the challenges they face in employment.

It’s natural for job seekers to get easily frustrated when they can’t even land an interview. Their self-confidence dwindles, and they start doubting their own abilities.

- That’s why it’s important in coaching sessions to also work on building the person’s confidence. I encourage them to keep applying and remind them that it’s not about their skills or personality being insufficient.

Finland has appeal, but job seekers face challenges

A typical scenario is that a family moves to Finland because one partner has found a job, and now the other partner is looking for work.

- They’ve read a lot about Finland as the world’s happiest country with a great education system. Finland is also highly regarded in IT. Immigrants assume it will be easy to find work here, Karhu describes.

While Finland has a strong reputation, job seekers often face a culture shock when they can’t get interviews due to their lack of Finnish language skills.

- A job seeker may have 10–15 years of solid experience, but finding a job is still extremely challenging.

In addition to language skills, a major barrier is that IT jobs in Finland are often filled through personal networks. Immigrants lack the professional and social networks to get recommendations and support. For them, this is a genuine issue of matching skills to opportunities.

​Teemu Karhu was one of the experts coaching job seekers at the ICT Career & Recruitment event.

Bold companies attract top talent

Karhu finds it baffling that some companies perceive hiring immigrants as a risk.

- In the IT sector, this seems odd because the technical terminology is in English, and everyone speaks English. The hesitation to hire immigrants is a cultural issue. Companies are simply used to operating in Finnish, and hiring an immigrant would bring a small change to the company culture. The companies that dare to make this change are the lucky ones because they get motivated top talent.

Soon, language won’t even be an obstacle in these situations because, after a year, the newcomer will be able to communicate in Finnish, as the work environment supports language learning and integration.

The challenges of immigrant employment have existed for a long time, even during the peak years of the IT sector.

- It’s too easy to blame the language barrier, and now it’s convenient to point to the economic situation. I don’t think it’s about racism but a lack of courage. Issues like work permits are often seen as bigger hurdles than they actually are. The focus should be on skills—everything else will follow once you open the door.

If no work is found, families will leave

One individual stood out to Teemu Karhu during the career fair. They had moved to Finland with their spouse last fall and had 16 years of leadership-level experience in ICT and mobile networks, with an uninterrupted work history.

- I have experience in the same field, so I immediately recognized their expertise. I’ve since connected them with my networks, and I’m cautiously optimistic about their prospects. They are studying Finnish, and I see no reason why they couldn’t get hired.

Karhu hopes attitudes in Finland will change, as families will leave the country if both partners can’t find work.

- We can’t afford that. It’s strange to think that someone wouldn’t be able to work in Finland just because their Finnish isn’t perfect.

Text: Helka Herlevi