From Thailand to Finland: Pim on Job Hunting, Finnish and Building a New Life

Hi, I'm from Thailand, and my background is in technical design, project coordination, and content creation. I ended up living in Finland because I married the sweetest Finnish man!

Looking for a job in Finland has been a learning experience. I've realized that having work experience is important, but it's also necessary to understand the local job market and how to present your skills in a way that Finnish employers can understand.

What surprised me the most was how challenging it can be to find a job even when you already have professional experience. Language requirements can also be a barrier, especially when you're still learning Finnish. It has made me think more carefully about how I present my experience and how I can adapt my skills to different opportunities.

One of the biggest challenges is understanding a new work culture and adjusting to a different way of communicating and working together. Every country has its own workplace culture, so I think it takes time to understand what people expect.

My previous experience working with international teams helped me become more flexible and open-minded. I try to observe how people work, ask questions when I'm unsure, and learn from the people around me. I believe being willing to learn and adapt is very important when starting somewhere new.

I think Finnish is very important, especially if you want to build a long-term life in Finland. English is useful in many situations, but Finnish can open more doors when looking for a job and help you feel more connected to the local community.

Learning Finnish takes time, and sometimes it can feel challenging, but I believe even learning a little every day makes a difference. I'm trying to improve step by step, and I see learning the language as part of building my future here.

My advice would be to be patient with yourself and prepare as much as possible before moving. Research the job market, understand the cost of living, and start learning Finnish early, even if you only know a few basic words.

I would also encourage people not to limit themselves to just one type of job. Think about which skills you already have and how you can use them in different fields.

I think it's useful to have tools that help people understand how to improve their CV and assess their Finnish language skills, especially for people who are new to the Finnish job market. When applying for jobs in another country, it can be difficult to know whether your CV meets local expectations or whether you're presenting your experience in the right way.

Feedback can help you identify areas to improve and give you a clearer idea of what to work on next. I think tools like these can be a helpful starting point, especially for international job seekers who are still learning how things work in Finland.