In this conversation, Erica Terranova
The discussion covers the growing importance of networking, trust, referrals, and LinkedIn visibility in Finland’s highly competitive market, where some jobs now receive hundreds of applications. Erica explains why quality matters more than quantity in job searching, how internationals can build stronger professional networks, and why understanding Finnish workplace culture and trust is essential.
The episode also explores:
Hidden job market realities in Finland
How to stand out in interviews and reduce hiring risk
The role of volunteering, personal branding, and portfolios
Growing industries such as AI, defense, and quantum computing
The future of AI in marketing and why human creativity still matters
Common mistakes in CVs and applications
How internationals can approach Finnish-language job ads and networking
Throughout the conversation, Erica emphasizes that while the market is genuinely difficult right now, international professionals still have valuable skills and strong potential to build successful careers in Finland.
This episode is also available on Spotify.
VIDEO
Could you explain what ‘tough’ actually means? For example, how would you compare today’s job market to the market five years ago?
There was also a huge demand for tech talent. Software development, in particular, was something I often recommended people learn about. Currently, the main issue is the huge gap between the number of available jobs and the number of people looking for work. And this doesn’t affect only internationals — it affects Finnish professionals as well. But it makes competition especially difficult for internationals because they are competing not only with other internationals, but also with Finnish talent.
The gap we are seeing right now between open positions and applicants is enormous. Some of the numbers I’ve seen are honestly insane. Jobs can receive 500 or even 1,000 applications. At that point, it becomes almost impossible to properly review every application. I also think this makes recruiting much harder for HR managers and companies. They become overwhelmed by the number of applications, many of which are actually good. But how do you choose one person out of 200 strong candidates?
Because of that, companies rely even more on networks and referrals when hiring. And honestly, as a busy HR manager, would you rather open a job ad and deal with hundreds of applicants, or hire someone through your network without opening the role publicly at all? That’s the reality many companies are facing.
Another important thing is understanding whether the industry or role you are trying to enter is actually growing or shrinking. That can have a major impact on whether your job search is successful. It’s very important to understand which companies are still hiring, which sectors are growing, and which skills are currently in demand. Unfortunately, this has become essential.
And because there are now so many applicants on the market, quality matters much more than quantity. It makes no sense to apply to every single job. In fact, I’ve been giving this advice for more than 10 years. There’s no point in sending the same application to every job.
Nowadays, even more than before, you really have to build relationships with companies and focus on specific employers. You need to build connections. Attend their webinars, learn about their products, connect with relevant people on LinkedIn, and build enough rapport that when a job eventually opens, you already have a connection and are, so to speak, closer to the front of the line.
I think a big mistake people make is thinking, ‘There are so many applications, so I should just spray and pray.’ But that approach doesn’t work — and it works even less now. Companies receive so many qualified applications that they can afford to be extremely selective.
For example, in some countries it’s completely normal to ask almost anyone at a company for a referral, even if you haven’t worked together before. In Finland, in most cases, that is considered a big no-no. Some people even get offended by it. You can sometimes see LinkedIn posts saying things like, ‘How dare you ask me for a referral when we’ve never worked together? ’ It’s simply a cultural difference.
Because trust is so important here, referrals carry a lot of weight. If I say that I’ve worked with someone and recommend them to another person I trust, that recommendation means a lot. That’s why it’s often much easier for companies to ask around privately or post in a WhatsApp group or professional network and quickly get strong candidates, instead of opening a public recruitment process.
And you also have to remember that over 90% of Finnish businesses have fewer than 10 employees. When people think about Finland, they often think about the big companies, but in reality, most businesses are very small.
Recruitment takes time, and many companies don’t even have dedicated recruiters. For example, I’ve personally done a lot of recruiting myself, and now we work with an agency because at some point, I just didn’t want to handle it anymore. But it’s very common for companies to have nobody whose main responsibility is recruitment.
That means someone has to take time away from all their other responsibilities to manage hiring. So if companies can avoid opening a public recruitment process, they often will.
Of course, ideally, we want more companies to openly advertise jobs because that creates more opportunities for people without strong networks or for internationals entering the market. But it’s important to understand how the system currently works.
So what’s the solution? The solution is to build your own network and connect with companies that are mature enough to openly advertise roles. At the same time, we should continue encouraging companies to make recruitment more open and accessible.
I want to go back to something I said earlier. Just because you are unemployed does not mean you have nothing valuable to offer. It’s very important not to approach networking as something purely transactional — like, ‘I’m connecting with you because I hope you’ll give me a job.’ That usually doesn’t work.
What works much better is building genuine human connections in a professional context. That’s much more likely to lead to opportunities.
Personally, everyone is different, but I don’t mind when people contact me directly and clearly ask for something. If someone says, ‘Hey, could you help with this?’ — that’s fine. What I personally dislike is long back-and-forth small talk that never gets to the point. I’d rather people simply tell me what they need, and I’ll see whether I can help or not.
But the most important thing in networking is understanding where your professional community gathers. Think carefully about your profession and where people in your field connect.
For example, I’m part of marketing circles, growth circles, product management circles, agile communities, and increasingly AI-related communities. You need to identify where people in your field meet.
In my experience, one of the best ways to start is through LinkedIn. Connect with people in your industry, engage with their posts, comment thoughtfully, and share your own ideas. Over time, once some familiarity exists, you can message them and ask things like, ‘By the way, do you know of any regular meetups for backend engineers?’ Of course, ideally you’ve already searched on Google, Meetup, Eventbrite, or followed companies that organize events.
The goal is to find spaces where professionals in your field regularly meet and talk to each other — and then make attending those spaces a priority.
Nowadays, there are many professional communities and organizations. There are groups like Women in Tech , vibe coding sessions, coding meetups, and many others. Some professions make networking easier than others.
This is also why it’s important to take advice from people who actually understand your profession. I can confidently give advice about marketing because that’s my field. I’ve recruited for it and built my own career in it. I can also advise on some other areas where I’ve had direct recruiting experience. But if someone asks me about agriculture, for example, I honestly wouldn’t know what the best networking strategy would be there.
So always try to get advice from people who genuinely know your field.
And most importantly, remember to treat people like human beings — not simply as a pathway to a job.
Another important thing: if you have the opportunity, volunteering can be a fantastic way to build connections. But you have to treat volunteering professionally.
I’ve done a lot of volunteer work myself and worked with many volunteers. Some people truly impressed me because they were professional, reliable, and delivered high-quality work. And because I had seen how they worked, I later recommended them for jobs.
At the end of the day, work is work — whether it’s paid or volunteer — and strong performance leaves a lasting impression.
And on the other hand, I’ve also had people volunteer with me who didn’t really commit. They disappeared, didn’t do their tasks, or simply lost interest. Of course, I’m not going to recommend them for a job because I didn’t see anything impressive in their work.
So if you are volunteering, commit to what you are realistically able to do, and use your professional skills. For example, if you are a marketer, offer marketing support as your volunteering contribution.
And one practical note — don’t necessarily tell the employment office that you are volunteering , because sometimes they may decide that it counts as work . Unfortunately, that’s the level of complexity we are dealing with right now. But despite that, I still think volunteering can be a great way to build connections and gain visibility.
Yeah, that’s a really good question. I think it depends a lot on the company and the field. Personally, I believe one of the best ways is to show genuine passion and initiative.
For example, when I apply for a job that I truly want, I’ve already researched the company thoroughly. I’ve been following the company, I know their products and services, and I understand what they do.
I would encourage people to think beyond simply sending a CV and cover letter. Ask yourself: Can I deliver something valuable in addition to my application?
For example, in marketing, that could mean creating a marketing video, preparing a short strategic analysis of the company’s website, or writing an article that would fit their blog. Of course, this is easier in some professions than others, but whenever you can bring additional value, it really helps.
At the interview stage, your differentiation factor can become your passion, preparation, and genuine interest in the company and product. You can stand out simply by showing that you’ve done your research.
You would be surprised how many people attend interviews without really understanding what the company even does. Meanwhile, candidates who come prepared — maybe even with slides or ideas about how they would approach the role — immediately stand out.
I’ve had candidates point out broken links on our website in their applications or create social media content specifically for us. Actions like that clearly show commitment, passion, and willingness to put in the work. For me, that always leaves a very strong impression.
In some companies, another important factor can be showing commitment to learning Finnish. Depending on the industry and company culture, demonstrating that you are actively learning the language can reduce perceived hiring risk as well.
Yes, that’s absolutely a legitimate concern. In general, companies are often hesitant to hire people they perceive as overqualified because they assume the person won’t stay long-term. Sometimes it can also create internal dynamics where, for example, the candidate has more experience than the hiring manager.
My recommendation is this: if you are clearly overqualified for a role but genuinely want it, you need to explain why in your cover letter.
You need to help the recruiter understand your motivation. If you don’t explain it, many recruiters will simply assume you are applying everywhere out of desperation, and that doesn’t increase your chances of being selected for an interview.
So explain clearly why the role interests you. And it needs to be a believable and thoughtful reason.
In some cases, if you really need the role, you might also choose to present only the experience that is most relevant instead of listing absolutely everything. But personally, I prefer honesty.
For example, in a cover letter, you could write: ‘I understand that based on my CV I may appear overqualified, but I’m specifically looking for X, Y, and Z. I’m genuinely interested in this company because of these reasons, and I believe I could contribute through these specific skills and experiences.’
That kind of explanation makes a huge difference.
Absolutely. It is still work experience, and it absolutely counts.
What matters is how you present it. Entrepreneurship in tech can mean many different things, so it’s important to explain clearly what your actual role was. Were you building products yourself? Managing a team? Handling clients? Leading strategy? The more specific you are, the easier it is for recruiters to evaluate your experience.
For example, if you can say: ‘Here is my portfolio of websites that I personally built. Here are the technologies I used. Here are the business results,’ then I can clearly evaluate your skills and outcomes.
But if the description stays very generic, it becomes difficult to assess.
This actually applies to almost every profession. Your experience should be connected to measurable outcomes and concrete examples — especially if you come from abroad and worked for companies that people in Finland may not recognize.
The more practical examples you can show, the better: marketing portfolios, social media campaigns, videos, websites, analytics, business results, or anything else that demonstrates your work.
And ideally, include numbers. For example: ‘I improved the website click-through rate by 60% in three months through X, Y, and Z actions.’ Show business impact whenever possible.
And in the case of entrepreneurship, I would also want to understand why you now want to move into employment. Again, this can be addressed in the cover letter.
For example: ‘I’ve spent five years building my own company and achieved a lot, but now I miss working closely with a team and want to bring my experience into a collaborative environment.’
Well, to be honest, there is actually a Finnish website that tracks which sectors are growing , so I wouldn’t want to give a definitive answer completely off the top of my head. But from what I personally see in my own corner of the market, defense has definitely been growing significantly. So anything related to defense is quite hot at the moment.
At a highly technical level, there is also a lot of momentum around AI, quantum computing, and superconductors. These fields have a lot of startups and a fairly healthy ecosystem around them.
I also see quite a bit of movement in electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, and related technologies. But again, this is just my personal observation and would need proper verification.
The challenge with predicting sectors is that markets move in waves. For example, right now the IT sector is struggling. There are many software engineers on the market. But personally, I think that will change again at some point because tech hiring tends to move in cycles.
The same thing happens in healthcare. First, there is a huge need for nurses, then suddenly people say there’s no shortage anymore — but realistically, Finland’s population is aging, so nurses will continue to be needed. The same goes for kindergarten teachers. There are long-term trends that matter beyond temporary market fluctuations.
Well, personally, I’m not a huge fan of AI, so you’re asking the right person in that sense. Our team actually doesn’t use that much AI, and currently, I’m the person defining the AI strategy.
In B2B marketing, AI skills are increasingly expected. But I also think some of the current hype is not sustainable long-term, largely because of cost. Many AI tools are currently artificially cheap, but that won’t last forever.
We’re already seeing cases where companies spent so much money on AI-related infrastructure that they eventually decided to hire junior software engineers again because it became more cost-effective.
I do think it’s valuable to learn AI-related automation and workflows. But I would also be very careful about outsourcing all your thinking to AI, because then you risk losing or never developing important skills, especially as a junior professional.
Some skills will always remain valuable. AI is fundamentally based on averages, which means it tends to produce average-quality output. This is especially visible in copywriting. A lot of B2B marketing content was already fairly generic before AI, and now some companies have simply replaced one type of average content with another.
But companies that truly want a competitive advantage will always need exceptional writing, creativity, and human insight. AI can give you something acceptable, but it rarely produces greatness.
I think there are currently two paths. One path is to go all-in on AI, which also means learning technical skills such as automation, workflows, no-code tools, and even some coding. That is absolutely a viable direction.
The other path — which is closer to my personal preference — is finding companies that value the human factor more and care deeply about quality and originality. Those companies do exist, even if they are harder to find.
Ultimately, the real challenge in marketing is still attention. We are all competing for attention in extremely crowded algorithms and content environments. The ability to generate attention, capture interest, and build genuine loyalty is probably the single most important skill.
Building a personal brand on LinkedIn is also extremely important. If you cannot market yourself, it becomes difficult to market others. Especially in B2B marketing, companies increasingly expect employees to actively use LinkedIn to represent and promote the company.
Technical marketing skills also remain very valuable: performance marketing, analytics, marketing automation, and understanding when AI should or should not be used. At the end of the day, you still need humans making strategic decisions. Personally, I would not hand over complete control of an advertising budget to AI — you could lose a lot of money very quickly.
Right now, I would say the market is definitely saturated. To be honest, Finland has never imported large numbers of software test engineers from abroad. Most software engineering roles in Finland tend to be senior-level implementation roles.
So nothing is impossible, but I would not describe the situation as easy right now. And honestly, finding a job before relocating to Finland has never been particularly easy unless you had very senior, highly demanded skills.
For me, trust means being able to assume good intentions. It means believing that people are not trying to undermine you, manipulate you, or work against you. Instead, everyone is working together toward shared goals.
In practice, trust means being able to rely on colleagues as professional adults who communicate openly, support each other, and do their work responsibly.
Of course, many people have had bad work experiences. That happens to everyone at some point. But it’s important not to carry too much fear or suspicion into the next workplace because that can negatively affect new relationships.
That’s also why interviews are a two-way process. The company is evaluating you, but you should also evaluate them. Ask questions about management style, conflict resolution, communication, and workplace culture. Use the interview process to assess whether the environment feels healthy and supportive.
And when entering a new workplace, it’s usually best to begin with openness and assume positive intent unless proven otherwise.
Trust is also built over time through consistency, transparency, professionalism, and doing excellent work repeatedly.
Honestly, there are no real shortcuts. Right now, you need persistence, consistency, and some luck.
But one thing you can control is your LinkedIn presence. Building your professional reputation online is something you can actively work on every day without needing anyone’s permission.
You can consistently share your knowledge, experiences, lessons learned, and professional insights. If you do that over six months, you will be in a much stronger position than someone who spent six months silently sending applications without building visibility.
And professional opportunities often come directly from being visible on LinkedIn.
I understand where that perception comes from. Finland can sometimes be more cautious, traditional, and slower to adopt trends. There is also generally less appetite for entrepreneurship compared to some other countries.
But my advice is always: focus on what you can influence.
If you are passionate about AI and believe Finland needs more discussion around it, then become part of that change. Start posting about it, connect with like-minded people, create communities, organize discussions, and position yourself within that field.
That’s often how careers and opportunities are built.
Personally, if it’s real work, then it’s work. I care much more about relevance and outcomes than about whether something was freelance, volunteer-based, or paid.
Ideally, you support this with a portfolio, GitHub profile, Notion page, or something similar where people can explore your work in more detail.
The two biggest problems I see are:
Sometimes I see extremely vague CVs that simply list a company name and something like ‘social media marketing.’ That tells me almost nothing. I want specifics:
The core question every CV should answer is: ‘What did you do in this role that not everyone else could have done?’
I care much more about accomplishments than tasks.
I don’t want just to read: ‘Managed social media.’ I want to understand:
At the same time, CVs should not become overwhelming. I’ve seen 10-page CVs, which is simply too much.
The reality is: yes, it often does. Internationals usually have smaller local networks and fewer referrals, especially when they first arrive in Finland.
Ideally, all hiring would be fully open and transparent. But since hidden hiring and referrals do exist, people also need strategies for navigating that reality while we continue pushing for more inclusive recruitment practices, such as anonymous hiring.
Not necessarily. Personally, I’ve never experienced that directly. But what can happen is that hiring managers may unconsciously trust candidates more easily when they recognize the universities, companies, or career backgrounds listed on a CV.
For internationals, employers often don’t recognize the companies, educational institutions, or references, so there can be more uncertainty. That doesn’t mean internationals are less capable — it’s simply a familiarity bias that exists.
But international companies in Finland are already very used to hiring foreigners, so in those environments language is often much less of an issue.
Ideally, you already know which companies you want to work for before the job opens. You already know their products, understand their culture, and have relationships or familiarity built over time.
That means your CV and application materials are already prepared and only need small adjustments when the role opens.
This is why the entire job search process needs to be approached differently now. Building familiarity with companies in advance is often far more effective than scrambling after a job posting appears.
It’s not that recruiters prefer speed. It’s simply that once companies receive hundreds of applications, they often close the posting.
So ideally, yes, apply earlier rather than later. But a strong, tailored application is still much more valuable than a fast, generic one.
Personally, I think yes — if you genuinely understand the company, their product, and why you are a strong fit. Again, quality over quantity.
Sometimes job ads are written in Finnish even though the actual role may not require strong Finnish skills. So it’s worth checking instead of automatically assuming you are excluded.
There are groups like Awesome Marketers , which is one of the largest international marketing communities in Finland. There are also performance marketing and user acquisition events, as well as Marketing Collective, which has a Facebook group and organizes events.
And honestly, one of the easiest ways to discover communities is simply by connecting with marketers on LinkedIn because people regularly share events and opportunities there.
And that’s understandable. But the reality is that building familiarity gradually — even 30 minutes per day on LinkedIn, listening to podcasts while cooking, or attending occasional webinars — is often more effective than rushing everything right before an interview.
Applying for jobs today is honestly almost a full-time job in itself.
And yes, the emotional side matters too. Rejection is exhausting, and constant rejection during job searching can be much harder emotionally than working full-time.
About Erica Terranova
Erica is the Head of Growth at Moomin Characters , and she has spent more than 10 years building her career in Finland as an international marketing professional. a free website full of resources for internationals — simply because she wanted to make the process easier for others.
