How to get a job in Estonia, Europe – tips and tricks

How to get a job in Estonia, Europe? Have a look at these 10+ useful tips that help you get your dream job.

In case you are still wondering where to look for a job in Estonia, we have compiled a list of channels for you. 

How to get a job in Estonia – all you need to know

CV

First impressions matter. CV and cover letter help companies to make their first assessments of whether a candidate fits the job. It is your first chance to highlight your professional history for potential employers and show your interest in their companies.

The steps are:

1. Learn about the job. You should always go over your CV when applying for different positions. For example, if you are applying for both a software engineer´s job and a team leader’s job, then obviously these roles have different requirements and the CVs should be adjusted accordingly. Draw attention to the skills the potential employer emphasised in its job offer.
2. Keep your CV short and simple. In today’s jungles of information, keep your CV as short as possible, focusing on what matters the most. We strongly advise you to think about your CV as a single page that gathers the most important information. It definitely should not be more than two pages long. Your CV should start with your work experience. Always remember to include your name, email, education and language skills.
3. The devil is in the details. Avoid misspellings, and check for grammar repeatedly. Remember to review it once more just before sending.
4. Be honest. For example, clearly specify your language abilities. Do not be too generous with the truth when you do this. Should you be invited to an interview and tested on your German, if all you can say is “Hello!”, this will not go down well.
5. Think about the visual. Recruiters get hundreds of applications every week and it is important to stand out from the crowd. The content of your CV needs to be clear, correct, easily readable, and logically structured, so pay attention to its design (Have a look at some nicely designed CVs). It is also wise to save your CV as a PDF to avoid changes of formatting that can occur when sending a Word file.

Tip! If you have lived, worked or studied in more than one country, say so in your CV. Today’s employers often specifically look for employees with international experience.

Cover letter

In most cases employers also like to receive a cover letter, to understand how your skills and previous experience could be useful to the company.

The steps are:

1. Write a cover letter. This is your chance to draw attention to your greatest strengths.
2. Keep it short. About 10 sentences emphasizing the most important reasons should be OK.
3. Tell why you are interested in a job in Estonia. If you have a previous connection with Estonia or Estonians, it would be clever to mention this in the cover letter to make you stand out from the crowd.

What to avoid:

• When you send your application, don’t jump right into questions on salary, residence permit, citizenship etc., because this might give a wrong impression of your motivations. These topics will anyway be discussed in later rounds.
• No need to mention your age, sex or number of children. According to Estonian law, recruiters are not allowed to discriminate between candidates using such information.

Interview

Preparing for the job interview means you are one step closer to the job you want. Here, you should emphasize your strengths and capabilities to succeed in the position offered. The company, in turn, would like to tell you why their company is a good place to work and also introduce you to the role and their expectations.

The steps are:

1. Learn about the company and be ready to ask questions. Gathering more information about the company you are applying for would help you answer questions better. You might find Glassdoor, LinkedIn or the website of the company useful in order to learn about their mission and services or products provided. Some examples:
   How will my performance be evaluated?
   What makes this organization a great place to work?
   What are considered the most important criteria for success in this job?
   Tell me about the organization’s culture?
   What are the opportunities for advancement?
   What are the next steps in the hiring process?
2. Dress to impress. Remember that your visual impression reflects motivation and attitudes towards employer and work. Be sure that your overall appearance is neat and clean.
3. Remain calm during the interview. Here, be aware: your nonverbal communication also speaks volumes. It is as well to remember that waiting room behaviour may be reported too. Be polite, smile and make eye contact. Avoid nervous gestures. Use the indicative mood – “am able to”, “can do”, “can handle”. Facial expressions provide clues to your feelings. Manage how you react and project a positive image.
4. Be open. Most job interviews involve a variety of questions. These might be questions you would like to think about:
   What kind of skills do you offer?
   Why do you want this job?
   Why did you choose this company?
   Why Estonia?
   What do you do in your free time?
   What are your strengths and weaknesses?
   How could your strengths benefit the company?
   Why did you leave your previous job?

In case you want to learn more about yourself through various tasks and thinking exercises, the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund has prepared a workbook “Guided choices” for you.

Remember that you do not have to answer personal questions regarding children, marital status, health, religion, etc. where they make you uncomfortable or seem irrelevant.

In case you have an online interview…

Bear in mind that if you are not in Estonia yet, in many cases interviews are done online, using Skype, Google Hangout or any other video communication tools. For this,choose a quiet place for the video interview and make sure there is no background noise and no one will disturb you during the call (e.g. family, friends, dogs, neighbours etc.).

Tip! If English is not your everyday language, we recommend speaking in English with someone on the day of the interview to get back on track and freshen your vocabulary so that you will feel more comfortable during the call or the meeting.

And the story continues – follow up.

Say thank you. Although the interview is over you might want to follow up. Send a thank you email to everyone who interviewed you. Also, use your follow-up note to reiterate your interest in the job and the company.

Usually recruiters give feedback within a week after the interview, but it depends on the load of candidates they receive.

So these were the 10+ tips and tricks on how to get a job in Estonia. We wish you good luck in getting a job in Estonia as it truly is a nice place to work and live according to expats. To start your journey towards a great job in Estonia today have a look at all the available job offers!

Video: 6 reasons to work in Estonia according to expats

Don´t like the idea of working for someone else? Read about the Startup Visa programme. Launching your own startup company could mean being your own boss.