"I don't want to write another cover letter ever again" – Three job seekers on what's broken about traditional job hunting
Eveliina Riihimäki
You send out 50 applications, tailor your CV for each one, and in the end you hear absolutely nothing back from the employer. Sound familiar? Job hunting has become an exhausting full-time job, where applicants have to compete for attention against faceless systems and closed networks. Last week, we spoke with three job seekers to understand what the biggest pain points are for people looking for work right now. Their experiences were surprisingly similar, regardless of field or background. Here are the stories of Jessi, Maria and Ed.
Jessi: “Time goes into watching job ads and polishing applications”
Jessi, who has worked as a substitute teacher and dance instructor in the Oulu region, grew frustrated with the wasted time. For many job seekers, the biggest headache is how much effort a single application takes, often without any guarantee of even an automated no-thank-you message.
“The most exhausting part is the constant scrolling through job ads and writing tailored cover letters. You put an enormous amount of time and effort into it, and most of the time you get no response at all.”
Jessi’s idea is simple: wouldn’t it make more sense to create your details once, in one place, and let things happen, instead of repeating the same routine for every open position?
Maria: “Unclear language requirements turn job hunting into a shot in the dark”
Maria lives in the Helsinki region and moved to Finland a few years ago. She has studied and worked as a psychology trainee with children and young people. She also has several years of experience in volunteering and early childhood education, both in Brazil and in Finland.
Maria described honestly the challenges international professionals face in Finland, especially because of the language barrier and a lack of networks:
“Right now, finding work in Finland has been really difficult. Because I don’t speak Finnish and I’m not part of Finnish networks, it feels like information doesn’t reach me. Job ads are written only in Finnish, and they often don’t mention language requirements.”
Amid the frustration, Maria’s key message to Finnish employers is clear:
“I hope employers would be more open about their expectations and actual language requirements, and that more real opportunities would open up for professionals from different backgrounds, based on their skills.”
Ed: “The only internships available are unpaid”
Ed, who studies international business in Tampere, has run into the tough expectations placed on people at the start of their careers. For students and recent graduates, the biggest obstacle has become the rising bar to entry, and unpaid internships.
“My biggest headache right now is that all the internships I manage to find are unpaid. It feels like employers don’t want to hire people at the start of their careers.”
Young professionals get stuck in a vicious circle: you can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience unless you’re willing to work for free.