Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, a lot has happened but one thing that stands out is that so many Ukrainians have had to leave what they consider their home. Professional Ukrainians, ordinary civilians, helpless retirees and children as well as women have fled Ukraine to seek refuge in Scandinavia.
While the international community seeks to find an end to the wrecking war, the Ukrainians somehow have to integrate in their new homes and get life going on. So many of the Ukrainians in Scandinavia once had proper jobs to wake up to every single morning. Now they need proper tips to get a job in any Scandinavian country that has offered them home.
As a Ukrainian refugee, a lot of assistance has been activated to welcome you to Scandinavia. In fact, a section of refugees from other countries like Iran and Syria have felt it preferential treatment when Ukrainian refugees were easily allowed entry and job start immediately they arrived in Denmark for instance.
With the accessibility of refugee assistance, any Ukrainian who had been used to living a normal life may not love turning to be a beggar. After all, the joy with life comes when one lives by the sweat of his brawl. Nowonder we decided to share some pieces of advice specifically for this special category of people.
Realities that Ukrainian refugees need to quickly get over
It’s never so easy to accept that what used to be home and where real comfort comes almost naturally has been rendered inhabitable. So many accounts by fleeing Ukrainians have painted a picture of livelihoods and investments completely wrecked by the attack missiles. Sorry to say this- but at once, you may need to overcome the trauma and refocus on building a new life in Scandinavia even if a temporary one awaiting the conflict to stop and a possible return.
In case you need any psychosocial assistance as a Ukrainian refugee, your local municipality in Scandinavia and collaborating with other agencies will be handy. In fact, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been on the frontline working with all multinational actors to offer the much needed support.
As someone who managed to escape the war unscathed,at least not physically, and really wants to get life going with a job at hand, beginning on one will be the best thing. Remember, keeping glued on the news and feeling sorry for yourself risks plunging you into depressing thoughts. With a job to wake up to each day, time keeps flying and sooner the year is wrapped up.
For a start in your job hunt, remember that Scandinavia is a whole new region with seemingly controlling labor markets. A lot of immigrants find it hard to break through the language and workplace culture barriers in Scandinavia. So, be ready to deal with language challenges but if you can speak an alternative language that the employer or workmates understand, that’s a great step.
Almost across Scandinavia, the authorities have widely opened their doors to take in the Ukrainian refugees. The employers too have embraced them in solidarity to overcome their predicaments and start life over again. This means that finding a job will be less hard for you compared to other refugees. That’s a fact, though controversial.
As a newcomer into the Scandinavian labor market, it would be a good thing to quickly take note of the general structured way employers want things done. You don’t expect to be random and get away with a difficult workplace lifestyle. A proper structure is drawn up with clear tasks attached and goals set. That defines your experience at the workplace.
You may have been a professional of high rank back home but now since Scandinavia is an entirely new job market, a few adjustments will have to go in. For instance, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden all have their own country specific languages. Mark you, these countries all use their national languages as official workplace language. That’s such a heavy one to lift given how much time it may take to learn a new language.
As a tip that works for many, be flexible enough to accommodate low level jobs while studying the language and getting a hang of this new culture. It will first appear a downgrade to work as a factory worker or cleaning, offering social care to the elderly or such. But with time and dedication, you bounce back and rise to your desired level.
Highlights to get Ukrainian refugees started and successful in their job hunting
- Join job sites and actively express your need for any kind of job, not necessarily what you’ve trained in or done before.
- Prepare a brief resume that expresses whatever you’ve done before at a glance
- Contact temporary recruitment agencies and be always on standby for their calls for workers
- Join and be a member of a social community of fellow Ukrainians especially those who’ve lived in Scandinavia for a longer time. They surely know where a job that suits you exists.
- Do not expect to be so formal in your work approach but of course you can’t be casual either.
- Quickly make friends with the locals to get your way around
- As a priority, register for and start seriously attending language school. With language proficiency at a reasonable level, your life will flow better in Scandinavia.
- Typically don’t expect much about job advertisements where regular conversations in local language is a priority. Language alone will cut you off.
- Check out job banks regularly. It’s advisable to set up an updated profile and activate a job agent so that notifications come to your email each time that a relevant kind of job gets advertised.
No doubt, everyone wants to do only jobs which make them happy. For sure, a job which naturally brings out the best in you automatically inspires the highest sense of productivity. But as a newcomer in Scandinavia, you can only be reasonably ambitious and adjust to accommodate certain realities.
In Scandinavia, certain jobs never have enough workers all year round and they would be a good place to start from. Again, technical and non regulated jobs in any Scandinavian country may be open for grabs by Ukrainian refugees. If a professional can work at a higher level, checking around for the few companies that accommodate English speakers will make do.
- Distribution and delivery jobs in Scandinavia
- Farm jobs
- Cleaning jobs
- Jobs in the hotel and restaurants
- Warehousing jobs
- Picking and packing jobs
- Production work
To further show the commitment to helping Ukrainian refugees easily enter the job market, Denmark for example set up a specific job site for Ukrainians. You can simply sign up, create a profile and upload all the necessary documentations. Any time a job comes up within your locality, they will consider your profile as a priority.
