Connect With Your Contacts – Networking Is Important In Norway

by Dejan Mladenovic | Last Updated: April 30, 2021

Networking means that you create connections with people that share a common working experience, or interests with you. If you do networking with certain goals on your mind you will create contacts with important persons that can share with you valuable information, give you piece of advice, lead to new contacts to expand your network,  and all of this in relation to job opportunities, companies, industry or business.

Just remember that networking doesn’t mean that you need to get connected with as many as possible persons try to think more of quality over quantity.

If you have not already created your social media profiles so please do so. Be responsible for what you post on your social media accounts. As much as social media can help you with professional branding and networking if you are misusing can make your credibility disappeared in a split of a second. We have written the article Build Your Professional Brand And Be Visible In Norway where you can get some tips on how to increase your presence on the internet.

What Is Network

Network in this sense is people you know and…

• that you met in your life.
• that you have a relationship with.
• who are related to them?
• you get to know.

People that you met in your life are a very broad and general category that includes your parents, relatives, neighbors, childhood friends, schoolmates, colleague or university colleagues, teachers, colleagues at work, business associates, or people that you met on courses, events, trade fares, and many more.  But when you think about job-related networks always think about who can be valuable and helpful to strengthen your market value because they know who you are, what you can and will do.

People that you have a relationship with are usually your coworkers, business associates (customers, suppliers, etc.), business partners… Do not include your ex-girlfriend or boyfriend in this category it might be contra-productive…

People who are related to them.  Someone always knows someone and you never know how helpful this might be in the future.

People you get to know are usually people you met on courses, events, fair trades, parties, etc.

Why Network Is Important In Job Search

There are several reasons why a network is important when you are searching for a new job:

• Many job vacancies are channeled through networking.
• Can share valuable information, give you piece of advice, lead to new contacts…
• Can be a marketing channel for you to recommend you further.
• Maybe help you if you know what do you want.

Many jobs in Norway circulate at the beginning internally within the company. That means the managers ask their colleagues if they have someone to recommended maybe from university or previous jobs.

Big companies advertise Job Vacancies internally first so someone from other departments and interested in the position can apply. Later Job Vacancy is advertised for the general public.

You understand if you have some insider in the company you might be contacted even before a job becomes advertised publicly.

How To Be Active In Networking

Some people never stop networking and as soon as they start with the new position they continue doing networking to get an even better job or promotion. Maybe you are not that ambitious but want to be an active networking person. So here are the things you might do:

• Map – who you know in the spreadsheet list
• Follow Up – Include and Inform your network of where are you in the job search process.
• Get new network connections
• Use your network. Do not just have it.

We have prepared a spreadsheet for you so you can download and use it to map your network contacts.

Get our FREE Networking list spreadsheet.

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When you move to a new country you are basically with either no connection at all or just a few. One of the options to change that is to register your resume (CV) with Recruitment Agencies. Make phone calls and try to make connections by presenting yourself. Make sure to prepare an excellent Elevator Pitch when presenting yourself.

How To Be Successful In Networking

If you are looking for a job in Norway networking is very important for several reasons and you should follow these general guidelines:

• Respect your contacts and their time,
• Be friendly and polite,
• Ask for tips and pieces of advice but not help or job,
• Create two-side relation with a contact by being curious and interested,
• Be prepared for reciprocating help. Return a favor,
• Be aware that you are the one who has a challenge and not them,
• Do not ask directly to get a job.

NETWORKING IN NORWAY – PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Before I have arrived in Norway I was searching for my first job from abroad without knowing too much about the country, job market or even knowing anyone. So it is no easy task to make connections when you are complete stranger and so distant but not impossible.  My approach was to try to contact as many as possible contacts especially due to the fact that the majority of job Vacancies are directly from the companies and the contact person is either your future coworker or your leader.

In some other countries that I have personally tried the majority of jobs are through recruitment agencies and that is a completely different ball game.

Once happened to me that I was invited for a phone interview and after the interview, I got the answer that I am overqualified for the position but the contact person was so impressed with my qualifications and introduced me to her colleague that had a more suitable position for me that eventually lead to Job Interview in person and my first arrival in Norway.

Networking when you are already in Norway

When you are in Norway networking is much easier since you have colleagues at work that you are close with. Contacts from courses, events, and other arrangements that you have attended. Neighbors, new friends, parents of children’s school or kindergarten mates.

My wife arrived one year later and did not get a job immediately until we got a place in kindergarten for our kid and after she learned a little bit of language. Then she attended the NAV accounting course and her course trainer was a reference and network for her first job.

Nowadays, at least in Oslo,  every part of Oslo has a Facebook group that one can join in and try making connections there. Neighbors can be networking sources as well.

Good To Know

Very often you will be asked why Norway to move in and find a Job. The reason for the question is to check what is your link with Norway since this is very important for Norwegians.  It would be really helpful to know someone from Norway or at least to have some attachment to the country.  Just recognizing your education via NOKUT is a valuable connection with Norway since that is the official document from the Norwegian institution.

Next Step

Continue searching for a Job In Norway by using our guide below and update your LinkedIn profile and other social network profiles with new connections in your network.

Good Luck with your Job Search!

Find Job In Norway By Following These Easy 19 Steps

Don’t forget that this article is part of a text serious about finding a job in Norway. Depending on the phase you are in at the moment maybe you can find some articles useful for yourself. So please check them out.

Below you can see the infographic with an overview of all the texts in the series. If you click on the link above you will be sent to the page where all these steps are listed.

Author: Dejan Mladenovic

I moved my family of 3 to Norway in 2008 and created this website so that I can share what I’ve learned with anyone that’s thinking of moving or traveling to Norway. It’s such an awesome place, and I want you to get the most out of it!