Reference Check During Job Application Process In Norway

by Dejan Mladenovic | Last Updated: April 30, 2021

When you come to the reference check phase in Job Search you come a long way and most likely just one step away from getting a job offer. A reference check is not much of your involvement rather mostly to do with your references and you should just inform them that they might be called in near future just not to be caught by surprise.

Let’s answer a few questions regarding reference checks that you might ask yourself. We will write about a reference check in Norway with a few examples from our personal experience that might be a useful tip.

Who Can Be Your Reference

Usually, your peer colleagues at work are your references and your leader is also a good reference option. Having references on different levels (peers and management) is a good idea. When an employer is checking your references can get a point of view from the perspective of both your peers’ and the leader’s point of view.

In my experience whenever I have provided two references and both were my peer colleagues employer would ask for a leader reference as well.

What To Do If You Do Not Have A Reference

When moving to a new country it might be difficult to provide references but there is a solution to that. I have a personal example from my wife’s experience.

My wife was on a NAV Accounting course. When she was applying for the job as a reference person she provided the name of the course trainer. Since my wife was performing really well on the course the course trainer was more than happy to be a reference. She was even happier when my wife successfully got the job with her as a reference.

What To Do If Your Reference Is Not Fluent In Either English Or Norwegian

If you are applying for a job in Norway most likely your references are from your home country. Moreover, they might not feel comfortable speaking in English.

This is exactly the situation that happened to me while looking for my first job in Norway. When I was asked for the references I have explained that my references are not fluent in English but really glad to be my references.

I was pleasantly surprised that this was not an obstacle for the employer. The solution was very simple. They have found a translator. In my case, the employer has found out that one of their employees is married to a person from my home country. So her husband was a translator.

The funny story happened when my references were called. Both were on the way to sports training. Norwegian contact person was pleasant that sport has big importance in my references lives.

Reference Check Personal Experience

I have already written some parts of my experience regarding a reference check. What would like to add is that sometimes after reference check you can be invited for the second round of job interview. In this round will be discussed what interviewers got as feedback from the references.

For example, if your references described you as thorough you can expect to be asked to elaborate what the thorough means for you.

When Employers Want References

Typically after a Job interview if the employers want to continue with you in the hiring process will ask for your references.

Sometimes you might be asked to provide a reference list during a Job interview so it is smart to have it prepared and handy while on Job interview just in case.

What to include in your reference list we will present you in a bit.

What Is A Reference Check

A reference check is a phase in the job application process when the employer will call your references who can speak to your credentials and qualifications for a job.  This will give the employer idea of how others perceive you as a colleague at work.

Combined with your description of yourself and point of view from your references will provide to the future employer the whole picture of you and how you will perform on the position applying for.

Is It A Good Sign When Employers Ask For References

Most likely yes but sometimes some of the employers might ask for the reference list just because they have it on their checklist and never actually do the reference check most likely in the cases when they have lots of candidates for the same position and you are not the first choice.

What To Put On A Job Application Regarding References

When applying for the Jobs in Norway in your Resume (CV) you will have a section about references and the best thing to do is to write in English

references available on request

or in Norwegian

Oppgis på forespørsel.

The reason for that is protecting reference privacy since your CV can be uploaded to some websites and even publicly available in some cases.

What To Include On A Reference List

When provided a reference list to an employer, you should include:

• Your name, street address, city, phone, email, website.
• List of your references, including their name, job title, company, contact information.
• You can include your relationship with the references if it is not clear from your resume.
• It is best to have three professional references. Two your peer colleagues and one your leader.

We have created a Reference List Template Word document that you can download and fill out with your data.

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How Looks Like To Be A Reference

Personally, I have been on several occasions as a reference for former colleagues. It was a nice feeling to know that you can help someone in the job application process.

It is important to be a reference for a colleague that you truly believe in and trust. This will make you a trustworthy reference with good recommendations.

Moreover, it is good for me as a reference person to make new connections that might be useful in the future.

Good To Know

Just hang on a little bit more. You are on the right path to achieve the ultimate goal and get a job in Norway.

Next Step

You are almost there in your job application process and your next step is accepting or declining the job offer.

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!