Category: Work
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Why ‘Be Yourself’ Is the Worst Advice in Norwegian Job Interviews
Norwegian First Impressions: A Cultural Paradox Yesterday Aftenposten published an article titled “How much does first impression matter in a job interview?” Psychologist Espen Skorstad argued that the classic advice to “just be yourself” has never been good advice. According to him, appearance and first impressions matter far more than people like to admit. After…
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Not Finding a Job in Norway? It Might Not be Your Fault
So you’ve sent 57 applications, written cover letters in your best Norwegian, double-checked by four people, and polished your LinkedIn until it shines brighter than the midnight sun. And still, silence. Not even a “tusen takk for søknaden” (that’s Norwegian for: thanks, but no thanks). Here’s the good news: it might not be you. It…
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Starting a Business in Norway: Watch Out for These Traps
Photo credit: Pexels After many years of being employed, I took the leap and started my own business. Like in many countries, being a business owner in Norway has its perks and downsides. But as a foreigner, the challenges can be even greater. The system here dances to rules that are sometimes invisible to us,…
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Is it necessary to speak Norwegian to get a job in Norway?
The short answer to this question is, “yes, but not always.” We all have that one friend who has a high-paid job in some tech company or the oil industry, has been living here for 10 years, and can barely say a full sentence in Norwegian. But this is the exception, not the norm, and…
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Are Norwegians direct? Nope. They go around the porridge.
Once, I invited a Norwegian acquaintance over for a short visit—she was just coming to pick something up. She looked around and said, “Oh, what a nice home you have, there’s so much… life here.” I didn’t quite understand what she meant. What life is she talking about? Then I remembered that Norwegians aren’t direct,…
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Is it still worth it to live and work in Norway?
Image: Shutterstock license Since I moved to Norway, foreign friends have come and gone. Students, people with short contracts, people who can’t stand the cold and the rain. People who meet someone and want to try other countries, travellers. But it is really in the past 2-3 years that I’ve noticed a pattern of people…
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Moving to Norway: Essential Questions to Ask Yourself Before Moving
Credit image: Shutterstock license Norway has it all, doesn’t? Happiest people on Earth, a yearly Nobel Peace prize to hand out, a low unemployment rate, high gender equality, paid parental leave, red cabins in the woods facing the fjord, clean water and air. My goodness, what are we doing still here, we should all move…
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Being a Foreigner in Norway in 2021 under Corona Restrictions
There are around 800,000 foreigners living in Norway, according to the Norwegian Statistics Bureau (2020 numbers). That makes up to almost 15% of Norway’s population. There are wonderful perks at living in Norway for a foreigner, from universal healthcare to great parental benefits, not to mention higher salaries than in many other countries. However when…
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Cheer up! The 10 Positive Sides of the Coronavirus Quarantine
You are stuck home, feel like this is going to be a long 14 days, maybe even longer. Cheer up, here is a list of positive outcomes that will and might come out of this quarantine. Positive things have come out of the worst crisis. Think of World War 2 which gave women more economic…
