Greetings from recruitment: Five tips for finding your first job in your field

1. All previous experience is valuable – so don't underestimate your skills!  

Even if you don't have work experience in your field, you can benefit from all the experience you have gained in previous jobs, studies, or for example in student organisation activities. Whether you have taken on responsibilities in your previous jobs or successfully managed a school project, tell us about it! 

2. Familiarise yourself with the employer, the team and the position 

Always read the job advertisement carefully and extract important information for your cover letter and CV: what kind of skills are we looking for, what qualities are important for the position, and what is mentioned about the team's working environment? From our career pages and our social media channels, you can also find useful information about our tasks, teams, and culture. 

When you have information about the job and work environment you are applying for, writing the application becomes easier. A tailored job application that clearly states why you are applying for that specific position and organisation often stands out positively. 

3. Learn to articulate your skills

Describe your studies and previous work experience as accurately as possible so that we understand the type of skills you possess. Job titles or course names rarely tell the recruiter everything since they can encompass very different things.  

Briefly open the content of your previous job tasks in your CV so that the recruiter can get the overall picture of your skills. In addition to your major and minor subjects, you can also mention relevant courses or the topic of your thesis if they are applicable to the job you are applying for. Regarding language and IT skills, it's important to clarify the level of your expertise, as most likely many applicants have used Excel in their studies or can speak different languages. 

4. Cover letter looks towards the future  

A good rule of thumb is that the CV provides an overview of your past, while the cover letter looks towards the future. When writing your cover letter, recall all your skills and previous experiences and explain how you could utilise them in the position you are applying for. You can get started by thinking about answers to these questions: 

• Why are you applying for this specific job? 
• What are your strengths for the position you are applying for? 
• What do you want to learn in the position? 

5. Show your enthusiasm and stand out with your personality 

A genuine motivation for the position and the employer often sets apart a good application. In trainee recruitments, we are not looking for fully trained professionals, so it's important that you tell us what interests and motivates you. The use of AI in application letters has become more common, but it is not a good idea to fully rely on it, as it rarely stands out from other applicants. Showing your personality and motivation in the cover letter will give the recruiter a first impression of you, so it's not an opportunity to miss. 

Benita Piela
Recruiter, PwC Finland