Appendix 1. Survey Questionnaire
Employability of the foreign degree students of the Aalto University School of Business Background information 1. Age? * <20 20-24 25-29 30-35 >35 2. Gender? * Male Female 3. Citizenship/country of origin?* 4. Mother tongue/s? *
130
5. What degree programme are you studying in? *
Accounting Business Law Corporate Communication Creative Sustainability Economics Entrepreneurship Finance
Information and Service Management International Business
International Business Communication International Design Business management Management
Management and International Business Marketing
Strategy
Other, Please specify
________________________________
6. In what year did you begin your studies in the current programme? *
2013 2012 2011 2010 Other, what? ________________________________
131
7. Did you move to Finland because of your current studies or had you already
moved here before? *
Because of current studies Moved already before
Skills & competences
8. How would you describe your knowledge about how to effectively search
employment in Finland? * Very low Low Average High Very high
9. How would you evaluate your Finnish language skills? *
1 none, 2 basic, 3 adequate, 4 good, 5 fluent
1 2 3 4 5 When you arrived in Finland Now
132
10. What kind of previous work experience did you have before coming to
Finland? *
Mark all that apply
None
Experience unrelated to current field of study Experience related to current field of study
11. How would you rate your own level among the following competences? *
1 very low, 2 low, 3 average, 4 high, 5 very high
1 2 3 4 5
Knowledge concerning own field of study
Analytical skills
Problem-solving skills
Ability to learn
Team working skills
Communication skills
Presentation skills
Computer skills
Foreign language skills
Inter-cultural skills
12. Since moving to Finland have you been searching for employment in
Finland? *
No Yes
133
13. How important have the following factors been in why you have not
searched for employment in Finland?
1 not important, 2 slightly important, 3 somewhat important, 4 important, 5 very important
1 2 3 4 5
Want to focus on completing studies *
Not necessary financially *
Unavailability of interesting job openings *
Unavailability of job openings that leave enough time for study- ing *
Limited knowledge about Finnish labour market *
Future plans do not include working in Finland *
Have been working in home country during vacations *
Have been working in another country during vacations *
Have been working as an entrepreneur *
Work restrictions related to residence permit *
Other, What? ________________________________
14. Are you going to search for employment in Finland before graduating? *
No Maybe Yes
134
Job search in Finland
15. How long after moving to Finland did you start searching for employment?
*
under 3 months 3-6 months 7-11 months 1-2 years
more than 2 years
16. How important were the following factors in deciding to start searching for
employment in Finland?
1 not important, 2 slightly important, 3 somewhat important, 4 important, 5 very important
1 2 3 4 5
Financing your studies/living *
Making some extra-income *
Finding a summer job *
Gaining work experience *
Gaining work experience in Finland *
An interesting job opportunity appeared *
Desire to work in Finland after graduating *
Someone’s recommendation *
135
17. What of the following methods have you used in searching employment in
Finland? *
Mark all that apply
Applying for vacancies advertised in newspapers, internet, bulletin boards Contacting employers on your own initiative
Using the services of the public employment agencies
Using the services of private employment agencies/temp agencies Using the services of the Aalto University Career Services
Attending recruitment fairs
Using the help of personal contacts in finding information on possible em- ployment opportunities
Using the help of personal contacts in referring you for a job Other, What?
________________________________
18. What types of jobs have you applied for in Finland? *
Mark all that apply
Permanent full-time Permanent part-time Fixed term full-time Fixed term part-time Summer job
Internship Other, What?
136
19. In which geographic areas have the jobs you have applied for in Finland
been located? *
Mark all that apply
Capital region
Outside capital region, Where?
________________________________
20. Within which sectors have you applied for employment in Finland? *
Mark all that apply
Public Private Non-profit
21. In what kinds of organisations have you applied for jobs in Finland? *
Mark all that apply
Finnish owned organisations Foreign owned organisations
Organisations that operate internationally Organisations that operate only in Finland Small organisations (personnel under 50) Medium sized organisations (personnel 50-250) Large organisations (personnel over 250)
137
22. In terms of language requirements, what have been required in the jobs you
have applied for in Finland? *
Mark all that apply
English Finnish
Your mother tongue Other, What
________________________________
23. Have you applied for jobs in Finland in which you could have used your
cultural knowledge relating to your home country? *
No Yes
24. In terms of relation to your studies what kinds of jobs have you applied for
in Finland? *
Mark all that apply
Jobs unrelated to field of study Jobs related to field of study
Jobs corresponding to level of study Jobs below level of study
Jobs above level of study
25. In your job search efforts in Finland, have you primarily applied for jobs in
organisations that are known to employ people with foreign backgrounds? *
No Yes
138
26. Have you encountered job advertisements that have been specifically tar-
geted for international students? *
No
Yes, Could you provide an example? ________________________________
27. How would you describe the supply of study related employment opportuni-
ties within your field of study in Finland? *
1 very poor, 2 poor, 3 somewhat good, 4 good, 5 very good
1 2 3 4 5 For Finnish students For international students
28. Have you been able to gain employment in Finland? *
No Yes
29. Could you estimate how many jobs you have applied for in Finland? *
less than 10 10-50 51-100 over 100
139
30. Have you been invited for job interviews? *
No Yes
31. What do you think are the three most important reasons why you have not
gained employment?
First job in Finland
32. How long after first starting your job search in Finland did you get your first
job ? *
under 3 months 3-6 months 7-11 months 1-2 years
more than 2 years
33. What was the job and within which professional field? *
34. How did you get to know about this job? *
Advertisement in newspaper, internet, bulletin board Contacted employer on your own initiative
Through an employment agency Through a personal contact
140
Through the Aalto University Career Services
Other, What?
________________________________
35. How many jobs had you applied for before getting this job? *
less than 10 10-50 51-100 over 100
36. How important do you consider the following factors in why you got this
job?
1 not important, 2 slightly important, 3 somewhat important, 4 important, 5 very important
1 2 3 4 5
Motivation *
Personality *
Study performance *
Work experience *
Personal contact told you about the job opportunity *
Personal contact referred you for the job *
Job search skills *
Language skills *
141
37. How did your salary compare to the local average salary for the type of job
in question? *
Do not know Lower than average
About the same as the average Higher than average
After graduation & final thoughts
38. How would you evaluate your chances of finding satisfying employment
after graduation? *
1 very poor, 2 poor, 3 somewhat good, 4 good, 5 very good
1 2 3 4 5 In Finland In your home country Somewhere else
39. What plans do you currently have concerning life after graduation? *
Work in Finland Study in Finland Work in home country Study in home country Work in another country Study in another country
Other, What?
142
40. Did you initially, when you began your current studies, plan on staying in
Finland after graduation? *
No Yes
41. On the basis of your experiences and/or perceptions, how important do you
consider the following factors are in making finding employment difficult for international students in Finland?
1 not important, 2 slightly important, 3 somewhat important, 4 important, 5 very important
1 2 3 4 5
Competition for jobs *
Lack of work experience in Finland *
Lack of right contacts *
Foreign work experience is not appreciated *
Foreign education is not appreciated *
Discrimination *
Lack of Finnish language skills *
Lack of career guidance *
Lack of access to job search information *
Restrictions related to residence permit *
143
42. How could the employment opportunities of international students in
Finland be enhanced?
43. Would you be willing to be interviewed as a follow-up to this survey? If you
would, could you kindly fill in your contact information below? Your participa- tion would be extremely appreciated whatever your experiences regarding job search in Finland may be.
Name
________________________________ Email address
________________________________
Telephone number (if you prefer to be contacted by phone)
________________________________