How to get a job in Italy without being afraid of the competitor? From the moment we move to Italy until we find the job that satisfies us, we face many challenges. This has been my job in recent years, identifying obstacles and finding solutions for my clients and students so that they can enter the Italian job market.
In my study and work trajectory, I followed and helped more than 700 people find jobs here in Italy. I realized that most of them had a common fear: the fear of competition. To be more precise, the “fear of competing with an Italian candidate”.
Is this fear real or not? This will be the topic of this article.
• Job in Italy: is the fear of competitors real?
The first important thing is that we cannot generalize the competitor. Your competitor will not always be Italian. Furthermore, to say that “if there is no work for the Italians, imagine for a foreigner” is not realistic.
I must say that having a specific nationality will not guarantee a job and, I must add, no nationality is superior to another.
Here is a phrase that changed my way of thinking and led me to have greater concentration and results in my activities:
Focus your energy on what you can control!
If you focus your energy on the other, in this case the competitor, you will be paralyzed. First of all, because you don’t know him/her. Second, you will probably imagine him/her more competent than he/she actually is.
What do you think to focus your attention on what you can control? For example: on you?
Exact! What are your skills? What are your areas to improve?
Concentrate your energy on what you have control or invest time and resources to become more competitive and communicate more effectively.
Thinking about my own work experience, I have summarised some of the main points of attention that you must have when looking for a job in Italy.
Job in Italy and the Italian language
Shall we start with the obvious things? Yes, speaking Italian in Italy is really important!
Of course, the level and quality of your Italian proficiency will depend on the kind of job you are looking for.
Do your part by learning Italian, but don’t wait for perfection to look for a job. Don’t forget that working is an excellent opportunity to improve your Italian level 😉.
Tip: inform your Italian level on your resume and when they call you for a job interview, go without fear of being happy. Do not apologize for your level of Italian, because if the company has requested a job interview, it was for the contribution you can make to it. Therefore, focus your energies on demonstrating your skills and not on your language level.
Job in Italy and the curriculum
The resume is a very important document and is usually your first contact with the company. For this reason, it must obey the standards set by the Italians and be well written.
Tip: the European resume is not the best option and above all, it should not be your first option.
Job in Italy and the job interview
I have already said to focus on what you have control, that is, YOU! What is the topic of the job interview? YOU!
Often, we do not pay the necessary attention to the job interview and to its preparation, because we think: just get there and tell what we have done in professional life. It’s not quite like that, you only have to tell the interviewer what interests him/her. This changes the whole perspective.
For this reason, preparation is needed, so that we can communicate effectively and thus increase the chances of success.
I also wrote an article that teaches you how to prepare for the job interview, click here to read it.
Job in Italy and have an action plan
Another recurring theme of mine is the creation of an action plan. Pursuing a career in another country is a serious thing and you have to consider it.
This is a fact:
The less prepared you are, the more difficult will be to achieve your goals.
Having an action plan in hand will give you:
- Clarity
- Self confidence
- Speed
- Direction
- Success
Don’t underestimate this step!
How to get a job in Italy by being a foreigner?
Simple: focus on what you can control, focus on preparation and plan your actions.
It is possible to succeed despite the competition, focus only on what will give you results.
Put into practice everything we have seen here and you will get good results.
This is my job…
Support people who want to build a satisfying career in Italy. If you want to know more about my job, click here.
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A big hug,
Marcela Oliveira
