How to write a job application in Norway

Highlight important points

The job application should complement your CV and elaborate on why you want the job. It should show who you are and what you can do. You do this by reflecting on your own competence, skills, experience, and personal qualities that are relevant to the job.

Be future-oriented

Your CV is a reflection on what you have done, your job application should focus on where you want to go. Don’t be afraid to add a more personal touch. Let the potential employer know what motivates you, and what ambitions you have on behalf of the employer. It may also help if your are able to reflect on how you can evolve as an employer and how this is mutual beneficial for your employer. Remember to show how you can contribute to solving your employer’s needs.

Matching skills and needs

How do you go about leaving an impression that makes you noticeable? Application writing is not a creativity contest, but an exercise in analysing the employer’s needs and matching it up against your own competence. We want to show you how you describe your competence and motivation and stand out by showing examples that support this.

1) Before you start writing

Before you start writing, you should read through the job advertisement carefully. Try to form an overall impression of who the employer is and what they are concerned with, and not just look at the bullet points listed under tasks and qualifications.

Do your research

To get a good picture of who you are applying for a job with, you should do research on the company. Find out what it is about the workplace that makes you want to work there. Do you share any values, such as environmental responsibility, the importance of a good working environment, focus on quality? Tell the employer what you can contribute in relation to this, even if it is not stated in the advertisement text.

It is not always easy to find the motivation beyond wanting the job, so you need to spend some time finding something that triggers you. Talk to people, read newspapers, check social media, investigate the company’s website. Let different parts of your motivation shine through in the entire application. An employer likes that you are personal and that they feel chosen.

Don’t be afraid to reach out

If you have questions about the position, don’t be afraid to contact the employer. It shows that you are interested, and you give the contact person for the position an opportunity to get an impression beyond the application. However, make sure that you ask questions that you need to know something about. The questions can be about something that concerns your competence. In this way, you get an opportunity to talk about what you can contribute.

2) Respond to what the employer is asking for

When we talk to employers about what they are concerned with when reading applications, we get a clear answer. The employer wants to read applications where the applicant shows an understanding of what the position entails, where the contribution from the applicant is clear. They want you to respond to the job advertisement and not write about everything you can, without relating it to their wishes and needs.

You don’t have to be good at everything

Job advertisements are often the employer’s ultimate wish list, they rarely expect you to know everything. Our recommendation is therefore that you highlight what you can and focus on it when you are marketing yourself. Don’t write about what you can’t do. Only in the interview can you say something about where your development potential lies.

Set aside time to reflect on the competence you have built up through various experiences and use good examples that build credibility. Everything that is relevant to the employer should be highlighted.

Remember to attach what they are asking for

Send all documents they are looking for. Sometimes it can be stated in the advertisement that diplomas, certificates and the like should be attached. 

3) The structure of an application

Formalities

The application should not be too long, and a good starting point is to think a maximum of one page or 300-350 words. Divide the text into 3-4 paragraphs and use a neutral font in font size 10-12 points. Remember that you can shorten the text a bit by weeding out unnecessary words. Have complete sentences but be relevant and precise in content and language. Remember that the application is a formal document.

Content

What should an application contain? An application can well contain a heading, for example “Application for the position as xxx at xxx”, and a short introduction that says something about who you are and why you are applying for this position. Furthermore, you should have a main part where you highlight your competence. This includes knowledge, experience, skills, and your personal qualities. In addition, your motivation should shine through. Finally, you write a small summary and conclude with “Yours sincerely” and your full name.

4) Introuction

The introduction should be short and precise, and trigger the employers curiosity in you as an potential employee. You have room in the main part to go more in depth of what you want to convey.

An introduction can be written in different ways. You can choose to get straight to the point and describe why you are suitable for the job. Maybe you have worked with similar tasks before and can show results, useful experiences or in-depth knowledge? Another way to angle the introduction is to show that you are updated. If you have spoken to someone from the company, an entrance can be to mention this. Regardless of which introduction style you choose, you should also let your personal motivation come forward. Explain briefly what motivates you to apply for the job. It can be about work tasks, the workplace, opportunities to contribute, and so on.

Examples of good introductions

Example 1: Straight to the point

When I worked as a marketing manager for store X, I introduced new marketing strategies. This resulted in twice as many followers on Instagram and Facebook. This experience will come in handy if I get to work with social media with you.

Example 2: Express enthusiasm

When I saw that you are looking for a new employee, I was very happy! I am very interested in developing new web solutions and have worked with this in my master’s thesis. I want to apply for the position as a developer with you because I have heard that you have a good environment for learning about customer customisation of solutions.

Example 3: Name-dropping

At the Career Day event, I spoke with your sales manager, Ola Nordmann. He informed me about this position and inspired me to apply.

Example 4: Updated

Lately, I have been reading about your new collaboration with X in the media. These articles inspired me to check if you had any vacancies. 

5) Main part of the application

In the main part, you should argue why you are relevant for the job. You should elaborate on the most relevant parts of your CV and what you point out in the introduction. The goal is to convince the employer that you are motivated and that you understand what the employer is looking for and what the position and tasks entail. Don’t be afraid to say that experience from, for example, your studies has given you the skillset they are looking for.

It is in the main part that you should bring out your knowledge, skills and your personal qualities. When you argue for why you are a relevant candidate, you can show that you have experience with the tasks that are included in the position you are applying for. If the position involves content production and you have experience with it, you should write about it. Elaborate on how you have worked with it and possibly which tools you used. Maybe you can answer what was important for you to prioritize in the work? Here you can weave in both knowledge, values and skills. 

Supply examples

Job advertisements contain many nice words, and it is easy to say “I am result-oriented”, but what does it really mean? What do you put into being result-oriented? If you rather say “by finding good study techniques, I have achieved my goal of good results in my studies” you point out that you are result-oriented without directly saying that you are result-oriented.

By supplying examples, your claims become more credible. You can also describe specific feedback that fellow students, supervisors or others have given you. When you exemplify your competence, you let the employer get a picture of who you are, and it is this that can lead to you standing out in the pile of other applicants.

6) Conclusion

You should conclude your application by writing a short and precise conclusion that summarises main points and tells why you are relevant for the job. What you choose to emphasise depends on the position, but the point is to remind the employer that you are a good candidate and establish that you are motivated. If you lack experience, it may be a strategic move to focus on your motivation. If you have some new and good points, you should consider whether to move it to the introduction instead.

Don't be limiting

Avoid creating unnecessary limitations. You don’t need to say anything about availability for example, it can be clarified later in the recruitment process. Remember that your first sub-goal with the application is to get to the interview. Therefore, make it easy for the employer to contact you.

End the application with “Yours sincerely”, “Best wishes,” or similar and your full name.

7) Try AI

Karriereveiledning.no has created an AI tool that helps you create a first draft of a job application. By entering the job advertisement and CV, you get a draft that is tailored to the job you are applying for.

Be aware that the suggestions are made using ChatGPT and therefore you must be very critical of the result. It may contain errors and inaccuracies. Us it primarily to get started with an application that you will continue to work on.

Remember to add your personal approach

An application made with AI will lack your personal touch, in that it does not say anything about why you are applying for the job and what you are most motivated for.

Motivation is a very important part of writing an application, so keep this in mind when you continue to work with the draft. Employers who notice that the application is made in ChatGPT can quickly become negative, if your personality does not shine through what you write.

Create a first draft of the application using AI

8) More tips

Drop clichés and too many “I's”

When you write an application, you should focus on describing the range of your skills, and it is often natural to start the sentences with “I”. This quickly becomes a bit monotonous and can seem very self-centered. Therefore, have a conscious relationship with how you build up the text in your application.

The sentence “I have studied economics and then I learned…” can be replaced with “experience from my studies has shown me”. Remember that CV and application complement each other. Therefore, you do not need to explain what you have studied. Rather go more specifically into what you can bring from the studies that are relevant for the position you are applying for.

Other examples of sentences that avoid starting with “I”:

• Among my fellow students, I get feedback on…
• Previous employers describe me as…
• As a recent graduate, I will be particularly concerned with…

These formulations also make you appear more humble. The same happens when you substantiate your argument with examples. The sentence “I am very service-minded” is more self-centered than “when I receive customers, it is important for me that they experience that their needs are taken care of”. In addition, the last sentence says something about your experience of what it means to be service-minded.

Save the job advertisement and contact person’s phone number

The job advertisement can be good to have if you are called in for an interview. It is a nice reminder of what the employer is looking for and a useful part of interview preparations.  If you do not hear anything after a couple of weeks after the application deadline, you can make contact to hear how they are doing in the process. This shows interest.

Dare to think differently

You must learn to walk before you can run. That is, you should be confident in the genre that is applications, before you try out new, slightly unusual things like presenting yourself in a video format or writing in an informal and humorous style. When you master the genre, you can consider whether to go a little outside the box. Then you do it more as a conscious move because you think it is something the employer will appreciate, or it shows a quality in you that the employer is looking for.

Again, it’s about reading the advertisement carefully, doing research and familiarising yourself with the workplace and what the tasks involve. Maybe you can try to find out who are working there.

Feel free to have a chat with the contact person for the position and get an impression of what the chemistry between you is.

Advantages you have as a recent graduate

As a recent graduate, you have some advantages that are worth remembering.

• You are academically updated
• You have good digital competence
• You have methodological knowledge
• You have critical thinking skills

Remember that you will work together with people who have been out in working life for many years. What competence do you have that the company may lack?

Proofreading and honest feedback

Ask someone to read through your application. Allow yourself to think of application writing as a learning process like everything else. Practice makes perfection!