In Year 2006 I came to Norway for work purpose as a skilled IT worker. First two years I was not at all serious about learning Norsk. I used to communicate only in English in office as well as outside. Someone like me who spends big chunk of his own time in office, it gradually became important for me to start learning Norsk to avoid my office colleagues to conduct meetings in English for sake of me. As well I was getting a bad feeling that I was missing something in the social circle because I was not able to understand Norsk. As Norsk is business language in most of the offices in Norway it’s very important that you read, write and speak Norsk.
I am not claiming to be very best in Norsk but now days I take part in the meetings conducted in Norsk and if I want to make some point then I can create 2-3 sentences in Norsk and communicate what I want to say. As well I can write emails with 2-3 sentences in Norsk.
To be frank this journey was not a piece of cake. I need to go through lots of frustration and emotional ups and downs. I used to feel a lot of time that I can’t do this anymore. I assume during the process of learning Norsk some of you must be going through same kind of frustration I did. I had a very strong feeling that I am not good at learning language. My wife picked up Norsk very quickly but I was struggling with learning basics of the Norsk.
To be straight to the point I used the divide and rule strategy. The basic step to learn any language is its vocabulary and grammar. What I feel also is if someone wants to learn the language properly then first he needs to understand the culture of the language also. The core part of the language is Grammar. Each language has it’s own culture and it’s own special rules. In Norwegian daily life they make use of “være så god” in different context for ex. while serving, while offering etc based on the context the meaning of this word changes. Each language has its own special way of communicating which one need know if he wants to learn the language. It’s important to know the Norsk words in daily life along with Norsk vocabulary of IT branch. IT vocabulary was helpful for me to understand what’s going on in meetings as well reading business emails.
The various ways to learn Norsk language:
1. Best way is start attending Norsk language Course. Be serious during the course and don’t be a back bencher. Different organizations conduct language courses in Oslo. Based on affordability you can join course whatever you want. Most of the classes adhere to the European standard of learning languages. There are different levels of courses and based on your existing proficiency these organizations recommend you courses for different levels. You can take an online as well as in person test to check out which level of course you fit in. Please see this website for details http://www.fuoslo.no/default.asp?avd=79&nyh=3042
2. Just going to the course will not be sufficient but do try to pass language test for example Norsk Prøve II, Prøve III. Each exam tests your reading, listening and writing skills based on the exam level. This includes your grammar as well. I would highly recommend to appear for an exam. You can choose the exam level based on your competency level. It’s not mandatory to go norsk course for taking exam. You can study by yourself and take exam as well. My personal experience is after passing exam it gave me lots of confidence about my language skills.
3. Reading the Norwegian papers and website and watch Norwegian news, serials. There are lots of English serials coming on the NRK channels with subtexts in Norsk.
4. You can rent out DVDs from nearby libraries with subtitles in Norsk and re-watch the movies in English and try to understand and memorize Norwegian words.
5. Make a list of Norwegian words which you don’t know and try re-read the list when you find some free time. I used to read this word list while I was travelling to office, to home and during my leisure time. It’s all about making good use of your time and then funda of practice and practice and practice.
6. Use of Mindmaps and word splitting technique can also be useful to memorize Norwegian words. There are lots of techniques available on internet which could be used to memorize the Norwegian words.
7. Speak Norwegian whenever you get a chance for ex. in boutiques or stations or taxis or with your colleagues.
8. Whenever you find some new Norsk word then try to add it to your world list and read this wordlist frequently.
9.Usage of http://translate.google.com
10.Usage of Clue software
As I am working in IT branch the vocabulary which I gained while while studying in the lauguage course was limited. So I needed an extra effort to improve my vocabulary in the IT branch. I found following tricks very helpful.
1. Whenever I used to receive some business communication in Norsk I used to translate it in English with help of translate.google.com or Clue software and that way I prepared special wordlist for IT branch. Again I used read that list frequently when I used to get a free time in office.
2. Another trick is to read article related to IT industry. I am using www.computerworld.no and try to read at least one article everyday in Norsk by using Google translate. I see may benefits here like improve vocabulary, I was able to know what’s happening in IT industry in Norway also the trendy words and slang words used in Norsk IT industry.
3. Try to read as much as Norsk technical documents in your office.
4. You can record the meeting on your mobile which are conducted in Norsk and re listen them to catch the words you don’t understand.
5. I have English to Norwegian dictionary on my mobile so whenever I read a new Norsk word I try to translate in with help of the dictionary and add to my word list.
Learning language is ongoing and continuous process. It’s upon individual about his own proactiveness and commitment and his readiness to put in extra efforts and hours.
The benefits are enormous.
1. One will get more accepted in his colleagues in office and as well as socially
2. One will start contributing more to his office work
3. Boss will be very much impressed that you have acquired the language skill because ease of doing business with you.
4. One can take part in social interactions which will increase his knowledge about Norwegian society ,day to day events
The continuous improvement principle of Toyota is very useful while learning language. Try to work every day on the language improve yourself day by day. I feel that it takes approx. 2 years learning Norsk if your language parser in brain is of average capability as mine. One can learn language in shorter duration than 2 year if he is committed and ready to take more efforts. The tricks mentioned above are not the ultimate tricks there could other ways as well. Feel free discuss them in comments.
Showing posts with label General Stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General Stuff. Show all posts
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
job search in Norway - An Indian perspective
I have just switched my job in Jan 2011 in Norway. This experience which is very fresh in my head which I will describe here.
Big firms in Norway hire head hunters and outsource their recruitment process and try to recruit best candidates in the market.While small firms who can't afford headhunters execute hiring process by themselves.
You can directly apply to jobs online on the company websites or through head hunting firms. But don't try to apply same job by yourself as well as through headhunter.
Most famous Job Site in Norway is finn.no. You can create your own profile on the website and expose it to the recruiters also start applying for jobs online. There is possibility of setting your own agent on finn.no which could send you automatically jobs when they published on website which match your search criteria.
Each job specification on finn.no is mostly given in very details and unfortunately in norwegian. So you need to use google translator to translate the job description in to english. Companies having their internal business language as English publish their job requirement in english to appeal wide range of people. The job description also contains the contact person for the job.Feel free to contact this person. They would be very nice to entertain you. You can ask them questions regarding job descriptions and things if not clear to you about job.
Almost all Norwegian employers are looking for their employees from different backgrounds like culture and ethnicity.
As mentioned above there are some companies in Norway who has business language as English.Mostly are MNCs which are doing business abroad as well as in Norway. Lots of consulting companies do business both in english and norwegian.
Mostly all Norwegians know English very well and they are very cooperative ,have very good work ethics ,good team players as well as down to earth people. Mostly workplace are very mature because avg. age of the people is around 35.
You need to give a 3 months’ notice to your current employer. This is common in all Norway. But you can have different arrangement with your current employer.It depends.
CV and Covering Letter
You need prepare a CV and covering letter.
Covering letter consists of
1. Your brief experience summery
2. Your motivation for applying the job.
3. Why you are suitable for this job.
4. Your proficiency about Norwegian language. I would emphasize the you must learn Norwegian language if you want to work in Norway. No escape from this rule :)
CV must contain:
1. Descrption about skills
2. Your experience
3 Your birth date
4 nationality
5 Contact details and mobile number
6. Work permit status if any
General Interview procedure
1. Personal Interview (Mostly with headhunter).
He tries to gauge your personality and personal questions, family related questions, salary expectations and he tries if you fit in the position as well as culture of the company.
2. If headhunter likes you he recommends your CV to the employer. Then employer shortlists the CVs
3. The headhunter arranges your interview with head of the department of your prospected employer.
3. Then interview happens either technical (for techies) or related your domain.
4. If you pass all these interviews then head hunter asks for references. These references could be from your current employer or previous employer in Norway.
5. There is a possibility that you can have another interview with headhunter or department head. This could be a final interview wherepossibility that you negotiate salary exists. In parallel reference checks are done by headhunter or department head.
Keep ready two references mostly from your current or previous job. Once your prospect employer asks for reference there is certainty that you will get a job. References are mostly expected to be your Norwegian colleagues.
Being social with Norwegians helps very much to get references as well as to find jobs. What I understand from the process that reference check is taken very seriously.
Headhunters call the references and try to do a background check on you. They ask lots of questions regarding your work ethics, you style at work, and personality etc and they try to cross check this with what you said in the interview. So it’s better not to hide anything....
Dress code is formal during the interview and you can prefer English if you don't know Norwegian. You can mention that in your covering letter.
If there is multiple job interview processes are going on with different companies you can say so. You can also ask them to take a decision as early as possible.
Better policy is to be honest in the interview. You are not expected to know all the things in your domain. You need to confidentin the interview. If you don't understand any question then you can ask him to repeat.
Learning Norwegian is very important in Norway because that shows that you are interested in getting accustomed to Norwegian culture. There are lots of Norwegian language courses available in Oslo. That’s a best start to learn Norwegian. On top of that it’s a onetime investment. Once you know language you know it for lifetime.
Best of luck for your next job hunting in Norway......
Big firms in Norway hire head hunters and outsource their recruitment process and try to recruit best candidates in the market.While small firms who can't afford headhunters execute hiring process by themselves.
You can directly apply to jobs online on the company websites or through head hunting firms. But don't try to apply same job by yourself as well as through headhunter.
Most famous Job Site in Norway is finn.no. You can create your own profile on the website and expose it to the recruiters also start applying for jobs online. There is possibility of setting your own agent on finn.no which could send you automatically jobs when they published on website which match your search criteria.
Each job specification on finn.no is mostly given in very details and unfortunately in norwegian. So you need to use google translator to translate the job description in to english. Companies having their internal business language as English publish their job requirement in english to appeal wide range of people. The job description also contains the contact person for the job.Feel free to contact this person. They would be very nice to entertain you. You can ask them questions regarding job descriptions and things if not clear to you about job.
Almost all Norwegian employers are looking for their employees from different backgrounds like culture and ethnicity.
As mentioned above there are some companies in Norway who has business language as English.Mostly are MNCs which are doing business abroad as well as in Norway. Lots of consulting companies do business both in english and norwegian.
Mostly all Norwegians know English very well and they are very cooperative ,have very good work ethics ,good team players as well as down to earth people. Mostly workplace are very mature because avg. age of the people is around 35.
You need to give a 3 months’ notice to your current employer. This is common in all Norway. But you can have different arrangement with your current employer.It depends.
CV and Covering Letter
You need prepare a CV and covering letter.
Covering letter consists of
1. Your brief experience summery
2. Your motivation for applying the job.
3. Why you are suitable for this job.
4. Your proficiency about Norwegian language. I would emphasize the you must learn Norwegian language if you want to work in Norway. No escape from this rule :)
CV must contain:
1. Descrption about skills
2. Your experience
3 Your birth date
4 nationality
5 Contact details and mobile number
6. Work permit status if any
General Interview procedure
1. Personal Interview (Mostly with headhunter).
He tries to gauge your personality and personal questions, family related questions, salary expectations and he tries if you fit in the position as well as culture of the company.
2. If headhunter likes you he recommends your CV to the employer. Then employer shortlists the CVs
3. The headhunter arranges your interview with head of the department of your prospected employer.
3. Then interview happens either technical (for techies) or related your domain.
4. If you pass all these interviews then head hunter asks for references. These references could be from your current employer or previous employer in Norway.
5. There is a possibility that you can have another interview with headhunter or department head. This could be a final interview wherepossibility that you negotiate salary exists. In parallel reference checks are done by headhunter or department head.
Keep ready two references mostly from your current or previous job. Once your prospect employer asks for reference there is certainty that you will get a job. References are mostly expected to be your Norwegian colleagues.
Being social with Norwegians helps very much to get references as well as to find jobs. What I understand from the process that reference check is taken very seriously.
Headhunters call the references and try to do a background check on you. They ask lots of questions regarding your work ethics, you style at work, and personality etc and they try to cross check this with what you said in the interview. So it’s better not to hide anything....
Dress code is formal during the interview and you can prefer English if you don't know Norwegian. You can mention that in your covering letter.
If there is multiple job interview processes are going on with different companies you can say so. You can also ask them to take a decision as early as possible.
Better policy is to be honest in the interview. You are not expected to know all the things in your domain. You need to confidentin the interview. If you don't understand any question then you can ask him to repeat.
Learning Norwegian is very important in Norway because that shows that you are interested in getting accustomed to Norwegian culture. There are lots of Norwegian language courses available in Oslo. That’s a best start to learn Norwegian. On top of that it’s a onetime investment. Once you know language you know it for lifetime.
Best of luck for your next job hunting in Norway......
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
scrambled characters ’
scrambled characters ’ are coming in because the UTF-8 character set. So please change character set to UTF-16
Problem statement
...xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ...
Changed to
... xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16" ...
the scrambled characters were gone.
Problem statement
...xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ...
Changed to
... xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16" ...
the scrambled characters were gone.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO...
THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL
PHONE COULD DO ...
There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies.
Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:
Number 1:
* The Emergency Number worldwide for **Mobile** is 112.* If you find yourself out of coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112
can be dialed even if the keypad is locked.
**Try it out.**
Number 2 :
* Subject: Have you locked your keys in the car? Does you car have remote keys?*
This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone:
If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone.
Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock.
Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away,
and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Editor's Note: *It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!"*
Number 3 :
Subject: Hidden Battery power
Imagine your cell battery is very low , you are expecting an important call
and you don't have a charger. Nokia instrument comes with a reserve battery. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.
AND
Number 4 :
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone:
* # 0 6 #
A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. when your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless.
You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either.
If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.
Please spread this useful information around
PHONE COULD DO ...
There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies.
Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:
Number 1:
* The Emergency Number worldwide for **Mobile** is 112.* If you find yourself out of coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112
can be dialed even if the keypad is locked.
**Try it out.**
Number 2 :
* Subject: Have you locked your keys in the car? Does you car have remote keys?*
This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone:
If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone.
Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock.
Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away,
and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Editor's Note: *It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!"*
Number 3 :
Subject: Hidden Battery power
Imagine your cell battery is very low , you are expecting an important call
and you don't have a charger. Nokia instrument comes with a reserve battery. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.
AND
Number 4 :
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone:
* # 0 6 #
A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. when your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless.
You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either.
If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.
Please spread this useful information around
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