Norway: Hard to find a job

It's interesting that he sees changing his name as lying. In the past, changing one's name in order to "fit in better" was quite common.

Chartered engineer Sheraz Akhtar, 31, has had 250 job rejections in five years. His qualifications are supposed to be in hot demand.

His fellow students are employed, and his lecturers during his education in electrical power engineering at the prestigious Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim repeatedly declared how invaluable such an education was for society, and that a job was guaranteed.

In the spring of 2002 he graduated, but since then has only been able to get work as a newspaper carrier, waiter, interpreter or substitute teacher.

"It is not directly racism, but it is uncertainty that rules," Akhtar says about how hiring is done in his field. It is hard not to entertain the thought that his name puts him at the back of the queue.

"In the beginning I tried not to think that that might be the case. But after nearly five years, I think about it," Akhtar said.

One of the few companies to actually call him in for an interview was honest enough to say that they had their doubts from reading his application, doubting the merits of his high school years in Pakistan and wondering how good his Norwegian was, and how well integrated he is.

But unlike many immigrants who have endured similar treatment, Akhtar is a Norwegian citizen and has lived in Norway since he was three months old. Apart from the age of 13-19 he has lived his entire life in Norway and his further education is Norwegian. Dropping any mention of his high school years in Pakistan has also failed to help.

Akhtar has been advised to send in applications under another name, and Aftenposten's consumer web site Forbruker.no reported in September on another chartered engineer, Arshad Jamil, who finally got a job after changing his name to Jakob.

"But what about when I get called to an interview? Lying about my name is no way to start. What kind of impression do I give then," Akhtar asked.

Akhtar understands that people with more experience have been preferred to him, and also that those just graduating have more up-to-date qualifications. But not being able to use his education for so long, and gradually becoming stuck between these two poles, is a worry.

Akhtar has also experienced that his education also prevents him from getting other types of work, on the grounds of over-qualification, and that he will leave when he gets a more relevant offer. Married with two young children, Akhtar scrapes by on temporary jobs.

"I apply and apply, but nothing happens. And the longer it takes, the less chance there is of getting a job," Akhtar said.

Source: Aftenposten (English)

See also: Norway: Employers aren't chasing immigrants, Norway: lack of education not reason for lack of employment