I do fear for the competitiveness of the Norwegian economy going forward; the low unemployment means that Norwegian businesses will struggle to find workers if they’re not prepared to move past their suspicions and accept foreign workers. But hey, when you have a $1.3t oil fund behind you it’s not like it’s an emergency.

I also think there’s a wider mistrust of foreigners in general; like they’re viewed as not being educated to the level of locals at best, and, at worst, that they’re all stupid idiots.

The world has given Norway a lot; be it the sacrifices made in WW2, or the endless dollars it’s given to the country for oil. If you asked me what Norway has given back to the world, my answer would be very little.

If you’re an immigrant who is considering moving to Norway my strongest advice is to consider another country.

I am thinking to move out of this place next month. I am sure nothing will happen even if I stay here for another few years. I am just wasting my life here.

My girlfriend has changed 3 (good) jobs during this period since we moved to Norway, and she doesn’t speak any Norwegian. We work and communicate in English although most company meetings are held in Norwegian.
My advice to anyone from abroad looking to get hired in Norway is to make things relevant to your potential employers and make the best impression at every level (from cv design, to interview) – show them what they have to gain by hiring you and not hiring another person who might be more similar to them. Experience and skill are very relevant, but it’s also about how you frame your strengths and weaknesses when talking to hiring managers and it’s about finding the companies where you can showcase your talent in the best way.
Look for the companies that welcome some disruption and that accept that diversity brings progress. Not all companies want that as part of their culture, so do your research. That can save you time and energy.

I would say that I am highly skilled as Fagtekniker and 2 Technician diplomas but I would never dare to say someone ever would have put me in a bad position. But learning the native language should never be done in the host country, before you even think about working/living in another state, you should be at least able to communicate with them. I speak fluently german, italian and english and would never apply in Norway, if I wouldn’t not be able to at least speak at a level of B2. For general high skilled works like IT-Technology, engineering, you need a profound understanding of the language to communicate professionally.

Norwegian language courses are not even need because, someone should understand the language before entering the country. Besides, it is quite possible to learn the language by yourself, it just a thing of “willingness”. Learned it without a teacher or any help because it is by far the easiest germanic language apart from english. Danish, Swedish is on the same level, Dutch a little harder, put compared to German, it’s not a language that could not be learned in 2 years.

Gosh VJ, I’m sorry to hear you’ve had such negative experiences. The interview situation can be super tricky. I’d welcome more standardization, less ‘so….tell me about yourself’
Here is a link to easily accessible basic info on acceptable and unacceptable interview questions:
Good luck!