Finding Work and Getting a Job in Italy

Even if you are a national of any other country within the European Union don’t assume finding work and getting a job in Italy will be easy!  Not only is unemployment high in certain parts of the nation – particularly those popular with expatriates seeking the best of the Italian climate in the south – but nepotism is rife in main employment sectors and you will need to go through reams of red tape and hours of interviews to get a job!

Don’t be disheartened though – there is a process you can following to get a job in Italy and in this report we’ll take you through the practical steps that you should take and introduce you to protocol, procedures and what you can expect from the whole job search process.

First things first, if your move to Italy is wholly dependent on you finding suitable employment that pays a given wage you must start looking for a job at least four to six months before you relocate and you need to be applying for positions at least three months before you plan to be living in Italy because even if you are invited for interview for the job/s you apply for, the interview process can take months!

Even if you’re a national of another EU nation it is highly likely that you will still need a work permit to take a job in Italy – and don’t try and argue the point that you should be able to work anywhere in the EU without permission at the public employment service office, that won’t win you any friends or positively influence people!

To save yourself time and hassle when you have found a job, preempt the fact that you will find work and go to the uffici di collocamento (public employment service office) with your Italian residence permit and register yourself.  You will then need to get a worker’s registration card from the Inspettorato Provinciale del Lavoro.

The best places to look for employment are in local and trade papers and magazines or if you’re feeling brave you can go to the Italian job centres and search for vacancies.  When applying for a job know that you will stand a far better chance of being the successful candidate if you speak good Italian and have taken the time to get qualifications translated into Italian and had them confirmed as being transferable in Italy.

For jobs that require you to submit your CV, make sure your resume is no longer than 2 pages – the ideal is 1 page – and for those requiring an application form be filled out, make sure you get a native Italian speaker to check your answers for language accuracy before sending it off.

When the time comes to begin the interview process you are going to need to get your head around dressing to impress – for one thing you need to make a strong first impression and for another thing, as you may have noticed Italians are very, very strong on fashion, image and looking their best.

Unlike in Germany for example where it is the norm to discuss pay upfront and outright at the first interview, do not discuss money at your first, second, third or even perhaps fourth interview!  If you are about to be offered the position then your employer will bring up the subject…until then you’ll just have to bite your tongue.

And finally, once you have an offer of a job you again need to cement your permission to work in Italy so take your passport as well as a few copies of it, some photos and the offer of employment from your new employer to the questura (police department) and get your official permit to work called something along the lines of permesso di soggiorno motive di lavoro!  Good luck and happy job hunting.