Why Norway?

At internal and external meetings, when being introduced to new colleagues, at lunch, in the elevator and when meeting Norwegians around Oslo I always get the same question: ”Why Norway?”. The Norwegians are very proud of their nation and believe that it is the most beautiful country in the world, in spite of this they are also fascinated with Denmark and in particular Copenhagen. The answer to the question is, however, easy: “I got to pursue my ambition of working abroad and at the same time the opportunity of working for Orkla”.

Like many other Young Professionals my relationship with Orkla started at presentations and Nova100 workshops, so I definitely benefited from being a member of the network. This relationship resulted in a much unexpected phone call in March from a HR Manager at Orkla Brands Nordic which subsequently led to an interview in April, eight months prior to my planned graduation. I had two interviews in Oslo and the process was short and straight forward and exactly one month after the first interview I had signed a contract with Lilleborg Profesjonell which is a part of Lilleborg AS and Orkla Brands Nordic. My initial plan for 2010 was to finish my final classes during the spring and write my thesis during the fall. The sudden change of plans involved writing my thesis for nine weeks straight during the summer which was very stressful, but the effort has proved to be worth it, and Orkla has without doubt lived up to my expectations!

The move to Norway was easy but did involve some paper work, and the level of bureaucracy in Norway was somewhat unanticipated. I was lucky to be able to rent an apartment through Lilleborg in Sagene, a 5 minute walk from the office which greatly eased the move. Having this hurdle surpassed I could focus on the practicalities of the move. If you are moving/or considering moving here from Denmark/Sweden please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Beforehand I was not able to find any guide on what I had to do, but now feel like an expert on the area.

I started on September 1st as a controller at Lilleborg Profesjonell. From day one I felt at home and my colleagues are very laid-back and outgoing. The official language in Orkla is Scandinavian and the employees are mainly from Norway and Sweden with a few Danes, making the work environment very interesting and dynamic. In the following posts I will further elaborate upon my new job and life in Norway!

Having lived in what might be one of the flattest countries in the world, the view of the
mountains surrounding city and the Oslo Fjord amazes me every day.