”Act early and register for JobTeaser”

The School of Business Career Services welcomed the students starting their Master's studies to meet the Kauppis community and especially Kauppis alumni. The Welcome Evening, held at the School of Business on Wednesday 28 August, gave participants the opportunity to talk to alumni and get tips on finding their own career path. The event also featured a panel discussion on working life.

Jonna Söderholm, Head of External Relations, opened the event, which was attended by more than 200 new Master's students. ‘A warm welcome to Aalto School of Business. I would like to highlight two things in particular that I hope you will remember after this event. The first is "Act Early". What I mean by this is that, while the focus of your studies and other student life is on your studies, it is also a good idea to start getting to know the job market. Many Master's students are already working alongside their studies, but it is good for everyone to start thinking about job search and the early end of their career path. It's worth taking advantage of our career services (see bottom of page for more information). Another thing I want to mention is the Aalto JobTeaser service, where many employers advertise job and internship vacancies and thesis opportunities. It is worth registering for JobTeaser.’

Flexibility and a positive attitude to continuous learning

The panel discussion provided information on useful skills needed in working life and how to develop them during the Master's studies. The panel was moderated by Milja Koski, a career services manager. The panelists were Nina Zhao, People Consulting, EY, Hoang Pham, Web Analyst, Kesko, and Tommi Raivisto, SVP, Chief Digital Officer, Alma Media. 

Hoang Pham advised students to work hard, but also to participate in parties and events. ‘To new students from abroad, I want to tell them that Finns are friendly, as long as you take your time to get to know them.’ Tommi Raivisto urged students to get to know people in a broad sense, which was echoed by Nina Zhao, who added that it is worth getting to know both fellow students and companies by taking advantage of various opportunities for business cooperation.

As for useful skills, Nina pointed out that when applying for a job, you need to be able to clearly explain what you have learned at school and what you can do. Good MS Office skills are useful to be able to make impressive Excel and PowerPoint presentations. Tommi stressed problem-solving skills, and creativity is also useful. ‘When looking for a job, you should stand out from the crowd. Working with people is the way of the day, and it's good to have some evidence of that when applying for a job.’

All the panelists stressed the importance of using artificial intelligence, which is something they themselves should constantly practice. For this and many other things, a positive attitude and the ability to keep learning are important. Flexibility is in demand and good communication skills are valuable to get attention for one's proposals. 

Tommi also advised to be suitably humble when it comes to first jobs. ‘Even if your first job is not your favourite, you learn something from every job. And once you've got your foot in the door, so to speak, you're more likely to hear about the next opportunities.’

The School of Business has appeal

After the panel, students were able to talk freely with the alumni about their studies, student life and work. Each major had its own table, so it was easy for participants to find an alum or alumni to talk about their particular major.

Jani Muukkonen, who attended the event, previously studied in Tampere, where he studied administrative sciences. ‘I was very happy to find out that Aalto University's School of Business has a Master's programme in Strategic Management in a Changing World. I'm sure I'll finish my studies in management at some point, but now I'm interested in this particular programme at Aalto. It's also great to have representatives from the business world at this event, and to be able to talk to them directly. 

‘I was also talking to some foreign students recently and I got the impression that this kind of welcome event for career services still has a special meaning for them. They told me that they had learned a lot of new information about studying and applying for jobs in Finland.’

Aliisa Eerola and Noora Solonen studied for their bachelor's degrees in Jyväskylä. They applied to Aalto Kauppinen after hearing good things about it; the teaching was praised for its quality, and they were attracted to the Helsinki region. Both Aliisa and Noora have chosen accounting as their major in the Master's programme. They also found the event very good. ‘It was a bit surprising how much people talked about applying for a job even at this stage, when they are still studying. Up to now, the emphasis has been mainly on focusing on studies. However, the arguments for the "Act Early" approach were good. The wide range of career services offered by Kauppis sounded excellent, and we will certainly make use of them once the academic year gets off to a good start,’ said Aliisa and Noora. 

Welcome Evening was organized by the School of Business Career Services and Alumni Relations. The event has been held since 2017 and it is a part of the orientation week programme for new Master's students at the School of Business.

Alumni who participated in the event in 2024:

Accounting
Leo Decat, Financial Consultant & Partner at Nothern Interim Services
Maija Rinta-Laulaja, Partner & Financial Consulting at Nothern Interim Services

Creative Sustainability
Hai Anh Tran, Consultant at Gaia Consulting
Otso Sillanaukee, Team Lead at Demos Helsinki

Economics
Sara Hellemaa, Financial Specialist at Ministry of Finance

Finance
Anna Hollming, Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group
Mikael Ahovuo, Dealer at OP Financial Group

Global Management / CEMS
Nina Zhao, People Consulting at EY

Information and Service Management & Business Analytics
Saramaria Ritala, Customer Acquisition Manager at Inven
Simo-Samuli Niemi, Logistics Manager at Orion Corporation

International Design Business Management
Mikael Honkaniemi, Project Manager at Hellon
Trang Nguyen, Digital Marketing Specialist at Metso

People Management and Organizational Development & Strategic Management in a Changing World (former programs: Management and International Business & Strategy)
Elisa Jokinen, Sustainable Finance & Corporate Sustainability at KPMG
Emma Hänninen, Talent Acquisition Partner at Columbia Road
Jesse Holopainen, Head of Commercial Development, Strategy and M&A at SGN Group

Marketing
Eeva Aaltonen, Head of Brand Operations at Rovio

Business Law
Maija Arimo, Digital Tranfer Pricing Manager at Abidia