What kind of tips would you give to students interested in an international career?
My number one tip is to remind that there is no one kind of ‘right’ career path for any Aalto or School of Business student. For example, as a finance student, you do not only have to strive to work in London's investment banks in pursuit of internationality, but you can also go to internships in Finnish permanent missions around the world, or volunteer in a completely foreign country. My best career decisions so far have often been made almost by accident!
I also warmly recommend using Aalto University's excellent and free career services – from CV clinics to job listings – to help in finding and applying for international jobs. You can also advance your internationality in Aalto's numerous international student associations and clubs; I give a strong recommendation for these!
You acted as a mentor in the Aalto University mentoring program. What kind of experience has mentoring been like? What kind of tips would you give to the actors, i.e., the students participating in the program?
Mentoring was a great experience for me, and hopefully for my actor pair as well. I will definitely continue as a mentor in future years, as long as I’m admitted to the program. I can warmly recommend participating in the program as an actor to all Aalto students. The best thing about the program is the possibility to customize it to suit your own needs – mentors and actors decide together on both discussion topics and meeting schedules.
I have two particular tips for actors, i.e., students:
1. Even before applying to the program, I encourage you to consider what kind of mentor would be the most helpful in discussing your specific interests. For example, you can consider whether the mentor would be from the same or a different field than you, whether the mentor would be at the beginning of his / her career or more experienced, and whether the mentor would be working in Finland or abroad.
2. My own actor and I discussed a wide range of working life topics in and around them: from looking for a job and preparing for case interviews to finding a good apartment, as well as the question of what kind of things are included in the meaningfulness of work – and of life in general. I recommend joining the program with an open mind and challenge your own and the mentor's possible presumptions.
From the year 2022 Atte has been living in Barcelona in Spain and acting there as a local contact person, Aalto Alumni Ambassador. He works as Senior Client Success Manager at Gartner. Gartner is in it's field American globally leading technology research company.
Have a closer look on Atte’s career path on LinkedIn!
Student, would you be interested in participating in the Aalto University Mentoring Programme? You are eligible to apply as an actor if you are a doing a Master´s degree at Aalto University and you have enrolled as an attending student when the programme starts in November 2021. The application period for students is from 13 September to 3 October.