Fia Hedman was able to develop her skills and she learned a lot of new things as a Trainee in the School of Business' External Relations Unit

In addition to Career Services, the School of Business' External Relations unit includes Alumni Relations, Corporate Relations, Donor Relations, Customized Student Business Projects and Strategic Events. The unit's trainee's duties are largely focused on Career Services, but during the internship there is also an opportunity to familiarise oneself with the unit's other functions and assist in related tasks.

Working days were varied

Fia's working days consisted of routine tasks and varied project-based tasks. Routine tasks included managing job advertisements on the Aalto JobTeaser job portal and processing students' internship vouchers. A key project-based task was the planning and implementation of social media content, which included designing texts, scheduling publications and preparing graphic materials. Other project-based tasks included assisting in the planning and implementation of Aalto Talent Expo, uploading customized student projects to the CRM platform, and updating the website.

"I usually started my working day at eight o'clock and even though there was a partial possibility to work remotely, I preferred working at the office. In the mornings, I went through emails and Teams messages and created a daily to-do list. Next, I designed and implemented social media content for the School of Business Career Services' Instagram @aaltobizcareerservices. In the mornings, I started working on the current work project and usually worked on it until the end of the day. At the beginning of autumn, my biggest project was Aalto Talent Expo, and towards the end of my internship, I focused on updating Aalto University's website. I also participated in various meetings on a daily basis and was also able to participate in the weekly meetings of the School of Business' social media team.'

Fia was also able to participate in the School of Business Career Services Student Council. The council meets once a month, and experts from the External Relations unit meet together with student members to discuss the school's Career Services and questions sent by employers.

Internship made it possible to combine work and studies

The internship had flexible working hours, which Fia says has been hugely beneficial. During the internship, Fia was able to attend lectures and exams.

'At first, I was nervous about combining studies and full-time internship, but luckily there was flexibility in working hours. Some days I worked longer hours so I could afford to work correspondingly shorter hours when I needed to go to lectures or an exam. The location of my workplace in Otaniemi was a great advantage when I had to move directly from work to lecture. A full-time internship at the School of Business did not hinder my progress in my studies, and I was able to complete 25 ECTS credits of studies alongside the internship.'

I learned a lot of new things during the internship and my ideas were listened to

"I feel that I got the opportunity to further develop my existing skills and at the same time I learned a lot of new things, for example, about using different programs. In particular, I learned how to use Photoshop, as well as various video editors. I hadn't used a CRM platform before, but during my internship I was able to take advantage of it and learn the basics of using it. I was also able to update the university's website, which was new to me. I believe that I can use the skills I have learned in my future jobs. It was also positive that I learned a lot about job search by participating in Cover Letter and Case webinars, for example. I also took advantage of the advice services of the School of Business Career Services, as I wanted to get tips on how to edit my CV. The counselling gave me a lot of valuable tips and I would definitely recommend using the counselling services to anyone who needs help in finding a job."