Tämä teksti on osa Työelämäblogi -sarjaa, jossa AYY:n yhteistyöyritykset kertovat toimialoistaan, toiminnastaan ja työllistymismahdollisuuksistaan.
1. Figure out what you’re good at
Figure out what you’re good at and what gets you excited. These are usually the things you’ll become the best at. To avoid thinking what you SHOULD be good at, think about the moments you get into a flow mode, think about what you like to read about in your free time etc. You’ll soon discover what you could be doing. Be proud of “your own thing” and become the one to turn to in your respective field.
How I figured it out? I majored in Finance at Aalto University School of Business but soon realized I’m also super interested in people, systems, and solving big problems. Now at Elisa I get to do just that: I identify organization-wide challenges, try to find the root causes by interviewing with people, and then present findings and recommendations to executives.
2. Figure out where your strengths can have the biggest positive impact
Now think what problems you might want to be solving, such as healthcare, education, innovation in organizations, or digitalization in traditional industries. Don’t just follow your classmates and do what you SHOULD be doing with your background, but go back to your special strengths and think which companies or non-profits might need your help in their challenges. Go for challenges, whether big or small, in which you’ll have a big impact!
How I figured it out? During the last year year of university, I got excited / concerned about the elderly people. I wanted to get acquainted with that space so I volunteered to hang out with lonely old people, participated in an online class in which I pursued my own elderly care startup idea, and participated other elderly care related events… Until I met an elderly care startup founder I wanted to work with!
3. Figure out with whom you’d like to work
Having figured out who you are and what you’d like to work on, approach the people you’d like to work with. Call or email them, refer to where you previously met (if you did), and tell them you’d want to work with them on this specific issue. Recruiting is difficult and risky for companies, so it’ll make a big difference if you’re being active yourself and showing how you might add value for them.
How I figured it out? Going back to the startup founder that I met at a random elderly care related event, I knew I would like to work with him: he was a pioneer in social media in Finland and wanted to make a revolution in elderly care. I contacted him on LinkedIn saying it was great to meet and asked whether he’d need my help in sales and customer development. He said he had thought the same – and I started working there. For me, one of the biggest factors when choosing a job are the people I’m going to work with. I want to be working with the best of the best to learn the most.
Watch and hear what other young people at Elisa think about working there:
Hilla Pyykkönen
Finding and pursuing opportunities at Elisa Entertaining Services