By Jordan Lawrence
Another new voice in the blog, coming to you after the launch event for the Hanken International Talent (HIT) program. HIT is a program designed to pair international master’s students with local companies, and I have been a participant for the past year working with Fazer. I’ve really enjoyed the program, and it has been a special opportunity to get involved during my studies.
Finding a job without knowing Finnish, or even having a Finnish business network, can be a bit tricky, so I was happy when I found out about HIT (https://www.hanken.fi/en/studies/student-services/career-services/hanken…). I applied not knowing what to expect, from company to opportunity to fit. But it worked out, I have now spent most of the past year working on issues related to traceability and collaboration with the Digital Transformation team at Fazer – and I’ve been writing my thesis with them. I’ve been challenged to grow and learn, all while working on issues that are important to me.
Most importantly, this has really helped me become more embedded in Finnish life and society. With the excellent weather this summer I was able to bike most days, learning new parks and exploring parts of town. It’s also nice to have co-workers remind you that your degree will finish soon enough, and you should enjoy the process. And your co-workers can offer great travel tips like the deeply creepy Veijo Rönkkönen Sculpture Garden. Something else I’ve noticed is that when talking to new people they brighten up when hearing that I work at Fazer. It’s a piece of Finnish identity which has become a part of my own.