Yesmith Sánchez moved to Finland from Mexico in pursuit of a job, she ended up studying and in various internships and is now working as a DEI consultant to support organizations in their work to transform DEI into action.

#WeWorkFinland

If you are an international professional living in Finland, you can register your CV with Pointer Potential here.

More than 400 000 people with an international background live in Finland. In Helsinki alone, every sixth person has a background other than Finnish. The We Work series shares glimpses of the real-life stories of international professionals living and working in Finland.

Frank Berenschot came to Finland from the Netherlands to be with his Finnish girlfriend, since then he has been interning, studying and working. This is his story.

What has your educational and professional journey in Finland been like?

I moved here from the Netherlands, to be with my Finnish girlfriend. A month after, I worked for 6 months as a development operations intern for the company Management Events in Helsinki. After the internship ended, I created a Facebook page displaying my love for building bicycles. Through this page, I was offered a 6-month work try-out position as a community manager for a Finnish bicycle shop which was in collaboration with the Employment Office. At the same time, I started my business studies at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences as an open-path student. After a year, I enrolled for a full-time bachelor’s degree in International Business Management with a focus on Marketing. I find the education here is stronger compared to other countries as it is more geared towards teaching how to think, develop oneself and evaluate your learning, as opposed to knowing specific things. It makes you able to validate and critically analyse information which makes you more adaptable in a work environment. After a digital marketing internship, I worked for two and a half years in sales for a software company in Helsinki, called TrademarkNow. I froze my studies to fully focus on that role until they let me go. It was a very disheartening period for me. At this point, we had bought a house and my priorities had shifted from completing my studies to making mortgage payments. Four months after the employment ended, I started my current work as a global CRM coordinator for ALLU. 

What are your career plans?

I aspire to be an entrepreneur and want to develop my skills. In the past, I have done CRM integrations and have always liked how I can, in the background, create processes to automate them and make things and people’s lives easier. I would like to be a consultant through international corporations as an independent contractor. I want to see if that works in the next 2 to 3 years. However, I want to focus more on my skills and remain open to different opportunities. It is fantastic to have goals and aspirations but the journey to a goal is more important. We just went through a global pandemic which has taught me to live in the now. 

How often do you need Finnish at work with colleagues and clients?

Currently, while working at ALLU Group I am not fluent in Finnish and do not use or need it there since it is an international company and the company language is English. I do however understand Finnish when spoken to. When a company is trying to be international, you cannot constrain yourself to just the local language. Currently, I have colleagues in other leadership roles who are not Finnish natives thus we all use English at work. 

What have been some of your greatest lessons working in Finland that you could share with international talents here?

Having trust in yourself is the greatest attribute. We are living in a world where some people are more uplifted than others. CEOs, for example, may feel distant from you, but they are still human. Be yourself and know you are doing the correct thing according to your own values. This is important in a world where you do not really know what others are doing. Do not compare yourself with others. Instead, compare yourself to the person you were a year before and focus on developing yourself. As a foreigner, you have unique abilities that make you stand out. There is only one of you. That is your asset. You can adapt to multiple environments which is your strongest attribute in finding a career.

Why is diversity important to organisations in Finland?

Finland has been a secluded country. As it is now, it does have a long way to go in the inclusion of immigrants. There is a great culture here, but you need diversity to export it and to be international. Finnish values like work-life balance are great. We need immigrants to sell this abroad. I want to sell Finnish culture! Finland is light years ahead compared to the Netherlands because there is more freedom here. Diversity does not mean you lose your heritage, but understanding different perspectives are important. 

Interview by Mary Waweru

#WeWorkFinland

If you are an international professional living in Finland, you can register your CV with Pointer Potential here.

More than 400 000 people with an international background live in Finland. In Helsinki alone, every sixth person has a background other than Finnish. The We Work series shares glimpses of the real-life stories of international professionals living and working in Finland.

Yohannes Loga, originally from Ethiopia, landed in Finland to study Media Engineering at Evtek University of Applied Sciences, after having considered Holland as a place to study.

I have an electrical-electronics degree from Ethiopia but have always wanted to do software development. I initially applied to a university in Holland, but it was too expensive and chose to come to Finland instead. I studied Media Engineering at Evtek University of Applied Sciences. I had a lot of memorable experiences there before completing my degree. It was exciting when in a group of four, we represented our school and took second place in a Microsoft software competition. It did wonders for my CV! For my internship, I worked on a successful project in a start-up and then landed my first job as a software developer before I graduated. I got both opportunities through the recommendation of a lecturer and I’m forever grateful to him. I have worked in 3 companies since then and feel very happy in the company I am in now called Digital Illustrated.

What are you career plans?

In software development, technologies are not constant. I therefore want to do more related studies to advance my career. When you are not continuously learning, you are left behind and not truly building yourself. I would also like to study architecture in software development. It complements what I am already doing and will allow me to advance in my career. I do not know what I will be doing in 5 years because my possibilities are endless and not confined to dates and such specifics.

How often do you need Finnish at work with colleagues and clients? 

Every day, our team meetings on software development specifications are given in Finnish. I do understand Finnish well, and usually, ask questions in English where it is not clear. Finnish is very important in my day-to-day life because even though many of our clients speak English fluently, they would prefer to speak Finnish. I am one of the two foreigners in our company, so Finnish is also important in our many social activities with colleagues. Sometimes I do feel like my Finnish skills may impede my career but only if I allow it. My career path is not that narrow or restrained so I believe I will be fine.  It is all about perspective.  

What have been some of your greatest lessons working in Finland that you could share with international talents here? 

A Finnish lecturer once advised me to always notify my supervisor when I am unable to complete a project on time. You may not have control over how people view or treat you but speak your mind. Do not be intrusive. That is a start. Finns warm up to you when you are honest. I have never felt like an outsider and have created lifelong bonds with my Finnish colleagues. I am comfortable telling them stories about where I come from. Share your background story with people. Bring some colour and richness to the team.

Play your part in learning Finnish and integrating. It is important to not get discouraged despite the hurdles you come across for being different because if you are open, you can build many solutions. 

Why is diversity important to organisations in Finland?

Many companies work through teamwork. In software coding, our teams build ideas and solve problems. This makes it important to have diverse people who can see things from different perspectives and create something functional together. It also allows us to create programmes that can be used by people in many different countries and cultures and not just those who are exactly like us. Companies have greater results in diverse teams. Social settings and lifelong bonds are created at work making diversity a good thing! 

Interview by Mary Waweru

#WeWorkFinland

If you are an international professional living in Finland, you can register your CV with Pointer Potential here.

More than 400 000 people with an international background live in Finland. In Helsinki alone, every sixth person has a background other than Finnish. The We Work-series shares glimpses of the real-life stories of international professionals living and working in Finland.

Ari-Pekka, why did you decide to collaborate with Pointer Potential, and are you happy about the outcome?

Yes, I’m really happy. Pointer Potential was very helpful and saved us a considerable amount of time in the recruitment process. It was very quick to go through all the great candidates I was presented with. A recruitment process from start to finish can be fairly time-consuming and you never know about the outcome in advance, whether its time well spent or not.

Would you recommend Pointer Potential, if so why and to whom?

Yes, I would highly recommend Pointer Potential to anyone recruiting. Pointer Potential offered a very easy way to understand what kind of potential there is on the open job market and they seemed to have a great pool of candidates, as we were only presented with candidates with profiles that we most needed.

“What happened in our case was that initially, we were looking for one candidate but we ended up offering a contract to nearly everyone on the shortlist – to four candidates.”

A bonus is that if we see potential in the candidates for the future – we can hire them easily after the contract period.

So, if you and your company are considering recruiting from a more diverse talent pool, don’t worry too much if great potential candidates don’t speak Finnish – we are going towards a more global approach in all we do and these talented people are very motivated to learn with you. You may need to challenge your assumptions a bit and have an open mind, but if you do that you are more likely to succeed in your hiring strategy.

Meet Perez Okah, one of the new design engineers at Raute

Perez is one of the four Pointer Potential candidates that ended up joining Raute.

Perez, tell us a bit about yourself. What did you use to do before joining Raute?

I am originally from Cameroon, where I did my bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. I also have a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, with a specialization in Sustainable Production from Lappeenranta University of Technology, which is how I ended up in Finland in the first place. I am also a Certified SolidWorks Professional. Before Raute I had a cleaning job with L&T which I quit so I could study the language to find a job more suitable to my education.

How did you experience the recruitment process with Pointer Potential?

The recruitment process was amazing. Applying for the job through the website was very easy as the information needed from me was clear, it only took me about 10 to 15 minutes. The ease of communication, the friendliness of the recruiter, and the fast response rate were great, I got a reply about my application within days and was notified about every step of the recruitment process so I knew exactly what is going on in the process and what to expect.

Tell us a bit about your job at Raute?

My job title is Junior Design Engineer. I am currently part of the Product Data Management Maintenance Team along with some senior and chief designers. My task is to update the models of Raute’s machinery. The purpose is to refine Raute’s system, at the moment I am familiarizing myself with it and with the processes and technologies of the company. Later on, we start doing design modifications to some of the machinery and working on design projects for Raute’s clients.

How has the work been?

It has been great. It is a good working environment, good colleagues, an amazing boss who is very friendly and humble. Even though we are still new to the company, we feel very comfortable because any problem we face, everyone is willing to help us and take their time to explain so we understand.

What does the job mean to you?

To me, this job means a lot.

“It took a lot of rejections for a long time before I could finally get this job. This made me feel very sad because I knew I wasn’t living up to my potential, having a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and working as a cleaner. Getting this job made me feel valued, recognized, and appreciated for my skills and what I can bring to the table. “

It is a great feeling doing something you love in a field you have invested a huge amount of your life in, gathering the knowledge and skills. I also value it because I know I am very lucky to have it, there are so many people who are still searching and hoping to get a job appropriate to their skills.

Is there anything that has surprised you about the Finnish work culture?

First, the employee and boss relationship. It is so friendly and casual. There is freedom and responsibility.

Secondly, the welcoming and smiling nature of the colleagues in the office, they are always ready to help. There is a healthy professional relationship amongst colleagues in the workplace.

Thirdly, the work time flexibility; entering hours between 7 am to 9 am and closing hours between 3 pm and 5 pm.

What is your message to international professionals looking for a job in Finland? Any tips?

Believe in yourself and know your worth. It may take some time, and a lot of rejections, but if you don’t give up, you will definitely find it. Build your connections, take on certifications that prove your skills. It is simple but not easy.

More than 400 000 people with an international background live in Finland. In Helsinki alone, every sixth person has a background other than Finnish. Pointer Potential helps companies make use of the enormous potential and competence of international professionals already available in Finland. We support organizations to unleash the power of diversity and prepare hiring strategies for the future. 

If you are an international professional living in Finland, you can register your CV with Pointer Potential here.

Pointer Potential, together with the consultancy firm EY, organises job search training for Finland based international professionals. The training aims to provide skills for a job search and thus improve employment opportunities. The training cooperation is part of the EY Ripples corporate responsibility program and training is provided on a pro bono basis.

In Finland, the employment of international professionals is lower than in the rest of the population. Especially those with higher education have difficulty finding employment in Finland that corresponds to their education.

“As part of our EY Ripples corporate responsibility program, the job search training fulfils our goal of building a better working world through our skills and experience. Meaningful work increases the well-being of the individual and the family as a whole. It is in the interest of society as a whole that educated professionals find work that matches their skills. For our part, we want to help job seekers, who have moved to Finland for various reasons, to develop their job search skills in line with Finnish practices,” says Katariina Jalas, HR Director for EY Finland.

Job search training will be organised virtually during the spring of 2021, and it is free of charge for the participants. The training will cover different stages of the application process, such as the style and content requirements of the job application and CV in Finland. In one part of the training series, the features of Finnish work culture are introduced. The aim is to give unemployed jobseekers concrete advice to help them improve their position in the job search process.

”We are very grateful that EY is supporting us in improving the job search skills of international professionals in Finland. And as a result, we support international professionals in their path towards employment. The labour market in Finland is undergoing rapid change as the population base and the workforce of the future is becoming increasingly international. There is concrete evidence that companies with diverse workforces perform better. This is why we strongly encourage companies to recruit and evaluate the competence of candidates more open-mindedly,” says Johanna Korpia, CEO for Pointer Potential, a recruitment company focused on international professionals.

EY harnesses the employee’s expertise on corporate social responsibility work

EY Ripples is a global corporate responsibility program that seeks to address some of the challenges identified in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The program is focused on supporting the next generation, working with impact entrepreneurs, and accelerating environmental sustainability. 

As part of the program, EY people volunteer their skills and experiences where they can make the biggest difference. In Finland, EY people can spend 15 hours a year working on company volunteering projects. EY employs about 1,000 people in Finland and almost 300,000 people worldwide.

View recordings of the trainings here.

For more information, please contact

Johanna Korpia, CEO, Pointer Potential, [email protected], tel. +358 400 240 946
Katariina Jalas, EY Country HR Director, Finland, [email protected], tel. +358 40 777 83 26
Lotta Roitto, Head of PR, EY Finland, [email protected], tel. +358 40 747 0871

EY | Building a better working world

EY exists to build a better working world, helping create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets. 

Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate. 

Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

EY refers to the global organisation and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation is available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organisation, please visit ey.com. 

Pointer Potential is Finland´s first recruitment agency focusing solely on supporting Finland based international professionals in finding work.  We are pioneers in the industry since we started operating in March 2020. Our Swedish sister company, Novare Potential, has been operating in Sweden since 2016 and has recruited more than 400 international professionals in Sweden. 

Our mission is to act as a bridge between Finnish companies and Finland based international professionals. We do this by having an ongoing dialogue with Finnish companies concerning their talent needs. Many Finnish companies want to diversify their workforce and put in place concrete diversity & inclusion actions to support company culture and employer branding change.

Our mission is to also support the sustainable development of the Finnish society and in futureproofing the future workforce in Finland. 

More information on Pointer Potential as well as We work – stories of international professionals can be found on http://pointerpotential.fi/

#EYxPointerPotential

If you are an international professional living in Finland, you can register your CV with Pointer Potential here. 

Danny Gilliland was raised in the US where he graduated from Stanford with a mechanical engineering major and has since then worked for tech companies for a decade. He joined his wife in Finland for a work opportunity she received and today Danny works as the head of Growth at HundrED.org.

After graduating from Stanford in California majoring in Mechanical Engineering, I moved an hour north to San Francisco where I worked at technology companies for 10 years. My wife has worked at Supercell for 4.5 years, and 18 months ago we decided to move over to Finland so she could join the headquarters here for a new opportunity.

What has helped you along the way in your professional career in Finland?

It has been very helpful to have a community of expats here that I spend a lot of time with. We can all bond on being similarly out of our comfort zone, and even though we come from many different countries we all have in common that we are in a different place together. In addition, I joined a basketball league that has helped me meet people outside the expat group, make some friends of my own, and have regular times to be social. While these are all personal over professional, I think that has been the greater challenge for me personally in immigrating to Finland. They could potentially help in terms of my professional network if I wanted to change jobs, but that has not happened yet.

What main obstacles have you experienced?

The biggest challenges have been understanding the work culture and also feeling like my options are limited. In terms of the work culture, I have had a hard time parsing between Finnish culture norms in the workplace, the culture of my organisation, and the style of our management team. Over time it has become clear what behaviours are attributable to which sources, but I was very slow to push change by speaking up about the company culture until I understood those things.

My options being limited is partly a function of having a very small professional network here in Finland compared to what I had in the US, and the language barrier. Without being fluent in Finnish I know that my options are limited and mostly constrained to my network. That is both because culturally I would want to work at a more global organisation with more expats, and because I strongly believe in getting jobs through connections for several reasons. So combining those two challenges, it feels that I don’t have a lot of long term career stability in Finland.

What do you see as the main value of international professionals working in Finland?

Getting diverse opinions and experiences from other countries in cultures is always valuable, and Finland is no exception. In that way, international professionals have a lot of value to add to the culture, economy and individual organisations. Meeting people from other places gives us all a more global mindset, and simultaneously shows us that we are more similar than we are different. This gives everyone a better perspective on people, and also opens doors to think about opportunities to grow businesses internationally. I have seen this personally in the work principles and global opportunities I have contributed to my workplace.

How would you comment on the language matter, how has the languages you speak helped you?

I am very fortunate in that my native language is English because English proficiency is so high in Finland. I have picked up some basic Finnish words and can understand some of what is said in Finnish, but I have no ability to speak it. This has not been an issue for me in work or life most of the time aside from some legal documents and healthcare services. However per my earlier comments, it does decrease my career options here. Additionally, it is socially difficult to build a broader social circle and integrate more closely with Finnish society.

What is your message to international job seekers in Finland?

Continue to pursue opportunities here in spite of the obstacles. It can be challenging to break into the market, but like anywhere you will slowly build your professional relationships and connections that will continue to help you in the future. It is an amazing society and place to build a life, so it’s well worth the effort!

What is your message to companies employing people in Finland? Why is diversity important in your opinion?

In most developed countries, natural-born populations are flat or slightly declining, so both from a national population perspective and global economic perspective it is vital for immigration to increase. Furthermore, diversity of backgrounds and experiences effectively mixing producing the best results for businesses and for humanity, and the only way to do that is by encouraging immigration. Governments control this to a significant extent of course, but business can also create immigrant-friendly hiring, training, and integration policies to attract international talent and ease their transition into a new culture.

It is only by mixing global perspectives and people that we will solve the current global challenges together.

#WeWorkFinland

If you are an international professional living in Finland, you can register your CV with Pointer Potential here.

More than 400 000 people with an international background live in Finland. In Helsinki alone, every sixth person has a background other than Finnish. The We Work-series shares glimpses of the real-life stories of international professionals living and working in Finland.

Shaima Abdelmageed is originally from Sudan but she was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. Shaima came to Finland to study for a Master’s degree and 10 years on, she has been living in Finland for a decade and is now a Finnish citizen. Shaima works as Business Solutions Manager at Auga Technologies.

Tell us the story of how you ended up in Finland?

I have always been self-driven, motivated by my own hopes and dreams, and pragmatic beyond my years. Maintaining any of these traits has led to an interesting journey and got me to where I am today. I came to Finland in 2010 to study for a Master of Telecommunications Engineering at the University of Vaasa. I graduated 2 years later and had been working for a month by that time. I focused on work for the first 3 years; to prove to my employer that they had made the right choice. After my first promotion to the Product Manager role, I switched to part-time work to dedicate more of my focus to my research. The decision was not easy to make, especially because I love my job and enjoy working with my team to find solutions to our customers’ problems. It was however also the best decision because it allowed me to conclude my research and obtain my doctorate degree from the University of Vaasa.

As I started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, I decided to begin another challenge, executive MBA at Hanken, which I completed earlier this year. I now work at the same company as a business solutions manager with a complete profile of a technology leader, ready to take on any future challenges.

What has helped you along the way in your professional career in Finland?

I think it was mainly networking that helped get me noticed. I like meeting new people at a professional capacity, and I have had many vibrant discussions at job-fairs and professional mingling events. I rarely shy away from standing out in person or in writing (i.e. cover letters) and that made me memorable – so I used every chance I got to go to an interview, I have had 3 in total before I landed my first job in Finland. And 8 years and two promotions later, I am still working for the same company.

What main obstacles have you experienced?

I’d say the biggest obstacle was getting the attention of the employer; because once you do, it goes down to skills and capabilities. There is a massive amount of CV:s sent every day, and the challenge is to make the recruiter pick up yours with the interest to know more.

Another hurdle can be your mindset. It might lead you to take rejection personally. It is important to realise, that not being invited to an interview or not being selected to the next round is not personal and most importantly, it is not a testament to your ability to land another job in the future. The right candidate is not always the one that meets the required skills and capabilities, there is also the question of being fit for the company’s culture, sharing the same values, and sometimes being enthusiastic about the company’s mission.

What do you see as the main value of international professionals working in Finland?

Stronger together is not an overused cliché anymore – we are in fact stronger when we group our efforts and focus on the same goal. Think about rebuilding the economy after COVID-19, and how fast that could be achieved if we infuse international talents into the workforce in Finland? The potential is limitless!

It is like dipping your toes in an endless pool because borders will no longer define the limits. It is a tool to maximise talent utilisation and boost the Finnish economy with all that it needs, not just to bounce back but to succeed in the rear lights of COVID-19. With the imported talent, Finland can bring back production to the homeland, cover the shortage in medical staff, end the dilemma of seasonal work, accelerate growth and start exporting again.

How would you comment on the language matter, how has the languages you speak helped you?

In my field of Information Technology, English is the main language. Being fluent in English has helped me a lot, it is very appreciated when it is the only common language. I only needed to learn Swedish to bond with my colleagues and perhaps get some of the jokes exchanged over lunch.

What is your message to international job seekers in Finland?

I have a few tips to the international job seekers, although it usually comes down to adopting a positive and healthy attitude.

– Optimise your CV to be concise and to the point, no one really needs more than one page.  Always write a cover letter, not to elaborate on your CV, but to tell more about yourself and why you are the right fit for the job – think of this as answering the question; tell me more about yourself and why should we hire you? Do not be afraid to stand out in your letter, this is your chance to shine!

– Train yourself to accept rejection, because it will happen. When it does, see if you can get the reasons behind it so you can work on them.

– Be authentic to who you are as a person, it will show if you are not. Remember that adapting to a new culture does not mean replacing your own.

– Do not just apply to any job, try to have a plan as to where you want to be in 2, 5, and 10 years from now. Then decide what role would fit in that journey, because if all your steps are in the right direction, you will get there eventually. Be selective!

What is your message to companies employing people in Finland? Why is diversity important in your opinion?

If you are wondering whether introducing diversity into your company would compromise the company’s culture, you got it wrong! Your company’s culture has nothing to do with where the employees come from, but rather where you as a company belong. Accepting and embracing diversity is your first step towards unlocking the limitless potentials of that endless talent pool.

Diversity is our way to ensure equality & equity; making sure that applicants are given a fair chance at a position regardless of your gender, ethnicity, and persuasion. Screening only for skills & capabilities and being fit for the company’s culture to give the world a chance to come together as one.

I have discussed the concept of the world as one human body in an article titled “Once upon a time… Life!“, which I have quoted here above as well.

#WeWorkFinland

If you are an international professional living in Finland, you can register your CV with Pointer Potential here.

More than 400 000 people with an international background live in Finland. In Helsinki alone, every sixth person has a background other than Finnish. The We Work-series shares glimpses of the real-life stories of international professionals living and working in Finland.

Siamäk Naghian came to Finland from Iran to continue his studies. With dedication and a great effort, he did just that and graduated with a Master’s degree of Science in Engineering, Licentiate of Science in Engineering and a Doctor’s degree of Science in Technology all from what is today known as Aalto University. When Siamäk jumped on the adventure and moved to Finland back in 1986 he had no idea that he would end up becoming the CEO of a Finnish company – Genelec. What’s more, Siamäk was named the Enterprise Executive of the year in 2018.

How did you end up in Finland?

Moving to Finland was rather accidental for me. In 1985 I moved from Iran to Ankara, Turkey, where I had passed the entrance exam of the Middle East Technical University. However, I had also applied to other universities, including in Finland. I had no idea about Finland at that time, more than what I had read and heard from a couple of students. Surprisingly, the first university admission I received was from Finland. So, I just picked up my bag and came to Finland, a totally unknown place for me. I was enthusiastically looking forward to my adventure I had just stepped into.

What has helped you along the way in your professional career in Finland?

My purpose, determination and attitude formed the starting point. I had a purpose and clear goal before coming here and this helped me tune my expectations. I didn’t expect anything else than studying and working or vice versa. In addition, I have learned that resilience helps a lot in life. I am interested in people and in different cultures. So, starting with almost a non-existing network in Finland, I got more and more friends gradually. Learning the Finnish language was not a question for me because, first, I like to learn languages, second, I see language as the bridge to learn a new society, its people and culture. Later, I also learned that Finnish society, its values, Finnish sauna, nature and culture just fit my mindset and mentality. The help and acceptance I have received from Finns have been the most important success factor in my studies, professional career and life in general in Finland.

What main obstacles have you experienced?

I am not someone who looks for obstacles. I believe that in all circumstances we have options. You can always find obstacles if you want, as there is no perfect world anywhere. Of course, starting a life in a new society without any network and support, and without knowing the language – is not an easy task. The lives of foreign students in Finland in the 1980s was very limited and there were not many foreigners here at that time. However, the good part was that I had the opportunity to live with Finns, learn the language and culture and become part of this society.

What do you see as the main value of international professionals working in Finland?

I have seen the value of international professionals when working at Nokia in the 90s. It was an amazing era enabled by mobile and cellular technologies. The company grew exponentially within a relatively short time and became an international market leader globally. Even so, the company maintained strong operations in Finland and without a suitable global mindset and international professionals, the phenomenal global leadership in emerging technologies would not have been possible.

I see diversity as enriching if mutually understood and if expectations and responsibilities are dealt with properly. While diversity is the source of creativity, the right mindset and cultural competencies are essential for those companies which intend to operate globally. Taking into account the recent development in Finland and different industries it seems rather a must to attract international professionals. Those who have realised it and prepare for it, will have a better chance to survive in the future.

How would you comment on the language matter, how has the languages you speak helped you?

For me, it is sad to hear that this is often a question in some social conversations in Finland. If one wants to live in a new society, learning the language is almost a must. I see it as a unique opportunity for international professionals to expand their mind by learning the Finnish language and culture. When you start diving into the inner layers of Finnish society and culture, you will realise the beauty and uniqueness of it. I hope that as many societies as possible around the world, will learn to follow the equality, transparency, trustful atmosphere, and the right and freedom to be “yourself”, social justice and so on, practised in Finland and the Nordic countries. Without learning languages, one will lose out to feel all these which is a pity – such a lost opportunity.

What is your message to international job seekers in Finland?

Whether moving to a new society to study, work or just live one has to be well-aware of his/her purpose and expectations. You have to tune your expectations to be realistic. You should also keep in mind that your own attitude matters 99,99% as you will build everything else on top of that. Whatever your purpose is such a journey is about starting to build a new identity. Unfortunately, too often this is ignored. The more you are aware of that, the more open your mind will be to building a happy life in your new home.

“You are a treasure, if the gems are your aim.
No more than a grain, if a loaf is your claim!
Recall this secret, when you play this game:
Whatever you pursued- is what you became!”
(Rumi (1207 – 1273)

The best thing you can gain in Finland is the opportunity to be yourself. Unfortunately, I think that there are not many places in the world you can get such a wonderful advantage – the most important gift for a human being. In return, one should also be ready to contribute to this society to make it even better for the generations to come.

What is your message to companies employing people in Finland? Why is diversity important in your opinion?

In the current world, also societies operating mainly domestically need to understand global codes of success. This calls for multi-cultural thinking and cultural competencies. Any business is a human to human business and therefore creating a diverse mindset and culture in the organisation is a must to succeed in the future. Creating that may require jumping to an uncertain, perhaps uncomfortable, zone. However, that is where the opportunities lie as well. Diversity is a social, cultural, and mindset journey so you have to live through it to gain a deeper level. Employing people already in Finland would minimise the risk of such a journey.

However, please don’t advice your employee that she/he doesn’t need to learn the Finnish language since almost everyone speaks English here. This is a “karhunpalvelus” as we say in Finnish, a disservice to the person. Working to include everyone in building our society is the benefit of every one living in this society now and in the future.

Though people are different, respect, transparency and authenticity work for everyone universally, so please don’t waste the pool of talented international professionals available already in Finland!

#WeWorkFinland

If you are an international professional living in Finland, you can register your CV with Pointer Potential here.

More than 400 000 people with an international background live in Finland. In Helsinki alone, every sixth person has a background other than Finnish. The We Work-series shares glimpses of the real-life stories of international professionals living and working in Finland.

Mohamad Hameesh comes from Syria where he studied and worked as an electrical engineer. Mohamad fled the war in his home country and ended up in Finland after a few pit stops. Today Mohamad works as a mechanic at Hilti.

How did you end up in Finland?

I graduated a mechatronics engineer from the Al-Baath University and started working as an electrical engineer at a gas factory in my hometown. When the war destroyed my life in Syria, I had to flee with my wife and son to Turkey. We tried to settle there but couldn’t so we decided to try our luck in Greece and set off on the most dangerous journeys of our lives. We arrived in Greece in an inflatable boat and after roughly one year in Greece, Unicef guided us to Finland as refugees and that’s how we ended up here.

How did you start to set up your life and your professional career in Finland?

At the time we arrived, I really did not know anything about Finland, I only knew Nokia is from Finland. We arrived in Lappeenranta in knee-deep snow with our summer wear and me and my wife really did not know what to make of what is to come. Adapting to Finnish life was hard. Knowing English helped a lot to deal with people here since everyone speaks English. I started to learn Finnish in a few courses but found it very hard. I wanted to find a job and started applying but without Finnish language skills, it was not easy. After 6 months, we decided to move to Helsinki, since we thought that maybe I could find a job in Helsinki where Finnish is not a requirement. We just really wanted to come back to a normal life.

The TE services and some friends then told me about an Integration Program called Business Lead that Hanken & SSE was running. As a part of the programme was an internship so I decided to apply. Through the programme, I got my internship at Hilti, the best company in the world. After 3 months I was offered my first job contract in Finland, and words can not express how happy I was. It was my dream to continue to work at Hilti.

What main obstacles have you experienced?

People told me over and over again how difficult it was going to be for me to find a job without knowing Finnish. This became frustrating as I really wanted to find an opportunity where I could prove myself useful. The language was the main reason why we moved to Helsinki and even in Helsinki the situation was not that easy.

What is your message to international job seekers in Finland?

My message is to never give up. It is that simple. When it comes to the language, you do need some Finnish to be able to communicate with people, this is the same as in every country. It is, of course, easier if you at least speak fluent English, but the Finnish language is perhaps the easiest and fastest way to work in Finland.

What is your message to companies employing people in Finland? Why is diversity important in your opinion?

In my opinion diversity and different cultures is so important at workplaces. We need the exchange of experiences, the diversity of skills and mixing working cultures to gain a deeper understanding of each other. All this leads a company to success in my view. In Hilti, there are many different cultures represented since it is a global company. This has helped me a lot and made it easy to adapt and work here, and also my co-workers help me a lot.

#WeWorkFinland

If you are an international professional living in Finland, you can register your CV with Pointer Potential here.

More than 400 000 people with an international background live in Finland. In Helsinki alone, every sixth person has a background other than Finnish. The We Work-series shares glimpses of the real-life stories of international professionals living and working in Finland.