Alumna Göksu Sarigöl: My internship prepared me for the next chapter of my professional life

Who are you? What and when did you study at Aalto University School of Business?

I’m Göksu Sarıgöl. I studied Economics as my major, and Strategy and Experience Design (ITP Program) as my minor when completing the Master’s degree during the years 2014 – 2017.

You did your internship at Kwork Innovations through the School of Business Internship Programme for foreign students. How beneficial was this internship for you?

Often it is hard for the students who do not use Finnish as a professional language to find a job in Finland. Although I had three years of Finance Specialist experience from abroad, it was vital for me to have experience in Finland too. I was lucky that the School of Business Career Services helped me in this part of my career. During my studies at Aalto, I have learned that it is more beneficial for me to combine skills, so I decided to bring my business and design skills into the game during my internship at Kwork Innovations.

I have learned so much during my internship, not only about the work itself but also about Finnish work culture. The learnings I gathered during the internship benefited me to a great degree in my latter position. It prepared me for the next chapter of my professional life.

How has your career developed since the internship?

Shortly after my internship at Kwork Innovations, I was offered a position at Bonusway Oy. Since 2016, I have been working as a Content and Campaign Manager, where I use both my business and design skills.

I now execute the learnings from Kwork Innovations in my current position, including digital marketing, UI/UX design and content management. I would say the internship showed me that it is possible to do what you love and love what you do, because you improve so much if you are interested in the job you do, and opportunities are waiting for you.

What is your advice for current foreign students related to job hunting in Finland?

We have to accept that the Finnish job market is a small market where not everyone is able to get the dream job. If you move in the right direction, I do believe that it is possible. I think being proactive is the most crucial aspect of job hunting.

Networking works quite well during the hiring process; thus, I recommend international students to join as many activities as possible, e.g. Aalto Talent Expo and Summer Job Day are good starting points. Companies organize workshops, case competitions, and networking events, and it would be beneficial for the foreign students if they could join such gatherings.

Aalto has unlimited opportunities with various scopes, from seminars or talks to multidisciplinary classes. I highly recommend ITP (Information Technology Program), where the students get the chance to help the companies with their challenging cases. In short, being open to every opportunity is rewarding in real life!

What has been important or useful during your studies with regard to employment?

The highlight of my studies was taking multidisciplinary courses during my studies. I have taken ITP, i2P, ME310, and Opportunity Prototyping, where I got the chance to meet various students from different degrees across Aalto. We have built an accessible kitchen for elderly people for Lapeyre, we have prototyped a web service for Export Finland, and we have brainstormed a digital service for Visit Finland. In these projects, I believe I have used both my business and design skills as well as learned different skills from other students.

What would you do differently in your studies?

I believe I have done most of the things I would have wanted to do. I have completed my degree, got new skills, joined many student associations. I wish I had more time to be a student at Aalto because I genuinely enjoyed the opportunities that Aalto can give to its students.

However, it is hard for non-EU students to continue their studies where you have to get a residence permit every year by showing a fixed amount of funding. It was time for me to leave being a student and become a full-time employee, but luckily, as an alumna, I can still attend the events Aalto provides and continue learning!

Further information:

Get to know Göksu’s career path more closely on LinkedIn!