”Alumni sharing their career story really inspires me”

A group mentoring event was organised on 13 November for the second time at the School of Business, where the School’s alumni and students were invited to discuss work life, careers and studies. In the event, the students had the opportunity to discuss in small groups with the School’s alumni, representing various positions in the work life. The skills needed in the work life and developing one’s own expertise were emphasized in the discussions.

'Group mentoring was a great opportunity to meet both alumni and other students – the discussion was versatile because of our different backgrounds. Other students asked many relevant questions I didn’t even think of,' says Emma Hänninen, a Master’s student in Management and International Business.

'The group mentoring event was launched last spring at the School of Business and we found that the concept worked well – we received lots of good feedback both from students and alumni. We want to invest in different career events, which support our students and their employment,' says Senior Manager Tanja Makkonen from the School of Business Career Services.

”This was one of the most wonderful career event that I have been in”

Many of the foreign students at the School of Business often struggle with familiarizing themselves with the Finnish working culture and integration. Getting the support from the School’s foreign alumni, who have once been in the same situation as them, can motivate foreign students in many ways. 'This was one of the most wonderful career event that I have been in,' says Huahua Zhang, a Master’s student in Accounting, who took part in the event.

'I discussed with alumna Jie Ren, whose major and country background are same with mine. It is really hard for a foreign student to get this perfect match in career mentoring. What's more, Jiewas very friendly and warm. She shared her career story and job-hunting experience in every detail, which is not only very helpful for me but also inspires me greatly,' Zhang continues.

'As an alumna of the School of Business I was excited when I was invited to mentor current students about career opportunities in the professional service industry. The event was a great way to share my learnings with a small group of students in a relaxed and open atmosphere. We discussed for example career opportunities and work life in the professional services industry, how to land the first job and how to prepare for case interviews,' tells alumni Elina Järvinen.

'We are lucky when we have so active alumni at the School, who gladly participate in our career events – our students appreciate these opportunities, where they can get advice from the School’s alumni,' says Emilia Nevalainen, the School of Business Alumni Relations Manager.

The alumni participants:
Elina Järvinen, Reddal (MIB/Strategy)
Mikko Luhtava, Vainu (Marketing)
Melina Pinomaa, Betolar (Creative Sustainability)
Jie Ren, KPMG (Accounting)
Robert Wuorila-Stenberg, Bonava (IDBM)

Further information:
Tanja Makkonen
Senior Manager, Career Services
tanja.makkonen@aalto.fi

Emilia Nevalainen
Alumni Relations Manager
emilia.m.nevalainen@aalto.fi