'It was insightful to hear alumni’s tips and their own experiences related to work and studies'

Last year, for the first time, the event was organized remotely on the Zoom platform and this year, the event format was the same. In the beginning of event, Jonna Söderholm, Head of External Relations at the School of Business, welcomed the new master's students to the School of Business community, and spoke about our School's diverse range of career services and alumni activities.

Milla Saari, a representative of our School's partner company Konecranes, gave a presentation on skills needed in working life. She highlighted critical thinking, creativity, complex problem solving, emotional intelligence and service orientation as important skills for the future. In planning and finding one’s own career path, Saari placed particular emphasis on creative thinking, networking, and social skills, as well as lifelong learning.

The relaxed and down-to-earth conversations convinced the students

After the presentations, the students were divided according to their master’s programmes into their own discussion groups, where alumni of the same programme led discussions related to studies, career and working life. The alumni’s presence as well as their encouraging tips and experiences received much praise from the students.

‘It was really good to get to hear about different job opportunities and career paths during master's studies and after them. It was really inspirational.’ says one student in her feedback. ‘Getting hands-on type of information from a person who has gone through the same experiences as us, was highly valuable.’ another student says.

In particular, the relaxedness of conversations with alumni was positively highlighted in many student’s feedback. ‘It was amazing how down-to-earth the event was,’ one student praises. ‘It was nice to have a conversation with the alumni in such a relaxed atmosphere.’

Alumni shared their lessons from working life as well as tips for gaining work experience

According to Mia Arola, an alumna of Management and International business programme of the School of Business, the discussion topics in their group were especially related to finding internships, important lessons from studies, and working life skills. ‘The students were particularly interested to know what kind of experiences had led us alumni to our current work positions, and in which companies it would be worth accumulating early career experiences,’ says Arola, who works at Nordea in business and product development.

In terms of career choices, Arola, along with another management alumnus, encouraged students to follow their own interests and curiosity: ‘A meaningful job is always a two-way relationship that depends on the compatibility between the employer and the employee.’

In addition to sharing study and career experiences, the group discussion broke myths about traditional networking. ‘The other management alumnus advised students to be a ‘good person’ to all the people one might meet. For my part, I encouraged students to be present and curious in every conversation – you never know what doors a conversation at the lecture hall entrance may open for you in the future!’ Arola encourages.

Tanja Makkonen, Senior Manager of Career Services at the School of Business, is pleased with the excellent feedback of the event given by the student participants. ‘We are definitely going to organize this event in the coming years as well, as there is clearly a demand for it among students. Networking with the alumni of our School is valuable from the very beginning of the studies, and from the alumni discussions, students may form new, inspirational career aspirations.’

Career events and sustainable career design

We organize many career events at the School of Business every year, such as group mentoring sessions. All career events can be found in the Events section of JobTeaser (login in with Aalto account). In addition, Aalto University's new Career Design Lab helps both students and alumni shape meaningful and sustainable careers based on the values ​​of equality, sustainability, and well-being. Workshops for alumni can be found at Aalto Alumni Circle (registration required).

More information:

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

Fiona Jokivuolle
Coordinator, Alumni Relations
fiona.jokivuolle@aalto.fi