From Azerbaijan to Oulu: A Tale of Professional Growth

Könül Ahmadzada from Azerbaijan is studying at the University of Oulu in Education and Globalization Master´s Program. During summer 2024 Könül completed an additional 3 months internship at The ELY Centre for Northern Ostrobothnia.

During her internship period Könül worked with issues related to internation recruitments. Particularly on how to improve internation recruitment. The theme is relevant for Könül due to her own background as an international expert and is also connected to her thesis work. Doing internship at ELY gave an opportunity to learn and do research about Finnish companies and their attitudes of hiring international talent. Internship at ELY gave Könül the opportunity to experience civil servant´s perspective in everyday working life and also the chance to learn about administrative processes.

The answers Könül was looking for were – how to work in a Finish society and be more confident in Finnish workplaces. During her internship period Könül learned to become more used to Finnish professional mindset which will help in future job hunting. Könül appreciated the friendly behavior she encountered at ELY. In Baku she could not imagine calling the supervisor by his or her first name. At ELY she experienced friendly relations and discussions with her supervisor Hanna. Könül also learned that working time is for work. Lunchtimes and breaks are for other discussions. Könül also experienced that solving problems is not just your responsibility. The team is there to help. “Teammates were the best. For example, they encouraged me to try biking and now I am biking every day”, Könül shares.

The advices Könül wants to give to students looking for internship possibilities are: “More networking. Be proactive. Apply, apply and apply. You will receive many rejections. Tomorrow is always a new day. Keeping a positive attitude is important. Eventually the right placement will come around. Also ask for help from the Career Center with cover letters and improving your CV.”

Hanna Määttä at The ELY Centre for Northern Ostrobothnia was supervising the internship. “This experience was the first time having a non-Finnish person working in our team. In the beginning we wondered if everyone was comfortable using English as working language”, Hanna comments. As it turned out, things worked out really well! Könül was a good fit for the team. On top of the actual work, Könül also gained a lot of cultural knowledge during unofficial conversations, like coffee breaks.

Hanna wants to encourage employers, also state actors, to try hiring an international intern. She also wants to encourage employers to think about the level of Finnish needed. If the work does require Finnish knowledge, consider and find out the level which is really needed. “In the case of Könül, there were not a lot of cultural differences. And does religion for example really matter, as religion and politics are not discussed at work”, Hanna continues.

Hiring an international intern offers an easy path to try out working with international talent. Usually there is support offered from the sending organization. Hanna continues sharing: “When planning the internship, think about how to make the person feel welcome. Plan a support system. In our case we agreed together that someone is always present at the office, which is not the case usually. This we wanted to do so that Könül would not feel lonely. Make sure the international person knows practical things like days off. Pay attention to little things.”

For this internship placement ELY received way over 100 applications. The advice Hanna wants to give to students applying for internships: “Pay attention to the CV and the cover letter. Ask for help. You have to be able to market yourself in one page. Pay attention to how you answer to the requirements. How would you fit into this position and this organization?”

Please click here to read a blog written by ELY Centre’s international trainee Kӧnül Ahmadzada.

https://pohjoispohjanmaanely.blog/2024/09/16/interest-in-hiring-international-employees-exists-but-support-needed/