Hanna Reinikainen, Career Counsellor at the University of Eastern Finland, helps students perceive their future opportunities, make decisions and find their path. Her work is like a compass on a journey with many routes – and sometimes also a direction in search.
Career counselling and guidance is about thinking about the future and planning your life. In Hanna Reinikainen’s experience, many students arrive at counselling unsure of their possibilities. The first step is to make the alternatives visible and evaluate them.
“Together, we will consider what is possible in the short or long term, how to choose between different options and whether something needs to be given up.”
Finnish students often struggle with decision-making – there are many options, and the choice may seem difficult. On the other hand, international students face their own challenges, as they have already had to make big decisions when moving to a new country to study.
“They often think about how to find work, how to network and how Finnish working life works”, Hanna describes.
Counselling with an open mind and listening
Career counselling and guidance can be concrete job-seeking advice or broader reflection on life's direction. Sometimes, one meeting is enough, and sometimes, more is needed.
“I can give the student homework that helps structure thoughts and goals. If it turns out that the field does not feel right, we will consider together what else could be done or what additional studies would be needed.”
Career counselling is, above all, encounters and listening. The most important thing is to stop at the student's questions and give space for reflection.
“It is not therapy or job placement, but discussion and perspective”, Hanna sums up.
Career counselling focuses on issues different from PSP guidance and the support provided by a study psychologist. PSP guidance focuses on planning studies, whereas career counselling looks further – at what happens after the studies. Study-related problems are usually discussed with the study psychologist, and solutions are sought, for example, through different study techniques.
Career counselling starts with us stopping with the student. Listening is my most important tool – new opportunities emerge when I give space to a student's thoughts.
Hanna Reinikainen
Career Counsellor at the University of Eastern Finland
Who benefits from career counselling?
Career counselling and guidance are intended for all undergraduate students from the first year until the year after graduation. Many first-year students wonder if the right field was chosen. Those on the verge of graduation may feel that their education only leads to certain professions, even though they are not attractive.
On the other hand, international students often wonder how their previous education and work experience could work in the Finnish labour market.
“The degree is only one part of the whole. Students must stand out from the crowd and find a way to use their background.”
Career counselling can change a student's perspective and strengthen the feeling that their choices are right.
“When the goal becomes more explicit, it is easier to make smaller decisions in everyday life that lead towards the goal.”
Employers also benefit from the results of career counselling. With the help of counselling, students learn to apply for jobs that they can commit to. Students can clearly explain what they know and what they have to offer the employer.
“We guide students to invest in quality in their job search and to apply for jobs whose goals they are prepared to promote through their work. This way, employers get motivated and suitable applicants.”
At the core of all Hanna's work is encounter.
“Career counselling starts with us stopping with the student. Listening is my most important tool – new opportunities emerge when I give space to a student's thoughts.”
New kinds of collaboration to improve the employment of international students
The challenges international students face in the Finnish labour market have been identified, and solutions are actively sought. The team of study and career counsellors from the Talent Hub Eastern Finland network aims to develop study paths for international talents to improve their position in the labour market. This may mean, for example, additional studies that support employment or entrepreneurship training.
Talent Hub Eastern Finland is a cooperation network of the University of Eastern Finland, Karelia, Savonia, Riveria, Sakky and YSAO. The aim is for international students arriving in Eastern Finland to find their place, secure employment, and integrate into the region. The project is co-funded by the European Union. You can read more about it on our website.
