Hello! My name is Najwa. My professional and academic journey has been chequered. I completed my bachelor’s in technology in India, pivoted to social sciences, and pursued a master’s in urban policy. I completed my thesis in Finland, then spent 6 months job hunting. Following this, I began a second master’s in Helsinki in Urban Studies and Planning, took a maternity break, and eventually decided to gain some work experience before resuming my studies. Although I managed to secure various gigs during this period, I found it challenging to land the specific kind of job I was striving for—one focused on community building, integration, and policy. My goal has always been to contribute meaningfully and make a tangible impact through my work, but that ideal position remained ever elusive. Words of doom – “Doing a second master’s in Finland need not necessarily translate to a job in Finland” – played in a loop in my head.
It was at this crossroads that I came across Think Africa’s mentorship programme, Think Career. Although I tried to remain positive, I wasn’t particularly upbeat, given how my trajectory hadn’t yielded a clear result. Despite my reservations, I decided to give the mentorship programme a chance, motivated by the hope that it might provide the guidance I needed to navigate my uncertain path. It did not help that I did not get a suitable mentor for that period. But the application experience also paved the way for me to learn some indelible lessons during the pairing and matching process. I learnt how I ought to refine my pitch and convey succinctly what exactly I am aiming for given my academic background and experience. At that stage, Sofia, the Project Coordinator of Think Career gave me inputs on how to enhance my presentation and finetune my pitch. She emphasised the importance of clearly articulating what I want and need from a mentor. Without communicating that, it’s unlikely anyone will be able to meet my needs.”
By the time the next mentorship round came around, I was prepared. And, as if rightly so, I got paired with Saida Mäki-Penttilä who coincidentally I was familiar with! As a Senior Planning Officer at THL and a Community Coordinator, I first came across Saida through her efforts in Good Hair Day. I was elated to have her as my mentor because her credentials and her commitment to meaningful community engagement aligned perfectly with my own values and principles.
(Najwa (on the left) with her mentor Saida Mäki-Penttilä after one of their mentorship sessions)
Participating in a mentorship programme for the first time, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was grateful to have someone to review my applications and provide feedback. Over time, I came to realize that mentorship encompasses much more than just reviewing documents. A mentor proxies for an accountability partner – you ensure that you follow through your applications diligently with regular check-ins. I have created with my mentor a spreadsheet of suitable openings where I list personal deadlines, contact persons and information related to the posting. The data is then colour coded based on whether it is undergoing processing, rejected or I have advanced to the next round.
Because as mentees, we are so fixated with the objective of landing a job, we often forget to appreciate our small wins and look back at how far we have come. Having a mentor is also like your own cheerleader within the professional landscape. Talking with a mentor and receiving their kind words is validating and makes you appreciate yourself even more amidst the gruelling job hunt which can take a toll on you over time. I remember when I colour coded my sheet to mark as red those applications where I did not progress after the interview, Saida pointed out that each conversion of an application to an interview is a small win and to colour code it as green. It would seem trivial but each time I view my spreadsheet now, I can see my “green” modest achievements, motivating me to persevere.
The Finnish phrase “Saada jalka oven väliin” (to get one’s foot through the door) has intrigued me. It’s often said that the Finnish labour market is challenging to break into, making it all the more significant to secure that initial entry. Networking has been touted as the means to get through this elusive door. But a myriad of questions loom over job hunters – how to effectively network with tangible results, are the connections merely superficial, how to enter the circles when as an immigrant you already have inequitable access. When my mentor offered to arrange coffee meetings with professionals in my industry whom she personally knows, I was immediately reminded of that Finnish saying. As a first-time mentee, I didn’t realize that such opportunities were part of the mentorship experience, and I am incredibly grateful for the doors she’s opening for me.
There are numerous programmes and seminars in the integration industry aimed at international job seekers. I have attended many of them, often with questions about how to enhance my job-seeking journey. However, I have often wondered if the organizers truly have their ear to the ground, as the advice and strategies sometimes seem redundant, repetitive, and occasionally even conflicting. However Joppe Quaedvlieg’s Activation through Self-Leadership workshop organized under Think Career was thought-provoking because he did not try to give us responses to our questions. Instead, he guided us to ask ourselves the right questions and unearth the solutions by ourselves. He emphasized, “You all have the answers but you just have to ask the right questions”. This approach was perhaps exactly what we needed to recalibrate ourselves in the challenging process of job hunting.
The job seeking cycle is vicious – You aim high to start off with but over time you minimize your targets and shrink your expectations with each rejection or cold shoulder. Having a great mentor by your side is the validation that we all need when it can seem daunting. As a mentee or job seeker, I now come from a place where I am much more confident about my job hunt, feel good about the whole process and believe in myself. At this point, I would definitely say that a mentorship programme with a great organizing team and a supportive mentor is a huge support system for immigrant job seekers. And I would undoubtedly say that Think Africa’s mentorship programme, Think Career, has been just that for me.
(Closing event of Round 1 of Think Career 2023. Photo by Juke Luoma)
