#MetsoOutotecSummer – Vilma Vaaheranta

My name is Vilma Vaaheranta and I´m originally from Rauma, Finland. After finishing high school, I didn’t know what I would like to study next, so I took one year off and did some varied work. I was still a little unsure of my future plans after the year but decided to apply for International Business studies. I was selected and later graduated as a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2018. During my studies, we had a couple of HR courses and I became very interested in the subject. Therefore, after graduation, I applied for a job as an HR Coordinator and got the job. After almost two years I wanted to deepen my theoretical knowledge and started my current studies in a two-year Master´s program called Strategic Human Resources Management and Labor Relations at the University of Gothenburg.

In our Master’s program, we have a possibility to do an internship. I figured it would be a great possibility and applied for Metso Outotec in the beginning of 2021. The position I applied for was a basic summer trainee position but I´m grateful that the company was willing to offer me two months full-time internship starting from April already before the summer. So, my career at Metso Outotec started in the beginning of April as an HR Intern and continued three more months until the end of August as Human Resources Summer Trainee at Tampere office. I believe this was a win-win situation for both parties since there was a lot of work due to about 180 summer trainees starting, who needed to be hired, and for me to find both an internship and a summer job.

First of all, I chose to apply for Metso Outotec since the company strongly highlights sustainability which is an extremely important value for me.  Additionally, the company is a global, listed company that enables countless career development possibilities. My university studies have been in English, and my classmates are from different backgrounds, which I value, so I really hoped to find a job in a truly international and diverse company. The tasks described in the job announcement sounded interesting and varied, and our conversations during the interview strengthened my willingness to join the company.

The best things during the summer have been the variety of tasks and the people I have worked with. I have gotten an opportunity to work with different HR teams (HR Finland, HR Finland Payroll and Talent & Development Europe) and additionally with managers and summer trainees all over Finland. I have worked both at the office and at home, which has been a very suitable combo for me. My tasks included for example entering summer trainees’ information into our HR system and communicating, supporting and guiding managers and trainees throughout the summer. I have also been planning and executing onboarding- and summer trainee events, creating and translating instructions, making contracts and certificates and much more.

I have really enjoyed the combination of freedom and responsibility I was given from the beginning. All the co-workers treated me as an equal team member from day one and wanted me to participate and share my opinions. They all have always been very supportive, trustful and helpful.

The summer has been very educational, and I truly believe my learnings will be very useful both during my studies and later in working life. In addition to the several HR-related learnings, I have for example learned to use new programs, gotten to know inspiring professionals, improved my prioritizing, communication and presenting skills and figured out a bit more what kind of work I want to do after graduation.

Due to my tight study schedule, unfortunately, I cannot continue as a part-time trainee, but I really hope I could do my master´s thesis for Metso Outotec next spring and after that, continue working here.

I hope all the other summer trainees have had similar positive experiences of working at Metso Outotec. And I believe they have, based on the conversations I have had with them. Additionally, many trainees will continue working alongside studies. Many trainees have also already worked several summers at Metso Outotec. For all the potential future candidates, I can warmly recommend Metso Outotec as an employer; my expectations were highly exceeded! Metso Outotec offers widely different career opportunities, so don’t hesitate to apply!

I´m extremely thankful for these five months for all the people I worked with and hope this is not a goodbye but until we meet again!