Arunima's journey in Finland

Today, we're thrilled to share the story and insights from one of the participants of the Vaasa International Talents programme Round 4.

Meet Arunima Samarasinghe! Originally from Sri Lanka, Arunima embarked on her journey to Finland with a thirst for new knowledge in her field and professional growth.

Arunima is pursuing her academic Master in Smart Energy at the University of Vaasa, where she is experiencing a new way of learning—more flexible and less memory-based compared to her previous studies, she explains.

Finding her first job in Finland

Arunima is currently working at ABB as master thesis worker. She started at ABB last summer as trainee in the Digital Systems Solutions Unit. She stumbled upon this opportunity thanks to her active participation as student. Attending a job fair where ABB was present, she heard about their opportunities, applied, and aced her first interview in Finland. In her role as trainee she was contributing to a technical team with relay configuration, preparing training materials and technical documentation. Currently, Arunima is writing her master thesis for ABB.

Her cultural and professional insights

Reflecting on her journey, Arunima highlights from Finnish working culture its communication style. She mentions the direct and concise communication in emails – the way of writing "only about the important stuff". She also emphasizes teamwork, autonomy, and support within her multicultural team at ABB. "They give you space to do your job, not strict instructions", she concludes.

The Vaasa International Talents programme experience

The Vaasa International Talents programme served as a light to what she was experiencing in Finland. "In the Vaasa International Talents sessions where we discussed the Finnish working culture, I got to see and hear in words what I was experiencing. And I confirmed that I did things correctly in my CV, in my applications and interview." she explains.

Among the programme sessions, Arunima cherishes the connections made with the other programme participants, the personal journeys shared by the programme's alumni and the session about personality styles.

Aspirations and goals

Looking ahead, Arunima sees herself in Finland, she is drawn to the peace and culture, specifically that of Vaasa. However, she admits that she is still struggling with the Finnish weather!

Though keeping her options open for exciting opportunities, Arunima hopes to continue working for ABB because the company has provided her with good opportunities to grow professionally.

Arunima's advice for newcomers

Arunima encourages fellow internationals to immerse themselves in experiences, learn from others, and keep resilience and proactivity in their job searches. She highlights attitude as a key factor in success.

Join us in celebrating Arunima's journey and the wealth of insights she shares!