Mentoring helped to find a job and more!
Huy Tran and Johanna Varjonen participated as a mentee and a mentor to the second mentoring program of the MESH project that started in November 2019.
Even though the program was only three months long, Huy and Johanna were able to create a very successful and fruitful mentoring process and relationship. It all started with an open-minded approach and Huy’s goals.
Huy had been seeking for a job almost a year before the mentoring program started. He had been in several interviews and had a lot of job-seeking experiences. It was clear for Huy that he needed help with his LinkedIn profile, CV and job interview skills. The ultimate goal was to find a job, in which he succeeded!
Recommendation and interview skills
When Huy joined the mentoring program, he had already started an interview process with Vaadin Ltd. During the mentoring process his mentor, Johanna, referred Huy to a friend who is working for Vaadin Ltd. Part of the mentoring was to guide Huy with job-seeking skills. For example, Johanna advised him to send a thank you email after an interview and gave tips how to leave a good impression on the employer. So, in many ways, the mentoring was pretty practical.
“She referred me for her network. And I believe that in Finland that kind of references are very important, so people would believe that this is a good candidate.” – Huy
More than just finding a job!
“I don’t think that the whole mentoring process or program was only to help Huy to get the job. We were discussing about psychological effect (in job-seeking). When you discuss with someone about your skills and knowledge, it really helps that there is someone who can listen to you and can give some guidance.” – Johanna
Both Huy and Johanna highlighted that the mentoring process gave more than just a job to Huy. The effects are even broader and more long-term. Huy believes that the connection with Johanna can open many opportunities in the future. Johanna advised him to keep on networking even after landing a job. They will also participate together in events enabling them to network and learn more.
“I think this changed the way I entered business industry in Finland.” – Huy
As a mentor, Johanna learned a lot during the process. She understood even better how many obstacles there are for an international, non-Finnish-speaking, talents in the Finnish job market. Now she sees even more widely, how employers need to be prepared to meet non-Finnish-speaking candidates in the job-seeking process.
To whom would they recommend the mentoring program?
The experience was positive and fulfilling for both Huy and Johanna. They are going to keep in touch after the mentoring program. For example, Johanna has arranged a coffee meeting between Huy and a networking-expert organizing afterwork meetings.
They both recommend the mentoring program. Huy feels that the mentoring program can especially help international talents still looking for a job. Johanna highlights that participating gives an interesting opportunity for mentors to help others and find new angles for job-seeking. The mentoring can widen both mentees’ and mentors’ perspectives.
Huy highlighted that the mentoring process requires activeness. Self-initiative and commitment were essential in reaching his goals. Even though finding the job that matches with Huy’s professional skills and qualification was a superb result, mentoring gave more than that. Like Huy himself said:
“The impacts (of mentoring) for me is not just a job now, but for long-term as well.”
Writer: Janna Peltola, project worker, Turku University of Applied Sciences
Photo: Huy Tran