Community member guest blog: How networking brought me to an interview with KONE —in Finnish

This job-search story might sound unbelievable for someone like me. I moved to Finland a year ago and am now speaking at a basic level of Finnish.

To put you in the picture, during my very first month in Finland as an international student in the summer of 2023, I started attending company networking events and masterclasses, as the importance of networking was the most discussed topic everywhere. I would like to share my experience with networking as a newly Finnish-speaking job-seeker and through it, motivate you and inspire you to take action and have courage to put yourself out there.

In May 2024 I was attending a psychological safety event for women organized by KONE. At the end of the event during the networking session, I had a quick chat with one of the recruiters about company internship opportunities in Sales for my BA studies. The recruiter I spoke with was from the IT department, but she mentioned that her other colleague, Talent Acquisition in Sales, might have positions for interns and pinged him on LinkedIn. When I reached out to him, he said that they don’t have any positions at the moment, but he will keep me in mind for the future. For me, it was a sign that he would text me approximately never.

But guess what, he contacted me the next day! He was about to open a sales trainee position soon.

How are your Finnish skills? Was his first question. Even though the working language at KONE is English, for this specific sales trainee position, due to the scope of the role, they would require a certain level of Finnish and he was not sure that I could handle the interview in Finnish. Neither was I, as my level was barely at A2.1 at that time. Nevertheless, I welcomed the challenge of being interviewed in Finnish.

I was ambitious but honest in my answers. I told him I could communicate on basic topics, and I was improving my skills every day. I'm taking Finnish classes with a private teacher as well as Finnish courses and would be happy to talk, and he could check my language skills. And it worked!

The next week I was having an interview.

💡Even though I knew I would not land this job, I used this opportunity to skip the first CV screening from hundreds of CVs and was brave enough to try out my Finnish skills in the field!

What did it give me? More courage, self-motivation to keep learning Finnish and making new connections, as well as a great experience.

I found that networking is one of those skills that can transform your career and personal growth in ways you might not expect. At the end of the day, networking is about creating real, valuable relationships that open doors, spark ideas, and build support systems. And that’s where the magic happens!

So, be brave and open, network, and learn Finnish. It works!

I’m currently looking for a sales internship as I finalize my business studies. I’m excited to go out there again, to network and see where my love for solving customer problems will resonate.

-Kadriia

Kadriia is passionate about exceeding customer expectations through quality, a positive attitude, and a personal touch. She brings a unique blend of skills to every project. Her strengths lie in clear communication, unshakable confidence, and a creative approach to visual content.

Having delivered exceptional in-flight customer service for over 3.5 years as Cabin Crew for Emirates, she understands the value of attention to detail and connection. Additionally, her experience organizing team-building and educational events for 60+ colleagues has honed her ability to foster collaboration and engagement across diverse teams.