Kristiina Nieminen, 26, will soon be graduating from The Faculty of Arts. Here she tells us how she ended up working in communications and how you can do it, too.
You are inches away from graduating from English Philology at the Faculty of Arts, but instead of choosing a traditional job for a language and Arts major, such as teaching or translating, you recently started working for a communications agency Hill + Knowlton Strategies. How did that happen?
Through a happy accident and a lot of work. I had all but given up looking for an internship in the spring of 2014 as I’d heard no replies from the places I’d applied to. Then one fine day, my boyfriend happened to mention he had seen a job notification about an opening at Hill + Knowlton for someone very proficient in English and Finnish. Given that I enjoy writing, have a good command of both languages and have always been interested in communications and PR, I didn’t hesitate to apply. I had to go lie down for a bit when I actually got invited for an interview within two days of applying. It was very exciting. That was the first moment I started to feel like I had made some progress in the transition from student life towards having a career. To be fair, however, I actually do translate quite a bit of text every week at work.
Can you tell us anything about the recruiting process? What was it like?
It was very thorough. I had several interviews with a number of Hill + Knowlton consultants and one language proficiency test. The whole process took about a month, which was a rather stressful time for me as I had to juggle my seminar, my thesis, my part-time job and preparing for the interviews at the same time. I remember sitting in the lobby at Hill + Knowlton, staring at the company logo and feeling quite nervous and out of place. It’s very different to actually sit in an office, watching the last few minutes before an interview tick by, than send dozens of applications just hoping you’ll hear back from somewhere. I remember the third time I sat there waiting, a few people I’d already met went by and greeted me, I started to feel quite giddy.
Do you feel that your Arts background has been useful in your job? What skills did you acquire during your studies that have been especially of use for you?
Being an Arts student has definitely been helpful. One thing that humanist sciences emphasize is critical thinking and uncovering information. I’ve always had an affinity for literature and literary analysis. In university, my literature courses taught me to think about established ideas and texts differently by adopting a new approach. I feel this is a useful skill in the work I do.
Did you have any other useful skills, for example from your hobbies etc.?
I have a good eye for visuals, thanks to photography and drawing. I haven’t yet had the chance to put those skills to use at work but I’m sure it’ll happen. I am quite interested in a wide variety of things and since my work requires a curious mind, almost everything I’ve read about is useful.
What is your usual day at the office like?
Ah, my usual day tends to be anything but usual. The work is fast-paced, meaning that sometimes you get a task with two hours left until the deadline. Sometimes you get ample warning and have time to take care of other things before starting. On some days, I have training, on others I am glued to my computer, typing away with a dozen tabs open in my browser. On others, I am on the phone or scanning magazines and papers between meetings. All of this, and more, can happen within the same day. Perhaps I could say that a usual day involves juggling a variety of tasks with little in common, so you have to be able to jump from one thing to the next with little pause.
Would you recommend working in communications for other Arts majors at our university?
Absolutely. I think Arts students should think outside the box, when they start considering employment and their career. Translation and teaching are useful and valuable, but they are not for everyone. It may seem like today’s world has no secure place for Arts students, but we are qualified for a number of tasks. Working in communications for corporate clients is certainly challenging, but I feel Arts students have a lot to give.
Can you give us any insider tips on how to get your foot in the door if you’re interested in working in this field?
Be curious about everything and dare to think differently! If you have an interest in communications and PR, find out about the agencies in Finland. I understand the corporate world may seem a bit intimidating to most bookish Arts students, but if you set your mind to it, you’ll soon notice not only do you have a foot in the door, you’ve gone through it.