Iida Putkonen, kohteen Oulun ylioppilaslehti tekijä

Hi 5, Tips to Defeat Unemployment

Finland wants you to work, and it will not leave you stranded if you struggle to find a job. So let me guide you, adventurer. Your quest begins now.

In English

TEKSTI Marcelo Goldmann

Get A Good Starting Point

First things first: register with the employment office as an unemployed job seeker. You will be eligible to either Unemployment Allowance if you have worked at least 6 months in the past two years before your unemployment. Otherwise you will be eligible to Labour Market Subsidy if you have never worked, worked less than 6 months in the past two years, or been unemployed receiving Unemployment Allowance for more than 500 days. You can find more information on the KELA website.

Brush Up Your CV And Practice Your Interview Skills

In order to land a job, you have to “sell” yourself. A good CV can make a difference; just make sure it is no longer than 2 pages and in the right (Finnish) format. The CV will serve as your presentation card. Your potential employer will want to learn more about you and will likely invite you over for an interview. Remember to practice for this: ask yourself some questions the employer could ask, such as ‘what are your strengths and weaknesses?’ and ‘what value can you bring to the company?’.

Find Resources And Grind, Grind, Grind

In this day and age, the information highway (Internet for the layman) is one of our best resources for job seeking. The Ministry of Employment and the Economy (TE-Palvelut) is a good place to start (www.te-palvelut.fi/te/en/). Here you can find some job vacancies and labour market training programmes. For English speakers, a page that can provide some valuable resources is www.expat-finland.com. For Finnish speakers a good resource is www.aarresaari.net. Apply to as many places as you can. Don’t worry – this does not make you look desperate. If you don’t show your interest, the companies won’t know you are available.

Call Them, Maybe?

Job seeking is not an exact science. What one employer finds desirable might be a turnoff for another company. However, one great way to get the attention of your potential employer is by calling the contact number in the job application. Introduce yourself and let them know you are planning to apply for the position. I know it sounds scary, but it will prove them that you are not afraid to face challenges. Ask some questions about the company and the job opening. Remember to be polite and don’t extend the call more than you have to.

Share Your Legacy

Once you have defeated unemployment by finding a job, you could share your story with others: in forums, circles of friends, social media, whichever you prefer. Newbie employment seekers could benefit from your amazingly vast wisdom. Let them know which resources you used, what worked, what didn’t work. You will be part of someone’s legacy one day when they tell their own story of their quest to find a job.

Julkaistu 10.2.20161.2.2023

Marcelo Goldmann

A Doctor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Oulu. "Life is like a rubber duckie, you gotta keep it afloat to see its splendor." Instagram: @marcelogman

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An A For Your Prof?

Have you ever been at a boring lecture delivered by some phlegmy professor that would talk himself to sleep while reading his slides for the millionth time? You do try not to fall asleep together with the professor because this is exam-related and everything. But in the end you give up and decide to work through the slides on your own later at home.

In English

TEKSTI Bianca Beyer

KUVAT Bianca Beyer

Usually we enter a university to learn something. We are there because we want to. And no one can stop us from soaking up the knowledge provided by the teachers; no one but the teachers themselves, ironically.

Recall your school years: you were forced to spend hours of your life on listening to something that seemed to make no sense or to be irrelevant for you personally. You dreamt about the day when you could finally make your own decisions and choose to learn the things you were really interested in. They told you to wait till you were a university student, and here you are with all this freedom of choice. But your reality is still far from your dreams.

No Pedagogues to Hold Our Hands

Let’s face it, university teachers are no high school teachers. We don’t need someone to keep us focused and motivated anymore. We are no longer kids in puberty with limited attention span – we are about to become professionals who have their fate in their own hands.

Being motivated and interested is our own duty, and that of the tea-cher is merely to provide us with knowledge. The pedagogical aspects are not really needed anymore. Nevertheless, the vast differences in the quality of teaching still influence the learning process.

To understand why there is no clear guideline, let’s sketch how a university works. The job of a Faculty is tripartite, being research, teaching, and service. Students’ successful graduation assures financing, in Finland provided by tax payers, as all universities here are public.

In order to assist a successful graduation, professors do not only conduct research, but also pass on their knowledge to the students. It is all intertwined, and yet the biggest background of a professor is usually built on her or his research.

This might create a gap between demand and supply – a professor can be a brilliant mind in a certain field, but can have no idea how to deal with people (especially students).

Being On The Other Side

Probably none of the less perfect ones chooses to be that way. Even though my experience as a teacher is thinly scattered, I also got my two cents on being “on the other side of the room”. It is scarier than you might think; if you are for instance afraid of giving presentations, multiply this fear by a hundred, and there you go.

It seems easy to judge from the audience. In fact, evaluation is not only wished for – at least at the University of Oulu it is common practice to give feedback after a course – but also the only way to help a teacher turn into a better one. Contrarily, anonymous online rating systems with one category being “hotness” seem not very sensible.

Interested, focused students, vivid discussions – these are the lectures both teachers and students dream of. In order to make that happen, not only a good teacher is required, but also good students.

This is what you learn standing on the other side. While it is important that no one is forced to participate, as everyone is responsible for his or her own learning progress as an adult, experienced professors even manage to have discussion rounds in huge lecture halls!

Finnish shyness might be a challenge, but no hindrance – after all, as with everything, practice is what lets us become more comfortable in the situations we fear. This applies for both teacher and student.

A Perfect Teacher – Too Good To Be True?

Good teachers are usually those who passionately teach what they believe in and work with. They have seen theory applied and not spent their entire life in an office over books. They know the problems that can occur, and they understand their audience. They act as a guide rather than as a lecturer, triggering the students to apply the knowledge themselves in order to find a solution.

Yes – they do exist. In my years as a student I had the honor to come across a couple of them, and I might still remember most of their lectures. If you happen to have a teacher who can explain you the most abstract things with real life examples, you probably have found one as well.

And by evaluating your lecture(r)s you help becoming the others a step closer to those – just keep in mind: Constructive criticism is what is always welcome.

Julkaistu 9.12.20151.2.2023

Bianca Beyer

When I don’t sit over plans to erase all evil and meet unicorns, or dream of eating cotton candy, I believe in hard facts and science, doing my PhD in Accounting at the University of Oulu. Using writing as an information transmitter, outlet for creativity or simply for mere entertainment, I believe I am totally living the dream with all my current jobs. Blog: beapproved.wordpress.com

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Hi 5, Finnish Christmas Traditions

It’s that time of the year again when Mr. and Mrs. Claus dust off their overalls and prepare for the big day. Hold on to your Santa Hats (Tonttulakki) and join me exploring Christmas traditions here in Finland.

In English

TEKSTI Marcelo Goldmann

Glögi And The Mystery of The Almond in The Porridge

On Christmas Eve you crave something warm to get your heat up, and what better way than with a hot cup of Glögi. It is similar to German and Austrian Glühwein and it can be served with raisins and almonds. You can get it ready-made at any food store in Oulu – just warm it up in your favourite pot. The Christmas rice porridge (riisipuuro) with hidden almond is another tradition. Whoever happens to find the almond will be the receiver of good fortune. In the middle ages, a coin or a bean would be hidden in the food instead, and whoever had the bean would decide who among the guests would be providing entertainment for all the other guests.

Stealing A Tree

An exciting adventure: sneaking into your neighbor’s forest and stealing a Christmas tree. I don’t recommend you trying this, however. That is, unless you know the owner of the forest and ask for permission; in which case it’s not technically stealing but you can pretend to make it more exciting.

The Snowman

No Finnish Christmas would ever be complete without the rerun of The Snowman on TV. Based on the popular children’s book by the same name which was illustrated in 1978 in the U.K., The Snowman was adapted to a 26 minute animation for television in 1982, and has since become a staple of Christmas with its touching story and gorgeous cinematics. The awesome song that plays in the middle of the animation, Walking in the Air, is composed by Howard Blake and more recently covered by the one and only Nightwish.

Christmas Calendar

One of the most fun things to do is to have a Christmas calendar, which normally is a rectangular box of chocolates with which not only you get to count the days left until Christmas Eve, but also you open the “doors” on certain days and you retrieve a present. It’s like Christmas Eve every day.

Joulupukki

Christmas wouldn’t be complete without our beloved old Nordic man with the big belly, the Santa Claus or as he is known here – Joulupukki. One of the origin stories from Joulupukki dates back to the 17th century and was previously known Nuuttipukki. Young men would dress in inverted fur jackets and leather masks and would go from house to house demanding the leftover foods and alcoholic beverages. If they were denied the goodies, they would threaten to trash the place. Nobody knows how the story went from a food stealer to a jolly gift giver but if I had to take a guess, I would say Santa had some rowdy young days and then reformed himself.

Julkaistu 9.12.20151.2.2023

Marcelo Goldmann

A Doctor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Oulu. "Life is like a rubber duckie, you gotta keep it afloat to see its splendor." Instagram: @marcelogman

Lue lisää:

Unicorns are real!

And moreover, the University of Oulu encourages you to get one. It will bring you a job after graduation, invaluable experience, skyrocketing income and career progression and probably a place in Forbes 500.

In English

TEKSTI Margarita Khartanovich

KUVAT Alisa Tciriulnikova

Of course, we are talking about companies with more than $1 billion valuations, commonly referred to as “unicorns.” Aileen Lee from Cowboy Ventures introduced this term a few years ago, and since then, it invaded the start-up community lexicon.

You are sure to know such super-unicorns of the past two decades as Facebook, Google and Amazon. Finland is most famous for its three billion-dollar “unicorn” companies – Nokia, Rovio and Supercell. Now Finland’s ambition is to hunt down a few more unicorns by using its educational, human, technological, and other resources and by creating a healthy, friendly entrepreneurial environment. Otherwise, its economic growth might become mythical, just like this animal itself.

The University of Oulu has joined Finland’s “unicorn-hunting” mission, and this entire year has been dedicated to entrepreneurship.

As a result, the university with Oulu University of Applied Sciences has launched Avanto Accelerator, a new business idea development prog-ram, and introduced the possibility for everyone to study entrepreneurship as a minor, regardless of the major. In this way it hopes to close the gap between university studies and work life. It also encourages enthusiastic students to put their skills to the test and participate in an entre-preneurial field project, for example, offered by Demola or Business Kitchen. It is also about to open a new co-working space in Tellus library for exchanging ideas and holding events.

Why is it doing all this? Because times have changed! It cannot afford to stay a passive “distributor” of knowledge. We must get rid of our industrial era habits and mindset too, as we are living in a digital and entrepreneurial era now.

Nonetheless, according to the survey carried out by the university, only 2,5% of its graduates has chosen to start a business on their own. It might be for the reason that start-ups are seen as a risky alternative to a steady job in a large company. But are these jobs really stable keeping in mind all the recent lay-offs?

Another issue is your ambitions: Do you want to be a low-level office worker or a founder of a unicorn company? According to Forbes, nine out of ten start-ups will fail. But it means that your chances to succeed are actually 1 to 10, which still looks more promising than a social lift in Oulu.

Success stories also show that you might need to have a technical degree, a reliable university or school friend to start a company with as well as vision, capital, persistence and patience as you might turn 30 or older when your company makes its first billion profit.

But how rewarding and triumphal it is to hear some day: “Welcome to the Unicorn Club, sir/madam!”

Julkaistu 9.12.20151.2.2023

Margarita Khartanovich

UUNI Editor, Master’s degree in Journalism (University of Tampere). Interested in politics, history, music, social issues and education. Twitter: @marthatcher

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Dude, Where’s My Bike?

Bike theft is the most common crime in Europe, with the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Japan and Sweden having its highest rates. Over 17, 000 bikes were reported as stolen to insurance companies in Finland last year. This is approximately 6,000 more than in 2012. Still, the police do not believe bicycle thefts to be associated with organised crime.

In English

TEKSTI Margarita Khartanovich

KUVAT Minna Koivunen

“The biggest problem is the people who steal the bikes in order to sell them”, says Tiina, a student at the University of Applied Sciences in Oulu and continues: “Why don’t the police try to catch them? It is clearly an organized crime!”

Tiina’s bike was stolen from the yard of her own house (Puolivälinkangas) at night. It was locked.

“I was so sad because I just fixed it by myself and painted it yellow. Also, I had to go to the dentist that morning, so I had to leave in a hurry.”

“My bike was stolen from the yard of my building too”, explains Atte Koskela, an economics student at the University of Oulu.

“It was chained to a pole! I was very surprised as it had been at that same spot earlier.”

Koskela contacted the police and the thief was caught through other crimes.

“They found pictures of my bike in his cellphone but, unfortunately, the bike had been already sold. The thief has many crimes on him so I don’t believe I’m getting any compensation any time soon.”

Bicycle Black Market

According to Konsta Korhonen, Senior Detective Superintendent at Oulu Police Department, 1700 bikes have been reported stolen in the last 12 months (as for the period 1.9.2014 –31.8.2015). Investigators specializing in bike thefts are working at those cases but only 6–7% of bikes (111 items) have been returned to the original owners.

“It is so frustrating”, admits Tiina. “Police should really do something about it! I don’t want to buy an expensive bike because someone is going to steal it anyway.”

Kaleva reported some months ago that a fencer (person who buys stolen bikes and later sells them) was convicted. There are unfortunately several others like him but Oulu Police are targeting them. Apart from fencers, those involved in narcotics steal bikes to get enough cash to keep up with their habit. Nowadays it is just too easy to traffic stolen bikes by simply selling them online.

“My bike is somewhere now waiting to be sold. I looked for it in front of the bars, in the woods nearby and also on the Internet. Someone might have bought it already as no one cares whether it is a stolen bike. They just want a new bike at a cheap price”, says Tiina.

Atte Koskela confirms that those who steal locked bikes are usually those who do it regularly and sell them through websites like Tori.fi. They find buyers by contacting those who post bike purchase requests.

The riskiest place to leave your bike in Oulu is the city centre (around Rotuaari), according to Oulu Police.

Some bikes get stolen for temporary personal need, such as for returning home after a night out. The thieves abandon them later outdoors or by roadsides. In this case, Facebook groups like “Varastetut pyörat/Stolen Bikes Oulu” might be of some help. You can add a picture of your stolen bike there and see what happens.

“By using the connectivity of Facebook and the power of information we can cripple this cowardly act, this lucrative underground business”, claim the founders of the group.

Tiina says that quite many people find their bikes this way. The group’s active members take care of the bikes left in the woods, for example, and try to reach their owners.

It Can Happen to Anyone

The riskiest place to leave your bike in Oulu is the city centre (around Rotuaari), according to Oulu Police.

Atte Koskela lists Toppila and Kaukovainio as well. As for a type of a bike, generally the most popular brands, like Jopo, and bicycles worth less than one thousand euros get thieves’ attention. This is basically the majority of the bikes in Oulu. So, what can you do to protect your property?

“People should photograph their bikes and have serial numbers written down”, recommends Konsta Korhonen.

“Only then it is possible for the police to reliably return the bike even though components have been switched and/or the identity of the bike altered.”

In addition, always fasten it from the frame to a fixed object, such as a stand or pole.

“You need a strong U-lock and also don’t keep new and expensive bikes outside. Now I keep my new bike inside”, tells Atte Koskela.

And remember – a bicycle is a property; for many of us it is also a dear friend. Keep it in mind next time you buy someone’s stolen bike. If you refuse to purchase a bike without documents and serial number, you will help change the situation. Besides if found both the seller and the buyer will be fined, and depending on the circumstance both risk getting a criminal record and a possible jail sentence.

Julkaistu 11.11.20151.2.2023

Margarita Khartanovich

UUNI Editor, Master’s degree in Journalism (University of Tampere). Interested in politics, history, music, social issues and education. Twitter: @marthatcher

Lue lisää:

Hi 5, Ways to Collect Some Karma Points

If you want to restrict yourself to helping recent refugees only, you have to know that there are too many volunteers already. Nonetheless, there are many other places where your kindness and generosity would be just as much needed and appreciated.

In English

TEKSTI Bianca Beyer

Join Some Major Good-Doers

With Christmas approaching, you suddenly feel the urge to do something good. Luckily, there are lots of opportunities to help people in Oulu, even for non-Finnish speakers. You could become a volunteer in Red Cross or Salvation Army (Pelastusarmeija), and help collect donations at frequently visited spots, just as Finland’s ex-President Tarja Halonen did recently in Helsinki. Or you could volunteer in one of the Kontti stores (plus donate them your stuff!), or in addicts programs, or in food distribution kitchens – the options are almost limitless.

Be a Friend Indeed

A friend in need is a friend indeed. If that is what you believe in and what you would like to experience, join buddy programs in and around Oulu. For example, “Best Buddies”, where you can pair up with a disabled person and give each other some joyful company (www.kvtl.fi). If you are a guy and speak Finnish, you could also become a “Male Friend” for a child that is raised without frequent male interaction, for instance, by a single mother (www.mieskaverit.fi).

Clueless? Offer Your Workforce

If you have no idea where exactly you should go to do something good, you can visit the homepage of VARES (www.varesverkosto.fi) and let them assign you to something they think you would be good at. You can get trained in basic volunteering work there. Just send them an email, or visit them and discuss what they’ve got and how you could contribute. Alternatively, you could contact the church (e.g. www.oief.fi, or www.oulunseurakunnat.fi) and ask whether they need some help.

Follow Student Organizations

Erasmus Students Network has their “Social Erasmus Week” coming up at the end of November. ESN Oulu has planned a gathering related to donating blood. Grab your friends, and while you’re all wiretapped and milked for the juice that means life, you can have a nice chat with each other. AIESEC will help you to connect with the Finnish community, for example, through nursing homes for the elderly, where you can spend time with their inhabitants. This could be a great way to polish your Finnish during some nice chitchat.

Care for the Young Ones

If you got interested in the “Male Friend” project, but you are not male, you could become a “foster-parent” for a single parent raised kid through Emma & Elias Foundation (www.emmaelias.fi). They also have a number of other ongoing projects revolving around children and families (information is available in English). And because kids are our future, here is another organization related to childcare: Mannerheimin Lastensuojeluliito, a “Child Protection Organization”, freely translated. Students volunteer to babysit in emergencies, or as a peer supporter in schools. More info at www.mll.fi.

Julkaistu 11.11.20151.2.2023