From fresh graduate to service designer – Espoo Talent Hub services helped Hafsa Umar to reach her full potential in job seeking

Participating in Espoo Talent Hub services gave Hafsa Umar new perspective and tools for job seeking. As a result, she found Oivan and through a traineeship got a position with them as a service designer.

Service Designer Hafsa Umar got to know Espoo Talent Hub when she was looking for a job after her maternity leave. Umar had just completed her master’s degree at Tampere University and had little to no work experience in design.

“I was looking for a trainee or junior position but had no industry network. That is where Espoo Talent Hub helped me the most. They had a lot of events for networking, and I also got mentoring on how to structure my CV, approach companies, and use LinkedIn effectively,” tells Umar.

Umar moved from Pakistan to Finland to study in a master’s programme in human-technology interaction at Tampere University. Previously she worked as a lecturer and instructor at National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences in Pakistan, but she made a decision to shift her career towards design.

“One of my professors got his PhD in Tampere and told me about studying there so I applied and got in. I decided to stay in Finland when I was doing my thesis for Genelec in Helsinki. I was motivated by the relaxed working culture,” tells Umar.

Before landing a job at Oivan, Umar was actively seeking a position for over a year. At the same time, she was building up her portfolio by freelancing and improving her job-hunting skills with Espoo Talent Hub. Umar credits especially LinkedIn as a tool for seeking a job.

“It made building my network smoother. I started being active there, sharing my views, and talking to people. It made all the difference.”

Umar initially found her current workplace Oivan and reached out to their HR on LinkedIn. She was upfront about her situation and that she was mainly looking for a traineeship.

“The response I got was very down to earth and welcoming. That made me think that this is a place where I want to work.”

Oivan is an IT company that creates and operates digital services. After four months of internship Umar got confirmation that they wanted her to continue working for them as a Service Designer.

“It was clear to me that I want to continue with Oivan when they offered me fulltime position. The path here might have been bumpy, but right now I couldn’t be happier.”

Espoo Talent Hub didn’t just help her in improving her skillset for applying jobs. They also gave her a broader perspective and new ways on how to find open positions and to approach companies.

“I opened myself to new opportunities and stayed consistent. This might seem like the advice that everyone gives but I know it works because it worked for me,” says Umar.