Expanding the professional and social network
Postdoctoral Researcher Kalypso Filippou
Department of Education
Head of International Affairs Irinja Paakkanen
Development Services
As the application period for the mentoring programme was a few weeks before Kalypso’s doctoral defence, she decided that the mentoring programme was happening at a good time for her.
– I signed up aiming to expand my professional and social network while hoping to meet a person with lots of interesting working experience who could guide me in my career planning. I wanted to find out what working opportunities are available, both inside and outside the university environment.
The mentoring programme seemed to offer all these, so she applied.
Meanwhile, Irinja had been interested in joining a mentoring programme for some time, but the timing had never seemed to be right – or so she had thought. She had known about the importance of mentoring and she has been fortunate enough to meet several students, trainees, and other colleagues’ mentees over the years. The mentoring process opens a window – or several – to plan a future path.
– I am super happy my mentee Kalypso invited me to attend this year, she admits with a great smile.
The main themes of discussion during mentoring were related to Kalypso’s career planning, job opportunities in Finland, job applications, the process of being interviewed for a job, reaching out to companies and people, and sharing ideas and contacts. Kalypso’s research interests and Irinja’s work experience focus on higher education and internationalisation. This common interest has supported both of them in their work and research.
– The integration of international highly educated talent to the Finnish innovation ecosystem is very important for Finnish HEIs, and especially for South-West Finland. Discussions with Kalypso and her own experiences and challenges have been valuable for me in order to combine UTU international goals, networks, and Turku Talent hub activities with my personal motivation curve, Irinja further states.
However, Irinja and Kalypso’s discussions were not only about their working life: they also discussed their personal lives, for example daily life, hobbies, and holiday plans!
– We noticed that we are both very social persons who value the balance between work life and private life, Kalypso explains.
The goals of the mentoring sessions were decided by Kalypso, as Irinja continues:
– My initial goal as a mentor was to go along based on the mentee's wishes and meanwhile to learn more about mentoring as a process. I hoped that during those months I would be able to grow into the role of a mentor and meet my mentee’s expectations.
Kalypso and Irinja usually decided beforehand what they were going to do and discuss in their next meeting. However, they were also spontaneous and had an open mind for additional discussion topics. Overall, the goals they set aimed in supporting Kalypso through her job seeking endeavours and in maintaining a regular contact, more or less once a month.
– We even continued communicating during the lockdown! Luckily we managed to visit each other’s workplaces before we started working from home, Kalypso says.
What has been best in mentoring?
Kalypso: Personally, the best thing about mentoring was the relationship we developed with my mentor. I feel very comfortable conversing with Irinja. We have shared many interesting discussions and reflections, not only career-related, but generally about Finland, higher education, and internationalisation. Through our meetings, we have shared lots of laughs but also concerns and worries. She has been a great supporter and I appreciate how she always sees the positive side of things.
Irinja: For me the best part have been our bilateral discussions on the topics chosen beforehand and beyond. You never know where the road leads when our discussion speeds up with Kalypso. She is so talented and enthusiastic in her field of interest and overall. It is very rewarding. Supporting a younger colleague in exploring her possible futures has been an extremely positive personal experience as well as an opportunity to learn myself. Thanks to Kalypso and the mentoring process, I’ve been re-energised in my daily work life. I’m excited to say that the UTU mentoring programme currently cooperates with the brand-new Ministry of Education financed project HEI LIFE - Higher Education Institutions' Support for International Academics & Staff - Living, Integration, Family and Employment in Finland.
Kalypso and Irinja share some of their tips for new mentors and mentees:
– We recommend keeping the meetings regular, reading the mentoring guide, using the tools provided, and applying the ideas that are shared in the seminar. All these have been very helpful. Take this opportunity and get involved! The time used making your own competencies visible and sharing your experiences and networks is worth of it.