Shubhadah Bhat Found a New Direction in Her Job Search Through Villa Victor’s Mentoring Programme

Shubhadah Bhat is an experienced IT project manager from India. She moved to Finland two and a half years ago and has already developed a good level of Finnish. However, the current job market is challenging, also in the IT sector. This encouraged Bhat to join the mentoring programme organised by Villa Victor, the Multicultural Centre of the City of Oulu.

“I got much more from the programme than I expected. My mentor helped me a lot. He broadened my understanding of job opportunities in my field here in the Oulu region and more widely in Finland. My way of thinking and my approach to job searching changed, and we also improved my CV.”

Her mentor, Alexey Zerkin, moved to Finland from Russia in August 1999 and has worked in the IT sector in Finland for more than 20 years. He wanted to support an international colleague because he had himself once been in a similar new situation.

“Signing up for the mentoring programme turned out to be a great decision”

Zerkin also found the collaboration very smooth.

“Shubhadah is highly skilled and has excellent motivation and a great attitude towards work. She is social, open-minded and open to new ideas, and she gets along well with people.”

For Bhat, the mentoring programme represented something new and exciting in her new home country.

“Luckily, my friend decided to try the programme. Encouraged by her example, I decided to sign up as well, and it turned out to be a great decision.”

The mentoring started at a pace that felt comfortable for Bhat.

“We got to know each other’s families and started by talking about our home countries, studies and holidays. It was a gentle and comfortable way for me to get started.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed the mentoring”

Bhat feels that the mentoring programme exceeded her expectations.

“My mentor understood my situation very well, and at every meeting he had something new to offer. Through him, I made new contacts and expanded my professional network. During the programme, I also made some great new friends, and my Finnish skills improved.”

Zerkin also has a message for employers:

“Shubhadah is flexible and willing to take on an internship or work try-out. She is also willing to receive further training if needed. During the programme, she obtained a Scrum Master certification. She is even willing to relocate for a job, so in addition to her skills, she has an excellent attitude and strong motivation to work.”

Zerkin also encourages others to become mentors:

“This was my first experience of volunteering, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

The next mentoring programme organised by Villa Victor, the Multicultural Centre of the City of Oulu, will start in October. Mentors are currently needed from several different professional fields.

Would you like to become a mentor? Get in touch and find out more:
henna.laho@ouka.fi