löyly arkistot - Oulun ylioppilaslehti

From hybrid to fully online, Löyly hopes to inspire students in job hunting

Employment event Löyly will be held fully online this year. In its fourth year the event includes familiar keynotes and workshops focusing on how to find a job in Oulu even in a pandemic.

In English Yleinen

TEKSTI Iida Putkonen

January has rolled around again. At the University of Oulu, that means it’s almost time for Löyly. Many people have yet to return from their holiday break, but the organizers of the event are already busy preparing. One of them is Katariina Sarja.

“I don’t think we ever considered cancelling the event. Instead we decided to move to an online environment pretty early on”, she says.

Löyly is an employment event aimed especially at international degree students. In short: its aim is to help students find a job in Oulu. This year the corona pandemic has changed plans, but the event is going to be held again, for the fourth time this year.

“Löyly has been a hybrid event even in previous years. That is, we’ve streamed some of the program to Youtube and Facebook. As the corona pandemic hasn’t let up, we’ve moved completely online for this year”, Sarja explains.

Katariina Sarja works as OYY’s Specialist of Events and Associations. Alongside OYY, Student Union of the University of Oulu, are OSAKO (Student Union of Oulu University of Applied Sciences), Talent Hub Oulu and BusinessOulu.

Sarja is organizing Löyly for the third year in a row on the 14th of January. She hopes that despite the pandemic students will find their way to the event once again.

“The event is aimed at international students but I sincerely hope everyone who is interested will participate, it doesn’t matter if you’re not an international student.”

The same event, just online

Apart from helping students find jobs, the aim of the event is also to let businesses in Oulu know about the potential that international students hold. In previous years this was done by holding a job fair with local businesses. This year that’s not possible, but the key parts that make Löyly what it is remain unchanged.

“The constant in Löyly is the core of the program: keynotes and workshops. These weren’t all too hard to move to an online platform”, Sarja says.

This year the event focuses on different aspects of employment, especially during the pandemic. How to make connections and network amidst a pandemic and how to make an impressive video CV are some of the questions the event will answer. In total the one-day-event includes 3 keynotes from different speakers and 2 workshops.

Despite months of preparation, there are still unanswered questions in holding an event online. One of them is the amount of participants compared to previous years.

“I have no idea how many people we can expect this year. There’s a chance that people from outside of Oulu will also participate online, but at the same time this academic year we have fewer international students than usual, so less participants from Oulu”, Sarja ponders.

Instead of fancy stages and lights, the keynotes will be held from the speakers’ own computer screens. Still, there are also upsides to organizing an event virtually.

“We are free of the shackles of physical events, for example having to be in a certain place at the right time, having to come to the campus physically. It will be interesting to see how it goes on the day”, Sarja says.

Inspiring every student

Sarja hopes that the event will go smoothly, but also that the atmosphere will be equally inspiring online.

“I hope that people will have room to compare their own employment stories to Löyly’s program somehow.”

The event will be held next week, on the 14th of January. Sign-up is still open and the organizers hope to reach as many people as possible.

“The start of the year is a good time for anyone to broaden their skills and think about their future work. There is no need to know anything beforehand, you can just show up”, Sarja says.

An online-only event is a first for Löyly, but the organizers think that the future will hold even more online features. Their vision is to continue with a hybrid of online and offline parts but to also strengthen their online presence. The future is largely unknown, but hopes are high.

“I hope that every single international degree student will know about Löyly in the future, that they will know where to go and possess all the skills taught at the event”, Sarja concludes.

Löyly 2021 employment event is organized by the Student Union of the University of Oulu (OYY) and Student Union of Oulu University of Applied Sciences (OSAKO) together with Business Oulu. The event takes place online and consists of workshops and keynote speeches. You can find the sign-up form and the program on the Löyly website.

Julkaistu 7.1.20211.2.2023

Iida Putkonen

Oulun ylioppilaslehden entinen päätoimittaja. Tiedeviestinnän maisteri ja glögin ympärivuotinen kuluttaja. Etsii revontulia, riippumattoja ja juuri oikeita sanoja.

Lue lisää:

The ABCs of employment: how Löyly aims to help international students find jobs

Löyly is bringing students and companies together for the second year in a row. The event organizers Katariina Sarja and Asta Salomaa tell us which questions the two-day employment event aims to answer.

In English

TEKSTI Iida Putkonen

KUVAT Antti Törmä

International students want to know about practical things regarding finding a job, says Katariina Sarja. She’s the project coordinator of Löyly, a two-day employment event meant for both international and non-international students in Oulu.

In order to answer the questions the Löyly team conducted a survey. Team members were surprised to find most of the students’ questions were quite basic.

“Last year we didn’t realize to focus on such concrete things. This year we have a workshop for how to find job listings to begin with”, says Asta Salomaa, the event producer and community specialist for Student Union of University of Oulu (OYY).

“Based on the feedback we received, basic information and job listings are not easily accessible”, Sarja says.

One of the biggest questions international students asked was about the language barrier. They want to know how well you really need to know Finnish in order to get a job in Finland.

Cultural differences are also on many students’ minds, although Sarja says Löyly’s keynote speakers think in reality cultural differences are often not such a big deal at the workplace.

Based on feedback from last year, Löyly has adjusted and aims to answer more concrete questions international students might have.

“For example, this year we have a person from the public employment services coming to talk about everything, starting with taxes. The workshop is an ABC in how to start looking for a job”, Sarja says.

Other, more abstract questions like cultural differences will be addressed in the keynotes. Topics vary from integrating to the workplace to how Finnish people seem to foreigners on the outside.

More job openings, more internships

Löyly is being organized for the second time this year. Salomaa, who organized the event also last year, says the first Löyly was a success.

“The feedback from both participants and companies after the first event was positive. They felt this event was truly needed”, Salomaa says.

Bringing employment opportunities to international students isn’t only Löyly’s goal. The Ministry of Education and Culture published a vision for Finnish higher education and research in 2030 in October 2017. The Roadmap for Implementing Vision 2030 also outlines international students’ integration as one of its future education goals.

The Ministry’s aim is to add more support and opportunities for internships, goals that Löyly shares.

“We want to awaken employers to see if they could post more job openings in English and offer more opportunities for internships”, Salomaa says.

Joining forces with OSAKO

Löyly 2019 is a two-day event, held in two campuses: the first day takes place at the University of Oulu on 18th March, the second at the Oulu University of Applied Sciences on 19th March.

This year’s event also has a new added factor: OSAKO, the Student Union of Oulu University of Applied Sciences.

Salomaa explains that the original concept for the event was a collaboration between OYY and OSAKO, but due to personnel changes OSAKO could not participate the first time around.

“Last year we got together with OSAKO and discussed what challenges international students face. We came to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter which school you attend, the challenges are the same”, Salomaa says.

To prove this point, the program for both days of Löyly are nearly identical, the only difference being in the key speakers. At both campuses the speakers are graduates of the schools respectively.

“We wanted to bring alumni to speak about how your career path can progress from the studies of the school”, Sarja explains.

The Löyly team also added more workshops to the event due to their high demand last year.

What’s next for Löyly?

Regarding Löyly’s future, Salomaa has a dream.

“I want to prove that the concept works in two different schools, so why not bring it to others as well? My goal is to make Löyly into an event concept package that you could bring into any university, because each one faces the same challenges.”

In a matter of weeks Salomaa is going to pitch the Löyly event concept to other student unions. She hopes that other universities will also want to invest in the employment of international students.

Löyly 2019 employment event is organized by the Student Union of the University of Oulu (OYY) and Student Union of Oulu University of Applied Sciences (OSAKO) together with Business Oulu and Talent Attraction, Business Kitchen, University of Oulu and Oulu Entrepreneurship Society. The event takes place at the University of Oulu on 18th March and at the Oulu University of Applied Sciences on 19th March. The event consists of workshops, keynotes and panel discussions, which will take place in Linnanmaa campus’ Tellus Innovation Arena and at the Kotkantie campus’ main lobby and its surroundings respectively. Check out the whole schedule on Löyly’s website.

Julkaistu 14.3.20191.2.2023

Iida Putkonen

Oulun ylioppilaslehden entinen päätoimittaja. Tiedeviestinnän maisteri ja glögin ympärivuotinen kuluttaja. Etsii revontulia, riippumattoja ja juuri oikeita sanoja.

Lue lisää:

If you can stand the heat, come to Löyly 2018

Löyly 2018 event introduces the enthusiasm of the international students to the reality of the Oulu working life. The event organizers Asta Salomaa and Jenna Suorsa tell us why this spring the employment market get as hot as sauna stoves.

In English

TEKSTI Marko Heikkinen

KUVAT Marko Heikkinen

In Finnish.

It’s the traditional Finnish way to scare international newcomers by telling them to take off their clothes and taking them to the sauna. Sometimes it might come off the wrong way but the Finnish people mean well. Only drenched in relentless sweat we can really think about bonding and integration.

The statistics tell how the ”sauna-mentality” effects the Finnish working life as well.

”High amount of the local companies would want to recruit an international student as a full-time worker or as an intern,” says Asta Salomaa, the OYY’s event producer and community specialist.

”And according to ISB 2010, 70 percent of international students have considered Finland as their study destination because they would want to be employed locally.”

Löyly 2018 event will be held at the Linnanmaa campus on 6th of April to help bringing the local employers and international students come together. The objective of the event is to assist students to find a workplace in Oulu and motivate them to stay.

”One leaving student means 50 000 euro loss for the education system,” says Salomaa. It’s easy to believe the numbers since this term only one current international student pays for the tuition without scholarship.

Why is the Finnish work culture so different?

The organizers wish that both the students of the University of Oulu and the Oulu University of Applied Sciences would take part in Löyly. The event will feature local companies and other employers, keynote speakers and international student alumni who have already made it to the working life. Workshops will give students tools to navigate the tides of the Finnish working life.

The speaking programme takes place in the the new Agora hall located in the Oulu School of Architecture near the 2T entrance. Workshops and Career Fair will be held in Business Kitchen and Café Tellus at Linnanmaa campus.

The programme will be multidisciplinary to cater the diverse international student pool.

OYY’s Vice Chair of the Board Jenna Suorsa says that it’s important to prepare for Löyly: ”Students need to keep an open mind and they must want to learn and network. Workshops will be filled in the order of registration.”

Students should also bring business cards, their resumes and a portfolio if they have one. At the event’s photography stand there will be a chance to update the resume photo to the standards of 2018. And students will be offered other hints on how to make their resumes appeal to their future employers.

The dark reality of an international student

Salomaa believes the international students have a high value and emphasizes their knowledge of different cultures. Additionally international students need their own event because of the ruthless time limit.

”Students will get a residence permit after the graduation maximum for a year if they’re looking for a job”, Salomaa says.

”And if the student doesn’t have funds for it, the deadline might be less than a year. The pressure to get work is high”. It’s very hard to get a job from the field a student has majored in, so any workplace will have to do.

Starting a career should not be so difficult since the employers could attract the international students more easily. ”Companies could relax on the Finnish language qualifications and make job advertisements also in English,” Salomaa says.

”We opened the Vulcanalia internship application for students who didn’t have proficiency in Finnish. The result was three times more applications and some of them even from the outside of Oulu area.”

Will this be the ”Slush of Oulu”?

There are no events like Löyly 2018 in the Oulu area and the organizers are out to build a tradition. Salomaa and Suorsa want to put all of their expertise and contacts on the line to have a high impact on the lives of the international students. Salomaa tells that she started planning the event last year and Suorsa has business experience from the Oulu Entrepreneurship Society.

Löyly will benefit students that are close to graduation and those that have just started their studies. Networking is the most usual way of finding a job for an international student. ”Even first year students should actively build contacts,” Suorsa says.

”You don’t want to be that student who at the end of the studies knows only his closest classroom buddies from Oulu.”

It’s safe to say that everyone knows at least one person like that from campus. You can only hope that it’s not the same one that looks back from the mirror.

Löyly 2018 will be held in Oulu on 6th of April. Workshops will be held in Business Kitchen and Career Fair in Café Tellus. Both are located at Tellus Innovation Arena in Linnanmaa campus. The speaking programme takes place in the the new Agora hall located in the Oulu School of Architecture near the 2T entrance. The day event will be held from 9 am to 4pm. The event will continue to downtown Oulu in After Löyly event from 6pm to 9pm. The event is organized by OYY with support from the BusinessOulu, Business Kitchen, University of Oulu, and Oulu Entrepreneurship Society.

Edited March 27th of 2018: the location of the speaking programme is moved to Agora hall.

Julkaistu 9.3.20181.2.2023

Marko Heikkinen

Äärimmäisen vakava kirjallisuuden pääaineopiskelija, joka kutsuu itseään "muoti & lifestyle" -toimittajaksi.