Johanna

Why did you choose to apply for Lindström’s management trainee programme?

”I was just finishing my studies at the University of Technology and had a good point in my life to consider various career opportunities. I did not have a clear picture in my head about what I wanted to do but I knew I was interested in working in an international environment and possibly finding a position to prepare myself for managerial level positions. The management trainee programme appealed to me with its versatility.”

What were your expectations for the programme?

“I was looking for a chance too see things from different perspectives while rotating from one business unit to another. I also expected the programme to be a great opportunity to network and get experience working as supervisor.

Could you tell us about your journey at Lindström so far?

“The trainee programme started as a training period of 2 weeks at the company HQ in Helsinki. We were introduced to the company, its business and services. After that I moved to Turku (a city in the south-west coast of Finland) for 3 months to get to know Lindström’s local operations there. The focus was in the laundry and delivery services. I started as a textile care worker in the laundry and the textile warehouse and later on I had a chance to practice production and delivery management.

The next 3 months I worked in Hämeenlinna (a town in Southern Finland) where I focused on customer service, sales and customer marketing. I had the opportunity to join the sales people in the field and follow the work of customer service people. I also had my own development project about sales management and worked as a support person in the launch of a new CRM software.

After that I spent 3 months abroad – one month in Slovakia and 2 months in the Czech Republic. In Slovakia I got to know the processes in subsidiaries and in Czech Republic I did a project on delivery services.

After coming back to Finland I spent 3 months in Competence Centre of Corporate Investments, Process development and Environmental Issues. I got a few different independent projects and also had the chance to visit subsidiaries in Slovakia, Hungary, Russia and China. All in all, towards the end of the trainee programme my tasks became more and more concrete ending up in project management roles.

After trainee programme I worked about a year and a half in Customer Relationship Management and Communications as a project manager. I had  interesting, versatile tasks and responsibilities in project management . 

Just few months ago I started working as a customer service manager. I am still working with different kinds of development projects but now I have a chance to work as a supervisor for the first time.”

What is your educational background? Do you feel that you have been able to use your knowledge and skills during the trainee programme and after?

“I have studied at Helsinki University of Technology and had Material Science and Engineering as my major and Industrial Management as my minor. I feel that in Lindström’s Management Trainee Programme I have been able to use my knowledge and skills by participating in challenging projects, having the chance to work independently as well as analyzing both processes and procedures at Lindström.”

What was your work experience before joining Lindström?

“I have worked during my studies and summer holidays. I had previous experience, for example, from sales and quality controlling. I have also worked as a research assistant and project consultant.”

What are your career goals?

“My aim is to continue working in interesting versatile tasks and constantly develop my knowledge and skills.”