My Career: From Start to Finnish
Brazilian sales development manager Helena values her personal space here
Helena de Lino Correia, Brazil. Sales development manager
“I am really thankful for the level of peace I have found here.”
Helena has lived in six different countries and speaks six languages. She previously worked with the supply chain in the oil and gas sector in Brazil, and she moved to Finland to study. She first tried a master’s, but it wasn’t compatible with her previous field of studies (politics), so she completed another bachelor’s degree, in business administration, and does not regret it: it opened the doors for her career and built her an extensive network in Finland. Her biggest dream in life is to bring Nordic clothing design to Brazil through her own clothing brand and she would love to meet Finnish investors and designers who are interested to help.
the freedom and the culture of taking responsibility. I am allowed to be a human with human problems and needs, my employer respects me as an individual and I can carry out my work with much greater ease and enthusiasm, because I am recharged and problem-free, as I have my own space to solve them. That level of kindness still surprises me every day. You’ve got something really special going on here.
communication. People need to able to share information verbally face-to-face in a fluid way to speed up the spread of relevant information. Including English as a working language is also necessary to absorb skilled immigrants willing to join the labour market. It is a win-win situation when you have more people paying taxes through their work, creating more consumption and, as a consequence, more jobs.
personal space. I am a very social person, but sometimes I need time alone to cool off. Finland allows me to do that without being considered rude. Every time I visit my home country, I face challenges finding some personal space. I am really thankful for the level of peace I have found here – I feel my whole body is lighter every time I land in Finland. Kiitos!
a very long story. I realised that applying online and sending CVs door to door wasn’t working, so I decided to network instead. I took every opportunity my university offered me (competitions, projects, conferences and company visits). In one of those projects, I came second at Logy’s National Logistics Competition. After that, a few companies noticed me and I got several job offers. The story is quite thrilling actually, and I tell more about it on my YouTube channel.
just come!