Hi Anne, who are you and where do you come from?
I’m Anne Delgoulet, my initials are indeed ABCD, but people just call me “Ann”. I am the new and first Internation Liaison Coordinator here at Suomen Ekonomit.
I am native French: I had lived all my life in the same small village, Montmoreau St Cybard – very typical countryside village – until I moved to Helsinki. Well, that is not quite true. I did live two months in Spain to learn the language and six months in Helsinki as an exchange student.
My Dad is a jazz fan, so I grew up surrounded by music, going to concerts and festivals. Hence, I thought of making career in the cultural event industry. I helped producing a bunch of jazz/classic music festivals and concerts, and worked for artist management companies. Once here, I found it easier to integrate the labor market by making use of my business degree working for Finnish startups.
Tell us about your role at Suomen Ekonomit
I am part of the big and multifaceted Customer Experience team, that does everything from communication, member recruitment and events to customer service, student affairs and data analytics.
I am especially focusing on:
- increasing the awareness of non-Finnish-speaking and foreign-born talents on what unions are and what they do for them, students and graduates alike
- ensuring that they feel welcome at Suomen Ekonomit: our services are immediately accessible and understandable to them
- maximizing their satisfaction with their membership
- developing English-friendly opportunities for all our members.
What sparked your interest in this job and Suomen Ekonomit?
It is a funny story because I was receiving career search support from Suomen Ekonomit when encountered the job ad. I read it and to me it basically said: “looking for someone that would support internationals finding their way through the Finnish work life and labor market with the help of a union”. Which is me. That’s what happened to me. I am foreign, I work and live here, and I joined the union Suomen Ekonomit which helped loads with both things.
How was your first week at the office?
Very informational, and I still have so many questions! It’s a very positive experience. Everyone is very welcoming even though it is an adjustment: I am the first non-Finnish-speaking employee. And I love that for Suomen Ekonomit. They (We) are walking the walk of DEI, putting our money where our mouth is: recruiting internationals is crucial and positive for Finnish companies, economy and society.
What motivates you in your work?
The feeling of being useful. That has always been my drive. I know what I good at and I love seeing it being of use anywhere I can.
If you were a fictional character, who would you be and why?
I have been told I am a bit of Hermione Granger, I must confess…though I would have ended up at Ravenclaw says all “Which Hogwarts’ House are you” online quiz.