Herizon helping international talent in Finland
Interview with a community manager of Herizon: Viivi Marttinen
What is Herizon?
Herizon is a nonprofit Talent Community for immigrant women and diverse folks. The mission of Herizon is to diversify Tech, especially here in Finland and in the Nordics. We do that by:
Teaching people growth hacking as a new skill that they could use in work life.
We match talents with companies and facilitate internships.
We also help people with their job-seeking skills, developing skills for job-seeking through LinkedIn boot camp and other kinds of coaching.
Should I identify myself as 'her' to join you?
Actually, no. While we do focus heavily on women, we also welcome other diverse people, including those who do not identify as women. Our mission is to diversify the tech industry, and while we particularly support women, as they are a classically underrepresented group in tech, we are inclusive of all.
“Our mission is to diversify the tech industry”
Can a Finnish woman join you?
While we primarily focus on internationals, we do accept Finns every now and then. However, nowadays, it's quite rare because we want to emphasize the diversity aspect, especially within the international community in Finland.
What is growth hacking, is it the same as marketing?
`It is rather simple. It involves systematic testing where you repeat a testing cycle, for example, weekly. The process includes analysis, hypothesis prioritization, and testing. Based on that, you learn and improve.
Growth hacking is not limited to marketing, although it is often associated with it. This is because the growth metric set for a growth hacker is often generating more leads, a responsibility commonly falling under the marketing department.
However, you can apply growth hacking to everything. For instance, I've growth hacked my own weekly menu because I have picky kids. I test out recipes, gather their feedback, and assess whether it was successful or not. From this, I learn valuable insights; for example, one of my kids dislikes onions, so I avoid using them as much in cooking. On the other hand, I discovered they enjoy certain foods like pasta, so I incorporate more of that.
Growth hacking can be employed for any purpose. It's more like a cross-functional effort, aiming to improve the entire business, including the product, marketing messaging, and how we present ourselves.
If someone wants to join your community, do they need to be interested in growth hacking, or can anyone join?
`People from various backgrounds are welcome, and we provide support in their job search. While having some digital skills is preferred since we primarily partner with tech companies and startups, you don't need to be a marketer or a growth hacker specifically. We assist people from different fields of expertise with their job search, offering resources that go beyond growth hacking and focus more on refining job search skills, presenting oneself to potential employers, and effective networking.
How to join the Herizon community?
“Finding a job in Finland requires resilience, and we aim to support you in this journey”
If you wish to join the Herizon Community, you can visit our website and scroll down until you find the sections on growth hacking training and Herizon Community. Underneath, you'll find buttons leading to the same application form. There, we ask a bit about your motivational factors and assess your resilience. Finding a job in Finland requires resilience, and we aim to support you in this journey. While we can assist, it's crucial that you are in a position where our impact on your job search can be meaningful. That's why we also evaluate motivational factors. If we determine that we can be of help to you, we will extend an invitation to join the community.
Does it mean that you reject some?
It is quite rare. Sometimes, we receive applications from outside of Finland or applications that don't meet our quality standards. We verify that the person is a real person actively searching for a job.
How big is the community right now?
We have 300 people on our Horizon Academy platform on Mighty. A larger community on Discord has almost a thousand members. The Mighty community is closed; you need to apply to join, or an existing member should make a referral. The Discord community is open to everyone.
For example, the LinkedIn boot camp is hosted on Discord. There, we can have conversations and facilitate a community not only located in Finland, so Internationals not yet living in Finland can already join.
About Growth Hacking Academy
The Growth Hacking Academy offers an online course with video recordings by our founder, Mari, who is a growth hacker herself. Each lesson includes a homework or learning task for you to implement what you have just learned. The course provides resources that you can take with you and apply in your job. We don't verify whether participants have completed the course; instead, we trust in people's motivation and commitment to growth hacking. We believe that participants are serious and accountable. If you secure a growth hacking internship, it is in your best interest to refer back to the materials you learned during the course.
Finland is a high-trust culture
“You are expected to be a self-starter and proactively seek help and resources when needed”
Yes, Finland is a culture with very high levels of trust. We trust that things work in a certain way, and we trust that we treat each other well, especially in business life. However, it can be a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, there's a lot of trust in individuals to perform their jobs. On the flip side, you are expected to be a self-starter and proactively seek help and resources when needed. For some people, this might feel like a burden, especially if they didn't grow up in an environment that values such proactive behavior. For example, cultures that highly prioritize hierarchy may find Finland's low-hierarchy environment challenging to adapt to.
How does an internship process look?
Myself and my colleagues are always on the lookout for new partner companies. We check in with our existing partner companies to understand whether there is room for new talent to join the team.
When we do find a company that wants to hire from our talent pool, then we look for that talent from our own talent pool. And sometimes, we post about these opportunities to our closed community and ask whether someone is interested in this opportunity.
Depending on whether we know you well already or not, we might have a pre-screening interview. It takes between 15 minutes to half an hour. We get to know you, your strengths, and the value that you could bring to this company. Then, we introduce the profiles to the startup, and they get to choose whoever they want to meet. That is where we hand things off to the company. So, we facilitate the introductions, we connect the people with the company, and then the company has a recruitment process for the person they were interested in.
“Our minimum requirement for an internship is two months at 1200 EUR per month. ”
The internships are paid. We don't work with companies that do not pay for internships. Our minimum requirement for an internship is two months at 1200 EUR per month. If a company is satisfied with their intern and wishes to retain them as part of their team, we ask them to provide a long-term contract. We also request an increase in their salary to match the market standard. Therefore, the 1,200 EUR per month is only for the two-month internship period.
How can I get an internship faster?
We would appreciate it if you made yourself more visible. When you join the community, introduce yourself promptly with a short post describing who you are.
There is also a link in our onboarding flow where you can book a one-on-one session with me. During this session, we go over your LinkedIn profile, working on it if needed, and I get to know your strengths, skill sets, and preferences. This information is crucial for us to effectively represent you as talent to companies. In the worst-case scenario, you join the community, but we have no idea who you are, making it challenging to represent you if you don't participate in events.
In the ideal case, you join the community, attend some events, or at least book a call with me or my colleague Mary. We get to know you, and from there, we can start representing you to the companies we work with.
What is LinkedIn Boot Camp?
LinkedIn Boot Camp is a four-week program where you learn how to effectively show up and be visible on LinkedIn. I provide you with knowledge on how LinkedIn works, including insights into the algorithm, dos and don'ts, and frameworks to help you get started. This includes filling out your profile, describing your value and strengths, and finding content to share from your professional and personal history.
We also encourage you to start posting. There are prompts tailored to different comfort levels, ranging from "I am entirely new, unsure what to do, and feel shy about sharing myself" to "I've got this. I'm experienced; I just need a little help presenting my knowledge online."
What are some "don'ts" on LinkedIn for job seekers?
A few things I wouldn't recommend doing:
Not filling out your LinkedIn profile
Not having a headline that makes sense
Not using a recognizable profile photo
Not engaging with the larger community
Not posting any content
Why do you think community support is important at Herizon?
I believe it's crucial for everyone to feel supported, welcomed, and to know that someone has their back. This is particularly significant for people like our community members who may not have extensive support networks in Finland.
We organize weekly recurring meetups that include face-to-face co-working, online networking, and even practicing speaking Finnish together in a safe and supportive environment. Our LinkedIn Boot Camp is another initiative where we share our learnings and provide mutual support. We check in on the vibe of the day and cultivate a co-working atmosphere. Additionally, we maintain daily conversations and interactions on our platform. It is of utmost importance to us that everyone feels safe and accommodated in our community, enabling them to build networks and even friendships.
What would be your advice to Internationals living in Finland when they start their job seeking?
I would say, in some ways, less is more. Having a to-the-point value statement about what you can bring to the table is very effective in Finland. I've noticed that we have different cultural norms; elsewhere, it's better to provide more details and descriptions of your accomplishments, but in Finland, it's very effective to be concise. Clearly communicate the value you can bring, how you can contribute, and how you've achieved results. Finns appreciate practicality, so be practical about your achievements. Be honest, direct, and open. Respect personal space, as Finns are experts in allowing personal space and respecting each other's boundaries.
Punctuality is crucial in Finland. It's a very punctual place, and I've even heard from colleagues visiting from other countries that they were surprised to find public transport running on time.
Applying this to job searching, be concise in expressing the value you can bring, be punctual for meetings or interviews, and be honest and transparent about your experiences. You don't need to share personal details proactively, but if asked, be truthful about your experiences and yourself.
Viivi Marttinen
Viivi is a community manager at Herizon, HR manager in the past.