Career Stories | Janita Stenroos, HR Assistant

Janita Stenroos works as an HR assistant in our Human Resources Team. Janita joined Hannes Snellman in January 2021 as a legal assistant trainee, and she then continued working as a legal assistant after her traineeship. Last autumn, Janita started working in our HR Team, and she is also part of our Communications Team.

How did you end up working at Hannes Snellman?

As mentioned above, I was lucky to get myself a legal assistant trainee position in January 2021. The first time I heard about Hannes Snellman was during my BBA studies when Mari Sipiläinen from the HR Team visited our lecture to introduce Hannes Snellman. Working in a law firm sounded interesting, and I got excited about it, even though I had not even thought about such a trainee position before. I had no experience of working in an office or in the legal field in general, so I thought that this could be not just a challenge but also a great opportunity for me. The opportunity truly was greater than I expected, as I got the chance to work as a legal assistant in our Finance Team for over three years and now continue my Hannes Snellman journey in our HR Team along with my master’s studies in human resources management.

What is included in a “normal” working day?

My normal working day looks a lot different nowadays than it looked when I worked as a legal assistant. As an HR assistant, my responsibilities include student cooperation, and I am also in charge of recruiting office support trainees and legal assistant trainees. Therefore, my typical working day involves a lot of meetings and conversations with my colleagues relating to, for example, planning and organising various student-related events.

What other responsibilities do you have aside from your regular tasks?

One of the best things about working at Hannes Snellman is that you get to work with things that you find interesting. As a legal assistant, I got the opportunity to work as a tutor and as a mentor for our legal assistant trainees. I also hosted our student events for business students and got to be part of the legal assistant trainee recruitment.

Aside my current role, I am actively involved with our recreational activity club called Avocados. With Avocados, we organise things like after works, museum visits, various sports try-outs, and ski trips for our employees. In addition to Avocados, I have also taken part in organising our office parties, like our annual Christmas parties.

Do you have any advice for students applying for traineeships or the legal assistant traineeship in particular?

Be yourself, be open-minded, and show your motivation!

It is good to remember that you are applying for a traineeship mostly because you do not have the experience of that kind of work. More important than experience is that you show your motivation and a good attitude towards the traineeship and the employer. And always remember to be yourself, as that is how you will bring out the best in you.

Hannes Snellman is cooperating with Päätös, a podcast focused on decision-making. Inspired by the podcast, we would like to conclude this interview by asking you about decision-making — what would you say is the most significant decision you have made when it comes to your professional life?

I believe that my best decision was to apply for the legal assistant trainee position, despite my doubts about whether it was the right fit for me or if I could succeed in a completely new environment. I am glad that I did not hold too tightly onto the idea that I had to get an HR trainee position. At some point during my studies, I thought that an HR trainee position was the only way to secure a future in HR. However, this career path has shown me that this is not the case, and it is always worth keeping an open mind.

FAVOURITE |  Way of Commuting: Train; Lunch: Sushi; Podcast: I prefer listening to music, so no favourite podcast; Work Equipment: Extra monitor(s); Afternoon Routine: Coffee; Mobile Application: WhatsApp; Relaxation Method: Playing piano; Work Outfit: Casual dress; Social Media Channel: Instagram; Drink: Pepsi Max; Weekday: Friday; Leisure Activity: Spending time with my family and friends.