Get to Know Us | Jaana Reima, Senior Financial Specialist, Helsinki

What has your career at Hannes Snellman been like?

I started my career at Hannes Snellman as a secretary in December 1987. At the time, the office employed around 30 people and the main language used was Swedish. I came to Hannes Snellman from a law firm where I had worked with trademarks and patents, so corporate law was a whole new world for me.

I started as a secretary to one of the partners of the firm, and within a couple of months, I also started working for an associate lawyer. Back in the late 80s, technology was not as developed, so assisting two people could sometimes be challenging time-wise. We mainly used word processors back then, and text files were saved on floppy disks. A big part of my work consisted of correspondence and drafting different memos, agreements, and briefs based on either hand-written notes or recorded dictations.

I assisted lawyers until the turn of the millennium, which is when I started working as an assistant to the office manager. At the time, Hannes Snellman did not have separate support functions, so I had the chance to take part in different duties related to HR, CR, and IT, among other things.

I transferred to my current position in the Finance & Control department in 2005 and immediately found my spiritual home: numbers! Therefore, I will present my career in a few key figures (excluding parental leave and annual holidays): commuted kilometres 133,500; hours worked 53,000; days worked 7,300; hours spent at lunch5,470; desk relocations 19; supervisors 17; and office relocations 2.

How would you describe your typical working day?

My work consists of a variety of duties, such as drafting reports, taking care of the ledger and money transactions, maintaining ERP (enterprise resource planning), and helping people with the system if needed. I also lecture to assistants and lawyers at Hannes Academy, handle trade register matters, and do all sorts of miscellaneous things. So far, each day of my career has been different.

The busiest time in our department is the second week of each month, when the previous month has been closed in accounting. Busy times can also be expected at the end of each quarter, halfway through the financial year, and especially in the months following the end of the financial year. My work mainly includes a lot of reporting at these times.

How would you describe your team?

Our team of five in Helsinki has remained unchanged for quite some years: Head of Finance and Control Jari, and Senior Financial Specialists Monica, Pia, and myself. We have established a monthly rotation for several duties − each of us is able to take care of these duties, which makes holidays and taking over someone’s tasks a bit easier.

What is the best part of your job, and what could still be improved?

My job is a wonderful mix of ad-hoc work, routine tasks, lecturing, and projects. Projects and ad-hoc work are great stimuli for your brain, but I also greatly enjoy routine tasks and lecturing. Moreover, I have always loved helping others, and it is a great feeling to be able to help a colleague out when it is hectic. I think good customer service is just as important internally as it is when communicating with clients.

How would you describe the Hannes Snellman culture?

I think the atmosphere at Hannes Snellman is great. Everyone is professional and motivated, and we encourage, help, and appreciate each other. We get to enjoy numerous events, get-togethers, and parties year-round, for which I am very grateful. The cherry on top of the cake, of course, is the annual Christmas party, where new employees put on a hilarious show you simply cannot afford to miss!

Want to know more about working at Hannes Snellman? Please pay a visit to our Careers section.