Career Stories | Krista Järvimaa, Legal Assistant, Employment, Helsinki

Krista Järvimaa works as a legal assistant in our Employment Team. Krista joined Hannes Snellman in May 2021 as a legal assistant trainee, and she then continued working as a legal assistant after her traineeship. Krista holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences.

How did you end up working at Hannes Snellman?

We had a company presentation about Hannes Snellman at our school. My intention was to look for an internship in the marketing field, but I found the company presentation very interesting and decided to apply. After the traineeship, I continued working as a legal assistant in the Employment Team.

How did your studies and the traineeship at Hannes prepare you for the role of a legal assistant?

My studies, especially the ICT courses, prepared me very well for this job. During the traineeship, I was able to put what I had learnt in school into practise.

You are also working as a mentor. Could you tell us about the role of a mentor at Hannes?

Mentoring, like tutoring, is a type of peer support. We aim to provide a socially safe environment in which assistant trainees can openly share their thoughts and feelings about the traineeship. We also aim to encourage assistant trainees to collaborate with one another. My other mentoring colleague and I also came to Hannes through the trainee programme, and we believe that having a similar background is beneficial when providing peer assistance.

What is the best part about your job?

The best part about my job, besides the amazing colleagues of course, is that I get to help my co-workers and feel like a valuable member of the community. My job tasks and all the assignments vary a lot, which keeps my work interesting.

One theme that currently stands out in working life discussions is that of purpose. To conclude this interview, we would like to ask you what are the things that keep you going and motivated at work — what is your purpose?

While working as an assistant, I know my role is to help other colleagues – lawyers, assistants, and other support team members. Assisting with small and sometimes seemingly insignificant tasks is important in this work, because even though it might sound like a cliché, I really feel that the whole company succeeds only when we all work together towards a common goal. In addition, all the different projects, the possibility to develop myself and learn something new daily keeps me going and motivated.

FAVOURITE | Book: I like to read detective and goofy romance novels, nothing too serious; Lunch: Salad buffet; Podcast: I don’t really listen to any; Work Equipment: Laptop; Afternoon Routine: Taking a nap; Mobile Application: WhatsApp; Relaxation Method: Sleeping or listening to good music; Work Outfit: Something comfy; Social Media Channel: Instagram; Drink: Coca-Cola Zero; Weekday: Friday; Leisure Activity: Spending time with my friends