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LUT University collects feedback from graduates – both master's and doctoral – as part of the nationwide Aarresaari network’s career monitoring survey. This fall, master's graduates from 2019 and doctoral graduates from 2021 will have the chance to participate in the survey.
The data from the survey is used to improve both teaching and research, but alumni career and employment information is especially valuable to students who are just beginning their professional journeys.
The alumni's contributions are actively used in career guidance to ensure that students have up-to-date information about changes in the working world, as well as details about employers, job titles, and salaries.
"Students are interested in the paths our graduates have taken"
According to Ida-Maria Volturi, LUT University's career services specialist, the results of the career tracking survey are used extensively in guidance from the very start of students' studies. Employment data is utilized both generally and within specific fields of study.
“The information from the survey is used in student orientation courses and educational materials, among other things. General and field-specific career data is updated annually, so we can always give students up-to-date information about the employers that our alumni work for,” Volturi explains.
The information gathered from alumni also serves as a vital source of inspiration and is used to teach work readiness skills.
“Students are interested in the paths our graduates have taken. We hold various webinars and workshops, for example, on how to articulate work readiness skills, and we present skills that our alumni consider important. In addition, we discuss together how and where students can develop these skills during their studies,” Volturi says.
She also sends an encouraging message to alumni who this fall have the opportunity to help students by responding to the career monitoring survey.
"Any of the students could be your future colleague. By telling them what to consider or what skills to focus on during their studies, you’re ensuring they become skilled and motivated coworkers in the future. Our alumni are our strongest bridge between the university and the working world, so the labor market information they provide is invaluable,” Volturi emphasizes.
Alumni career stories help plan professional goals
Saleh Butt, a master's student at LUT Business School, moved to Finland to study in the fall of 2023. He describes the employment data used in career guidance as crucial for learning how to navigate Finland's labor market and job-hunting culture.
According to him, the information can also be used to plan a career and set goals.
"Students want to be aware of the various employment options within their field. With career data, you can explore opportunities that interest you. Once you’ve compared, for example, different sectors, it becomes easier to decide which jobs you want to aim for," Butt describes.
Butt has personal experience with this, as he currently works as an analyst in business process management, even though his studies focus more on data and business analytics.
He mentions that the information he received through career guidance played an important role in securing a job in Finland. Additionally, he hopes that alumni career information will continue to be used even more widely in the future and that students and alumni can discuss experiences of the working world at networking events.
“In addition to employment data, students could get new ideas for their career planning from alumni at various networking events,” Butt says.
He also points out that alumni career stories provide valuable lessons about the different stages of a person’s working life – your first job won’t necessarily be your best or final one.
“Alumni career stories teach us that the first job won’t be the best one, and everyone’s career journey involves multiple stages. Everyone has the freedom to change direction and set new goals. Career stories helps to understand how to progress toward a goal,” Butt explains.
Career monitoring survey in a nutshell
- Career monitoring survey response time is running this year from 1 October to 9 December.
- Responding alumni are approached personally by email, SMS or letter.
- The data from the survey is used to improve both teaching and research, but alumni career and employment information is especially valuable to students.
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