Intervju med Jenni Laiho
Program: International Business Program
Specialization: Management
Start of education: H10
Title: Kindle Operations Specialist
Company
Amazon EU HQ Luxembourg
Previous employer:
Kuehne + Nagel, Luxembourg: International Transport Coordinator, 2014-2017
What have you been doing after you graduated and what are you doing now?
I started to look for jobs already while writing my master thesis during the spring of 2014. I was applying for all kind of jobs in all over the Europe and finally got a permanent contract as an International Transport Coordinator in August, 2014 at Kuehne + Nagel.
Kuehne + Nagel is an international transportation and logistics company which is present in over 100 countries and has over 63 000 employees. However, due to lack of carrier development opportunities, I decided to change my job and landed at Amazon after working 3 years at my first role.
My job as International Transport Coordinator was about organizing the transportation of hi-tech material within all Nordic countries for one of the big, global IT customers. I was responsible for scheduling shipments, monitoring goods in transit and handling deviations and inconformaties. I also took care of express shipments, return of goods back to the factory and reporting to internal and external stakeholders. I was part of a very multicultural team and was required to use Finnish, Swedish and English in my daily communication.
I started my current job as a Kindle Operations Specialist at Amazon EU HQ in September, 2017. Amazon is currently the world’s largest internet retailer with over 2, 000 employees working in Luxembourg and 566,000 worldwide.
I’m part of the Digital Global Logistics team that deals with shipments of Amazon designed devices such as Kindle, FireTv, Echo, Dash Buttons and Fire Tablets from factories to Fulfillment Centers (FCs) i.e. local warehouses in Europe.
I’m making sure that the FCs receive correct quantities of the incoming products and act as a main point of contact with FCs, freight forwarders and Instock planning team. My tasks also include organizing transfers between two different Amazon locations, monitoring and addressing carrier performance and escalations.
I’m also working closely with the teams in China and Seattle, the USA. My job is sometimes very chaotic but very interesting as it offers new challenges and learning opportunities every day. Amazon also has a lot of different kind of social events with a great possibility to network with people from other departments.
Which courses did you study for your Business Administration C- and D-level?
I studied one semester in France as an exchange student during the C-level and took a variety of different kind of courses. After coming back, I took law and international business culture and communication courses. During the D-level, I specialized in management for the first semester and spent the second semester writing my degree project.
What advice would you give to our current students?
I recommend going abroad during the studies, engaging in all kinds of organizations, clubs and associations at the university or doing an internship. Doing something practical gives you more self-confidence, independency, problem-solving and communication skills. It is also a great way to discover more about what kind of work you like or don't like to do.
When it comes to finding a job, don't hesitate to apply for jobs abroad or positions that ask for a couple years’ experience. Especially if the experience is only a preference, it may be worth trying!
I have noticed that many companies are more interested in finding an individual with a right personality rather than someone who already can do the job. Try also to be a bit flexible and look for jobs outside your major field as it could be a good solution at least temporarily. If you can speak more than just English, use the other language as one of the criteria when searching for suitable jobs.