Aliaksei’s interview with Riitta Salin

Riitta Salin is an executive director of Moniheli Network of Multicultural Associations. She has a Master degree from the University of Helsinki, and she has more than 20 years of experience of working in the third sector and NGOs. Her transition from academia to workforce went in a steady way because Riitta started to work before she graduated. Throughout her career, she has worked in a number of NGOs and social organizations. She admits that networking and contacts obtained throughout her career played a significant role in her professional life and helped her to find new opportunities or to get attractive offers. Her experience has helped her to get the current job in Moniheli where she came Riitta works since 2012.

Riitta says that professional experience is an important thing for every student who seeks employment. Volunteer job, she claims, is a good way to start. It is not only important regarding networking and obtaining contacts, but also because one can better understand what one wants to do. For her, it is important to be working towards the improvement, to contribute to the development of the Finnish society. Riitta believes that a profound understanding of the third sector, the way it works, the function it performs, and being aware of a structure of Finnish NGOs, can enable one to find a place where one fits the best regarding the functions of an organization, its goals, and its strategies.

Her work is diverse. There are always administrative things she has to do, but a job is never the same. Because Moniheli is an umbrella organization for a number of smaller projects and groupings, she works with each of them trying to help them, so there is always something different. Her work is not only office work; she visits various institutions and participates in events representing “Moniheli.” Riitta also gets to travel across Finland because there are projects in different parts of the country.

Riitta Salin likes her job. She thinks that every person has his difficult moments at times when one is being tired of his/her job, and this is normal. She likes her job at Moniheli because she can contribute to the social change and because she can see the results of her efforts. Riitta thinks that the atmosphere at the workplace is very important. She claims that there should be trust between people working together. She trusts her team and is not afraid to assign responsibilities. The most important thing for her is job being done, and this should be the primary focus of people working with her.

At the end of the interview, Riitta gives a piece of advice for the graduates. The most important thing to be done for people who want to work in the third sector is to get to know how things are. She recommends that people learn how things work, what influences what and how this is all interdependent. Such knowledge will allow one to navigate in his/her career path. And, she admits, broadening one’s network is always a good thing to do.