Career Services’ guidance and counselling

Are you wondering what your next step in your studies or working life could be? Would you like someone to listen to your thoughts or provide tips on where to find additional information to support your considerations? Come and see a career counsellor on campus without appointment!

During Autumn 2024, the university career counsellors will be available at Viikki, Kumpula and City Centre campuses approximately one Thursday every month. See below for the schedule for each campus.

The appointments can’t and don't need to be booked in advance, so just drop by whenever it is most convenient for you! You can visit any campus, regardless of where you usually study. The meeting is limited to a maximum of 20 minutes. Kindly be prepared to wait for your turn. The service is open to all University of Helsinki students and recent graduates within about 12 months of graduation.

Career Counsellors on Campus, Autumn 2025

• Thu 4.9. Viikki, 10-12 and 13-16, Info Centre Korona, guidance room 2043 (Viikinkaari 11)
• Thu 11.9. City Centre, 12-17, Kaisa House Group Guidance Room 4058b (Fabianinkatu 30, 4th floor) Nb: changed location!
• Thu 18.9. Kumpula, 12-15, Chemicum, room A117 (A. I. Virtasen aukio 1)
• Thu 25.9. Viikki, 10-12 and 13-16, Info Centre Korona, guidance room 2043 (Viikinkaari 11)
• Thu 9.10. City Centre, 12-17, Kaisa House Guidance Facilities, Fabianinkatu 30, 4th floor
• Thu 23.10. Kumpula, 12-15, Chemicum, room A117 (A. I. Virtasen aukio 1)
• Thu 30.10. Viikki,10-12 and 13-16, Info Centre Korona, guidance room 2043 (Viikinkaari 11)
• Thu 13.11. City Centre, 12-15.30, Kaisa House Guidance Facilities, Fabianinkatu 30, 4th floor Nb! Shorter time due to illness.
• Thu 20.11. Kumpula, 12-15, Chemicum, room A117 (A. I. Virtasen aukio 1)
• Thu 27.11. Viikki, 10-12 and 13-16, Info Centre Korona, guidance room 2043 (Viikinkaari 11)
• Thu 4.12. Kumpula, 9-11 and 12-15, Chemicum, room A117 (A. I. Virtasen aukio 1) Nb: longer hours
• Thu 11.12. City Centre, 12-17, Kaisa House Guidance Facilities, Fabianinkatu 30, 4th floor

Please note that if you primarily wish for feedback on your job application documents, come to our Drop-in support for job search on Zoom.

Are you wondering how to apply for a job or traineeship position? Do you need practical tips for job search or drafting your CV, job application, or LinkedIn profile, or would you like to get feedback on them?

Career services offer Drop-in support for job search in English and in Finnish on Zoom (see the link below). You don’t need to make an appointment, just drop in and get your questions answered! The duration of the session is max. 20 min per student or alumni.

This is how you join the Drop-in on Zoom

You will be let into the Zoom-session only at 13.00, 13.20, 13.40, 14.00, 14.20 and 14.40. After clicking the link you will arrive in a waiting room. Please stay in the waiting room to keep your spot in the line!

Drop-in support in Autumn 2025 (13-15)

• Tue 2.9.
• Tue 16.9.
• Tue 30.9.  
• Tue 14.10.
• Tue 28.10.
• Tue 11.11.
• Tue 25.11.
• Tue 9.12. 

Join the Drop-in support here (Zoom)
Meeting ID: 620 8459 5402, Passcode: 227290

Please note that this brief job search support is not career counselling or traineeship guidance. If you are thinking about and have questions related to your future career, such as your career aspirations or your personal competences and strengths, book an appointment for career counselling (Vihta booking page). If you would like to know more about the UH’s subsidy system for traineeships or to get support for the traineeship process, book an appointment for traineeship guidance (Vihta booking page).

Career Services organizes several groups and workshops to support your career planning and job search during the academic year. The workshops and groups are open for all the students at the University of Helsinki, regardless of the stage of studies. You can also participate in most workshops and groups as an alumni during the first 12 months after your graduation.

• Workshops: Information of all workshops held during the semester can be found on the page Career and recruitment events.
• Groups: Information of all groups held during the semester can be found on the page Groups to support the ability to study and career planning.

What is career counselling?

Choosing a study field is one of the major decisions that will shape your future. You may find yourself grappling with various major or minor questions about your future during the studies. These questions can be addressed through career counselling. Career counselling supports the development of self-awareness, exploration of career aspirations and opportunities, decision-making, and future planning. In addition to discussions, career counselling may include various tasks and exercises. 

In career counselling, we may: 

• Explore your options and choices 
• Ponder on who you are becoming as a result of the academic studies 
• Assess your skills and expertise 
• Outline your roles and possible paths in the world 
• Consider ways to gain experience and identify opportunities 
• Discuss other important aspects of your future 

A career counsellor does not provide ready-made answers or make decisions for you, but rather supports you in your reflections. While career counselling is not academic advising, many of its themes are also relevant to your studies. 

Career counselling is a safe space where you can freely express doubts, wonder, and challenge assumptions in confidence. We adhere to the ethical principles of the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (IAEVG) in our work.

Who can book an appointment?  

Individual career counselling is available to students and alumni of the University of Helsinki for up to about one year after graduation.  You can book a career counselling appointment whenever you have concerns – also at the very beginning of your studies. 

How to book an appointment

New career counselling appointments are released on our booking page Vihta every last Wednesday of the month around 10:30–11:00 am (see exceptions on the booking page). The Vihta page opens in Finnish, but you can change the language to English.

Please note that career counselling is one of our most popular services, and appointments fill up quickly. Additional appointments may become available due to cancellations. Each counseling session lasts 60 minutes. You can have 1–3 meetings depending on your needs. Book your first appointment on the booking page. You can arrange further meetings directly with your career counsellor.

Book an appointment for career counselling (booking page Vihta)

Please note that you can also meet a career counsellor without an appointment on all campuses. Learn more about our campus services under Career Counsellors on Campus.

More information about career counselling: careerguidance@helsinki.fi

All information on traineeships can be found here: Traineeships. You can also start by checking out the following pages:

• Frequently asked questions about traineeships
• Degree programme-specific traineeship instructions
• Traineeship subsidy and funding 

Traineeship guidance by appointment

You can ask a traineeship specialist questions regarding traineeships and discuss your own situation.

Book an appointment if you are eg. thinking about the following:

• you plan on doing a traineeship but you are not sure where to start the process
• you need tips on different ways to look for traineeship positions
• you're wonder how the traineeship subsidy works and how you can apply for it

NB. For questions about Erasmus traineeships and the travel grant for international traineeships, please contact the International exchange services.

The duration of a guidance session is 30 minutes. Book a time for traineeship guidance here

The UH career counsellors have put together a wide range of self-study material to help with your career planning and job search. Explore the pages and get help with for your questions and reflections just when you need it!

• Tools for planning your career and future
• Tips for job search
• LinkedIn Quick Guide on Moodle (if you are an alumni, please login as a guest)
• How to Find a Job in Finland Guide on Moodle

Kudin.fi is a digital self-assessment tool specifically created for University of Helsinki students, with the aim of assisting you in career planning and enhancing your employability. Identifying your career planning thoughts, questions and concerns may help you better develop your career readiness during your studies, and later during your career.

This is how it works:

• Log in to the service with your university username and password.
• Choose the inventory that best meets your needs. The first inventory focuses on career readiness and employability, aspects that are worth monitoring regularly during your studies. In the second inventory about My strengths during change, you will explore individual psychosocial career resources. The final inventory, Career choices and decision-making, helps you reflect on factors that may interfere with your decision-making process. All inventories are based on comprehensive research and validated measures.
• Based on your replies, you will receive feedback and tips on which areas of career readiness you could work on.
• You can work on the feedback you received and the thoughts it provoked on your own or with others, together with your personal study adviser or career counsellor, in a career group, on specific career/expertise courses or as part of your portfolio work.

Try out the Kudin.fi tool today and improve your career readiness!