Meet the talent: Arshia Nezakat

We sat down with Arshia, who’s looking for a role in a company that’s combining tech and helping people. Read about her achievements in this post and don’t hesitate to contact us or her on possible job opportunities.

The Quick Look.

Experience:

5-year track record in community, diversity, and learning-focused roles across NGOs and startups. One of my standout achievements involves empowering over 150 individuals with disabilities in Pakistan, guiding them to enhance their job-seeking skills and secure successful employment.
Additionally, I’ve conducted impactful disability sensitization training sessions for around 500 employees of leading corporate organizations in Pakistan. I have bachelors in Psychology from a reputable university

Strengths:

1. Go-getter, action oriented.
2. At a Herizon event, we did a strength test, and mine was Spirituality. I realized I’ve worked with people in the social sector, where believing in the good of society is crucial. This spiritual strength fuels my passion to make a positive impact.
3. I’m very flexible; having moved from a very different country to Finland, I focus on the positive aspects of my new home country.

I bring to the table:

I have this urge, a very high motivation to contribute to the society in a good way. And I want to do it through my work. Now I just need a platform to perform.

I want to work with organizations that work with and for people. My previous job involved a mobile app designed for people with hearing disabilities, combining my interest in working with people and using technology.

Tell us about yourself?

I am new in Finland, moved here four months ago from Pakistan. The reason for my move is my husband – we believe that if you want to go somewhere new, aim for the best of the best, and for education, Finland is known to be the best. We both applied for different master’s programs, deciding to study at different times.

Back in Pakistan, I worked in social sectors, including NGOs and startups.

Before moving here, I had the assumption that there wouldn’t be many jobs within the NGOs and startups for people’s development. Surprisingly, I learned that there are plenty, especially combining Tech and helping people! This got me excited.Meanwhile, I’m learning Finnish; Herizon’s language sessions were the first ones I joined. My initial struggle was with grocery shopping, but I eventually learned some sentences for that!I’ve been exploring new courses in various universities and open courses, and I’m loving the experience as I’ve found some very interesting combinations of unique courses. 

I didn’t have much time to attend events back home in Pakistan. Now, I go to various networking events, and they have significantly contributed to my integration into Finland. I often end up having conversations, staying in touch, and making friends. It’s been a great journey, and it’s still ongoing.Since I am new here, I try to restrain myself from complaining about the job market, I believe I need to do everything in my capacity before I make an opinion about the whole situation. My priority for now is to learn a language & engage in networking events.And I gotta say, I enjoy pulla with coffee!

What kind of jobs and tasks do you see yourself thriving at?

• Organizations that work with and for people. My previous job involved a mobile app designed for people with hearing disabilities, combining my interest in working with people and using technology. 
• Courses and training programs that help people find employment. 
• My specific area of interest is Learning and Development in the training and development field.

Tell us about your work or education experience?

I pursued a bachelor’s in Psychology as I have always been fascinated by humans and their potential. Seeing and helping people to operate in the most challenging situations and still working their way out to reach their true potential has been a huge source of motivation for me. Hence, Positive psychology, the science of happiness, became my focus.In Finland, known for being the happiest country, happiness encompasses various factors like nature, contentment, and SISU. I decided to work with people, helping them become better versions of themselves, through training and coaching.

I've worked with people with disabilities who face numerous challenges on a daily basis and it's taught me that we understand people better when we imagine ourselves in their position.

What interests or hobbies do you have?

I like to swim nowadays! In Pakistan, you don’t learn to swim in school. So, I took up swimming as a challenge, overcoming a fear of water at the age of 24, and now I teach swimming.And I enjoy knitting with my husband, which we both are learning from our Finnish friends.

Tell us about a difficult situation you’ve gone through and handled?

At a young age, I moved from one city to another, facing the challenge of making new friends and leaving the old ones behind. My father’s advice to look for the good things wherever I go has stayed with me till now. Now, in Finland, I cherish the experience and always seek the positive aspects.

What change would you like to see in this world?

I would like to see a world where everyone is treated equally, no matter where they’re from or who they are. I’ve worked with people with disabilities who face numerous challenges on a daily basis and it’s taught me that we understand people better when we imagine ourselves in their position. So, before judging others and acting upon it, let’s put ourselves in their shoes and then decide how to act. They way, we can treat everyone with the respect they deserve.

Arshia's LinkedIn profile