Jamk's Alumni of the Year 2023, Lilli Luoma-aho, has had close connections to Jamk throughout her career. Of Jamk's studies, Luoma-aho mentions customer service attitude, pressure tolerance and problem-solving skills as particularly important.
Lilli Luoma-aho believes that multitalent will be emphasised as a working life skill. Self-leadership is also an important skill: "Self-leadership is more than just the ability to list priorities; you also need to be able to allocate mental resources."
Through her studies in hospitality management and tourism, she found a career that combines internationality and working with people
Lilli Luoma-aho ended up studying at Jamk through a bit of a twist. She had already obtained a place to study at a university for teaching French. However, the idea of working as a language teacher did not feel like her own. "I wanted a job that would combine internationality, languages and people. I think it was my study councellor who suggested that I might apply to a university of applied sciences as well. This is the path I am on, and I haven't regretted it!"
Lilli Luoma-aho describes herself as a fundamentally positive person who works with a big heart. Her dedication was evident at Jamk in such a way that Luoma-aho enthusiastically got involved in all projects. Luoma-aho completed her degree in hospitality management in less than five years. Even though her studies and thesis took a long time, Luoma-aho would not leave anything out of her extensive work experience. 'Various project studies, participating in the Resto competitions and working while studying, have always supported my studies. The theory learned at the university was immediately put into practice."
Luoma-aho has a diverse background in various customer service tasks. In addition to her studies, she worked for five years as a volunteer at the Jyväskylä-based Nordic Business Forum and also completed an internship there as the supervisor in charge of the seminar hall. When Nordic Business Forum was first moved from Jyväskylä to Helsinki, Luoma-aho worked with the press and as the supervisor of First Class customer service. "Nordic Business Forum was a learning experience: you had to be able to hold several threads and withstand a lot of pressure. Hands-free in one ear, walkie-talkie in the other and customer in front. I had to be able to listen and respond and be present for everyone."
The family business enabled a natural career path to become a hotel manager
Today, Lilli Luoma-aho works as Hotel Manager at Hotel Verso in Jyväskylä. Verso's career began immediately after the hotel opened in 2016, around the same time as Luoma-aho herself graduated from Jamk. "Through the recruitment training provided by TE Services, I became a receptionist at a new hotel. First I was a receptionist, then a shift manager and then a reception manager. I was given more responsibility and eventually ended up in my current job as a hotel manager."
Lilli Luoma-aho is grateful that the Jyväskylä-based family business, Yöpuu Yhtiö Oy, has given her the opportunity to learn, try and experiment. "Every supervisor here also does performing work. I can sit in the office maybe two to three times a week." Luoma-aho wouldn't get fired up by pure office work, because she doesn't want to run away from customers or team members. "Customers are the reason why we do this job," Luoma-aho sums up.
Continuous learning and alumni visits at Jamk
Lilli Luoma-aho has also worked as a visiting lecturer at Jamk for students of the Tourism Management degree programme. "My former teacher asked if I could come and teach the hotel operating system, because I have fresh memories of it. Returning to Jamk as an alumna felt very natural." Luoma-aho hopes to give students enthusiasm for customer service and an understanding that the job description of a hotel employee is much more than just check-in and check-out.
Currently, Lilli Luoma-aho is also studying for a Master's degree at Jamk. Her studies have been very working life-oriented, and she has found it rewarding that learning assignments can be done to develop her own workplace. In the future, Luoma-aho also dreams of completing pedagogical studies. Perhaps one day she will become a teacher.
In the future, multi-talent will be emphasised
Lilli Luoma-aho hopes that more enthusiastic and courageous people will seek employment in the field in the future. She believes that multitalent will be emphasised even more. It is much easier to find employment if, for example, you have a receptionist who knows how to serve a little and vice versa. Self-leadership is also a skill that needs to be mastered today. "Self-leadership is more than just the ability to list priorities; you also need to be able to allocate mental resources." Luoma-aho has received training for this, for example, from trainings that her employer has made possible to attend.
Luoma-aho advises students that during their studies, it is a good idea to do internships in a versatile manner and insist that you can visit different departments for a few weeks to familiarise yourself with their operations. This way you can get an overall picture of the company's operations. Luoma-aho hopes that employers would understand that the overall picture of the industry cannot be learned from school textbooks, but that space should also be given to learn at workplaces.
At Jamk, the most important lessons Lilli Luoma-aho learned were about customer service attitude, pressure tolerance and problem-solving routes. 'I have always had a lot going on, but I have always done my studies, projects and work with all my heart,' Luoma-aho says with a warm smile.
