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A good work-life balance is rated on par with salary as top criteria when professionals seek a new role, reveals new research conducted by CEMS, the Global Alliance in Management Education. Within the global survey among 4,206 professionals from 75 countries, quick career progression and the chance to make an impact at an early stage were also ranked highly, as the third and fourth key criteria which would influence the decisions of all professionals to apply for a job.

Georg Namuth, a young CEMS Aalto alumnus, agrees that salary and work-life balance are important. At least for him, however, the choice of a career or a job depends on many more factors as well.  

A whole package of job criteria

‘As a young father I certainly appreciate the ability to have a flexible schedule and work from home every now and then, but also financial security for my family is an important point. Factors such as quick career progression, the chance to make an impact at an early stage, and inspirational leadership impact my job satisfaction just as much. It is more of a “whole package” that has to meet my expectations, and I am happy to say that my current role as an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company in Helsinki meets all my criteria.’

Namuth did his Bachelor’s degree at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management in Germany, and after having moved to Finland, where he now lives with his family, he decided to continue with his studies at Aalto University School of Business. He chose the Master’s programme in Global Management, which includes the CEMS Master in International Management, and liked the curriculum of the strategy-focused program that taught him a lot about business and societal challenges on an international level.

'The program was primarily focused on qualitative studies but the electives and CEMS studies allowed me to complement this with further quantitative studies. The CEMS program was also a big driver of my satisfaction with Aalto University because it was a really great community of students and academic advisors, and we had a lot of international guest students', Namuth says.

George Namuth’s current work consists of analytical problem solving, presenting findings and conclusions to supervisors and clients, and a lot of teamwork. He says that his study program had all these elements included in courses and assignments, so he grew comfortable with complex analyses and learned how to work effectively with diverse teams and finally present the results.

Welcoming Finns

At the beginning, Georg Namuth found it difficult and frustrating that it was so difficult to find a job in Finland that would not require Finnish language skills. Today, however, Finland has definitely become his home, and he says he feels very happy in Finland.

‘Finnish people have been very welcoming, and it is comforting to know that all processes can be conducted in English. The social security support during early parenthood and while studying has also been exceptionally good. And since there are so many international people in Finland, and in Helsinki in particular, I don’t ever feel like an outsider. It has been easy to connect with new people as Finns are very inclusive’, Namuth says.

He also encourages international students to stay in Finland after their studies.

‘I know that some people want to return to their home country after studying in Finland, but I would suggest to fully immerse yourself into the Finnish society because Finland is not only great for studying but for working, living, and raising a family as well.’

About CEMS and the survey

CEMS carried out the research in Autumn 2021 among 4206 of their alumni based in 75 countries. 132 of the respondents either lived in Finland, had graduated from the CEMS Master in International Management (CEMS MIM) programme at Aalto University School of Business, or identified as Finnish.

CEMS is a Global Alliance of leading business schools, multinational companies and non-profits that together offer the CEMS Master in International Management (CEMS MIM). The CEMS MIM is a one-year, pre-experience programme that offers students the opportunity to be educated in a truly multicultural classroom. 

Students enrolled in the programme study for one semester at their home university, with a term abroad in a different CEMS member school. In addition to completing a home degree, students complete a consulting project and an international internship. CEMS alumni careers take a truly international path:

• 98% are employed or continuing their studies
• 93% have worked outside of their home country
• 65% work for multinational companies