Samppa’s journey in the World of Hyperspectral Imaging

Like many employee’s first day, I must say I was dwelled with sleepless night before my first day at Specim as a trainee. With just 4 hours of sleep, I was left turning left and right on my bed wondering;

• What kind of working environment I’m about to enter?
• How diverse are the employees at Specim?
• Are they going to judge me if I don’t speak fluent Finnish?
• Will I be able to integrate well in this company?
• Do I have what it takes to understand what Hyperspectral Imaging is all about?

All of these thoughts and more, were going through my head as I waited patiently for my alarm clock to ring.

With just 4 hours of sleep, you might want to ask, if I wasn’t tired at all? Well, the answer to that question is, I wasn’t tired. In fact, I was so excited and energetic to start my day at work that I reported an hour early before my appointment with the HR Manager. Half an hour after meeting with the HR Manager, I was then asked to introduce myself to the rest of the employees during a coffee break. And in less than 2 hours, I find answers to all my questions. And at the same time, I was able to conclude what kind of employer Specim is as a company.

These answers I want to share with you!

What kind of working environment I’m about to enter?

Situated in the Technopolis Business Park in Oulu, Specim has created a strong team spirit, training and development minded employees as well as transparent working environment for all its workforce.

As a foreign student from Sierra Leone with little or no knowledge about working environment in Finland, I was intrigued to find out how well will I fit in. And to my greatest surprise, these open-minded, energetic and dynamic group of employees wasted no time in making me feel at home.

Firstly, they all warmly welcome me as part of Specim family. While some of them asked me to share my first winter experienced in Finland with them. I was surprised on how easily I was bonding with all the employees at one of the leading manufacturers of hyperspectral imaging companies in the world. As the pressure of been a new trainee faded away, I was more than willing to share my first winter experienced with them. And seeing the smile on their faces while I speak, I was sure I’m at the right place for developing my skills and know-how in International business.

Secondly, after introducing myself and shared my first winter experience, I was assigned to the marketing team that I will be spending the rest of my training duration with. And the marketing team wasted no time in presenting to me this:

A “STAR WARS” company’s notebook that they (Marketing Team) believe is part and parcel of employee’s integration at the company. Yes! Fun stuff right? Lol! And with a smiling face, the Marketing Manager asked me;

“Have you watched any STAR WARS movie”?

“No”, I replied to him.

“Poor you he said”, with a joyful face. Before adding, “You should try to watch them, you will sure love STAR WARS”.

“I’ll surely do that”, I replied to him with warm smile.

And believe it, that’s how my journey as an employee at Specim started.

How diverse are the employees at Specim?

As a leading player in hyperspectral imaging and instruments, Specim’s key foundation is built on an open, well diverse and open-minded employees. With wide ranges of nationalities ranging from Finnish, French, Spanish and to German, the company transparency and openness to unique talents (whether you’re a student or job seeker) is enormous. And I must say as a result of this diversity, I was able to acknowledge their welcoming message, as me been part of Specim family.

The level of diversity at Specim is the reason why I am encouraging you as a talented individual to join this company. You don’t only experience the luxury of working with different nationalities, you’ll also get the opportunity to work in an environment where the language is not a barrier. And this helped me to find answer to my next question:

Are they going to judge me if I don’t speak fluent Finnish?

Having lived in Finland for the past 6 years so far, I must say I know how to use the Finnish language and how to get involved in small-talks. However, as I was about to start my first day at Specim. I was worried if employees are going to judge me if I don’t speak fluent Finnish.

And as my first day at work progressed, I realized that the language will never be an issue while working at Specim. In fact, the company two main working languages are Finnish and English, with considerable amount of English used due to its position as an official company language.

How well I’m integrating?

I am integrating at the company very well. All the employees are friendly and open-minded. And at the same time, they’re all willing to learn about my journey and academic vision. While also keen to share with me about their own journey and position within the company.

As my first day at Specim goes by, I kept asking myself

• What does it take to understand the hyperspectral imaging industry?
• What are the benefits of using hyperspectral imaging and machine vision?
• What’s the secret behind FX Series?
• Why should one choose SPECIM, Spectral Imaging Ltd as a distributor or a partner?

Believe me, I am curious to find answers to these questions. And soon as I do find answers to these questions, you’ll be the first to know.