Janette Pokkinen

A large company offers many opportunities

In 2015, Janette Pokkinen contacted DSV in Finland looking for a job. What had sparked Janette’s interest was the sheer size of DSV: “Working in a smaller firm I worried I might get stuck with one task, one title or in one area. DSV has such a great variety of areas you can work in so I knew I would be able to explore what I'm good at and what I'm interested in. I figured this could guide me to find the right place for me, ‘cause it could be Sales, Operations, Warehousing or something completely different…DSV has so much to offer”.

Your need for challenges will be met 

A lot of cargo has gone through Janette’s hands during her time with DSV, where she has also successfully completed DSV’s own freight forwarding programme, Young DSV. Her eagerness to take on new challenges has taken Janette through handling export from Finland to France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and the UK to her current position as Team Lead in DSV’s Road division. In this position she juggles the planning of trucks with supporting the team in various tasks.

Janette feels her readiness for new challenges and responsibilities has been acknowledged and acted on by her DSV managers: “I'm not ready to settle in yet. I still want to learn and continue to do more challenging work. Actually, my managers have always noticed this and have always been able to give me more challenges and let me shine”.

The right attitude will forward your career

Janette has done well for herself at DSV. When you ask her what kind of behavior DSV celebrates, she says: “It's a lot about attitude. You don't have to know it all and you don't have to be an expert at everything. But if you're willing to do the best you can, you're willing to learn and ready for change - that's appreciated. We don't take the easiest route but try to do our best every time for the customers and for DSV”.

What you do makes a difference 

At DSV, we value local empowerment – for our countries, our divisions and our individual employees. Janette has felt this in her years in our Road division: "DSV is behind me and what I do. As part of DSV, I am given a lot of responsibility and I think DSV trusts that I do my best. I enjoy this - I think it's empowering: When you work at DSV, you are told and shown that what you do makes a difference – you are there for a reason and your actions have a real impact. For instance, I know that if I plan my truck a little fuller, it has an effect. It's a small effect now, but still I have a lot of power in my hands…It's me moving the trucks and it's me bringing them to Finland so it feels like I'm being trusted. That makes me want to do my best for DSV”.

Great teamwork

An aspect which also has an influence on Janette’s experience at DSV is the collaboration she has with her closest team: 
“I think our team is one of the most fun ones. We have a strangely similar sense of humour, so I really enjoy our team. We are all from different backgrounds: One has knowledge of IT; one has experience of actually driving a truck. We have people with 40 years’ experience in the field and people like me with only a couple of years’ experience. I think together we make a very good team and the good thing in our team is that you don't have to be afraid to ask for help or an opinion. We get the best out of each other”.

The great atmosphere is also reflected at the rest of the office in Vantaa, Finland: “We have a good atmosphere at the office. Maybe it's because we are all part of this bigger picture. There are so many different people that have put an effort into the trucks coming to Finland. That means we work together and are in such close contact it makes us more like friends than just people sharing the same office”, Jannette explains and continues: “'I’ve developed some very close relationships through DSV and we’re also spending a lot of time together outside the office”.

The future

While Janette thrives in her present job, she hopes to be trusted with greater challenges in the future: “I think I'm on the on the right track and I really enjoy being part of the European haulage team, but of course in the future I am working towards more responsibilities. Two days are never the same. I like knowing that it never gets boring and you never know what to expect. That's part of why I enjoy this industry so much - it's not predictable at all”.