Air Logistics Specialist

Briefly explain what you do for a living.

I work as a logistics expert in air freight. Varova offers companies a door-to-door shipping service, and my task is to arrange transport and related documents for consignments and invoice customers. I also deal with customs, i.e. I ensure that goods can legally cross borders, take care of formalities and settle customs fees. The work includes customer service, stakeholder cooperation and the use of different information systems. I work with imports, i.e. the destination of the consignments I process is in Finland.

How have you ended up in the profession of your choice?

Years ago, I bought a Mustang from the United States. Bringing the car to Finland required a lot of research and paperwork, which made me interested in imports. At that time, I was studying a BBA, so I decided to apply for a summer job in the field, and I got a job with Varova.

Describe your typical working day or week.

At the start of my day at work, I read the emails I have received from customers and partners. Due to time zone differences, I get a lot of email during the night. Monday is the busiest day of the week, as there are messages from the whole weekend. Once I am done with e-mails, I start making transport orders. After that, my tasks include preparing tenders, invoicing and VAT reporting.

The earlier I start working, the smoother the rest of the day is since it allows me to get as many shipments as possible to the airport customs by late morning.

What kind of work environment or working hours do you have?

I work in the office and remotely at times. I usually start work at 6 a.m. and work for 7.5 hours. My working hours are flexible.

What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession?

This work requires detail-orientation and accuracy with numbers. Comma placement can be very important, and errors cause extra work. As the work consists of many separate tasks, you have to be able to have an understanding of the big picture and to prioritise tasks. Sometimes you need to ask other employees for help.

Although I work in a team, it is important to be able to make decisions independently and take responsibility. The work requires Finnish and English skills, but other languages may also be very beneficial.

What is the best thing about your profession?

The best part of my work is the versatile tasks. Some of my tasks can be completed quickly, while others require more focus and research. In addition, I am involved in our company’s development projects, which offers a counterbalance to operative work.

What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging?

This work requires flexibility. Sometimes I get a notification about a problem with cargo five minutes before the end of my day. Aircraft do not wait for individual packages, so I often have to work overtime to get the consignments to leave on time.

What would you tell a person considering the profession of a logistics specialist?

Are you someone who likes to organise things like plan holidays and birthday parties? If the answer is yes, this work could be suitable for you, as it involves continuous organisation and communication with different parties.

How do you see the future of your profession?

As technology is evolving and the electronic processing of documents is constantly increasing, this work will require more IT skills and expertise in the future. I think that the amount of work that can be carried out with a vocational qualification in logistics alone will decrease in the future.