26-year-old Abdiasis Guleid became familiar with Lumo as an employer earlier this year when he applied for a job at Lumo homes. At the time, he did not land the job, but the recruiter’s suggestion that he apply for a summer position stayed with him.

“I finally decided to apply and I’m glad I did. I’ve never had an office job before, so this summer position is a great opportunity to become more familiar with one – as well as the work of a property manager, of course. Communication alone is very different in an office environment than what I’m used to,” Guleid says.

Guleid has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and his previous jobs include, for example, terminal work. Property management is uncharted territory for him and his first actual summer job, despite having already spent a fair amount of time building his career.

Guleid describes a summer property manager’s workdays as delightfully versatile, both in terms of content and intensity.

“When you wake up in the morning there’s no telling what the day will hold. Sometimes you have very busy days, but there are calmer periods as well. Most of my time is spent going over issues with customers, but I also tour the properties and take care of fault reports and other urgent matters. Sometimes my inbox is completely full and the phone is constantly ringing,” Guleid describes his work.

A Lumo property manager works as a coordinator between residents, maintenance companies and contractors. A big part of the job revolves around the focus of Lumo homes: creating the best customer experience possible during all encounters with the residents.

Guleid himself names processing complaints filed by residents as one of the most challenging parts of his job. It’s not always possible to offer a simple answer or immediate solution to them.

“The most important thing is that you listen to the person and their concerns or frustrations. Even if you can’t help them directly, it’s important for people to feel like their voices are being heard. That makes conversation easier.”

Guleid finds a property manager’s work challenging, but suitable for him. He has found interaction and communication skills to be particularly important for the job.

Guleid is open, social and talkative, which has proved to be an advantage. His multilingualism has also turned out to be useful.

“Because Somali is my mother tongue, I can communicate with Somali-speaking residents without an interpreter.”

Using an interpreter can eat up time and resources, which is why Guleid feels his language skills help create additional value for the company and provide better services for the Somali-speaking residents.

The new summer property manager finds his job particularly rewarding when he’s able to tie up loose ends before the day is done.

“I usually have to work on several things at once and not all of them have an immediate solution. When I manage to finish many things in one day, I get to go home with a great feeling,” he says.

The flexible working hours also give Guleid the opportunity to enjoy time with his friends and the summer that has been off to a promising start.

“I play football and spend a fair amount of my free time with the hobby. When I’m not doing that, I spend a lot of time with my friends. What I love about the Finnish summer is being able to barbecue and do all sorts of fun things with my friends,” says Guleid, who has enjoyed the warmth of the early summer days.