In search of the right one
The modern era of recruitment sets all kinds of new demands for both the employer and the job seeker, regardless of the field. What to consider when looking for a job? This is precisely what we asked recruiters and a student who found a placement through an internship.
“At the moment, this is the employee’s market”
Kalevala Jewelry values multi-talented people and continuous self-development.
“Right now, it actually takes a lot of hard work to find the right employee. Employers are required to use several recruitment platforms, and to work out whether they can find any suitable prospects through their personal networks. Employers also need to directly approach prospects.
Right now, it’s the employee’s market, hence the applicant’s and the company’s values need to match, and the company’s image must be in good shape. A growing number of applicants have thoroughly familiarized themselves with the company’s financial situation, and acquired soft knowledge through their network before they apply for the position. The importance of the salary and other employee benefits has also increased.
The possibility of remote work has become a must for any white collar employee. Job seekers with multiple skills have a competitive advantage. Continuous self-development is important, and a prospect has to fit our team. As a company, we consider how the new prospect will affect the dynamics of our Board of Directors, and how they will fit into our Creative Director’s personal team.”
Kalevala Koru discovers a new Creative Director
In spring 2023, the iconic jewelry brand Kalevala Koru started a recruitment process to find a new Creative Director. Aino Ahlnäs, who has a track record of successfully building design and fashion brands in an international operating environment, was recruited from Fiskars to fill the position. Among other services, Kalevala Koru used Ornamo’s Design Jobs platform when marketing the vacancy. The application period was set to approximately three weeks; and as an outcome, a total of 12 people were selected for an interview. The company received a lot of applications, but surprisingly, there were only a few applicants that had the required brand and design expertise. The company’s CEO Kirsi Paakkari and HR Manager Maritta Palander took an active role in the recruitment process.
“The values of the applicant and the company must match, and the corporate image must also be in order.
– Kirsi Paakkari
“Young people have very interesting new skills”
Pia Salmi from WSP believes that taking initiative is the single most important thing when looking for a job.
“A new trend in modern recruitment processes is the use of social media platforms in the application process as well. Another new phenomenon is that young people have very interesting new skills, as well as new ideas about how to solve issues and conduct the work. It’s important to allow everyone to bring forth their own ideas and try out new things. In my opinion, the work culture at our Design Studio offers a good environment for this, as well as an open attitude; i think the results will shortly be visible in our work.
A good application highlights the employee’s competence, as well as how they think their competence matches our most typical vacancies. Taking initiative is crucial. In multidisciplinary projects, it’s imperative to match your own
competence in the best way possible, as well as take responsibility for the quality of your work and sticking to schedules.”
Pia Salmi, Head of WSP Design Studio
A small design agency within a large company
WSP is a global consulting and built environment design company in search of a city planner and a team leader for 2022 and 2023 for its 15 employee driven Design Studio unit in Finland. The vacancies were open for a few weeks. WSP finally selected the top four candidates for an interview. In regards to work duties, the emphasis was placed on the prospect’s design expertise, design software skills and the ability to offer a fresh perspective on things.
Internships develop professional skills
By submitting an open application, Juha Lassila, a student of interior architecture at LAB, found an interesting internship position at Kakadu.
”The internship has been essential for developing my professional skills. I feel that I developed a lot during the internship; I think it’s because I got the right amount of responsibility and support whenever I needed it. Successes and failures strengthen our competence and our resilience to pressure at work.
A positive internship experience further increases personal motivation to self-development and gives tools for it for the future as well.
Both internships were found through open applications. I think that finding an internship position also requires a bit of luck, because there are a lot of applicants and a lot of them are highly skilled and very competent. In regards to my internship with Kakadu, the timing was perfect, as the design and consultancy agency needed the know-how that I happened to have for their project.”
Internships increase work experience
During the last year of his studies, interior architecture student Juha Lassila did a six-month long internship at Kakadu, lasting from October 2022 to April 2023. He’s also gained some previous work experience, during a six-month internship at a smaller office. In addition to his studies, he’s also a student member of the board at SIO.
