My motivation is to gain a little control over the power which often remains concentrated with employers and evoke a conversation, or in the least a stream of thought, regarding how a job seeker should be treated. Might I add this is not a form of underarm marketing/campaigning (aka sucking up) to a particular individual/s or organization/s but rather a simple feedback process including who/what made me feel motivated or discouraged. If you wish to investigate my credentials as an amateur recruiter you're welcome to visit my LinkedIn page. Now then to the chronicles of job hunting in Finland.
That dodgy question about 'family'
I recently landed an interview with a fast growing recruitment firm based in Finland with an international presence, for the position of a recruiter. After a set of expected, generic questions came the ever so famous
"where do you expect to be in 5 years time?" to which my reply was based on professional aspirations.
Then came the question "What about family? Have you thought about it?"
I am not going to lie this was completely unexpected and it stunned me to a roughly 5 second silence before I stammered out an answer down the line of 'wanting to achieve economical stability before going down this road, but ideally someday yes I would like to have one', to which came the followup question more in the form of a summarized conclusion of my answer, "so you are ready?", to which I simply smiled.
Looking back the first thing wrong about this question is that I chose to answer it. In my excited and badly-wanting-to-please desperation, though the rational component of my brain briefly lit-up, instead of finding more suitable words to address the question such as, 'pardon me but I think this is irrelevant to demonstrating my suitability for this job so I choose to not answer', I mumbled a half-hearted reply.
Secondly, is the blatantly inappropriate and irrelevant nature of the question. It might seem, and may well have been, a harmless attempt at finding a little bit more about the potential candidate, 'me' in this instance. However, particularly taking into account the equal rights/employment opportunities exercised within this part of the world, questions regarding age, gender, ethnicity, social status, civil status, religion etc. are really not necessary unless of course the role specifically calls for it, i.e. Christianity teacher of an all girls' christian boarding school (having attended one myself, believe it or not).
Finally following the interview when I discussed this dilemma with a few friends, who were also Finns with extensive experience in the local labour market, the thought came up that perhaps the intention of the interviewers might have been to investigate if I was aware of the inappropriate nature of the question and consequently mention it, by which I had indeed failed to rise to the occasion. But my counter argument remains, if this was indeed the intention, which I highly doubt, a door has been opened to a dark abyss of no return. Because this would mean, if an interviewer were to ask a candidate, 'Are you thinking of getting pregnant soon?', or 'You look unhealthy. Do you need to see the doctor often?' the candidate, swiftly deducing them as mechanisms of identifying his/her own knowledge on local recruitment policy, should answer accordingly as opposed to feeling discriminated against. So no, I do not think this line of questioning is a viable path to testing the knowledge/dissonance of a job seeker.
Will I ever hear back?
Following the 8 hour return journey on possibly the wettest day in Finland, to the above mentioned recruitment firm for the infamous interview, following which they assured me I will hear back in 2 weeks time, it took precisely 32 days (4 1/2 weeks) and two emails to find out I have unfortunately been rejected. I should clarify this is not a vindictive rant against a company that dared to reject my job application, for if so having received over 30 rejections thus far my list then would have been much longer. But this is more about the level of common courtesy I can expect from an employer in the current job market. Being the serial job seeker I am, I had spent a significant amount of time researching this recruitment firm and the job role I was being interviewed for. Then I spent another 8 hours travelling to and back from the interview, along with the price of a hefty last minute coach ticket. So in the least, being recruitment professionals themselves, I expected a timely reply indicating my fate following the interview. On the contrary, in reply to the radio silence received, having sent a polite email after the 3rd week and a more demanding one copying all the HR staff of the company at the end of the 4.5th week, I received an immediate reply to the latter of which the gist was'You are not selected. We were busy. Come to our office and we can have a chat about it' (because every rejected sob seeker looks forward to trekking back to the company, in my case spending 8 hours, to discuss unspecified matters).
First and foremost I understand not every candidate can be recruited and having been a recruiter myself I really can appreciate how unbearably hectic it all can get. However, having given your word on the expected timeline for the process of recruitment to conclude, in the likely event a decision has not been made, the candidates should be informed that the process is still ongoing and to have a little more patience. Most importantly candidates' follow up emails should not be ignored for after all they too have invested in the recruitment process. In today's world of top notch technology sending a quick generic email to an interview candidate I assume is a click of a button away, so really I no longer have patience for excuses.
The daunting task of networking
I have always remained a social butterfly, an outgoing extrovert with a knack for networking. However, in the recent past I've caught myself a couple of times at professional events standing in a corner with a cold cup of coffee, overcome by an unfamiliar sensation of self-consciousness, insignificance and separation. I do believe having not mastered Finnish to a respectable conversant level is a key factor, to which I'm completely responsible for. However, I also remember the atmosphere being rather closed whereby any proactive attempt to talk to another person felt like an intrusion of their freedom to tuck into the mini-food and coffee buffet in peace.
I have come across exceptions, so exceptional in fact I believe they are worth mentioning which is exactly what I'll do. During an event held by Keski-Suomen kauppakamari early this year I had the fortune of meeting 3 wonderful individuals, namely Satu Freyberg, Petri Salminen and Mikko Henrik Pitkänen. They are all innovators, founders and successful business leaders at the brink of their respective fields, who on this occasion made a simple effort to talk to few international students. I now realize that the possibility of each network we make as a job seeker leading to a job opportunity is ideal, but irrelevant. Particularly as an international student, struggling to establish oneself in a foreign nation, most often it's the recognition, the conversation and feeling no longer insignificant but rather a part of a valued network, which really matters. Not only did I manage to have meaningful conversations with these individuals but also establish mutually beneficial relationships whereby they have directed me to potential employers, requested my assistance in certain tasks, bought me lunch and now been commended on my 'not-yet-famous' blogpost.
Human Resources at its best
Recently I was incredibly fortunate to land a part-time, contract role as a Project Secretary at the University of Jyväskylä's (JYU) communication department. When I was emailed to drop by and sign the employment contract, that is exactly what I thought it would be. Quick sign of the 3 month contract and out the door. I was genuinely shocked into pleasant surprise (probably due to the terrible HR practices I've been exposed to over the years), when Riitta Liimatainen and Marja Nyberg from Human Resources and Administration department, spent almost an hour explaining to me the rights, obligations, expectations and all other finer details related to the job role. Having spent time being treated like nothing short of a machine in a production line at numerous other part-time, contract and event permanent roles in both Sri Lanka and the UK, I truly appreciated the sincere efforts made by these wonderful ladies to ensure every new employee, even the temporary ones such as myself, are made part of the JYU's working culture.
Invested in training
With majority of the present day jobs in Finland being created by micro, small and medium sized businesses, particular attention has been drawn into accelerating the ROI of newly hired recruits. Focused on capital expansion most of these SME's and startups understandably operates with minimal staff, and expects potential employees to not only proactively search and apply for job vacancies, but also learn the tricks of the trade and start contributing to the business as early as possible. I am not objecting to this trend as companies must do what they can to survive in the present day highly evolving, demanding and competitive business environment, investing more on innovation, public relations and marketing, as opposed to recruitment if they see fit.
However, the flip side of the coin is this leaves emerging talent, such as school leavers, fresh graduates and other first time job seekers at a disadvantage. No matter how knowledgeable one is, transferable their skills are and learning agility they carry, it is likely they would most often benefit from a systematic training process. Irrespective of the length or formality, the quality deliverance of such a scheme will ensure that the new employee will integrate into their new role and office culture, leading to effective and confident performance and higher levels of productivity. On this note I had the pleasure of working on a project for NaturVention Oy who assigned us with the task of creating the framework of an ideal training programme. With the intention of drawing the best talent, reducing the staff turnover and increasing the ROI on new recruits the organization was heavily invested in providing long-term, sustainable training and development opportunities to all their staff. Having worked closely with the company representative Nico Marsh, and visited their office and factory in Jyväskylä, I can confidently say that the core values of the company is reflected by the people, products and services. More importantly NaturVention is one of the most innovative and fastest growing businesses in the region, which goes to show what a valuable outcome investing in recruitment, new recruits and employees could have in an organization, even when its a start-up.
It is fair to say my experience as a job seeker in Finland have been mixed. While having encountered few uncomfortable moment, others have been remarkable thanks to wonderful individuals who at times simply did their job very well and at others made a little effort to go out of their way to make a connection. While acknowledging the many ways in which I myself should improve as a professional job seeker, I would like to make this post a wake up call for all employers. In today's world of advanced communication technology and competition for brand promotion the power is no longer concentrated on one side of the table. While accepting the impossibility of hiring everyone who walks in through the door, treating job seekers with respect, kindness and attentiveness, should definitely be included on the agenda.
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