Aalto University was founded in 2010 as a merger of three leading Finnish universities, Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art, and Design Helsinki. Today, Aalto has six schools with nearly 11 000 students and 4000 employees of which close to 400 are professors.
format_quote“Recright represents modern thinking in recruitment and using it helps people to get the right impression of Aalto University—we want to be modern, agile employer and using Recright supports this employer brand.” —Martti Rahkila, HR Systems Manager, Aalto University
“Recright represents modern thinking in recruitment and using it helps people to get the right impression of Aalto University—we want to be modern, agile employer and using Recright supports this employer brand.”
—Martti Rahkila, HR Systems Manager, Aalto University
Aalto University, having spearheaded the reform of the Finnish university system, aims to be innovative pioneer not only in teaching and in research, but also in recruitment. For an interdisciplinary research university operating at international level it is natural to take advantage of the latest technological innovations. Also in recruitment processes, where often boundaries formed by time zones and geographical limitations might slow down the process as a whole.
“We have been able to cut down costs – in travel expenses for example – by using video interview tool. This is true especially in international recruitments. However, more significant advantages have been the savings we’ve made when it comes to time and workload” describes Aalto University’s HR Systems Manager Martti Rahkila.
Rahkila tells that Recright has worked very well in recruitments processes in which it has been used. Also Aalto’s HR Services have experienced the tool enhancing when it comes to their processes – sometimes their processes require people to participate from different parts of their organization, and the work groups might be quite large. Therefore it has been challenging to create a timetable that works for everyone – not to mention adding the candidate’s schedule to this equation.
According to Rahkila, the feedback from using the tool has been positive from both the candidates and the recruiting managers.
“The first thing we hear is usually ‘this was actually pretty easy’. Even though at first the user might feel weird talking to the camera, usually the nervousness wears off quickly. Often the candidates are actually positively surprised, and describe video interviewing as an easy and interesting way to apply for a job – it offers something new and fresh to the world of academic recruiting.
Employer brand is very important to Aalto University. Also with their employer brand, innovative university wants to stand out from the crowd.
“Recright represents modern thinking in recruitment and using it helps people to get the right impression of Aalto University – we want to be modern, agile employer and using Recright supports this employer brand” ends Rahkila.
