Nitor works with their customers to create a better world through digital success stories. In essence, their code comes to life with the people who use it. But people are not machines; our needs change and evolve over time. The digital design takes this into account while adjusting to adopt new technologies and innovations as they emerge. That’s why Nitor weaves agility through the fabric of everything they do: to create solutions that adapt to change.
We talked to Nitor’s Chief Technologist, Mika Majakorpi, about how Nitor as a company operates, what makes their company culture stand out from the rest, recruitment process and more.
🔵 Every successful company has different principles, either when operating a business or hiring new people, for example. What are the three main principles that Nitor follows when recruiting new talent?
I’d say we are a very quality-oriented organization. In recruitment it used to mean that you had to have many years of working experience in the industry and a degree from one of the best technical schools in Finland to be considered a candidate at Nitor. During the last couple of years, that has shifted a bit and we have realized that not everyone has to have multiple years of experience in order to be highly valuable to our community and our customers. I think we have grown up in that aspect and look more for growth potential in a person, but we are still interested in established work history and great skills from the candidates.
Nowadays, we also have activities with different schools, educational institutions, universities, where we market ourselves among students. We are still quite selective to hire fresh graduates, but it happens nowadays for certain roles. Historically, we’ve looked for some years of work experience and the skills that come with that experience.
On top of that, cultural or chemistry fit with your to-be coworkers is essential. We try to make sure that during the recruitment process, the candidate gets to chat with people who are likely going to be their colleagues, so we can make sure there’s a fit. Other attributes we look for are curiosity to learn new things, action-orientedness, and a certain kind of pragmatism, which means even if you learned a subject, then the theory does not necessarily match practice. What gets results and delivers software is a pragmatic attitude rather than holding on to high ideals from the academic world.
🔵 There are hundreds, if not thousands, of methods to build a successful company culture. Some might not know that, but Nitor has claimed the first spot in Finland in the Great Place to Work competition two years in a row, which picks out the best workplaces in Europe. What kind of methods has Nitor used to achieve that incredible achievement?
Our company structure is very flat – today we have around 200 people, and we still don’t have the traditional hierarchy. There are different business units, but that’s it. Involving people is essential. In Nitor, we don’t feed them with top-down things but rather ask people how they see Nitor and generalize from there. There are so many things where we realize that the company needs something new or structure around some topics. People naturally interested in a particular subject come together, figure it out, and that becomes a company policy. With this approach, people feel at home in the company. That is the essence of the culture for me. If you were just given solutions to all problems, a person basically has to choose if they agree with it or not. People tend to agree with rules and policies better if they’ve been deeply involved in setting those.
🔵 How are Nitor’s recruitment processes designed? Different companies use different recruitment methods when hiring people – some companies like their applicants to go through intensive 3-4 rounds of interviews, others hire people just by looking into their faces during the first meeting. What experience can an applicant expect from Nitor?
I think we are in a group that does intensive rounds of interviews. Based on my experience, that’s the fair way to do it. After all, it’s a big step for the candidate who will be leaving something behind and coming to work for Nitor. It will also be fair to candidates to spend a reasonable amount of time with them before signing the contract. They’ll have a better understanding of what they’re entering into. We like to cover things from multiple angles and have numerous people do the interviews to ascertain that the candidate will be a good fit. One hour interview simply would not be enough. It also allows them to learn more about Nitor from different kinds of people and angles.
Our interviews have been described as very discussion-oriented, where people get together and chat around pertinent topics, skills, etc. Sometimes, we do assignments during the interview, where people are expected to write code or come up with a design, or whatever their field of expertise is, but that may not be the main point in the interviews. Through the discussions, you get a good idea of how the person thinks, what their personality is, are they going to be curious to learn more things, or are they thinking differently about their position in life. It’s about discovering the candidate as a person and learning about their capabilities.
🔵 Which is more important – skills or attitude? Why?
Skill is what gets the project delivered at that specific time. Looking at the longer term, then I’d say the attitude gets people into more exciting projects, better positions, and so on. It’s a mix of two, of course. I’d even say if the candidate comes in and doesn’t match exactly the kind of skill set that we’re looking for, then it isn’t a problem. Especially if they show a good attitude for continuous learning, problem-solving, and all these things. This kind of attitude helps people keep current skills and learn new ones. Of course, there’s also the attitude about how you conduct yourself among other people. The so-called chemistry fit is also an important aspect for us.
🔵 The difference between the skill and attitude is that you can learn new skills, but it’s hard to learn a new attitude. You might be very skillful at your work, but as a person, it’s not pleasant to be around you if your attitude doesn’t fit the company culture.
That’s a good point. We’re a consultancy company as you know, so at the end of the day, our people must be seen as friendly and team players. Before Covid-19, we did a lot of work at customer premises to give that edge over any desire for the customer to do offshoring or remote teams. Back then, it was crucial. With the current Covid-19 situation, that edge is no longer there because everyone’s remote. Despite that, it’s the moments you get with people, even if it happens over a video call because that’s when you get to show your attitude.
🔵 Investors usually say they don’t invest in the idea but the team when investing in a startup. How is Nitor investing into their most valuable resource – people?
We have a lot of things in this aspect. We have something that we call ‘10% time’. The idea is that every person, for one day every two weeks, can work on a personal or open-source project that he finds interesting. This is part of a person’s paid working hours, adding variety to regular work delivered for customers.
We ask that people share their learnings or results from the 10% time, so it becomes this kind of social event, where people share their learnings. We want to make sure that people spend time to keep learning. Some challenges may motivate people to use this 10% time because it’s so open. You could do anything, and people wonder, “Oh, if I’m working on this pet project of mine with a new programming language, is it a valid use case for this?”. We have to keep communicating that, yes, it is a valid use case. Sometimes it feels like people think that a good consultant is working on customer projects and generates income through that. In reality, we have to remind people that they can spend time otherwise, and it would be great if they did because they’ll learn more.
In addition to that 10% time, you could also take five days a year for conferences and personal training. It’s a more traditional approach where we don’t expect people to share their learnings necessarily. Of course, people attend conferences, and sometimes they feel like sharing it with others, which also works nicely.
Besides personal development, one of the things we have very well is choosing your equipment for work. We call it the Iron Bank, a Game of Thrones reference, but I’m not sure if it translates very well in English. Hardware is called iron in Finnish, and it’s a hardware bank, and it was a great gag for it when Game of Thrones was really popular. Everyone gets a starting budget/balance, and there’s a monthly allowance that you get, and you’re free to choose your work equipment within that budget. The only thing we ask is that you only acquire work-related equipment because otherwise, people might think about it very flexibly and then end up not being able to buy something. Mostly, it’s an excellent system, not having fixed choices for your setup – you can only choose between these three laptops. You can freely select your laptop or buy a desktop computer if that is more suitable for your setup, what kind of a monitor you have, or if you want to use an iPad with a pen, so you can draw your architecture design or whatever. That’s one of the things that people who’ve joined Nitor talk about a lot and appreciate.
One of the crucial things at Nitor that translates into employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction is that we do a lot of work to match people with client engagements where they feel motivated and passionate about the technologies and such. People get to work on things they are interested in, which directly translates into good customer satisfaction because customers see motivated people. These people are willing to go the extra mile to learn something new because they’re working with stuff they’re interested in.
🔵 What makes a great company culture? How would you describe your culture in Nitor, and why or how it stands out from the rest?
Nitor is like a platform for people where everybody has their own goals in life because people who get hired at Nitor have some idea of where they want to end up in life. If we can provide them with a platform that helps them reach their own goals and share that progress with others, that generates a supportive environment for personal development. I see that as a thing that allows Nitor as a whole to have a good culture. It’s basically about enabling people to do what they do the best.
Rakettitiede is a Finland-based IT consultancy company. Their core expertise lies in web and mobile services, IoT, and embedded systems. And this year is their 10-year anniversary!
We had a chance to talk to their first employee Jartza Tulilahti, who has seen the company’s journey from the very beginning till today. In contrast, we also talked to Minna Wahlroos, who joined the company at the beginning of this year.
We talked about employees’ independence, their projects, as well as the company’s radical transparency and opportunities for the employees. Of course, we were curious to know what makes Rakettitiede such a company where people want to work for long years. What’s special? And we got the answers!
The Interview
🔵 Nice to meet you, Jartza and Minna! How are you?
Jartza: Resource number 1 is operative. All systems go. How may I serve you?
Minna: Good! Caffeinated!
🔵 Jartza, you were the first employee of Rakettitiede! What’s the story behind joining the company?
Jartza: My professional IT career started in the ’90s. After around 15 years of experience in the IT business, I started to feel that I’m just a money-making machine to other people in a business that always ends up in co-operation negotiations. Then, after spending up to 160 days a year in hotel rooms working as a traveling instructor via my own company, I felt like enough is enough.
Then I started a plumbing business. 10 years ago, when I understood that being a sole proprietor didn’t always guarantee steady income, I posted my thoughts to Facebook: “Maybe I should get a real job?” An old colleague of mine soon replied that they had started a consulting business and asked if I wanted to join them. I hesitated for an hour or two, but in the end, I was convinced that the company was on the right track and immediately felt I was in the right place. I still do.
🔵 Minna, what is it like to be a newcomer in Rakettitiede? What caught your attention to the company in the first place?
Minna: I became aware of Rakettitiede’s kind of a “hybrid model” between freelancing and fixed salary employment. And I had overheard good things about Rakettitiede’s culture and people. So it was by word of mouth you could say.
🔵 Jartza, you’ve been in Rakettitiede for 9 years now, which is longer than average to be in one job. What is it that makes you do this work every day?
Jartza: It’s the perfect combination of lean bureaucracy, interesting projects, healthcare benefits, highly professional people, and learning new things every day. Rakettitiede has grown steadily, but not too fast – our recruiting methods try to keep the company culture alive while also taking care of the people already in the company. People respect each other and you can also always learn something new from others as everyone has their own area of expertise.
Rakettitiede takes care of people by providing a very extensive healthcare plan, not to forget the mental part. There is always help available for an overloaded mind. The occupational safety committee not only takes care of the statutory things but tries to think of new ways to implement so-called “preventive maintenance”, acting before problems grow too big.
Our projects have provided enough challenges to keep the work interesting. And in the end, salary is, of course, something you can’t dismiss. It’s very competitive and motivating.
🔵 In Rakettitiede, employees are called Rocket Scientists. What does this mean for you personally?
Minna: Personally, it does remind me that I’m in a group of solid professionals and we work on complex problems that sometimes may feel like rocket science.
🔵 The previous interview with Rakettitiederevealed that the company has loads of different projects and could also find the right fit outside the embedded / mobile / web header competencies. Is it expressed in your practical work and how?
Minna: When being often a sole reinforcement, there’s a wider range of responsibilities involved, and sometimes helping clients to maximum extent involves additional skills to “just coding to the spec”. Often there are no clearly laid out specs, and maybe creating those is the primary work.
🔵 What has been the most memorable project for you in Rakettitiede?
Jartza: Most definitely it isTagsu – an electronic name badge I designed, implemented, sourced the components, mechanics and arranged the production of the device. The device itself is simple, but as a project, it was extremely educational for all the steps required to get something from the idea to the actual physical product. Without the help from Rakettitiede, this kind of learning project wouldn’t have been possible.
Minna: I have been working the whole year on a single project, and it’s great! I have a chance to contribute to something that brings comfort and safety to people’s everyday life, and not just money. Using bleeding-edge technologies, with a great team!
🔵 In Rakettitiede, how is it decided, who gets which client and project?
Minna: There’s very clear visibility on what external needs have reached our sales, so everyone interested can see immediately if something especially appealing comes around. Then you discuss further to be 100% sure if it’ll be appealing to both parties. Contracts are implemented so you can hop out if necessary, however, it isn’t common due to transparent and clear pre-gig discussions.
Jartza: Yes, it’s always the consultant who decides. If for some reason a consultant feels a need to change position, they can always talk to sales to find a new project. Some gigs are short, but others last for years. Some of the longest projects have already lasted over 5 years!
🔵 Rakettitiede is currently looking for experienced full stack, mobile, and embedded software developers. What would you recommend to new candidates?
Minna: I think Rakettitiede is a good company for experienced developers who want the comfort of having a company supporting you, as well as being a part of a like-minded community. I see it as a very worthwhile alternative to freelancing, especially with Finnish taxation.
Jartza: We’re indeed looking for new talented developers, so send us an application! Even if you won’t get selected now, we might be able to provide you with some insights on how to improve your talent and apply again later. There’s nothing to lose.
🔵 And my final question will be direct – how Rakettitiede has helped you in your working life?
Jartza: By providing me with the opportunity to work on interesting projects, providing all the necessary tools I have requested without hesitation, and being supportive in case of any issues. There is always help available if you just ask, be your problem work or personal life related.
Minna: Do you mean after finding me a wonderful gig? 😀 I’m quite independent, but they’ve definitely supported me when I had doubts about something. I love the radical transparency that runs in the company.
Hiring is currently a red-hot subject in almost any industry, but even more so in the IT sector, where there never seems to be enough talent. Finnish tech companies are therefore looking beyond the country borders to find a sufficient number of specialists.
That’s where Wefind IT comes into play with its hiring solutions geared towards attracting technical talent in the Eastern European region, especially Russia. We interviewed Mikhail Kotsik, Technical Director, and Ainura Kiviniemi, Head of Sales & Marketing, to find out how they can help with building remote product teams or relocating talent to Finland.
Interview
🔵 The shortage of talent has paved the way for many freelance, remote, relocation or nearshoring service providers. How does Wefind IT fit into this picture? What services do you offer?
Ainura: In short, Wefind IT offers comprehensive HR & recruitment services for Finnish companies looking for IT talent. We feel that we are an exact solution to the ongoing hiring problems in the IT industry, especially when a company is open to working with English-speaking remote engineering teams.
Our motto is “We bring international IT talents to you!” and that is precisely what we do. We have built a talent pool across Eastern Europe, working in software development, cloud consulting, and data engineering. Our services include hiring these specialists for part-time and full-time positions, subcontracting project work, IT consulting and direct recruitment.
🔵 From which countries does Wefind IT search for talent?
Mikhail: We have recruiting partners in Russia, which is a breeding ground for top professionals, but we do not necessarily limit ourselves geographically.
🔵 Do you focus more on providing talent for temporary (project-based) or permanent positions? How about relocating talent?
Ainura: We always tailor the recruitment solutions to the client’s needs as hiring challenges are never alike. Our focus is on providing full-time specialists for remote/project-based positions, but this might not always be the best fit. For example, to boost internal communication, some employers only hire talent that can participate in team meetings in person. As a full-service recruitment provider, we can help clients in those situations as well.
A significant factor is what candidates we manage to attract for a given position and whether they prefer to work remotely or can, in fact, travel or relocate to Finland. To summarize – both options are possible. We serve the client based on their needs and candidates we can find on the market.
🔵 How long does it usually take from contacting Wefind IT to finding suitable candidates?
Ainura: On average, the search for talent takes about 2-3 weeks, but the record time for finding a suitable candidate is only a couple of days. The timeline mostly depends on the required seniority – highly qualified specialists are more likely to need headhunting as they usually don’t look for new opportunities themselves.
When looking for a specialist, we utilize our significant proprietary talent database, consisting of experts we have already worked with before. Additionally, we publish the vacancy on the leading job boards in the region & on social media, with our in-house HR manager helping to sort the candidates.
🔵 Mikhail, let’s talk a bit about your talent pool’s technical qualifications. Does Wefind IT cover all the prevalent modern technologies? What are the most requested skills from your clients?
Mikhail: I think it’s important to distinguish between the most popular and most requested technologies. Modern technologies are not always among the most requested from clients.
Usually, the best developers spend a lot of time pursuing excellence in modern technologies. They also invest a lot of time to keep their knowledge up to date. So it is usually much easier to find a developer proficient in a fancy modern technology than an expert in a legacy enterprise solution.
In most cases, we successfully find the requested developer. But it’s important to keep in mind that some skills are more popular than others between talents. The most popular technologies at this moment probably don’t come as a surprise: Java, PHP, GoLang, React, ReactNative, VueJS, and AWS.
🔵 How do you screen talent’s technical skills beforehand? For example, do you have technical assignments?
Mikhail: We always follow the clients’ standards for technical assignments, as the developers become part of their team. So we cover all assignments and interview rounds the client requires to make sure the candidate is indeed a good fit for a position.
However, I want to stress that ideally, the hiring process shouldn’t take too long in the current market conditions because developers sometimes get 3-5 offers at once. The faster employers have an advantage.
🔵 What have been the most complex projects that Wefind IT has carried out?
Mikhail: I believe that with a correct process, everything is possible. So far, the most complex project has been creating a team from scratch for a huge banking project at the intersection of cryptocurrencies and the modern banking system.
🔵 What recruitment trends currently have the biggest impact on your operations?
Mikhail: The coronavirus and continuously growing need for IT specialists forces companies to rethink their work arrangements. They have to adapt to remote work, which certainly is a positive trend from our point of view. Also, the Finnish educational system clearly doesn’t satisfy the market demand for technical talent, and it’s unclear when the situation will improve.
Ainura: When talking to the clients, it sometimes feels like all senior IT talents are already working for the biggest IT companies in Finland and enjoying comforting salaries with great company benefits. As a smaller tech company, it might be difficult to compete in that environment. However, smaller players still need the same level of professionalism to develop their products or lead their tech department. This is where we can help by pitching the employer to our senior specialists.
🔵 Based on your experience, is it challenging for employers to start working with international talent? For example, companies might have to deal with translating all the documentation into English.
Mikhail: Seriously, the only problem is time zones. 😉 I think keeping technical documentation and comments in English is a widely adopted best practice by now. It is mauvais ton to have comments in the local language. Of course, it goes both ways, so we have also implemented a professional-level English test in our recruitment process to verify talents’ abilities.
🔵 If everything sounds good so far, where can you learn more about Wefind IT and how to get started?
Ainura: The easiest way to learn more about our services is to look at our website. Additionally, you can send us an inquiry via email or LinkedIn.
Starting the process is easy and risk-free. Initially, we map the hiring requirements with the client. After we have completed the talent search, we present the client a multitude of options. We use a success fee pricing model for worry-free hiring – this means the process is entirely free of charge until the client finds and hires a suitable candidate.
Rakettitiede is a Finnish software development company specialising in web and mobile services, IoT and embedded systems. Instead of blending in with other similar consulting businesses, the five founders agreed in 2011 to combine high-quality software development with a quirky culture of humour.
The Finnish word rakettitiede means rocket science in English – that’s why they call themselves the Rocket Scientists. Not only because it’s more fun, but because the Rakettitiede crew consists of only top skilled developers.
Let’s be honest, you wouldn’t want a rookie to steer 🚀 if the goal is to reach the Moon.
At the moment, almost 40 experienced Rocket Scientists have boarded the Rakettitiede shuttle, and they arepicking up some new ones full speed ahead. Rakettitiede only recruits top software developers who can carry out complex technical development, as well as consult different clients with different projects.
But why should you board this shuttle? To hear more about what working life looks like at Rakettitiede, we talked with consultantsSaska and Johnny about Rakettitiede salaries, “no bullshit” mentality and everything in between.👇👇👇
Rakettitiede proudly states to have the best and most transparent salaries in the industry. How is this wonderful promise implemented in real life?
Johnny: It was rather extraordinary at the beginning. Coming from Germany, the salary is a rather well-kept secret there. You just don’t talk about it.
At Rakettitiede our sales teamalways posts the latest rates negotiated with clients, which leads to small celebrations in our internal Slack channels. By getting the idea what each skill set is worth, it motivates to grow as a group.
On top of that, we’re also getting monthly reports via email. This outlines the whole business side of things – sales information, the deals continued and/or closed and what the financial situation of the company is.
Saska: In short, thehourly rates are public for everyone within the company. The salary is 50% of that. No need for complicated math.
It’s no secret that software developers are in high demand. What motivated you to board the Rakettitiede shuttle?
Saska: I checked the vacancy in the MeetFrank app. The salary range was public and it caught my eye. Also, cannot deny that I had also heard only good things about the competency in the company.
Johnny: After the initial point of contact with Rakettitiede and after my first job interview, I was astonished how nice things can be!
The job interview consisted of code review and small talk. Something I have never experienced before – everyone was super friendly, yet professional. I was quite confused, as interviews went a bit different “back in the days” (I hadn’t been on a job interview like a decade).
I didn’t focus on the financial side in the beginning, the truly relaxing atmosphere won me over. The friendly and open communication showed I was in the right place. Being with Rakettitiede for a year and a half now, I appreciate the extensive healthcare package, the general supportive attitude and the possibility to grow personally and professionally.
Brands are different, projects are different, people are different – what do you do when you feel like that current development project is not your-cup-of-tea?
Johnny: Let’s just start with the fact that I’m truly happy with my current assignment! It’s a perfect match with my skill set and my passion.
Part of Rakettitiede’s interview process is a small meet-and-greet with our awesome sales ladies Marietta and Iida. Their goal is to do everything (and believe me they do!) to find the right match for us, based on what the market has to offer.
Saska: Yeah, obviously depends on the contract but if you feel like you’re in the wrong place it’s in everyone’s interest to get you to the right one.
Johnny: We can openly say if mismatch occurs and after some notification period we can leave the project. And switch over to something more exciting and refreshing. Although it has never happened to me, it gives me a lot of peace of mind, knowing I’m not chained down somewhere!
Can you name the most memorable project or client during your time as a Rocket Scientist?
Saska: I’m on my first project – and it’s been pretty great! The reputation of Rakettitiede gives positive effect – we’re trusted with a lot of freedom.
Even when creating a platform (almost entirely by Raketti resources) that’s very core to the operation of the entire client. There is a lot of actual consulting – not just outsourced development.
Johnny: It’s been a blessing. Getting a chance to deep-dive into new technologies and to be a part of the R&D team at the client.
The client will stay nameless, due to NDA in place. But I’m currently building a platform that deals with forecasting air quality data. This means collaboration with meteorologists and scientists. I learn a lot along the way!
As I love working with spatial data on a bigger scale, this is the perfect playground to improve my originally “side-project” skills on a daily basis. Currently, a strong focus is on data-science (Python, Pandas, Postgis etc) and infrastructure (Kubernetes, Jenkins, Docker and Golang).
Looking at Rakettitiede’s channels, the tone of voice really reflects the company’s culture. The terms like “no bullshit” mentality and a fluffy sarcastic mind were used. Do you only hire people with quirky humour?
Johnny: What happens, if you put 40 nerds into a one room? It gets interesting.
Back in a normal universe, when we had our little #night-out’s, we talked about everything and nothing. It’s great to get everyone’s and someone’s opinion on things, and not always in a straight-forward way.
*Johnny was cut off by his own laugh*
Saska: The minimum requirement is to tolerate quirky humour (read: terrible jokes) because it’s very hard to operate without it while reading Slack.
Johnny: I must admit that I don’t get every joke. But this is how it goes, when having such a broad range of characters. No one gets judged and everybody’s helpful.
Who are you looking for to join the team?
Johnny: Personally I enjoy colleagues I can learn from. We never stop improving. Our profession just doesn’t allow us to stop, and it becomes a useful habit. Changing ideas and discussing other projects consultants are working on, gives a family feeling.
If you’re interested in working at Rakettitiede, then just contact us! Our sales team can match your skill set with our vacant projects.
Saska: Also, don’t get too hung up on the embedded / mobile / web header pigeonhole – we have loads of different projects and could also find the right fit outside those competencies. So if you’re good at doing the computer stuff you might just want to give it a shot, even if you’ve never made a custom Linux distro for a pair of ski pants or whatever.
Job ads aren’t always enough and sometimes more information is needed before hitting that ‘Apply’ button. If our readers would like to hear more about how working life looks like at Rakettitiede, what should they do?
Ping our Recruitment Commander Kristo on social media. Send a smoke signal, bottle mail, email (kristo@rakettitiede.com), text message or call +358 50 551 3552.
Connecting with us viacareer siteis also an option. Don’t hold yourself back, let’s start a conversation!
Want to know more? Take a look at these recruitment experiences at Rakettitiede:
Laura yhdistää digitaalisen suunnittelijan työssään visuaalisuuden ja teknologian
Lauran tarina Nitorin digitaaliseksi suunnittelijaksi kulkee läpi monen mutkan – aina Pohjois-Karjalan kunnailta Espooseen, josta käsin Laura tekee töitä nykyisessä työpaikassaan.
Ennen Nitorille siirtymistään Lauralla oli jo useamman vuoden vuoden kokemus teknologia-alalta: ensin koodin ja myöhemmin suunnittelutyön parista. Lauran mukaan suunnittelutyön yhdistäminen koodaamiseen oli erityisen palkitsevaa, koska oman työn jälkensä pääsi näkemään heti.
“Aloin useamman työvuoden jälkeen kuitenkin pohtimaan uuden työpaikan hakemista, koska halusin oppia lisää ja tehdä haastavampia projekteja isoille asiakkaille. Halusin myös tehdä töitä suuremmassa tiimissä, jossa pääsisin syventämään omia taitojani erityisesti analytiikan ja saavutettavien palveluiden saralla.”
Botti tarjosi ensimmäisenä Nitorin avointa työpaikkaa
MeetFrankiin Laura törmäsi sattumalta Instagramissa.
“Yhtenä päivänä rekrytointiappin mainos tuli vastaan ja ajattelin kokeilla, mitäänhän en siinä menettäisi. Latasin apin oikeastaan siltä sanomalta. Heti alussa yllätyin tosi positiivisesti siitä, että appiin ei tarvinnut luoda minkäänlaista tiliä. Annoin vain nimeni ja palkkatoiveeni, jonka jälkeen botti kyseli osaamisestani ja siitä, minkälaista työtä haluaisin tehdä.”
MeetFrankin rekrytointiappi perustuu algoritmiin, joka yhdistää työnhakijat ja työntekijät toisiinsa ilmoitettujen taitojen perusteella. Algoritmin avulla appi osaa tarjota työnhakijalle sopivimmat avoimet työpaikat.
“Botti tarjosi minulle ensimmäisenä digitaalisen insinööritoimisto Nitorin työpaikkailmoitusta, josta kiinnostuin heti. Olin kuullut Nitorista jo aikaisemmin ja vakuuttunut heidän tarinastaan. Nitorilla yhdistyvät toisiinsa mahtava tiimihenki ja käytännnönläheinen lähestymistapa kaikkeen tekemiseen.”
Ennen työpaikan hakemista Laura halusi kuitenkin kuulla lisää Nitorin työkulttuurista ja työnkuvasta.
“Anonyymiyden turvaavan MeetFrankin kautta oli helppo avata keskustelu toisen osapuolen kanssa ja kysellä tarkemmin Nitorilta siitä, mitä he etsivät ja voisinko olla sopiva tyyppi heidän tiimiinsä. Puhuimme Nitorin People Operations – tiimin Jannen kanssa hyvän tovin ja Janne kertoi minulle kaiken mitä halusin tietää. Keskustelun jälkeen oli helppo laittaa hakemus menemään ja jatkaa haastatteluun. Ja sillä tiellä olen edelleen.”
Digitaalinen suunnittelu on ennen kaikkea ongelmanratkaisua
Taide on aina ollut lähellä Lauran sydäntä, mutta pelkästään taidetta hän ei ole koskaan halunnut työelämässä tehdä.
“Hain taidelukiosta valmistuttuani medianomiksi ammattikorkeakouluun, koska halusin yhdistää visuaaliset taitoni digitaalisuuden kanssa. Teknologialla on mahdollisuus helpottaa ihmisten elämää merkittävästi ja kun sovellukset on suunniteltu hyvin, monimutkaisetkin asiat tuntuvat käyttäjistä helpoilta.”
Lauran mukaan visuaalisen silmän lisäksi työ käyttökokemussunnittelijana vaatii hyvää kykyä hahmottaa isojakin kokonaisuuksia – ja tietysti sitä, että nauttii ongelmanratkaisusta.
“Digitaalisen suunnittelijan työssä parasta on ehdottomasti ongelmanratkaisu. Työssäni saan pohtia jatkuvasti uusia tapoja tehdä digitaalisista palveluista aina asteen verran parempia – niin että niiden käyttö olisi kaikille käyttäjäryhmille helppoa ja saavutettavaa.”
Nitorilla pääsee kehittämään itseään ja taitojaan
Nitor varaa työntekijöidensä ajasta 10% kuukaudessa oppimiseen. Tämän ajan voi Lauran mukaan käyttää joko yksin tai yhdessä muiden nitorlaisten kanssa omien taitojen ja projektien kehittämiseen.
“Harvassa yrityksessä panostetaan näin paljon tiimiläisten osaamiseen ja kehittämiseen. Itse olen päässyt kehittämään Nitorille sisäistä ohjelmaa saavutettavuudesta, joka tarjoaisi jokaiselle nitorlaiselle työkaluja saavutettavan ohjelmoinnin ja suunnittelun tekemiseen. Saavutettavuus, siis se että jokaisella ihmisellä on mahdollisuus käyttää lopputuotetta, on itselleni yksi tärkeimmistä kriteereistä hyvin tehtyyn suunnittelutyöhön.”
Vaikka Nitor on yksi Suomen nopeimmin kasvavista ohjelmistoyrityksistä, yritys pistää paljon paukkuja tiimiläisten hyvinvointiin. Yritys voitti muun muassa Great Place to Work – kilpailun kahtena vuonna peräkkäin, eikä Lauran mukaan tiimitapahtumia olla unohdettu nytkään.
“Nitorin työkulttuuri on yksi parhaimmista kulttuureista, missä olen tehnyt töitä. Vaikka tulin taloon etätyön aikana, olen päässyt hyvin mukaan tiimiin ja tutustunut muihin nitorilaisiin. Olen ihan äärettömän iloinen siitä, että lähdin kokeilemaan MeetFrankia työnhaussa.”
“Ajattelin että wow, tällaisiakin työpaikkoja on olemassa”
Kesällä 2020 espoolainen Ville Häkkinen pohti omaa työtilannettaan. Aikaisempi työpaikka, kasvava startupyritys, oli myyty onnistuneesti isommalle suomalaiselle yritykselle, jossa Ville oli viettänyt jo useamman vuoden tuotepuolta kehittäen. Vaikka työnkuva ja tittelikin olivat kunnossa, mielen takana kutkutti ajatus startup-maailmaan palaamisesta. Uuden työn hakeminen ei kuitenkaan tuntunut ykkösasialta Villelle. Työt suuremmassa suomalaisyrityksessä olivat edelleen haastavia, ja työkaveritkin kivoja.
Jokin sai silti Villen pysähtymään tuttavan Linkedin-keskustelussa MeetFrankin nimen kohdalla. “Kiinnostuin MeetFrankin apista ja ajattelin, että miksi en kokeilisi tätä itsekin.”
Algoritmin yhdisti unelmatyöpaikkaan
MeetFrankin lataaminen ja esitietojen täyttäminen sujuivat Villeltä sutjakkaasti.
“Halusin oikeastaan vain nähdä minkälaisia työpaikkoja MeetFrankissa olisi tarjolla oman profiilini osaajille. Mielen takana kutkutti myös pieni ajatus startup-maailmaan ja nopeatempoiseen työhön palaamisesta.”
MeetFrankin rekrytointiappi perustuu algoritmiin, joka yhdistää työnhakijat ja työntekijät toisiinsa ilmoitettujen taitojen perusteella. Algoritmin avulla appi osaa tarjota työnhakijalle sopivimmat avoimet työpaikat.
“MeetFrankin appi tarjosi heti ensimmäisenä Dear Lucyn työpaikkailmoitusta, jossa yritys etsi teknologiajohtajaa tiimiinsä. Tuli heti sellainen tunne, että wow, tänne on pakko hakea. Ilmoitus täytti kaikki omat kriteerit työnkuvasta ja startupmaisesta työpaikasta. Algoritmi toimi siis omalla kohdallani paremmin kuin hyvin.”
Työpaikkailmoituksen kautta Ville sai yhteyden Dear Lucyn rekrytointivastaavaan, jonka kanssa keskustelut työpaikasta alkoivat heti. Elokuussa 2020 Ville aloitti Dear Lucyn kahdeksanhenkisessä tiimissä teknologiajohtajana.
Teknologiajohtajan työssä tärkeintä on jatkuva oppiminen
Teknologiajohtajan työ vaatii Villen mukaan taitoa hallita isojakin kokonaisuuksia sekä sisäistä poltetta oppia jatkuvasti lisää.
“Olin ollut aina kiinnostunut tekniikasta ja siitä, miten asiat toimivat. Ensimmäisen tietokoneeni sain 7-vuotiaana, tähän aikaan huippumodernina pidetyn Commodore 64:n. Kirjoitin ensimmäisen pelini kopioimalla koodiliuskoja aikakauslehdistä ja innostuin jatkuvasti lisää. Sama innostus teknologiaan jatkuu edelleen; yksi harrastuksistani on uusien teknologioiden, kuten älysormusten testaaminen.”
Teknologia vaatiikin Villen mukaan jatkuvan oppimisen mentaliteettia. Teknologiajohtajana olennaisinta on ymmärtää alan uusimmat keksinnöt ja pysyä mukana pulssissa.
“Oppiminen ei koskaan pääty, vaan sitä tekee huomaamattaankin työssään. Esimerkiksi Dear Lucy auttaa myyntitiimejä oppimaan omasta työstään datan avulla. Kehitämme palvelua, jonka kautta myyjät pääsevät kehittämään omaa työtänsä ja oppimaan aikaisemmasta.”
Dear Lucyssä työskentelemistä Ville kutsuu “yhdeksi parhaista jutuista koskaan”.
“Teknologian parissa työskenteleminen on minulle se juttu ja Dear Lucylla pääsen jatkuvasti haastamaan omia taitojani. En ole koskaan oppinut näin nopealla tahdilla uutta, mitä olen oppinut Dear Lucyn tiimissä. MeetFrankin lataaminen taisi olla itselleni yksi elämäni parhaita päätöksiä.”
