However, the old proverb "Too many cooks spoil the broth" can be prevented from coming true through clear processes.
With a modern recruitment system, recruitments run like clockwork both internally and from the candidates' perspective. This has also been proven by Ammattiopisto Spesia, which, as recruitment volumes grew, needed a more versatile and robust yet easy-to-use recruitment system.
In our customer story, Spesia's HR team members Päivi Starast, Jasmiina Aalto-Hätinen, and Minna Mäkilä share how they found what they were looking for in the form of TalentAdore Hire.
Multi-Professional and Diverse Spesia
Ammattiopisto Spesia is a versatile and bold special vocational institution that already employs 770 workers across 12 locations. Spesia's range of education includes around 20 different vocational qualifications: students can graduate as, among others, a business professional, auto mechanic, cook, or sheet metal welder. In addition, Spesia offers various preparatory training programs.
"Our mission is that at Spesia, both students and staff get to shine. Every single one of us, regardless of role, is here for our students," says HR Director Päivi Starast.
"We are also not a hierarchical work community – collaboration is carried out broadly across sector and location boundaries."
"The 'Spesia spirit' is the factor that unites us all. It shows and resonates in everyday life, even though our organization operates across different parts of Finland and work is also done in a hybrid environment," adds HR specialist Jasmiina Aalto-Hätinen.
Although Spesia is a special vocational institution, they also employ professionals from a wide range of fields beyond pedagogical experts.
"Our largest personnel group is our teaching and guidance staff. In addition, we have employees in expert services, housing services, student services, working life services, and support services. In administration, we have diverse roles in IT, communications, and HR and financial management," summarizes Päivi.
In recruitment, Spesia emphasizes equality and diversity. Spesia wants to be a social influencer in the area of equality and respect for difference.
"It is important for us to find professionals who share our values. Candidates must demonstrate a genuine desire and enthusiasm for building a more diverse and equal society."
"We want to promote the realization of equality to an ever-greater degree. In 2024, we introduced pay transparency, as a result of which salary ranges for positions are already disclosed in job advertisements," says Jasmiina.
The Overall Package Was Decisive in Choosing a Recruitment System
"In addition to the functionalities, we were convinced by TalentAdore's service experience. Our procurement process was comprehensive, but we received continuous and fast support from TalentAdore as well as clear answers to our questions."
At Spesia, recruitments aim for transparency, equality, and consistent quality. As recruitment volumes grew, more robust tools were needed to support recruitments so that these goals could be met.
"The system we previously used no longer met the needs that came with our growth. We also wanted to find a system that reliably complies with all data protection regulations," says HR assistant Minna Mäkilä, who was involved in the procurement of the new recruitment system.
"At the same time, ease of use is absolutely essential, as recruiting managers are largely responsible for their own recruitments," Jasmiina agrees.
"There are many managers, and each has their own style and preferences. However, it is important that processes function and appear consistent to our applicants."
Accessibility was also near the top of the selection criteria.
"Easy-to-use application forms were an extremely important aspect for us. They directly affect the candidate experience and play a major role in terms of accessibility."
The overall package was decisive in choosing the new recruitment system. After comparing different service providers, however, the decision to choose TalentAdore Hire was easy.
"In addition to the functionalities, we were convinced by TalentAdore's service experience. Our procurement process was comprehensive, but we received continuous and fast support from TalentAdore as well as clear answers to our questions," sums up Päivi.
An Effortless Implementation Came as a Surprise
TalentAdore Hire was implemented at Spesia during the summer holiday season. Despite the challenging timing, the implementation and onboarding went smoothly.
"We went in at the deep end, so to speak, as a few recruitments started immediately after implementation. Managers learned to use TalentAdore Hire really quickly, even though there were initial concerns from the managers' side," recalls Jasmiina.
"I would say that the implementation of TalentAdore Hire went surprisingly well – and I am, after all, a perpetual skeptic," Minna laughs.
A Developing System Enables Strategic Recruitment
"The system saves us time and allows us to communicate with our candidates comprehensively, actively, and with a personal touch. Our recruitment communication has been praised by applicants and we feel..."
With the introduction of TalentAdore Hire, Spesia has been able to build processes that suit them. The system is used for both internal searches and external recruitments, and the appearance of job advertisements and application forms reflects Spesia's brand identity.
"TalentAdore Hire enables efficient and transparent recruitment. We always know at what stage the recruitment, candidates, and application processing are at. The reporting and analytics tools are also of great significance, as they enable process development and more strategic work," summarizes Päivi.
In recruitments with large numbers of applications, efficient and effortless screening is important. A good example of success in this area has been Spesia's summer job recruitments.
"We handled our summer job recruitment with a single advertisement and used TalentAdore Hire's handy tagging feature to categorize applicants," Minna reflects.
Candidate experience is one of the main priorities of Spesia's recruitments. Candidate feedback is actively measured using TalentAdore's tools.
"The system saves us time and allows us to communicate with our candidates comprehensively, actively, and with a personal touch. Our recruitment communication has been praised by applicants and we feel this is largely thanks to TalentAdore Hire."
The system's customizability and continuous development also receive praise.
"There are many features in the system that we have not yet adopted, but we certainly will! A great example of continuous development is the recently released anonymous recruitment feature, which we had been eagerly awaiting," the entire Spesia HR team rejoices in unison.
Customer Support Brings Security in the Midst of a Hectic Recruitment Everyday
Members of Spesia's HR team had not been impressed by their previous experiences with system providers' customer service. However, TalentAdore's Customer Success team and technical support have changed that perception.
"Whenever help is needed, it comes quickly and reliably. I feel that at TalentAdore, they are genuinely interested in the customer," states Päivi.
"Feedback and development ideas are also welcomed with open arms. Even though there have not been any major problems at any point, we can trust that issues and challenges will be resolved."
What would Spesia's HR team like to tell companies that are considering implementing or switching to a recruitment system?
"Please choose TalentAdore! The collaboration has been smooth and the system is liked by both users and job seekers."
Would you like to hear more about TalentAdore's modern recruitment system? Request a demo from us and we can discuss your recruitment challenges and how we can help solve them. You will also see in practice how our system works.