- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) recruits roughly 200–250 people every year, of whom some 100–150 are trainees and seasonal employees. The share of international staff is approximately 5.5%. As a research and expert organisation, Luke wishes to strengthen its profile as an employer among University students.
- The University of Helsinki offers employers visibility and networking opportunities with students in a range of ways, such as the HelsinkiUNI Career Day recruitment event in January, the ViikkiAreena recruitment fair held by student associations in November and the UNITalent programme.
- In 2024, Luke took part for the first time in both Career Day and UNITalent, through which it has reached students by new means. The events have provided Luke with an opportunity to raise its profile among students, while UNITalent in particular has given international students a low-threshold chance to familiarise themselves with Luke as a potential employer.
Natural Resources Institute Finland is a research and expert organisation that, through scholarly and specialist contributions, is building wellbeing and a sustainable future from renewable natural resources. The versatile research infrastructure of the organisation is composed of, among other things, research forests, fields, cowsheds, aquaculture farms and laboratories. Luke employs experts from a range of fields, including the natural sciences, the social sciences, chemistry, communications and technology.
The diverse educational offerings of the University are a good match for Luke’s recruitment needs. For example, the research and education operations of the University’s Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry are focused on questions on the use of renewable resources, agriculture, forests and materials, as well as on waterways and water use. The Faculty is nationally unique with a high international standing.
HelsinkiUNI Career day, a recruitment event organised by the University of Helsinki, is virtual, reaching students on all campuses. It is therefore also well suited to organisations that recruit students in a broad range of fields or students who are geographically located outside the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.
“The virtual implementation was excellent for us. As an organisation, we are spread across Finland, making participation in events organised by virtual means easy and even time-efficient. The arrangements were very smooth, the schedule reliable and the instructions comprehensive,” says HR Specialist Linda Yli-Keturi.
During the day, the organisation has the opportunity to pitch its career opportunities and meet students at appointments for individual discussions and Q&A sessions.
“I felt that Career Day was useful to us. We were able to briefly but concisely introduce Luke and our open positions. I particularly liked the one-to-one moments where students had the chance to talk privately about their backgrounds, ask questions relevant to them and, hopefully, gain valuable information on things such as applying for traineeships.”
As a work community, Luke is already diverse, and international talent is taken into consideration in its organisational culture. Finnish and English are fluently used in parallel. Luke offers language courses, and the organisation has a language buddy network and an entity called Intercultural Community, which aims to make international employees feel at home and support their integration into Luke and life in Finland.
In fact, the UNITalent concept sounded sensible to Linda, as it enabled encounters with international students from various fields who were interested in Luke.
“UNITalent gave us the opportunity to hear what was on students’ minds and answer their questions which may otherwise have gone unanswered. We also gained very good tips on how to better reach international students and become an increasingly attractive employer.”
As the organisation prizes internationalisation very highly, it considers students’ views and opinions extremely valuable. On the basis of tips received from students, individuals involved in recruitment will be instructed to design calls for applications and application processes in the future so that they reach international applicants even better.
When asked to weigh in, Linda encourages other organisations to join in:
“Absolutely, the experience was very positive! I think networking with students and increasing employer visibility are extremely significant factors in attracting future talent.”
Read more on our website and contact the University’s Career Services: careerservices@helsinki.fi.