Schaeffler finds top sales talent in Finland with the help of Avila’s direct search

The Schaeffler Group has been driving forward groundbreaking inventions and developments in the field of motion technology for over 75 years. With innovative technologies, products, and services for electric mobility, CO₂-efficient drives, chassis solutions, Industry 4.0, digitalization, and renewable energies, the company is a reliable partner for making motion more efficient, intelligent, and sustainable – over the entire life cycle.

As a worldwide mobility supplier, Schaeffler offers a wide range of career opportunities. With around 84,000 employees all over the world, Avila has had the opportunity to work alongside Schaeffler in their recruitment efforts in Finland.

The collaboration between the two companies began in early 2021 and has since involved about a dozen common direct searches. Patrik Pettersson, who currently serves as the Partner Manager Nordic & Baltics in the company, has held the role of recruitment manager in two past recruits, in which Avila has found top sales talent for MRO sales and Partner Account Manager roles in Finland.

”I find Avila as a reliable partner who is committed to finding the ideal employees for us. Avila’s recruiting consultant has been as a driver behind the wheel, and I´ve been next to her throughout the recruiting processes”, comments Pettersson.

Precise role presentation supporting the search for an ideal candidate 

Having worked for the company for nearly 30 years, Pettersson tells how during the last years they identified an opportunity for a new sales-related role in Europe. This role would oversee and build Maintenance, Repairs, and Operations (MRO) sales, with a focus on supporting the company’s distributors. Finland, in particular, presented an ideal market for the new role due to the country’s market potential.

“In Finland, our colleagues have been doing a tremendous job in all fields, and we saw that it was the perfect market to start also with a completely new role. It has always been a very promising country for our industry, and we saw some market share opportunities that this role could cover.”

Due to past successful collaborations, Schaeffler decided to reach out to Avila to help in the recruitment in early autumn 2022. “We wanted a partner who would have local industry knowledge, the right skills, and channels to conduct the recruitment smoothly”, explains Pettersson.

As per Pettersson, Avila’s presentation and description of the role was on point: “The way Avila’s team presented the role was impressive. Their recruitment consultant knew exactly what we were looking for and knew how to present it with the right words”, describes Pettersson.

Strong candidate pool through in-depth market analysis and industry-specific knowledge 

In late spring 2023, Pettersson was looking for a replacement for a sales representative role in the Finnish market. This role is in charge of building and maintaining strong relationships with Schaeffler’s stakeholders in the market.

“Again – as in the previous recruiting, I was really satisfied with the candidate list. From there, pretty quickly we could identify the suitable candidates, and through a few interviews we had a strong feeling that we have found the right employee for the role.”

At Avila, recruitment consultants always conduct a deep analysis of the client company and use industry-specific knowledge to deliver high-quality candidate lists. This is supported by real-time insights from the job and candidate market. Clear steps and processes throughout the recruitment assure a good experience for both candidates, and client companies.

“Overall, I was surprised by how smoothly the recruiting processes went. At the beginning, we were given a clear agenda and it was nice to see that I didn’t have to set up reminders – Avila’s recruitment consultant took care of all touchpoints and made sure that I was following the right steps”, states Pettersson.

Pettersson is currently looking forward to kicking off the collaboration with the newest hire this early autumn 2023. Avila’s team wishes Patrik and his team great success and appreciates the successful partnership.