Visma Real Estate, also known as Visma Tampuuri, is the most extensive software on the market for property management, real estate process management and quality management. Visma companies have generally been growing this year, and in spring 2022, when Visma Tampuuri became Visma Real Estate Oy as part of an acquisition, doors opened to both new roles and career paths.
Salla Arvonen – Director, People & Culture and Päivi Harju – Marketing Director, Visma Real Estate tell us about their cooperation with Avila.
Process clarity and quality of work as sources of trust
Salla Arvonen was looking for a new direct search partner at the end of 2021 who could support Visma’s growth strategy and comprehensive recruitment needs. Based on the recommendations she received, Arvonen approached Avila, and through an agile kick-off process, she decided to test Avila’s recruitment services together with her team.
“The first direct search with Avila was a great success. It was a more challenging search as the property management industry and finding experts in product development can sometimes be difficult. However, we found a top performer within a short timeframe,” says Arvonen.
Arvonen herself has recruited hundreds of candidates in her career, but at Visma they still feel that having the right partner in recruitment adds value and efficiency to the process. The cooperation with Avila has continued and employees have been recruited for a wide range of roles. For Arvonen, the clarity of the process and the quality of the work are important factors in building trust.
“Avila’s process is straightforward – we don’t have to think about how the process is going, because the agreed things are always done on time. Avila’s recruitment consultants have a good understanding of each role description and our needs, and they always find really good candidates,” comments Arvonen, adding, “With our own calendars being really busy, working with Avila has always been really hassle-free, yet completely secure because we can trust the quality of their work.”
Knowledge of the industry and consistency in communication to guarantee success
The importance of quality candidate communication and fostering an employer brand image is emphasized in direct recruitment processes. Often some of the candidates contacted are passive candidates in the job market, which increases the tension and the need for fast and effective communication. According to Arvonen, it is very important that the direct search partner understands Visma Real Estate’s values and way of communicating:
“We want the consultants who recruit for us to speak the same language as we do and create the same atmosphere from the beginning of the process as when they enter the role. It’s incredibly important that candidates are treated with respect, integrity and always receive the same treatment, no matter how the recruitment process ends.”
Päivi Harju, current Marketing Director at Visma Real Estate, has positive experience of Avila’s communication and the direct recruitment process, also from a candidate’s perspective.
“I was really impressed with how quickly the recruitment process went with Avila. The process involved several rounds of interviews and aptitude assessments, but it was completed within a few weeks. I really appreciated Avila’s open communication and I genuinely got the feeling that their recruitment consultant cared that I was doing well during the process. The experience of the whole recruitment process was really good,” says Harju.
Päivi Harju – From Marketing Manager to Marketing Director
Päivi Harju had emerged as a top candidate in several Marketing Manager recruitment processes conducted by Avila during 2021. Avila had contacted Harju regarding marketing roles in other Visma companies, but recruitments had been interrupted after Visma had found employees for the roles in internal recruitments.
However, through previous direct recruitment processes, Harju’s interest in Visma had remained strong, so Harju had no hesitation in applying for the role of Marketing Manager at Visma Real Estate:
“The perception that Visma could be the right company for me had been formed through previous direct search processes. I expressed my interest, and almost immediately afterwards, I was contacted by Avila’s recruitment consultants to explore my experience for the role and to explain the job description in more detail,” recalls Harju.
Pre-screening, interviews and aptitude assessments were completed within two weeks, and Harju stepped into her new role as Head of Marketing in January 2022. After three months, she was promoted to Marketing Director in the course of an acquisition. In a complete search process, with direct search as one element, it is possible to match the right leadership skills with the company’s strategy and organisational culture, and develop them as the company grows.
“Although my recruitment path for the role was a little atypical, I probably wouldn’t have ended up here if Avila hadn’t contacted me in the first place,” says Harju.
Arvonen also highlights Harju’s recruitment. “Päivi’s recruitment was a complete success and it shows in her career path. She has exactly the experience we were looking for in this role.”
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