Oct 26, 2021 10:22:09 AM | My VideoCV story

Tell us about yourself:

I am driven by solutions and challenging problems. I like to look behind people, numbers, and processes. I put hands-on and set examples. I have an “entrepreneurial” mindset and therefore I do not limit myself to any single field or profession. In my last position as regional manager in the financial sector, I was taking care of our business results and local teams.

Turning my free time I like to hike, collect fresh stuff from forests and fields, train hard, play board games and memory quizzes and deal with financial markets. I am also a huge reader and I try to read (or listen to podcasts) every day. 

Human Resources - what does it mean to You?

I believe that people are the most important assets for every company. Everything we can see and touch (or imagine) on a corporate level is built by humans. Processes, visions, communication, and even AI tools are all man-made.

Most value is not created by a single person. The world is so complex that we need to have diverse human resources to generate value. Hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands of brains are coming together to achieve something they would not be able to achieve alone.

Tells us about Your personal experience with recruiting!

I have recruited and led people all over the Baltics. My eyes have seen countless amount of CV-s and Cover letters. To be honest, I can not remember how many interviews I have held. Getting a new person into the team, in reality, is hard. On paper, recruiting process is easy.

• We set requirements for candidates
• We post job ads
• We will review incoming applicants
• We will make another round/rounds with suitable candidates
• We make offers for the best candidate/candidates

All these steps are imaginary. As a recruiter or a hiring manager, all I want is a suitable match. Everything else is (an outdated) process to help me get there.

There is a good saying when it comes to investing - past performance does not guarantee future returns. While this can sound a little plain and stupid, we can see the same thing when it comes to hiring people - people are different and organizations are different. It is really hard to say if two pieces will fit by just checking their past.

This is the “imaginary” logic that we have generated over the decades.

I have always tried to hire over a personality. I have wanted to see certain personality traits and motivation from within. Sending CV-s and cover letters requires and shows no motivation. It is really hard to get information on personality just by looking at the paper.

Getting 300 CV-s can look cool (Yay, my company is known and they all want to join us). Reality is different. In many cases, it means that somebody needs to put in a lot of hours. Time = money.

We just need a suitable match. The process should be as thin as possible for both parties.

What about skills. Do they matter when it comes to hiring new people?

My experience has thought me that skills can be thought, but personality can not be changed. Yes, skills are vital, but in most professions, I would not set them as nr 1 factor.

Organizations have culture and every single individual has their personality.

We all like to talk about what good hire costs, but the reality is that bad hire will be much more expensive. One might have the required skills, but not the needed personality.

Why did You join VideoCV?

Hehe. This is quite a story. I quit my job this spring. After the COVID situation and completed corporate conquests, I thought I need some change and new challenges.

One thing was certain. I wanted to take some time off before the next steps. After I had been resting for a few months, I slowly felt that there is a tingle in my blood again. Still, I was not sure what is my next step. Should I create my own company? Maybe I should continue my career in the world of finance? I even thought that maybe I should go to Kood Jõhvi and switch to IT!

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I saw an ad on social media about VideoCV. I saw the corporate intro advertisement about 10 times several times per day. There were some guys riding bicycles in the office. There was a basketball flying around. Still, the young company knew exactly why and who they were searching for. They were asking talents and people with the same values to join them.

On the last day when VideoCV was accepting applications, I was 100% sure that I am going to fill in my application. Watching the company intro gave me a feeling that this is a total match. I also made deeper research about what VideoCV was about to change. Since I had a lot of experience with recruiting I knew immediately that they are solving the right problem.

So, how was Your experience with VideoCV?

A.W.E.S.O.M.E

By the way. I recorded and uploaded all my videos when I was hiking in the forest!

Answering recruiters’ questions via video format took more time. And this was a good thing! I immediately felt that this is the correct way. I knew that only the most motivated people who feel the connection are willing to send in their applications. There were 6 open questions and I enjoyed answering them. Moreover, I really could express myself openly when answering these questions. 

Just 2 days later I got a call and I was asked to the next round. I still had the same feeling - I want to join that team and we both would benefit from it.

Now I am helping those who are interested in changing the old habits by bringing new solutions into the fold.