Meet Our People - Eliza Barkane

Why did I join the TalentAdore?

The idea for collaboration originated from my interest to conduct a thesis study with the purpose to enhance business processes in such a way that takes customer perspective into consideration, being effective for the business itself. To my surprise, we co-created the position together exactly as it was promised in the company’s career pages and I was employed as a Customer Success trainee.

I have always preferred being part of ventures that provide an opportunity to serve people and I feel that one’s contribution can make a difference. Therefore, TalentAdore seemed like the right place to be. In addition, like everyone in our team I strongly related to the company’s vision – bringing the human touch back to recruitment. We all together form one unified family, sharing the same passion towards improving the candidate experience and shaping the future of recruitment.

“One may ask if it is possible to achieve a state where all organizations worldwide ensure an excellent candidate experience. Alas, it’s probably not. Still, I love to be among people who prefer to strive for it rather than do nothing about it.”

What is my role?

To date, my role compromises user experience design based on customer insights, further development of onboarding capacity, customer success process standardization, content creation, and thesis work itself.  The objective of the study is to develop insights for increasing maturity and scalability of Customer Success function.

At its core, customer success is about proactively managing customer experience and maximizing the value that users obtain from our recruitment software, TalentAdore Hire. Here is a tip for those who are interested in customer success-related roles: you might be the right fit for the job even if this is the first time you hear about the term “customer success”. After all, it is a very new and still emerging business function. If you want to learn more, I suggest joining Customers Success community in Helsinki.

What do I like the most about my work?

I really enjoy meeting our customers and seeing how delighted they are with our solution. Of course, change management and new software adoption can be challenging at the times, but it is our job to help clients with making meaningful progress from one stage to the next. I remember my first ever face-to-face meeting with a customer representative, Recruitment manager at Lehto Group Oyj, Tanja Kanerva. Immediately after my arrival, she said, “I am glad you are here because each meeting with TalentAdore makes our work better and more effective”.

I have experienced several times when recently-onboarded customer representatives are impressed with positive feedback from rejected candidates – such moments really drive me. But, please, don’t get it wrong, although our software streamlines the recruitment process and enables automation of repetitive and low value-add tasks, it is still up to recruiters to prioritize the candidate experience as a strategic matter in the first place.

“A countless number of companies worldwide talk about corporate responsibility, so why don’t they simply start from treating their candidates right and providing feedback?”

I believe that all candidates should be treated with possible care and empathy, both those who are disqualified at early stages and those who manage to reach the final assessment interviews. Another aspect I personally relate with is that many young people are challenged to land their first jobs or work placements. Therefore, meaningful feedback in the form of what works well and what could be improved can guide and motivate them. Constructive feedback should be used instead of causing a sense of not being experienced, competent enough, relevant enough… This often leaves me thinking – why all companies worldwide that talk about corporate responsibility simply do not start from treating their candidates right.

What is the TalentAdore work environment like?

I think of work at TalentAdore as the learning process where everyone strives for their best possible performance. An immense amount of trust is placed in every person who joins the team, even if you are a trainee. Sometimes it means going the extra mile or working outside the usual business hours. Being a part of the startup can be very demanding, but it allows to learn a lot about different functions and contribute to the company’s roadmap.

TalentAdore CEO, Saku Valkama, ensures that all of us have what we need for doing our job successfully and, what I personally appreciate a lot, our well-being is treated as one of the biggest company’s assets. We work hard, but we also know how to relax and celebrate our achievements, hence every Monday we play sports, organize cottage weekends, and do other fun activities.

Honestly, I feel large gratitude for being given an opportunity to be part of the TalentAdore family. In addition, never before did I think that I will be exploring the world of technologies and innovation so closely. What a journey!

All the best,

Eliza Barkane ♡

P.S. Check out our open positions here. Don’t see a position that suits you? Please, leave an open application. Remember, we are not looking for people who have done it all previously; we look for people who have the right skills, experiences, and mindsets to perform in their roles in the future.