Blind recruitment at Kela

We are a workplace where innovation and respect for the individual are part of our core values. These values are also reflected in our recruitment practices. We want to be an attractive workplace to all kinds of applicants and make a conscious effort to promote diversity at Kela.

We believe that blind or anonymous recruitment can help us treat all applicants equally when it comes getting invited to a job interview. Our priority is to find candidates who match our selection criteria in skills, experience and training.

The job announcement will indicate whether we will use blind recruitment to fill a specific position. We do not use it in all recruitments. The process we use is semi-anonymous in the sense that the anonymity ends at the interview stage.

What is blind recruitment?

Blind or anonymous recruitment means that in the questionnaire form we do not ask, nor do you have to tell us

• your name
• your date of birth
• your age
• your nationality
• your gender or anything gender related
• your address
• your native language.

We select applicants for interview based on their replies in a questionnaire. The questionnaire is completed in our recruitment system when you submit your application. Based on your replies, we will consider whether you have the skills, training and experience for the job you are applying for.

Once applicants have been selected for an interview, the blind-recruitment stage ends and the recruiter is allowed to take a more detailed look at the applicants’ information.

Tips for applicants

Do not send a cover letter with your application. In blind recruitment, the questionnaire form is your application.

Consider how to describe yourself. Do not reveal, either directly or indirectly through your choice of words, any personal information that is not relevant to your performance in the job you are applying for.

Any personal information you provide in the questionnaire is obscured before the recruiter sees your replies.

1. Also enclose an updated CV with your application. You do not have to anonymise the information in the CV. We will not look at it until you have been invited to an interview.
2. You do not have to tell anything about your previous employers, education or language skills in your applicant profile.
3. If your replies in the questionnaire, your experience and your education match our selection criteria, we may call in you for an interview.
4. Starting from the interview, the recruitment process will proceed openly. You will have a face-to-face meeting with a recruiter.
5. We may ask you for references either at the interview and after it.

Tips for applying anonymously

See the three examples below for tips on how to describe your own skills, educational background and experience. When you enter a blind recruitment process for a position at Kela, do not provide personal information about yourself, such as your gender, your age, your native language, or where you live.

Example:

• I’m a 28-year-old woman from Helsinki and have worked in IT since graduating from Haaga-Helia with a bachelor’s in information technology.
• Instead, write something like this: I’m an IT professional and have worked in IT since graduating from a university of applied sciences with a bachelor’s in information technology.

Example:

• I have three children and because I was a stay-at-home dad for a long time, I know how to deal with all kinds of stressful situations that come up at work. I have worked in customer service since I left the army, for a total of about 30 years.
• Instead, write something like this: The experiences I’ve had in my personal life and at work have taught me to handle a variety of situations, including sometimes stressful ones. I’ve had many customer service jobs and know how to deal with all kinds of situations that can arise with customers.

Example:

• I’m a 30-year-old woman and was born in Russia. I moved to Finland in 2015. Before moving to Finland, I worked in Russia as a researcher in cultural studies. I currently teach communications at the University of Helsinki.
• Instead, write something like this: I’m a researcher in cultural studies by profession. I currently teach communications at the university. I can speak and write several languages fluently. My education in cultural studies has deepened my understanding of different cultures.