At Holmen, we work according to a competency-based recruitment process, focusing on the skills required for the position and/or organization, both today and in the future. Competency-based recruitment is about structure and provides a more objective assessment, rather than a judgment based on gut feeling where we easily fall into various recruitment traps such as bias and prejudice. Everyone involved in the recruitment process evaluates candidates based on the same criteria, and all candidates receive the same conditions and treatment.
Needs analysis and requirements profile
For Holmen, the recruitment process always begins with a needs analysis. We naturally look at the current situation, but it’s just as important to look further ahead. How do we expect the business to develop? What opportunities are there for the person we employee moving forward? We also look at the composition of the team to ensure we have a good mix and a department that works.
This analysis results in a requirements profile that forms the basis for the recruitment. The requirements profile outlines what we want and expect in terms of skills, experience and personal qualities.
Advertising internally and externally
We think it’s just as important that Holmen is right for you as it is that you’re right for Holmen. We therefore aim to give as clear and honest a picture as possible of the role, the team and of us as a company.
It’s important for us to make the most of our employees’ competence and drive to develop. If we come to the conclusion that the talent is available within the Group, we will often advertise a job vacancy internally before we go public.
In the majority of cases, we conduct our recruitment processes ourselves, but sometimes we also use recruitment agencies.
Application
The job ads clearly explain how you go about submitting your application. In the majority of cases, the application is submitted via our application form at holmen.com. This form is quick to complete and makes it clear what information is required. If you have any questions about the job or the company, you’ll find contact details for the recruiting manager and/or HR officer in the ad.
We often use selection questions to ensure that we understand the experiences and skills you have that are relevant to the role. This way, we can make a more objective selection and avoid our subjective interpretations forming the basis of the assessment.
Therefore, we have also chosen not to use cover letters in our recruitment processes. Research shows that a cover letter does not reveal a person's personality or their future job performance. The cover letter often contains private information about, for example, family relationships and leisure interests that are not relevant to the position. Private information in the cover letter thus increases the risk of bias (preconceived notions not related to competence) in a recruitment process.
You’ll find all our current job vacancies here!
Tests
In the next step, we sometimes use a logical problem-solving test and a personality test provided by our supplier Alva Labs. The tests take a total of about 30 minutes to complete and you will of course receive instructions and examples of the tasks before you start the test itself. We encourage you to take the tests in an environment where you will not be disturbed and where you can concentrate fully. Try to complete them at a time when you are as alert and rested as possible. If you have any type of functional variation that you think could affect you when you do the tests, we encourage you to contact us so that we can make the necessary adjustments.
Read more about our tests here!
Selection and interviews
The hiring manager and the recruiting HR review the applications received and make an initial selection. If your skills and experience match the requirements profile, you may be called in for an interview. The purpose of this step is to get to know each other and to give us a clearer picture of how your background, your knowledge and soft skills corresponds to what we are looking for in relation to the relevant position. It’s also a chance for you to get a better picture of the role you’re applying for and of the company in general. There are usually several rounds of interviews.
References
We always take up the references of our final candidates.
Offer of employment
When making our final decision, we look at the overall picture we’ve obtained through the application, interviews, references and any test results. We also look at values and motivators, to evaluate how well these fit in with the company and the specific team in question. If you are our final candidate, we offer you a job with us. And if Holmen is right for you, we welcome you as a new colleague.