Tessi Reispakka becomes head of recruitment
A couple of months ago, the leadership of the recruitment team at the Rocket was handed over to Tessi Reispakka, who’s now working towards loading our ship with experienced developers and architects.
Hired to give the Rocket a boost on its trajectory, Tessi Reispakka has been working in IT recruitment for almost 10 years, during which time she has managed to recruit talents from both within and outside our borders.
Tessi was tipped off about the position on board the Rocket by a former – now once more current – coworker. Having heard good things about the rocket scientists’ expertise and the rocket culture, the job sounded appealing. The good rumours were confirmed by the ex-and-now-once-more-current developer colleague.
“People at Rakettitiede like their job even a little too much at times,” Tessi laughs and continues: “Years ago, I tried to convince a rocket scientist to switch jobs and come join the ranks of my employer at the time. I didn’t succeed, but I like to think it wasn’t because of any lack of professionalism on my part – consultants just have it really good here.”
In Tessi’s mind’s eye, Rakettitiede shimmered like a distant and inaccessible island of top professionals — that is, until she met Juha, our CEO, and Iida, the former head of recruitment.
And no, we’re not implying anything about Juha’s and Iida’s professionalism but merely referring to the unpretentious culture that shone through even over Google Meet.
“I was immediately taken by the uncomplicated, no-nonsense attitude, trust and confidence, really knowledgeable professionals and humour,” Tessi summarises.
Recruitment is a selective process
Growth Lead Tessi’s number one priority is to ensure that Rakettitiede grows – not quickly like your typical sweet dough but slowly like a high-quality sourdough.
“While growth is a great enabler, we’re not going to turn our backs on our basic business: we’re going to continue on our path of demanding web, mobile and embedded development and we’re not going to let our quality suffer due to uncontrollable growth.”
Tessi points out that changing jobs is one of life’s big changes. Even though it’s an everyday thing for the recruiter, it’s anything but for the candidate. “I want our applicants’ expectations for the future to be as realistic as possible. It is important that everyone gets the opportunity to meet with our old rocket scientists and hear what they have to say about the job.”
When birds of a feather flock together, good things will ensue. “It doesn’t get much better than hearing a new rocket scientist say that they’ve come to a place that’s right for them.”
What’s the most challenging task when it comes to being a Growth Lead, then?
“In addition to the competition being fierce, one of the challenges is to attract people who not only have the technical skills but also sit well with the Rocket culture. We are a good match for a wide variety of types and we encourage diversity, but things like having respect for others should never be compromised.”
Every day is Caturday for Tessi’s cat Matilda.
When not working on the Rocket’s command bridge, Tessi practises her pliés and pirouettes or spends time at home nestled against the hairy armpit of toothless Granny Matilda.
Great to have you on board the Rocket, Tessi!