Guest blogger: We live in the golden age of expert databases

Even here at our Northern latitudes, so-called expert-focused recruitment has become one form of looking for a job or an employee. Recruiting through job ads is no longer seen as the only possibility. Traditional advertisements are now accompanied by expert databases, social media and other search engines on which experts can be searched for and found. Globally, these channels have been utilised for long to find expert workforce. Searches through expert databases focus on finding experts in a limited database. These experts have indicated that they are looking for a job. When using search engines, recruiters use different combinations of search terms utilising the Boolean search method to comb through different search engines (other than Google) in order to find experts through unexpected channels. In Finland, this method has also been tried and tested - most often in headhunting type recruitment.

When looking for experts to hire, we cannot forget about social media  (Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, etc). This method of recruitment is called talent sourcing or research in the sector. Different search channels can be used together, or just some of them might be utilised. The selected channels depend, of course, on the expert to be recruited. Using a recruitment method that focuses on the search for experts, the recruiter/recruiting supervisor is an active part of the process, and recruitment involves finding experts and discussing work opportunities with them.

Let's get a deeper look into expert databases. They are a group/database of jobseekers that are used for recruitment purposes. In the databases, experts have created a professional profile consisting of their competence and work history. These expert databases are utilised by recruiters and persons involved with recruitment. A change in the  field of recruitment has influenced the rise of expert databases. Challenging recruitments have often been supported by searching for experts using different channels. Before, challenging recruitments might have referred to finding an accountant or a construction supervisor. However, challenging recruitments have become more common. Expert databases are now used to search for experts in several fields, for example welders and electrical engineers. Expert databases are also utilised if the recruiter does not want to start an open application process due to urgency and or if they want to find an expert who is an active jobseeker. This type of recruitment, support for recruitment and the need for recruitment have created a new market for experts.

The core idea of the expert databases is to create a platform where demand meets supply. Job seekers can present themselves and employers can look for the skills that they need. At the moment, we have several highly active expert databases in Finland, such as rekrytointi.com, Monster and, to some extent, Oikopolku. Many companies have their own expert databases which is the result of recruitment systems. Others have also realised the market value of these databases so that databases have been created to serve in different ways and to different extent. This confirms that there is a demand for expert portfolios in recruitment and that such recruitment methods are being used more and more. The aim is to use a straightforward method to find experts that have already given the signal that they are looking for a job.

From the very beginning, I have been monitoring the development of the expert portfolio on Job Market Finland as a representative of Eilakaisla, and I am pleased to see that user-orientation, ease of use and enabling encounters have been considered a priority for development. On Job Market Finland, the system is able to suggest the right competence related words in the job search profile. The employer, on the other hand, must be able to search with the correct search terms, such as job titles or competence words, which are most  commonly used in the task in question. The goal of Job Market Finland is to respond to the different changing needs of working life and to support employers, jobseekers, career-changers and students alike by putting together and providing relevant services. In fact, the expert database on Job Market Finland is in a special position here with an opportunity to create a portfolio of experts that helps bring the needs and demands of jobseekers and recruiters together with a completely new type of low-threshold approach. I am interested to see the role that Job Market Finland can find among other expert databases.

Marjo Hämäläinen
Talent Acquisition Manager, Eilakaisla

Eilakaisla's services can be found through Job Market Finland, as Eilakaisla is part of the Job Market’s partner network.