Rani Plast
In ten years, CVs will be a thing of the past – Rani Plast’s HR Director explains how recruitment is changing
Five industries, 27 years, one insight
Jan Höglund has witnessed the transformation of the workplace firsthand. With 27 years of experience in HR across five different industries—from insurance to banking, from the food industry to the energy sector, and now the chemical industry.
“I’ve seen all kinds of organizations and businesses. It’s been an interesting journey, and I’ve learned a lot along the way, especially since I’m so eager to learn and understand this business,” Jan says.
Rani Plast is a family-owned company based in Ostrobothnia that has been manufacturing plastic packaging since 1955. Headquartered in Teerijärvi, the company employs approximately 350 people in Finland, and the group’s revenue is nearly 300 million euros. Its products are exported to more than 50 countries.
Jan’s most important insight over the decades? “Knowledge does not equal action. Often, when planning training or coaching sessions, the fact that a person’s knowledge increases doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s reflected in their daily life. You should always be able to make it as concrete as possible—to show exactly what that means in terms of new actions.”
Jan Höglund
HR Director, Rani Plast
The era of the CV is coming to an end
According to Jan, recruitment is undergoing a radical transformation. The traditional model—which focuses on degrees, employers, and years of experience—is on the way out.
“Recruitment has certainly been largely based on CVs. We’ve looked at educational background, previous employers, previous job duties, experience, and how long the candidate has been in the workforce. It has already shifted, and is shifting even more, toward skills-based recruitment.”
He believes the change is permanent.
“In ten years, CVs will no longer exist; they will have disappeared entirely. Instead, we’ll look at what a person can actually do—and, above all, their willingness and ability to learn new things.”
No one knows what work will look like five years from now
The reason behind this change is a simple fact: job roles are changing faster than ever before.
“If my own children asked me what they should study, that would be a bit of a challenge. After all, none of us knows what jobs will exist in five or ten years,” Jan muses.
That is why recruitment is increasingly focused on what kind of person someone is—not just what they have done.
“Who you are as a person comes through in one way or another. You need to have a constant desire to learn new things and adapt, and you have to maintain resilience throughout the process. We’re no longer recruiting so much based on the job itself; instead, the person and their profile are playing an increasingly important role.”
The importance of culture is growing
At Rani Plast, work culture has become central to our recruitment process.
“Work culture has become increasingly important. A great deal of thought goes into defining the company’s desired culture and how to find someone who fits into that work culture.”
At the same time, the applicant experience has become a critical factor. Jan has been on the other side of the table himself and has seen poorly managed processes.
“These days, a positive applicant experience is built on speed, ease of use, transparency, ongoing communication, and feedback. These are the elements that truly make up a positive employee experience.”
According to Jan, this is exactly where Nawia has succeeded. The collaboration has gone smoothly from the start—and has already resulted in five or six hires.
A partner who wants to understand the business
Rani Plast’s headquarters are located in Teerijärvi, 450 kilometers north of Helsinki. This presents its own challenges—and opportunities—when it comes to recruitment.
“Ostrobothnia is a region quite different from Helsinki, Tampere, or Turku. It has its own dynamics and its own challenges.”
Jan appreciates that Nawia has understood this.
“The better we understand it, the easier recruitment will certainly be in the future. Or if it isn’t easier, at least you’ll understand that it might become more challenging. Nawia wanted to come here right away to meet us and see our world and our business—that was one of the things that built trust.”
Humility is what sets a good partner apart
According to Jan, the partnership with Nawia is based on trust that has been built up gradually—one hire at a time.
“I’ve had a good feeling about this from the very beginning. You guys have such a humble approach to this work and a genuine desire to do things better. That came across really quickly. I didn’t get the impression that you were trying to show off that you know how to do this and that you’re the best at it. You have a desire to learn, listen to the customer, and learn about our business.”
He points out that there are many recruitment firms in Finland—and their processes are often similar. The difference lies elsewhere.
“Ultimately, there isn’t that much of a difference in how things are done throughout the process. It’s pretty much the same, though. This is built on trust. We engage in constructive dialogue together and learn from each other how things can be done even better.”
Internal recruitment activity is on the rise
Jan believes that in the future, recruitment will increasingly become a continuous process—and internal recruitment will take on greater importance.
“Since job roles are changing so rapidly all the time, you have to be able to see the potential in every person. To see that they can move on to the next stage and take on that new role. That kind of continuous recruitment will likely be the norm in the future.”
He also points out that every new task is an opportunity to pause.
“Whenever a job opening arises—whether it’s because someone is retiring or someone wants to see if the grass is greener on the other side—there are always moments when you pause. What has this job looked like, and does it have to look the same in the future? Especially now, as artificial intelligence becomes more and more prevalent in the workplace, this is something we need to take into account.”
People are still needed—and your partner matters
Although artificial intelligence is transforming recruitment, Jan believes that people will remain at the heart of the process.
“Sure, artificial intelligence will definitely be helpful, especially in the early stages, and it will speed up the process—certain steps will likely be handled by AI. But in the final stages, we’ll definitely need people, no question about it.”
And that is exactly why choosing the right partner matters. The partnership between Rani Plast and Nawia continues—the next recruitment drive is already underway.
“It really is built on trust. Together, we engage in meaningful dialogue and learn from each other how things can be done even better. We want to listen to the customer and, at the same time, learn and perhaps do things a little differently afterward.”
Learn more about Rani Plasti as a company and an employer
