Suunto
Suunto went looking for a unicorn—and found something even better
When there are no qualified professionals available
Suunto has been making sports watches, dive computers, and compasses since 1936. Over nearly 90 years, the Finnish brand has learned one thing: the best products aren’t created simply by combining technology—but by people who dare to try something new.
When Suunto set out to find someone for a role that hadn't existed at the company for years, they faced a challenge. Nawia's task was to find a specialist who might not even exist.
“We were looking for a unicorn,” says Riku Tervonen, Head of Device Development. “Someone who excels in all four or five key areas. We were pretty sure we wouldn’t find anyone like that.”
Riku Tervonen
Head of Device Development
Suunto
Interactive recruitment clarified the goal
Riku has worked in recruitment for over 15 years—first as a technical interviewer, and later as a hiring manager. He knows that finding the right person is a long process.
“Recruitment can easily take six months, even a year, from the moment you get approval to hire until the new hire is actually contributing. There’s a lot of work involved in between. But in companies like ours, people are the most important thing—and recruitment is one of the most critical areas where we need to succeed.”
Suunto first tried to find the right person on its own, but traditional channels didn't yield any results. When Nawia came on board, something changed.
“Sure, we knew how to write a job posting with the usual three-letter acronyms and ten years of experience in this and that. But when we had to explain to our partner in our own words what we were really looking for—soft skills, cultural fit, attitude—things became clear. We were left with the feeling that Nawia understood what we were looking for.”
The first candidates taught
The process wasn't straightforward. The first candidates weren't quite the right fit—but that's exactly what helped us narrow down our search.
“We realized that they were a bit off the mark, so we refined them together with Nawia. It was a good thing—even though we understand something about technology, that interactive recruitment process and the gradual refinement were valuable. At some point, we even shifted our priorities: we realized that what we thought was important might not actually be that essential.”
Riku particularly appreciates that the process was clear and fast. Communication via Slack worked seamlessly.
“As soon as something came up, we were informed within an hour. We didn’t have to wait for the next week’s meeting. That speed and clarity were important because our business keeps moving forward, our projects keep moving forward—and recruitment comes on top of everything else.”
Their excellence in three key areas was impressive
The result was a surprise. We didn't find a unicorn—but we found something even better.
“We had three or four key areas of expertise. The candidate we selected excels in three of them at a world-class level. And then there’s one area where they’re completely lacking. With a ‘unicorn,’ all of those areas would have been average. Now we have someone who’s outstanding in three areas.”
Riku and the team were also able to adapt to the overall situation. Several other hiring processes were underway at the same time, and the missing skills could be addressed through other hires.
“We were able to influence those other hires in such a way that the one missing piece can now be found somewhere else on the team.”
MacGyverism and the courage to fail
At Suunnon, they value a certain kind of attitude. Riku calls it "MacGyverism."
“Most of our core work involves taking existing technologies and integrating them into a single package. But then there’s that 20 percent where you have to step outside your comfort zone, learn new things, and experiment. If we don’t succeed there, it’s a slow death—you can’t win by just repackaging the same thing into a different package.”
He believes that the Finnish education system provides students with the skills needed for this.
“When teaching the fundamentals—math, physics—quite a few people are ready to step outside their comfort zone. And when developing a new technology for the first time in the world, you can’t just recruit someone who’s already ready to go. What’s needed is the right attitude: the courage to try, the courage to fail, and the courage to admit that you don’t have what it takes right now.”
A cool guy in a laid-back culture
In addition to technical expertise, Suunnon emphasizes cultural fit. The company operates at the intersection of technology and sports—and that’s evident in its day-to-day operations.
“The atmosphere here is pretty laid-back. The most rigid people in the world might not thrive here. Especially now that remote work has become more common, communication skills and how well someone works in a team are more important than ever.”
Riku admits that it’s hard to define a “good guy” using three-letter acronyms.
“But you know it when you see it. And with Nawia, we were able to talk about exactly these things—not just the technical background.”
People are a company's most important intellectual property
When asked what he has learned about recruitment over the past 15 years, Riku’s answer is clear.
“On the one hand, it’s a chore that gets in the way of our daily work. But I don’t really think that’s the case. In companies like ours, people are our most important intellectual property, our most important asset. And we acquire them through recruitment. That’s one of the most important areas where a company needs to succeed.”
Suunto and Nawia’s first joint recruitment drive is now behind us. The successful candidate has started work—and we’re approaching future recruitment drives with a much better understanding of the process.
“Now that we might be able to do more together, Nawia understands our inner world much better.”
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