LET'S TALK ABOUT: Work in Estonia
Monday, October 16, 2017
During my last week in Estonia, I sought to learn more about (working) life in the Baltic state. Kaisa-Triin Kosenkranius, Marketing Specialist at Work in Estonia, kindly answered all of my questions. Read the interview below to find out why you should consider to pack your bags and jump on the next plane headed toward Tallinn.
INTERVIEW
Hi Kaisa-Triin, thank you for taking the time to meet me. Before talking about Work in Estonia, can you please introduce yourself?
Hi Kaisa-Triin, thank you for taking the time to meet me. Before talking about Work in Estonia, can you please introduce yourself?
I studied journalism and Public Relations at the University of Tartu, and then studied in the USA for a year as an exchange student, where I also worked in the marketing department of the university. Coincidentally, one of our main tasks was recruitment. In the States, the colleges are very eager to recruit students, because that is where part of their revenue comes from. It was interesting to see what efforts universities make to attract students. Although my stay overseas was interesting and fulfilling, I was happy to come back to Estonia. During my last year at university, I started working full-time at Brandem, an employer branding agency.
How long have you been working for Work in Estonia?
For six months. But it feels like a couple of years already.
Really?
In a good way, though. There are so many different tasks every day. And since we are only three people working here, I get an insight into different areas. So it hasn't really been a slow and regular integration.
Three people, yeah? That’s not a lot.
True. Similar organisations in Denmark and the Netherlands, for example, have more employees; ten to 40 maybe. So in comparison, we are quite small. But then again, Estonia is a small country.
True. Similar organisations in Denmark and the Netherlands, for example, have more employees; ten to 40 maybe. So in comparison, we are quite small. But then again, Estonia is a small country.
In a nutshell: What is Work in Estonia and what is its mission?
We are a government-funded programme that started two years ago, in 2015. The goal is to introduce Estonia as an attractive country for working and living to talented people worldwide. In doing so, we assist two parties: foreigners, whose relocating experience shall be as pleasant as possible, and companies, for which we provide guidance in foreign recruiting.
You mentioned Denmark and the Netherlands. Is there anything you can learn from them?
Yes, definitely. These countries have more experience in what we do at Work in Estonia. So there is a lot that we can learn from them, and vice versa. I am glad that we have met several times in person and often share experiences.
What kind of professions are you targeting?
At the moment, we are mostly focusing on IT specialists: software developers, IT project managers, UI/UX specialists, DevOps engineers, big data engineers, IT architects, and the list goes on. Because Estonia’s ICT sector is growing so rapidly, there is a great need for IT specialists. You probably have heard that we have the most startups per capita?
Yes, I talked to Startup Estonia earlier this week. Do you work together with Estonian startups?
Yes, several of them are great partners of ours. I must add, though, that we cooperate with many types of companies, not only startups: companies in the banking and finance industry, manufacturing and production companies, service industry companies, and so on and so forth. As long as you need IT specialists, we will help you recruit IT specialists from abroad.
You said that you are recruiting talents from all over the world. What are your “most targeted” countries?
Currently, we are focusing on eight carefully selected countries. The main focus is on Ukraine and Turkey.
How come?
We did a lot of analyses. Let’s take Ukraine as an example. There are already quite a few Ukrainians who work in Estonia. Culturally speaking, we are quite similar. When Ukrainians come to Estonia, they usually don't have any difficulties of adaption. It is easy for them to find friends. More importantly, though, Ukraine has excellent IT specialists. Overall, we found that people who work in Ukraine and in Turkey want the same conditions that Estonia has to offer: flat hierarchies in companies, the possibility to fast-track your career, a lot of startups, good air quality, low crime rates, a digitally advanced society, a good “price-performance ratio,” etc. All these factors contribute toward our targeting of these countries.
Can you describe the analyses a little further?
The thing is that Work in Estonia has a lot of competitors all over the world, because there are so many regions and cities that aim to attract talents. Quite a few people from abroad get in touch with us in order to learn more about our procedures. While we do share our experiences with our partners abroad, we also keep some secrets to ourselves (laughs).
You said that you studied in the US for a year. Would you say that people knew about Estonia?
No.
Not even that it is a digital pioneer in Europe?
Not really. When somebody knew, I was actually really impressed (laughs). But as I studied and lived in Kansas state, I can only speak for Kansas. The knowledge of Estonia is probably better in California or the New York area.
Does the same apply for Europe?
Certainly. Even fellow Europeans have a lack of knowledge regarding Estonia. Our activities at Work in Estonia even include providing geographical information about our country: that it’s in Europe, near Finland and Sweden. You have to keep in mind that we are a tiny country and many don't know about it. It’s much easier for bigger countries to attract workforce, because they have been in the business for decades, whereas Estonia is just at the beginning. So we need to let people know that Estonia exists and that it’s a great place for work. What do you think, by the way?
About?
Fellow Europeans’ knowledge about Estonia.
To be completely honest with you, I think it is very limited. Many don't even know that it’s part of the European Union.
Exactly. And that puts us in a really bad position to begin with. That’s what we need to work on. It’s getting better, though. For example, when we talk about activities of Work in Estonia in selected countries, we see that most Ukrainian IT specialists are aware of the benefits of working in Estonia; which is ideal.
What do you like about Estonia as a country?
Well, I may be a bit biased, but I like to work and live in Estonia because of our pure nature, the startup mentality, and the various ways of self-actualisation. Proekspert, for one, an Estonian software & design company, has no middle managers. So everyone is part of decision-making and has a say. You can organise your own work and communicate directly with your clients. In general, it is easy to fast-track your career in Estonia if you are willing to take on responsibilities. You can create your own tools and find your own ways to reach your goals. There are no obstacles if you are proactive.
What about the e-society?
It plays a crucial role, too. I don’t have to spend hours to open a bank account; like I did in the US, though. Filing taxes online, too, is convenient. Voting online and the concept of e-health are amazing achievements as well. Estonians are so used to e-services that they start appreciating it even more when they go to live abroad. Then, they understand how much the e-society benefits all of us.
Is there anything else you like?
I also like that Estonia is becoming much more diverse, especially in the bigger cities. There are a lot of specialists from other countries who come to work here and, by introducing their own habits while respecting Estonian traditions, make Estonia more attractive. What is more, I appreciate that Estonian companies, generally speaking, value skills more than someone’s appearance or someone’s “legacy.” There is no strict dress code, and the voice of a 25-year-old newcomer is considered just as valuable as that of a senior manager with 25 years of work experience. They are on the same level; which makes Estonia a great place for young specialists.
What do you think other people – non-Estonians in particular – enjoy here?
The benefits I listed also apply for them, I believe. I often hear that people love that they can reach their professional goals so quickly. It does depend on the person, however. Shreyas, a former intern of ours from India, loved to live in Estonia, amongst others, because of Kohupiim, an Estonian dessert (laughs).
So there is a good variety of reasons why people decide to come here. Kaisa-Triin, thank you very much for the interview and all the best for the future!
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