Pirjon Pakari outsourced their national summer recruitment to Seasons HR Management, resulting in a smooth project that stayed on schedule, saved supervisors’ time, and provided qualified summer employees to meet the bakery’s needs.

Traditional Baking Meets Modern Recruitment

Pirjon Pakari is a well-established Finnish family business, crafting handmade bakery products for over 40 years. With operations in seven locations, each unit operates slightly differently: some have cafes, others stores, and the work can be day, evening, or night shifts. Summer is a busy time in the bakery industry, and fresh products must be available daily, meaning production cannot stop for a moment. This year, Pirjon Pakari needed to recruit summer workers for various roles across Finland, including production workers, salespeople, and drivers. The company sought a diverse group of candidates, including those under 18, for these roles.

Expanding the Collaboration to a National Summer Recruitment

Seinäjoki Unit Manager Laura Pihlaja recalls that the collaboration with Seasons started a year earlier when the company introduced its versatile services. “We don’t have our own HR team to handle recruitment full-time, so the idea of an outsourced solution immediately made sense,” says Pihlaja.

The first summer recruitment was carried out on a smaller scale the previous year. This year, the partnership was expanded to include all units, making the recruitment process national across the entire company. Seasons’ service also included payroll management and HR administration, offering a comprehensive solution, particularly useful for managing short-term contracts.

Milla Virtanen’s Experience at Pirjon Pakari – “Relaxed Team and Quality Products”

Milla Virtanen, a pastry chef and university student, participated in Pirjon Pakari’s summer recruitment through Seasons this year. Milla explains the recruitment process: “First, there was an interview via Teams, and then an in-person interview at Pirjon Pakari. My skills were assessed well from the start.” After the process, Milla was happy to get the job, as she had heard positive things about the company from friends: “I was really happy to get the position.”

Working at Pirjon Pakari has been exactly what Milla expected: “The work is familiar, but there’s also new things to learn. My colleagues are professionals – many of them have had long careers in the field.” Milla especially appreciates the workplace atmosphere: “I think the team here is relaxed and friendly – everyone is welcoming. The atmosphere is really good.” The temporary work arrangement through Seasons has worked well: “The process has been easy and smooth.”

The Turnkey Service Brought Much-Needed Relief

The Seasons’ “turnkey” service meant that Pirjon Pakari didn’t have to worry about project management, schedules, or first contact with candidates. “We didn’t have to read through hundreds of applications or coordinate interview times – we got pre-screened candidates and could go straight to selecting the best. This saved us a lot of time and effort,” says Pihlaja.

Planning was a key factor in the project’s success. Applications and candidates were screened as early as the beginning of the year, and Seasons handled the first interviews. Seasons kept supervisors continuously updated on the progress of the recruitment process in different locations. Regular interim messages were sent, informing them of the number of applications, interview timelines, and the project’s progress. This ensured that Pirjon Pakari was always aware of the process and didn’t have to guess where things stood. Final decisions on the summer employees were made by March.

Skilled Workers Ensure a Quality Summer

Pirjon Pakari hires dozens of seasonal workers each summer across multiple locations, with employment lasting anywhere from two weeks to three months. “We’ve had great experiences with past employees, and some return for summer work year after year. But we always need new people and are happy to offer summer job opportunities,” says Pihlaja.

Hiring summer workers is a competitive process, and long decision-making processes or poorly handled recruitment can result in losing good candidates to other companies.

Pihlaja notes that the collaboration went smoothly from start to finish: “Seasons’ candidate outreach was excellent and reinforced Pirjon Pakari’s employer brand. I would recommend this service, especially to companies without an in-house HR team or those needing help with seasonal recruitment.”

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About Pirjon Pakari

• Founded: 1985
• Locations: 7 locations in Finland
• Specialization: Handmade bakery products, especially gluten-free options
• Workforce: Around 200 employees, with several dozen seasonal workers in the summer
• Values: Domestic production, purity, additive-free products, flexibility, and community

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