Hurtigruten has been carrying tourists, locals and freight along the Norwegian coast and to polar regions for almost 130 years, covering more than 250 different ports of call. However, in order to create world-class experiences, the right people are needed, both on board and on land – and when Hurtigruten was faced with choosing a recruitment solution, they chose a user-friendly and adaptable partner.
Today Hurtigruten Group is one of Norway’s most well-known brands. Its group headquarters are in Oslo. The company also has a head office in London, as well as offices across Norway and the world, from Melbourne to Seattle.
“We have approximately 2,700 permanent employees, drawn from more than 50 countries. What makes Hurtigruten unique is that the work roles we offer are so varied, from office personnel, catering staff and hotel operations to deck staff. Our employees work both on land and at sea from various locations around the world, from Europe to the USA and Canada,” says Esben Kuhnt, Learning and Development Manager at Hurtigruten.
Reaching the right people
Hurtigruten employs a lot of shift workers who work different periods and relieve one another. The different positions are also very seasonal, and during the peaks of the high season the company has a significant need for extra staff. Getting Jobylon’s help to create attractive job ads through custom job templates has made a huge difference, and made it easier to find candidates, according to Esben.
“Thanks to Jobylon, we can reach out to our candidates in a brand new way. That’s made things a good deal easier when, as is currently the case, we find ourselves in a period of intense recruitment.”
And for Hurtigruten, it’s not just about finding candidates. It’s also about finding the right kind of people, he continues. Ideally, they’re looking for people who are passionate about exploration and travel and want to pursue that interest in their professions and careers.
“Together, we inspire adventure and fulfil our promise to offer memorable guest-centric experiences, creating a better tomorrow – for each other, our guests, the places we visit and our planet. The goal is for all our employees to share our ambitions and be able to represent our brand globally,” says Esben.
Communicating the brand
Hurtigruten aims to be a strong global brand that everyone can recognise themselves in, both in Norway and internationally.
“Our Employer Value Proposition and the image of Hurtigruten we want to convey must be the same for everyone, regardless of position, so that we can consistently attract the right candidates,” says Esben.
This is also something that Jobylon has assisted with, by designing Hurtigruten’s job ads in a way that conveys Hurtigruten’s message and Employer Brand, which in turn attracts the right candidates who share their values.
“Hurtigruten is characterised by strong values. They are embedded in our DNA and they are what we build all our recruitment processes on. So how we design our job ads is important to us. With Jobylon, we’ve found a recruitment solution that is adapted to our needs, and with their help, we can better get our values across in our job ads.”
Found a perfect match in Jobylon
Esben says that Hurtigruten previously relied on a recruitment tool that failed to meet their needs fully and was difficult to customise. When they were looking for a new partner, the goal was clear from the start – to find a recruitment tool that was easy to use and could be adapted to their specific needs.
What he particularly appreciates is the many features offered by Jobylon, as well as the ability to find the best solutions for their current needs.
“What we appreciate most about Jobylon is that the tool is both user-oriented and adaptable. There are so many features that when we asked if they could list them, we were told there are too many. Jobylon gets a sense of our needs instead and proposes relevant solutions for us that will solve our challenges.”
Among other things, Esben highlights the ability to set up a number of user accounts and adapt the system to different geographical locations that have their own needs.
“It’s possible to adapt languages and create integrations with specific HR systems, which is a huge advantage as we have several different systems that we use. We can also target our job ads in a simpler way and so can easily get a good overview and define different recruitment flows.”
Adaptable, flexible and knowledgeable
In addition, Hurtigruten is in close contact with Jobylon, as Esben explains:
“Sometimes we have requests or come up with suggestions for improvements for a current feature, and sometimes we ask what it would be possible to do. Jobylon is always adaptable and flexible, and they possess a huge amount of knowledge. Elina, who I’m in contact with at Jobylon every day, feels more like an actual member of our team, rather than us being the customer and them the supplier.”
Although the cooperation between Jobylon and Hurtigruten only goes back a few months, Esben can already see a number of positive results from the partnership.
“We’ve already noticed that we’re finding it easier to reach out to candidates. When we have questions for Jobylon about the tool, we’ve always received answers, and so far we’ve not come across anything that has proved impossible to do in the tool. Right now we’re in the midst of a major recruitment phase and are recruiting quite heavily in the English market and in the US. With the help of Jobylon, our recruitment specialists and hiring teams in various countries can work together more easily.”
Regarding the question of whether Hurtigruten views Jobylon as a long-term partner, Esben has a clear message.
“Oh, absolutely. Jobylon is our first global tool and we’re delighted with them, both on the user side and when it comes to the administration.”
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