“Compass’ deep understanding of the public sector and ambitious work to get to know Arvika Kommun made it possible to attract new and qualified leaders for two management positions in the municipality.” says Andreas Solin – HR Manager at Arvika Kommun.
Arvika Kommun has previously faced challenges in attracting relevant candidates for several management positions in the municipality.
A larger field of candidates from both the public and private sectors resulted in two very successful recruitments in the past year. Compass HRG and Arvika Kommun in Sweden have worked together since 2023, when Andreas Solin was looking for two new leadership profiles. Choosing Compass HRG as a recruitment partner made it possible to open up to a national selection of candidates from both public and private organisations when two new leadership profiles were needed for top-level positions.
Andreas Solin says of Compass HRG’s ability to search for candidates throughout Sweden: “We generally find it difficult to attract candidates due to our geographical location. Therefore, it is important for us that a partner has a good drive and, above all, the ability to search in both the public and private sectors.” And about working with Bo Bengtsson, Senior Consultant at Compass HRG, Andreas Solin says: “Bo has provided the best possible experience, and both he and the team at Compass HRG have managed to create an extensive network of candidates from all over the country where we have received clearly positive feedback.”
Space for work and family – and focus on life.
In Arvika Kommun, you do not just want to be the “next step” in your career. “If you want to live in Arvika, you want a life with room for both family and work. We have beautiful nature, and we recruit people who want a lifestyle with room for career, nature and family. We have a strong focus on ‘whole life’,” says Andreas Solin.
The emphasis on a clear work-life balance plays an important role in the narrative of Arvika Kommun as a workplace – a narrative that Bo Bengtsson has helped create to attract relevant candidates for the two management positions.
“Many previous partners have focused a lot on the individual’s career. Bo has shown an interest in getting to know us, and he has succeeded in creating the story of life and work that we want to tell in Arvika Kommun,” says Andreas Solin.
The ability to broaden the candidate field and find the right candidates for Arvika Kommun has been crucial in hiring the two new managers: “We are very grateful for both new managers. One candidate is a younger man who has the right personal qualifications. At the same time, we have made it possible for him, as a parent of young children, to create a life where not everything is about work. The other candidate comes from the private sector and brings a lot of experience that is directly relevant to us.”
Andreas Solin has been HR Director at Arvika Kommun for the past eight years. He believes that local recruitment companies often do not understand the complexities of top-level recruitment and that the selection of candidates has therefore been limited.
Andreas Solin explains why he chose to work with Compass HRG: “In Arvika Kommun, like many other municipalities, we face major demographic challenges, including many older and fewer younger inhabitants. It is a generally complex area that we as leaders in the municipality must be able to embrace and understand. This is especially true when it comes to recruiting new leaders. Therefore, we also need a partner who understands this complexity and can attract the right candidates.”
Important relationships today and in the future!
When it’s hard to attract candidates, every relationship counts – even if it is not a direct match. A good recruitment process is therefore of great importance for the relationship with the candidates and for the future dialogue.
A curiosity and ability to understand Arvika Kommun has given the candidates a real picture of the challenges and the type of organisation they faced. “Bo and the team made a really good first impression on the candidates and they were well prepared. Even though many in the private sector are above what we could offer in salary, they were still interested,” says Andreas Solin and concludes: “The fact that we are still in contact with some candidates shows how important it is to build good relationships. So even though we had to say no to several, we now have relationships that we can build on in the future.”
