Case: Nordea

Nordea wanted to expand its automation-team, which provides new automated services for the bank’s own employees. Nordea was looking for IT-workers with various competences. Some would build virtual bots for automation, some would transfer data from the old system to the new version, which the automation-team was working on. Nordea wanted to use the recruitment to help IT-talented people with an autism spectrum disorder find a meaningful job.

Nordea entered a recruitment partnership with Specialisterne. The recruitment process was designed with inspiration from Specialisterne’s normal model for coaching and selection of several candidates at one time, but also addressing the specific needs of Nordea.

 

• Specialisterne chose about 30 candidates among the applicants who had reflected on the job advert. They were invited to participate in a workshop where for instance LEGO-robots were used to show how the candidates perform during teamwork.

 

• Next, 15 candidates were selected for a project phase lasting for four weeks and testing their IT competencies and cooperation skills more intensely. In the first weeks, the daily program was arranged by Specialisterne. In the last weeks, the tasks was put forward by Nordea in order to test how the candidates solved IT challenges corresponding to the daily work at Nordea.

 

• Both the workshops and the project phase took place at Nordea. Generally, it is very important that as much of the recruitment process as possible takes place at the actual working place. It makes the adaption period easer for candidates with an autism spectrum disorder. Furthermore, it gives the company a better understanding of the needs of people with an autism spectrum disorder and how these people perform at their best.

 

• In the end, the result of the job interviews was that seven candidates were offered a job at Nordea. Some of the new employees with an autism spectrum disorder had a formal education within IT, while some were autodidact but very skilled.

”We teamed up with Specialisterne for two reasons. First, we wanted to do something good, and we found that we were in a good position to help people with an autism spectrum disorder. Secondly, we knew that people with an autism spectrum disorder may have an extraordinary talent for IT which might could help us.” “Our team has become more dynamic. Our new colleagues have a different approach to many things, and they inspire us to rethink our work and processes as well.”

 

Majbritt Gyldengren, Chief Expert, Nordea Automation.