HUMANS OF LIFT99 IS A SERIES OF STORIES FROM LIFT99 MEMBERS, HIGHLIGHTING THE INSPIRING PEOPLE WE SEE AROUND US EVERY DAY. NOT ALL OF US ARE FOUNDERS (YET), OR EVEN STARTUPPERS, BUT WE ALL HAVE A STORY TO TELL OR A SKILL TO SHARE - IT’S WHAT MAKES OUR COMMUNITY AS AMAZING AS IT IS.
HERE IS THE STORY OF HELEN PIIRSALU - TALENT MANAGER AT SNACKABLE AND A MEMBER AT LIFT99
Where did you grow up?
I'm from Tallinn and also spent a lot of time in my childhood with my family in the countryside. My grandparents were in the farming business, so they had all kinds of animals, grew different vegetables, etc. I have a really big family tree and we all helped them out with running the farm. I really enjoyed my time there, the work we were doing, being part of a big family and those small achievements every day. This is an important experience that helped me understand how life works and has shaped me as a person, giving me a positive mindset and making me a goal achiever from a young age.
How old were you when you got your first job? What was it?
I didn't have to work when I was young, but I was really interested in getting the feeling of being independent and earning my own pocket money. I earned my very first money cleaning an office in Kalamaja. My first actual job was at high school when I worked in a perfume shop in the port. Those were funny times, the perfumes were quite popular by the way.
What and where did you study at university?
I studied marketing and advertising at Academy Nord. I went to the University straight after high school and wasn´t really sure what to study. Advertising was something I was thinking about - to be honest I got the first idea to look into this field from a US TV series. After graduating from the university I lived in Spain for a year, to get to know myself better and think about what I wanted to do with my life. That's where I got the idea to start my career in HR, even though at the time marketing wasn't such a big part of it. It’s funny how all things come together after all because after a few years of being in the field it became more and more important every day (talking about employer branding). Having this basis of marketing is super beneficial in my work today, because an important part of what the HR-s do (in IT) companies is employer branding and attracting talent.
“Having the basis of marketing is super beneficial in HR work. ”
How did you first get started in HR, was it difficult to find a job?
I am a very goal-oriented person, so I did a bit of research online and checked out different job ads. I found a company that I really liked, HR factory. I spent 3 days writing the email to them, I didn't have any previous experience but was really motivated to join the team. I finally sent out the email and got invited to the interview. I was super nervous and when they asked what I did in my free time (even though I had a ton of hobbies) I could only say I drank coffee. Thank god they still hired me!
Working in a growing HR agency was very similar to working in a startup, the company was small and there was a lot to figure out. We began growing a recruitment department with one of my good friends there. Thanks to this, I got my first experience with IT recruitment, where I fell in love with this field and the people. Now I have been in the IT HR sector for about 10 years. Today we have a well-connected and big IT recruitment community in Estonia, but when we started I had heard of maybe one or two other people specialised in IT recruitment. I'm so glad to see how this area and profession have grown.
What does it mean to be a talent manager (in a company/startup) to you?
It’s very different working in HR in an established company and in a startup. In a bigger company, the role is usually much more focused and specific. What's so exciting, working in a startup, is that things change so quickly and you never know what tomorrow brings. As you know, in startups the scope of tasks is usually very wide. I have to admit that I also love the tasks totally out of my experience area. I enjoy being creative in figuring out different challenges and often rely on the support of my network. In a startup, it's great to see the fast results of your work and to be a part of building something you really believe in.
“What’s so exciting, working in a startup, is that things change so quickly and you never know what tomorrow brings. ”
For me, what being a talent manager is about, is about making sure that people have the best possible working experience enabling them to focus and give their best contribution.
What’s your superpower? What's the secret behind your positivity and motivation?
“My motivation comes from deeply caring that everyone would be happy in their work.”
In addition to everything I have experienced and learned I rely a lot on my empathy and intuition. These help me in my work and enable me to put myself in others’ situations and experiences. My motivation comes from deeply caring that everyone would be happy in their work. I take it as a mission in this role. In recruitment, it translates to offering the best possible candidate experience.
Whether the candidate is hired or not - doesn’t matter from that perspective.
You have also worked as a freelancer? What are the main differences between working for a company and as a freelancer for yourself?
Working as a freelancer was very similar to working in a recruitment agency helping different clients. I did some work to find my first client but after that it grew organically. I cooperated a lot with other HR-s and freelancers. I want to mention again this amazing community we have in Estonia, it was very useful. Making it on my own was very motivating for some time and I'm happy I proved to myself that I can do it. After a while, I felt that I wanted to focus more deeply on building one organisation, so I switched back.
How did you find Snackable (or did they find you)?
I read a feature story on Snackable in the daily newspaper and I reached out to Mari, the founder. She said that she already has someone helping her in Estonia. Couple of months went by and my friend from the HR community called telling me that there’s a startup needing help with recruitment. It turned out to be Snackable! I was thrilled of the coincidence.
My first task after joining the company was actually organizing the move to LIFT99 and helping the team get settled in the tight-knit startup community.
How is the company doing (describe a bit what Snackable does)?
Thanks for asking. Snackable is doing great! We are currently a team of 14 and we focus on the US market. Snackable helps companies and content creators solve their audio/video content packaging problem with an AI-assisted workflow. Unlike the text-based web, audio lacks metadata and remains difficult to search. The formats are long and impossible to look inside, leaving users uncertain which content is relevant. We make audio/video content easy to search, access and share.
From podcasts, webinars and thought leadership videos to internal knowledge sharing and training clips, audio-video industry is booming. The opportunity is enormous. Combining that with our world-class team, I am very grateful to be a part of this journey!
Do you have a peculiar hobby? What helps you wind down?
I have practiced that question after my first interview where I failed to talk about my hobbies. Doing sports is something that keeps me going and I simply can't function without. My favorite is dancing, which I have enjoyed for about 10 years altogether. These days I've taken up running again and just try to be outside as much as possible. I always have a million things I'm interested in doing, so the most difficult challenge for me is to choose: I've tried yoga, different dancing styles, painting, etc. I like putting myself out of my comfort zone and am always testing myself. I’ve also used the benefits of winter swimming for years to “restart my brain”.
You are interested in different forms of therapy do you practice/take part in any of these yourself?
Throughout my career, I've been also trying to educate myself in the field of psychology. I've participated in many courses and trainings. I consider the most impactful to be NLP and psychodrama. No, not NLP as in natural language processing but neuro-linguistic programming, this gave me a new angle of understanding how humans work. It teaches you how to manage yourself and understand others. Also psychodrama, sounds crazy, but it’s a self-development group, where life and relationships are described using elements of drama and theatre. It's an out of box experience that has given me so much knowledge about myself.
“’In order to achieve great things, you first must become a great person.’”
A quote by a leadership consultant Veiko Valkiainen speaks to me a lot: ’In order to achieve great things, you first must become a great person.’ I believe that being of service requires growing as a person and that growth is an ongoing process.
By the way, thank you for doing this, it's funny to talk about myself for a change, I'm so used to being the one asking the questions
On the cover photo:
Computer calendar symbol: Helen has a super busy life: she's a mother to a 5-year old, working in a startup, and finding time for her hobbies. This calendar helps her plan everything. Even her friends ask her as a joke when she has time in her calendar, whenever they want to make plans.