How to apply
Our divisions and municipal enterprises recruit employees independently, and all of our recruitment measures are guided by the City of Helsinki’s shared instructions and rules as well as the applicable legislation.
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1. Learn about open jobs
We list all vacancies on the Open jobs website. Each job advertisement provides the basic information about the job and recruitment schedule. More information on the position is available from the contact person specified in the job advertisement, who is usually the supervisor in charge of recruitment.
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2. Once you have submitted the application
At the end of the application period, we will invite some of the applicants to a job interview. We will indicate in the job advertisement if the selection process involves group or video interviews in addition to the personal interview. We notify all applicants of the application results.
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3. If you are selected
When you are informed about being selected for the job, your future supervisor will agree with you on important matters related to the work, such as start date, pay, trial period and orientation. We always prepare written employment contracts. Officeholders receive an appointment to office. The oral agreement will be valid until a written contract has been prepared.
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4. If you are not selected
If you are not selected this time, do not get discouraged. We receive many good applications for most of our vacancies, but we can usually only pick one recruit. Next time, you may very well be the one we choose.
Our recruitment practices
Information on our recruitment practices, such as application times and additional details required from applicants, is listed below.
All jobs available for external recruitment are announced on the Open jobs website. You can also find our advertisements on other job sites. We will also post some of the vacancies in the largest newspapers and professional magazines. If you are seeking a job, you should also follow the channels of the City’s recruitment operations and divisions. Temporary jobs are announced on the website of the staffing service Seure Henkilöstöpalvelut Oy, www.seure.fi(Link leads to external service).
The duration of the application period is 14–30 days. The application period usually ends at 16:00, but the time may vary case by case. Please check the time on the job advertisement in question. We will not consider applications that are submitted late.
You can search for jobs through Helsinki’s electronic recruitment system. Alternatively, you can also submit a paper application to the City’s Registrar’s Office. When doing so, make sure that the application and the envelope both include the key of the job you are applying for.
In anonymous recruitment, all personal information, such as the name, age, gender, address or native language of the applicant, are hidden in the job applications. Applicants are selected for interviews based on the skills, education and work experience that they describe in their applications.
The publicity of the application documents is based on the Act on the Openness of Government Activities. Applications become public documents the moment they are received in the City’s recruitment system or registrar’s office. In practice, this means that anyone (such as residents, City employees, the media) may request to see an application or a list with the applicants’ names in the registrar's office. The applicant may state on their application that they would prefer their name not to be published by the media, for example. The request will be conveyed to the representative of the media requesting the information, but the medium in question will always make the final decision on whether to publish the name.
On the applications handed out to people requesting them, confidential information will be hidden according to the Act of the Openness of Government Activities. Confidential information includes information related to the private life, annual income, total wealth, political stances, client relationship with social services, and health of the applicant. The applicant’s contact information will be confidential if the applicant has specifically requested confidentiality, or if they have reasonable grounds to believe their health or safety or those of their family will be threatened.
The City does not publish applications or name lists of applicants of its own initiative while application process is underway. However, when selecting a person for public service, the information of the applicants who made it to the interview stage and onwards will be published. This information includes the name, education, professional experience and skills of the applicants. The information will displayed until the period for appeal has ended.
As the recruitment process moves forward, you as the applicant should prepare to present the following information:
Certificates regarding education, employment and languages
You do not need to attach diploma/degree certificates, certificates of employment, language certificates or other qualification materials to your application. However, you should bring them with you to the job interview so that they can be verified.
Pre-employment medical examination
When you apply for a permanent job or a fixed-term job lasting for over a year, you are required to provide a favourable statement regarding your health, as prepared by the City's occupational health services. You will need to present the statement to your supervisor before you sign the employment contract. If you are appointed to a civil servant position, the appointment to office includes the deadline by which the statement must be presented.
Drug testing
For some positions, applicants are required to undergo a drug test. Applicants are notified of possible drug testing in advance, and the testing is conducted as part of the pre-employment medical examination.
Credit check
Some jobs that demand particular reliability, especially in regard to financial matters, require the applicant to have a flawless credit history. Applicants are notified of a possible credit check in advance, and the credit check is only carried out for the person chosen for the job. The credit check is conducted before the appointment to office or the signing of the employment contract.
Criminal record extract
For positions that involve working with minors, the employer needs to check the applicants’ criminal record. The requirement to check the applicant's criminal record will be mentioned in the job advertisement.
Pre-employment assessment
The application procedure for managerial, supervisory and certain expert positions may include a pre-employment assessment to support the selection decision. These assessments are made by a third party assessor specialising in pre-employment assessments. The pre-employment assessors used by the City are all licensed psychologists.
Why do we process your personal data?
We process personal data for the purpose of filling the City's vacancies, offering work to City employees subject to reassignment, sending alerts about new vacancies that applicants have expressed interest in using the saved search function and sending a survey on the applicant experience to people who have applied for a job at the City of Helsinki in order to develop the recruitment process.
Which personal data do we process?
We process the following personal data on job applicants and City employees subject to reassignment: identifying and contact information; information on education, language skills, work experience and competence; applicants’ video interviews and free-form presentations; and applicants’ saved search settings pertaining to what kinds of jobs they are interested in.
For more information on the processing of your personal data in recruitment, please see the recruitment register description (pdf).
Frequently Asked Questions about the recruitment system
If you would like to update your application, please sign in to the Helbit system.
Helbit recruitment portal(Link leads to external service))
If you have forgotten your username, no worries. Go to the login page(Link leads to external service) and click “Forgot username or password”. You will see a view where you enter your email address and click “Send”. By doing this, you will receive an email with a link that opens a page where you can see your username and, if necessary, also change your password.
If you have questions or problems related to the recruitment system, please contact us either by telephone (09 310 43539) on weekdays at 9:00–15:00 or by sending a message to rekryjarjestelmatuki@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program). We will respond to you as soon as possible. Please note that we can only offer guidance on matters related to using the system. In enquiries related to recruitment, contact the provider of additional information indicated in the job advertisement.
Contact information for recruitment
Our divisions and public enterprises have independent recruitment processes. The contact information for unit-specific recruitment can be found below.
Join us to provide education for the future
The Education Division employs more than 14,000 professionals and experts in the field. We work in early childhood education and pre-primary education, basic education, vocational colleges, general upper secondary schools, adult education centres and administration.
Contact us
Email us at rekry.kasko@hel.fi (Link opens default mail program)
Call us on weekdays at 9.00–15.00:
09 310 31738 / Kati Mhone, HR
Subscribe to the recruitment newsletter
Monthly job tips and news from the field of education:
The Social Services, Health Care and Rescue Services Division employs approximately 14,000 professionals and experts in the field. We provide wellbeing, health and security for Helsinki residents through cooperation and solid expertise.
We aim for a first-class employee experience and joy of work. We are rapidly improving the customer experience and the availability, effectiveness and productivity of our services.
Explore the Social Services, Health Care and Rescue Services Division as an employer
Contact our recruitment team
When you have found an interesting job, the people mentioned in the advertisement will provide more information if necessary.
If no suitable position is currently available, please contact our recruitment consultants:
Call 09 310 42300(Link starts a phone call)
Telephone service available Mon–Fri 9.00–14.00
Send email to soterekry@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)
If you would like to enquire about job opportunities for doctors, you can send email to sote.laakarirekry@hel.fi (Link opens default mail program)
See our open positions
Temporary jobs in the Social Services, Health Care and Rescue Services Division
As a big employer, we constantly need substitutes for employees due to holidays and various types of leave. Employment relationships lasting less than four months are handled through Seure.
Seure Henkilöstöpalvelut Oy is a temporary staffing services company operating in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. It is owned by the cities of Espoo, Helsinki, Kauniainen and Vantaa as well as HUS.
Search for temporary and substitute work through Seure(Link leads to external service)
The Urban Environment Division employs approximately 1,700 experts in urban environment planning, construction, maintenance and environmental services in Helsinki. Our work has a strong impact on what kind of city Helsinki is and what it will be like.
Interested?
You can contact our HR services by sending an email to kymp.hr@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program).
Helsinki is an exciting and attractive city full of activities and opportunities to participate. Each year, the Culture and Leisure Division provides city residents and visitors with more than 20 million experiences – art, events, courses, hobbies, facilities, outdoor recreation areas and services for physical activities as well as support for culture and civic activities.
The Culture and Leisure Division comprises five service packages: Library Services, Cultural Services, Sports Services, Youth Services and Division Administration. The division’s 1,800 employees maintain and improve the opportunities of Helsinki residents to enjoy a good life and active citizenship. Helsinki is an easy and attractive place to be active. Every day.
Interested?
You can contact the Culture and Leisure Division’s HR services at hrkuva@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program).
The City Executive Office is the central administrative office of the City of Helsinki. Our goal is to make the City a place that offers its residents the best services and succeeds among ever-increasing competition. We are reforming the City according to our Strategy and in co-operation with our divisions. We work at the heart of Finnish urban development.
The City Executive Office is the general planning, preparation and implementation office for the City Council and City Board.
Interested?
Keep an eye on our job advertisements or ask about openings by e-mailing kanslianhr@hel.fi (Link opens default mail program).
We keep the essentials in order for the city residents 24/7 – from food services to remote care. Join us for some of the most important work in the city!
See our open positions.
Got questions? Contact us(Link leads to external service).
Do you want to work for a functional Helsinki? Stara is the City’s own, reliable and committed service provider. Our inspiring task is to build and manage Helsinki, the capital of Finland. We want to constantly develop in our work.
Stara employs approximately 1,400 professionals in various fields with 150 different job titles. The jobs range from field work that requires special skills to planning, project and management positions. Much of our work is seasonal, and in the summer the number of staff increases to almost two thousand. We also offer plenty of summer jobs for young people.
Interested?
Keep an eye on our job advertisements or ask about openings by e-mailing stara@hel.fi (Link opens default mail program).
The City of Helsinki Financial Management Services enterprise, Talpa, provides accounting, purchase invoice, invoicing, payment transaction and payroll services for the Helsinki City Group. Talpa’s clients include the City of Helsinki’s divisions, municipal enterprises and limited companies owned by the city, the city’s management and personnel as well as Helsinki residents using the city’s services. Talpa supports the city's management in planning and monitoring operations and finances.
Talpa employs approximately 460 people and has a turnover of €38 million. Financial Management Services are part of the City of Helsinki’s central administration.
At Talpa, we offer an interesting vantage point into the city's economy and systems, along with the support of an expert organization. Our premises are located in Sörnäinen, with good transport connections.
Interested?
Keep an eye on our job advertisements. You can contact Talpa at: talpa.rekry@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) , and we will respond to you as soon as possible!