Customer case: Bærum kommune's success with Gobi Stories

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Bærum is one of the largest municipalities in Norway, with a population of nearly 130,000 people. As a significant employer in the area, the municipality provides employment opportunities to approximately 12,000 individuals in 8,000 full-time positions across 170 service locations. Their activities span a diverse range of fields, including aging and coping, health and social services, education, child and youth services, technical services, planning and environment, culture, property, and administration. In addition to being a significant employer in the area, the municipality recruits around 1,500 employees annually for various positions and is always on the lookout for talented individuals who are passionate about making a positive impact.

Overall, Norwegian municipalities will need over 64,000 new employees every year until 2026. However, as the demand for workers in the public sector increases, the job market is also undergoing a shift. By 2025, approximately 75% of the global workforce will consist of millennials, which means that a generational change is underway with younger people entering the workforce. With the combination of the increasing need for workers in municipalities and a younger workforce, both the public and private sectors must find new ways to differentiate themselves when hiring.

According to recent interviews conducted by Finn.no and Norstat, over 94% of respondents stated that a good work environment is what they value the most, and that job postings are one of the most important sources of influence on the attractiveness of a workplace. It is no longer sufficient to offer a "competitive salary" to attract potential employees, who are more concerned with whether they will thrive than a few extra kroner on their paycheck.

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"It is difficult to write catchy job advertisements that stand out and bring out the uniqueness of a workplace. With us, the ceiling is high, and we have a great environment across our professional areas, but it can often be challenging to convey this in a good way through traditional job advertisements"

Gina Ihle Frogner, Recruitment expert

Therefore, Bærum municipality sought a new way to attract skilled employees that would set them apart from the increasing number of job postings, and quickly realized that Gobi Stories could be the tool to help them solve this challenge. In parallel with extensive work on their employer value proposition, "join us and make a difference," the municipality has achieved good results in increasing interest in applying among potential candidates.

With a new employer value proposition and authentic video content of the municipality's employees through the use of video in job advertisements, Bærum has found an important competitive advantage, where the employees are able to share about their everyday work, workplace and why this particular position is suitable for qualified candidates.

Through Gobi's partnership with Webcruiter, it has also been easy for Bærum to use Gobi Stories directly in their job advertisements, which simplifies the use of video in ads, as well as creating a more cohesive experience for candidates.

"We are incredibly satisfied with Gobi Stories, both as a platform and with the professionalism they have shown in working with us. We have conducted workshops with employees, pushed our comfort zones, and most importantly, had fun during the process. With video stories as part of the communication, job ads become more vibrant and engaging. We can already see that this is beginning to have an effect and can give us an important competitive advantage in the job market. The fact that employees themselves get to tell their stories is something we believe resonates well with potential candidates."

Gina Ihle Frogner, Recruitment expert

Gobi Stories is proud to have such a forward-thinking customer as Bærum Kommune, and we look forward to continuing our good collaberation.