Background
Aino's Chief Editor Pauliina Suominen announced in early 2017 that she will resign as Chief
Editor. The recruitment had to be done within the period of notice, and the work was started
immediately by the Student Union's communications sector, so that the Representative
Council could appoint the Selection Working Group at its next meeting.
Selection Working Group and its tasks
At its meeting 1/2017, held on January the 26th 2017, the Representative Council decided to
appoint a Selection Working Group to prepare the selection of a new Chief Editor. The
Selection Working Group's term of office was decided to be until the 31st of June 2017. The
Representative Council appointed Noora Vänttinen (Member of AYY's Board,
Communications) as the Chairperson of the working group, and Pauliina Suominen (Aino's
Chief Editor), Tero Kartastenpää (Member of the Editorial Council), Antti Pikkanen (Member
of the Editorial Council), Joona Orpana (Chairperson of AYY's Board), Emil Fihlman (Member
of the Representative Council) and Anni Kolehmainen (Member of the Representative
Council) as members of the working group, and Ahto Harmo (AYY Organizational Affairs and
Communications Specialist) as the Secretary of the working group without the right to vote.
In addition, the Representative Council authorized the working group to prepare a call for
applications and a timetable so that the Chief Editor could be elected at the Representative
Council meeting 2/2017 on the 22nd of February 2017. To make the selection, the
Representative Council obliged the working group to try to bring at least two of the best
candidates for interviews to the Representative Council meeting. Based on the interviews
and proposal made by the Selection Working Group, the Representative Council elected a
new Chief Editor at its meeting 2/2017 on the 22nd February 2017. The Representative
Council obliged the Selection Working Group to prepare a final report on the selection by the
end of its term of office. Noora Vänttinen, Chairperson of the Selection Working Group, and
Secretary Ahto Harmo were responsible for preparing the report and documenting the
activities of the working group.
The Selection Working Group did not hear the opinions of external experts during the
process.
Activities of the Selection Working Group
Call for applications
The call for applications was prepared using an old template. Suominen, Vänttinen and
Harmo were responsible for the preparations, with Suominen as the preceding Chief Editor
holding the primary responsibility, while Vänttinen and Harmo focused on editing the
announcement in terms of the timetable and general information. The call for applications
also went through a quick commentary round in the hands of the working group, Secretary
General Ferm and Communications Officer Palonen, who acted as the Secretary for the
previous Selection Working Group. Orpana, member of the Selection Working Group,
pointed out that the principles and content of the magazine should be considered in
connection with the brand reform of the Student Union. This addition was stylized and
incorporated into the final call for applications.
The final version of the call for applications can be found in this report (Appendix 1).
The call for applications was sent to the mailing lists and Facebook groups of students and
professionals in the field.
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Lööppi, student association of journalism students in the University of Jyväskylä, email
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Vostok, student association of journalism students in the University of Tampere, email
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Haaga Helia journalism students, email
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AYY Communications Committee mailing list
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AYY's Facebook page, Twitter, webpages, Instagram
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Aino's FB page + Twitter
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AYY's special status associations
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Nuoret journalistit (“Young Journalists”), FB group
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Media Ry (HY communications students), FB group
Työpaikat viestinnän ammattilaisille – pääkaupunkiseutu (“Workplaces for
Communications Experts – Helsinki Capital Region”), FB group
Turun nuoret journalistit (“Turku's Young Journalists”), FB group
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The application period was open from Tuesday, the 27th of January, until Tuesday, the 13th of
February, 8:00.
Pre-selection
The Selection Working Group received a total of six applications. Members of the Selection
Working Group had a chance to go through the applications beforehand, and the preselection was conducted at the Selection Working Group's meeting on the 13th of February
2017. All members were present at the meeting, with the exclusion of Kartastenpää and
Suominen. Both took part in the process via email. Based on the applications, three
applicants that had the best experience for the task and/or a strong vision of Aino's future
were invited for the preliminary interviews. The interviewees were asked to prepare for the
interviews by completing the following preliminary assignment:
"Write down your vision of the Aino magazine according to the following assignment (length:
one A4 page):
You have been selected as the new Chief Editor of Aino. You are now part of a working group
tasked with renewing Aino's policy. Prepare your own, concrete journalistic vision of what the
Aino magazine should be like. You can consider these questions, for example:
• What kind of stories and topics?
• Online media or print magazine?
• Who is the audience and what are the languages?
• How to reach out and lure in the readers?
• What should Aino look like?
• Why does Aino exist?
Send your text to us via e-mail in PDF format by Wednesday, the 15th of February, 7 a.m., to
[email protected]. If you make it to the final round and to the Representative Council's
interview on the 22nd of February, your vision will also be shared with the Representative
Council.”
Preliminary interviews
The interviews were held on Wednesday, the 15th of February 2017, and all members of the
Selection Working Group were present, with the exclusion of Fihlman and Orpana. A series
of questions (Appendix 2) was used as the outline for the interviews, in addition to which the
candidates were asked follow-up questions and questions related to their preliminary
assignment. The purpose of the preliminary interview was to find out and ensure that all
candidates brought to the Representative Council meeting would be qualified for the
task.Therefore, it was the responsibility of the Representative Council to choose a new Chief
Editor for Aino from among the candidates, one whose vision would be best suited for the
task.
In the preliminary interviews, Vänttinen acted as the “chairperson”, welcoming the
interviewees. First, all the interviewers introduced themselves and Harmo announced that
he would act as secretary for the interviews. The interviews took from 50 minutes to little
over an hour.
Proposal to the Representative Council
Based on the interviews, the Selection Working Group felt that one or two applicants did not
stand out from the rest. The Selection Working Group felt that all of the candidates were
qualified for the position of Aino's Chief Editor, and therefore the Selection Working Group
wanted to present all three candidates to the Representative Council: Emilia Mäenmaa,
Wilhelmina Palonen and Joona Raudaskoski.
The candidates were promised to be informed of the continuation of the recruitment
process by Friday, the 17th of February. However, they already received the information on
the 15th of February, on the evening following the interviews. The working group's selection
memo of the applicants, the applicants' characteristics favorable for the task, the
instructions for the preliminary assignment, and the applicants' preliminary assignments
themselves were sent to the Representative Council on the 16th of February (Appendix 3).
During the meeting of the Representative Council on the 22nd of February 2017, care was
taken so that none of the candidates could follow the interviews of the other candidates in
the hall or via the live stream. Prior to the interviews, Harmo told the people present about
the process and Suominen reiterated the Chief Editor's job description. The Representative
Council drew lots to determine the order of the interviews before starting them. Each
candidate was given three minutes to introduce themselves, and the Representative Council
had seven minutes to ask questions from each candidate. The candidates had been informed
of this in advance, and they were also given the opportunity to deliver a brief slideshow to
support their presentation.
The election was conducted by closed ballot and Emilia Mäenmaa was elected.
Process evaluation and observations
The timetable was very tight, as the change of the Chief Editor could not be foreseen. If it
had been possible, we would have liked to leave room in the process for one Representative
Council meeting. This way, the application period could have been open for slightly longer.
More applications would have probably been received this way. It should be noted, however,
that this would have led to a situation where the spring's second issue of Aino would not
have been published. The strict timetable was therefore justified, but demanded a lot from
both the Selection Working Group members and the applicants.
The Selection Working Group worked together smoothly and efficiently. The tight schedule
influenced the members' participation, however. It also burdened the resources of the
Student Union's communications sector, because the recruitment processes for a new Brand
Coordinator, Communications Officer and Chief Editor were all underway almost
simultaneously. Despite this, the Selection Working Group's work was excellent. The division
of labor was clear, as the Secretary and Chairperson handled the practical arrangements, and
the Chief Editor answered any questions related to the job description. This allowed the
other members of the Selection Working Group to concentrate fully on the actual application
and interview process.
The recruitment process for the previous Chief Editor, which took place a little over a year
earlier, acted as a good example for the practical arrangements and helped to get the
process underway quickly. In addition to the meetings, members of the Selection Working
Group communicated closely with each other via email through the various stages of the
application process up until the election. The task of preparing the final report was given to
the Secretary and a Member of the Board, and it was sent to the Representative Council
slightly behind the planned schedule (the 1st of May 2017).
APPENDIX 1, Preliminary interview and questions
AYY is searching for a new Chief Editor for the Aino magazine
The Student Union of the Aalto University (AYY) is a service and advocate association for about 15 000
students of the Aalto University. AYY operates on three campuses and at the central office in Otaniemi. AYY
employs about 50 people in total. AYY is a new and innovative party in the Student Union scene. Aino is
AYY’s student magazine, established in 2009.
We are now recruiting a Chief Editor for Aino for a permanent work contract starting from the 23rd of
February, or according to contract.
The Chief Editor oversees the magazine and works as the head of staff for the three-person editorial team.
The Chief Editor works intensively with their editorial group. The editorial group is a volunteer-based group
of subeditors, who come up with the magazine’s article ideas and fulfill them with the Chief Editor. In
addition, the Chief Editor takes care, on their part, that the information flow between the Chief Editor and
the Student Union is continuous, equal and interactive. The applicant is required to innovate and lead
article creation processes both in the short and long term. The task requires excellent skills in both oral and
written communication in Finnish, English and Swedish. We also require knowledge regarding editing and
how the processes of a magazine editorship operate.
Aino has always been quick to renew itself to look like its creators. The principles and content of the
magazine should be considered in connection with the brand reform of the Student Union currently taking
place in AYY. We hope that the applicant has an open-minded touch on developing the magazine, what
Aino should be and how it should serve its reader base in a quickly changing mediascape. Experience in
journalistic planning or visual planning and layout, and experience in web publishing are considered
beneficial factors. Also, knowledge of the Student Union and student life are considered beneficial as well.
The task is part-time (20 hours a week). The Chief Editor will be paid according to the media collective
agreement, on a pay grade of IIIb. The person chosen for the task also receives the opportunity to apply for
an apartment in one of the buildings owned or governed by the Student Union. The Aino editorial office
resides in Otaniemi, Espoo.
Free-form applications with CV and merits, along with desired salary and examples of editorial pieces (3-5
pieces, free subject, PDF) should be delivered by the 13th of February, 8:00, to the address
rekrytointi(at)ayy.fi. Applicants will receive a confirmation when their application has been received. The
applications are handled by the Selection Working Group appointed by the AYY Representative Council. The
interviews are held on Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th of February, after which the Selection
Working Group will submit its proposal to the AYY Representative Council. The Council will then interview
one or several applicants and choose a new Chief Editor in their meeting on the 22nd of February.
Orientation to the task will begin immediately after the appointment.
For more information about the task, please contact current Chief Editor Pauliina Suominen
(pauliina.suominen(at)ayy.fi, phone: 044 024 1616) or AYY Organizational Affairs and Communications
Specialist and Selection Working Group secretary Ahto Harmo (ahto.harmo(at)ayy.fi, phone 050 520 9442).
APPENDIX 2, Preliminary interview questions
Background and motivation (Noora)
Introduce yourself.
What do you currently do? What is your employment status?
Why are you applying for this position?
Your experience of organizational affairs?
How have you ended up working in the field of journalism and magazine editorship? What inspires you
about the field?
What is special in being the Chief Editor to a student magazine?
Pauliina will tell you more about the job description. (Remember to tell about the special situation: we
have an AD, but we must recruit a subeditor.)
Pauliina: Does the job description match your expectations?
EDITORIAL WORK (Antti)
Tell us about your experience in editing and making magazines. What kind of editorial offices have you
worked in and in what tasks?
What kind of modes of working do you have as an editor?
It is your first day on the job after being chosen in February. The next Aino should be ready and published
on the 24th of April. What do you do/Where do you start from? (Follow-ups: How does the process of
creating a magazine progress?)
Tell us about a situation where you succeeded as a maker of a magazine/editor. What happened? What did
you do? What led to the success?
Tell us about a situation where you failed as a maker of a magazine/editor. What happened? How did you
react? What should have been done better?
What editorial pieces would you do for your first issue of Aino? (Follow-ups: What topics? What point of
view?)
From where and how would you start searching for more editorial assistants to the magazine? Who would
you commission pieces from?
What kind of experience do you have in visual design/working with an AD?
AINO AS A MEDIA (Representative Council representative Emil/Anni (same person in every interview,
let’s agree on who when we know the time of the interviews.))
What magazines do you read and why?
What are Aino’s readers like?
What are Aalto people like?
Pauliina explains the resources Aino has (figures etc. but does not answer any follow-up questions)
Representative Council representative continues with the questions
Follow-ups: How will this affect your job? Since there are not a lot of funds, what are the key points in the
tasks of Chief Editor, etc.
Funding: How should the magazine be funded and where from? (little significance)
AYY is undertaking a brand reform project during the current year. What should Aino’s relation to the brand
be like?
Interviewee presents their vision (5min)
(Pauliina: Extra questions regarding visual outlook, if needed)
Pauliina: What will the student magazine scene be like in 10 years?
PERSONAL QUALITIES (Noora)
What kind of positions of leadership have you worked in? What kind of team leader are you?
What qualities do you have that will help you accomplish the tasks of the Chief Editor of Aino?
What issues in the task would you find challenging?
Describe a situation where you were under a lot of pressure and how you handled it?
Why would you be the best Chief Editor for Aino? (30sec)
If you are chosen, how soon can you start?
Is there something that you’d like to tell us that wasn’t covered by the questions?
Do you have any other questions?
End
APPENDIX 3, Selection memo of the Selection Working Group for Aino's Chief Editor
Chief Editor job description
Aino's Chief Editor works for 20 hours per week. The Chief Editor is responsible for Aino's journalistic
content and acts as the supervisor of the three-person editorial staff, which consists of the Chief Editor, AD
and subeditor. The Chief Editor is also responsible for running the everyday business of the magazine:
budget management, recruiting assistants and coordinating the assistant network, distribution planning
and coordination, taking care that the magazine reaches its audience and communicating with advertising
sales.
The application process so far
The application period for Aino's new Chief Editor was open from 27th January to 13th February. We
received a total of six applications. The pre-selection was conducted at the Selection Working Group's
meeting on 13th February. We invited three applicants that best fulfilled the selection criteria for
interviews. The interviewees were asked to prepare for the interviews by completing a preliminary
assignment:
"Write down your vision of the Aino magazine according to the following assignment (length: one A4 page):
You have been selected as the new Chief Editor of Aino. You are now part of a working group tasked with
renewing Aino's policy. Prepare your own, concrete journalistic vision of what the Aino magazine should be
like. You can consider these questions, for example:
• What kind of stories and topics?
• Online media or print magazine?
• Who is the audience and what are the languages?
• How to reach out and lure in the readers?
• What should Aino look like?
• Why does Aino exist?
Send your text to us via e-mail in PDF format by Wednesday, the 15th of February, 7 a.m., to
[email protected]. If you make it to the final round and to the Representative Council's interview on the
22nd of February, your vision will also be shared with the Representative Council.”
The interviews were held on the 15th of February. Based on the interviews, no one or two candidates stood
out from the rest, so the Selection Working Group decided to present all three applicants to the
Representative Council as potential candidates for the position of Aino's Chief Editor. This decision was
supported especially by the following facts:
Aalto-yliopiston ylioppilaskunta
Ainon päätoimittajan valintatyöryhmä
3.5.2017
9 (9)
Joona Raudaskoski
 Ability to do systematic editorial work (Kotimaa magazine)
 Prepared to study the task in-depth
 Interested in developing Aino's relationship with its readers
 Strong vision of online journalism
 Very interested in the Aalto community
 The Selection Working Group thinks he is qualified in every way to start as Aino's new Chief Editor
Wilhelmiina Palonen
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In-depth understanding regarding the production of text and knowledge about the nature of the print
magazine (Turku Student Magazine)
Strong vision of how to create a community around the magazine
Realistic vision and image of Aino's resources
Vision of how to develop Aino's social media
National level understanding of the student magazine field and how it will evolve
The Selection Working Group thinks she is qualified in every way to start as Aino's new Chief Editor
Emilia Mäenmaa
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Experience in working as the Chief Editor of a high-quality student magazine (Kylteri magazine)
Good and concrete ideas for stories and strong editing routine
Realistic vision and image of Aino's resources
Knowledge of the Aalto community
Good nose for news and the ability to find interesting topics for stories
The Selection Working Group thinks she is qualified in every way to start as Aino's new Chief Editor