"Feeling Like a Winner": How ESTO is Humanizing FinTech Recruitment

In the high-stakes world of FinTech, the Baltic company ESTO stands out - not just for its record-breaking revenue growth, but for its approach to the people behind the numbers. Headquartered in Tallinn, ESTO has grown into a 100-person powerhouse by connecting 6,000+ merchants with innovative consumer finance solutions. But as any fast-growth company knows, scaling the business requires scaling the team and culture.

We sat down with Regita Kumel, Talent & Employer Branding Manager at ESTO, to discuss how they moved away from modules that didn't keep up with the companies fast growth, to embrace a recruitment process that is as intuitive and data-driven as the financial products they build.

The Need for a Centralized Hub

Teamtailor: Before Teamtailor, what were the "growing pains" in your recruitment process?

Regita: We were using a basic recruitment module, but it lacked the centralization we needed. Managers couldn’t independently track their own processes, and we didn’t have a way to build a long-term talent pool. We needed a platform that was flexible and intuitive - something that could provide the analytics necessary to make informed decisions in our fast-paced environment.

Teamtailor: What made Teamtailor the right fit for the ESTO brand?

Regita: It stood out from the first interaction. While it was an investment, the visually distinctive and customizable interface aligned perfectly with our brand values of uniqueness and creativity. We wanted a solution that could grow with us, and the transition was incredibly smooth. The training sessions provided valuable insights, and since we were eager to go live as soon as possible, we stayed fully focused on getting everything ready; we were up and running in 10 days.

Redefining the Workflow

Teamtailor: How does the team use the platform on a day-to-day basis?

Regita: We’ve standardized our recruitment stages but kept the flexibility to customize for specific roles. Automation is our secret weapon - candidates get interview invitations and status updates automatically as they move through the pipeline. For example, we also use a standardized set of recruitment stages across all roles, which keeps the process consistent and organized. When needed, we customize the flow by adding role-specific stages. This ensures a smooth experience for the candidate and frees our team to focus on the human side of hiring.

Additionally, we’ve created predefined job templates that hiring managers can easily use when a new recruitment need arises. These templates are mostly pre-filled, requiring only position-specific details to be added. This approach simplifies job creation and makes it easy for multiple stakeholders to collaborate and edit the postings. Once ready, the job ad is sent to me for final approval.

Teamtailor: You mentioned being a fan of analytics. How does data change the way you hire?

Regita: I love seeing the numbers behind our actions! Teamtailor’s dashboard helps me track exactly where we might be losing candidates and how our processes are performing over time. It’s essential for continuous improvement. I also rely heavily on the sourcing extension - it allows us to be proactive and add top talent from external platforms with just a few clicks.

Teamtailor: Any favourite tips or workflows you've created in Teamtailor that others might find useful?

Regita: One of my favorite things in Teamtailor is how customizable the dashboard is. Being able to personalize the layout and widgets to fit my workflow makes a big difference. When I have a setup that looks and feels like mine, clean, visual, and tailored to what I use most, I’m way more motivated to use the tool consistently.

The Candidate Experience: "No Ghosting"

Teamtailor: You mentioned that you’ve achieved a 21-day average time-to-hire. How has this impacted the candidate journey?

Regita: Speed is vital, but transparency is our "golden rule." If we say we’ll get back to you by a certain time, we do. Even if life happens, we keep the candidate in the loop. We’ve had candidates tell us that even after being rejected, they felt like a "winner" because the feedback was prompt and the process was so respectful.

Looking Ahead

Teamtailor: What’s next for the ESTO People team?

Regita: As we scale, our focus is on continuing to build a powerful employer brand that attracts people who connect with our culture, not just our job descriptions. We’re excited to use more creative content and smarter sourcing strategies to showcase our values to a wider audience.

Summary: The ESTO Impact

Time-to-Hire: Reduced to an efficient 21 days.

Manager Adoption: 21 hiring managers actively collaborating within the platform.

Process: Automated workflows for scheduling and feedback to eliminate "ghosting."

Brand: A fully customized career site that has turned rejected candidates into brand advocates.

End of Interview

A huge thank you to Regita Kumel and the ESTO team for sharing their journey! Their story is a powerful reminder that in the race for talent, the best tools are the ones that allow us to be more human.