Psycon’s story began 70 years ago in a garage by three Finnish psychologists. Over the years, the company’s services have expanded from personnel assessments to recruitment and organizational and leadership development. The cornerstones have always been keeping up with the latest research and setting high internal goals.
Psycon’s journey began in 1953 when psychologists Erkki Palomäki, Erkki Puranen, and Yrjö Lehti founded Valintakoe Oy. The trio, who had worked with various recruitment tests and psychological research, saw room for development in the current assessment methods and founded a company specializing in personnel assessments.
Valintakoe’s operations were based on research and peer-reviewed science. The goal was to offer customers reliable and tailored personnel assessment services.
“We are still working towards the same goal,” says Lauri Luoto, CEO at Psycon. “We are Finland’s leading supplier of personnel assessments and will continue to hold on to this position.”
Research-based development
Despite broadening the service offering over the decades, Psycon’s goal has remained the same: building better leadership and working life. The seventy-year journey has required constant innovation.
“Psycon’s history is a beautiful arc from the past to the present, but preserving history is not enough. We must be ambitious and keep evolving. The needs and requirements of organizations are growing, especially in areas such as remote work and sustainability, and we want to help our customers achieve these goals,” Luoto explains.
Following the vision of the three founders, Psycon’s services are still based on science. Research and method development are essential and a matter of pride for the entire organization. For example, Psycon developed reliable remote assessments as early as 2017, well before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Impact through comprehensive solutions
In the future, Luoto sees that Psycon’s services form an even more comprehensive offering.
“This way, we can aim for a broader impact and be a more versatile partner for our customers. Recruitment, personnel assessment, and organizational development services form an impactful service chain that meets the needs of organizations.”
Thanks to the broad range of services, Psycon also has diverse expertise. In addition to psychologists conducting personnel assessments, Psycon employs experienced specialists in recruitment, coaching, and organizational development.
“We want to be the leading community of experts in our field. Through our versatile team of specialists, we have gained knowledge and understanding of industries and organizations across the field. We are a trusted partner for some of Finland’s largest corporations, growth companies, and public sector operators,” says Luoto.
The bar is high in terms of quality, innovation, and expertise. “This is a recipe for success that we believe will carry us for another 70 years and beyond,” Luoto sums up.
This image at the top shows dexterity tests that were used to measure mechanical reasoning.