Life after university: lifehacks for graduates

"I got my graduation certificate! Now I'm going to get a stable job and start a family!", so thought the graduates of generation X.

"The certificate is in my hands! I am young, full of strength and energy to work for the good of the Motherland. I want to make the world a better place!" reasoned the Generation Y graduates.

"I got my certificate, and now they just have to hire me for a good, high—paying job," Generation Z graduates now believe.
Finding your first job is a complicated and exciting process. You want to find the perfect place: promising, highly paid, interesting. Having received an education and having gone to the labor market, graduates face pressing questions:

  • Where to find a dream job?
  • How to choose a promising company?
  • How to pass the interview successfully?

In this article, we will give some practical tips that will allow universities to tell their graduates the path to success as accurately as possible. They are universal for all guys who are going to build a career in our country.

Overview of specialties. A look into the future

The rapid development of technology is rapidly changing our reality. In the labor market, as everywhere around, priorities are shifting. Some skills become useless, while others help to achieve success. The pandemic has shown how important it is to be able to adapt to changing conditions, adapt business, find new solutions and tools.

High technologies will soon appear in all spheres of human life. Robotization can become a new reality, as evidenced by the dynamics of the growth of the participation of machines in the processes familiar to us. The use of artificial intelligence will speed up and facilitate many processes, but there are also disadvantages that we will face. For example, this will lead to a decrease in demand for specialists whose work will be replaced by automated systems. Such specialists will have to quickly decide how to use their skills in other industries.

At the same time, there has always been, is and will be a demand for good doctors in Russia. There has been and will be demand for doctors with Russian medical education all over the world. Also, university professors and preschool educators are always held in high esteem.

According to experts, specialists of the following professions will be in demand in Russia in 2022:

  • cybersecurity engineers
  • IT doctors
  • architects of territories
  • genetic consultants
  • builders of "smart" roads and houses
  • designers of children's and medical robots
  • intellectual property appraisers
  • coaches and trainers

The Atlas of New Professions, published in the 19th year by the Moscow School of Management "Skolkovo" and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, contains fascinating information about the professions of the future that are relevant to the Russian economy. It is based on data from foresight sessions in which key market players participated. Atlas suggests which industries will be actively developing, which technologies, products and management practices will appear, which new specialists will be in demand.

Based on the main trends (globalization, increasing complexity of control systems, automation, tougher competition and environmental requirements), the Atlas contains a catalog of professions of the future. Here are some of them:

  • Bioethicist
  • System engineer of intelligent power grids
  • Developer of energy consumption systems
  • Designer of home robots
  • Transport Network Security Engineer
  • Architect of intelligent control systems
  • Business Continuity Manager
  • Personal Security Designer
  • Designer of virtual worlds
  • Emotion Designer
  • Eco-guide
  • Manager of a direct investment fund for talented people
  • Neurointerface designer
  • Cybernetist of «smart» environments
  • Cyber teacher
  • Mind Fitness Trainer
  • Programmer of electronic «recipes» of clothes
  • Designer of medical robots
  • Designer of «smart» materials
  • Cosmogeologist
  • Engineer of life support systems
  • Cosmobiologist
  • Cosmotourism manager
  • Designer of infrastructure for aeronautics
  • Builder of «smart» roads
  • Architect of «zero energy» houses
  • Agricultural ecologist
  • GMO agronomist
  • IT geneticist
  • 3D printing designer in construction
  • Smart Home infrastructure designer

Now all this seems to be somewhere beyond reality, doesn't it? And is it really so? To become a sought-after specialist, it is necessary to study the labor market right now and improve your skills, be flexible, be able to adapt to a dynamically changing reality.

Job search platforms

Now you can find a lot of vacancies on the web, taking the time to analyze them, and choose the best ones. At the same time, there is no need to go anywhere. One "click" and — voila! — the resume has been sent, we are waiting for an invitation to an interview.

The most famous job search sites in Russia are: HeadHunter, SuperJob, Работа.ру, Зарплата.ру and others. However, now, as a consequence of the pandemic, some industries are facing a decline in the hh.index (the level of competition), and many companies have started using alternative modern platforms in search of young creative talents. Social networks have become very popular — they're a place for young people to communicate. Openings can be seen anywhere: VK, Facebook, Instagram1, Telegram, and even Tiktok — everywhere, you can find videos calling young professionals somewhere.

There are specialized job search sites. For example, IT specialists can find interesting offers on the Habr Career website, and those who want to get a position in well—known retail chains can post a resume on Retail Stars.

Do not forget about the websites of companies, where information about openings can also be posted. On the websites of some large companies, you can find entire sections with their list, the main values of corporate culture, success stories of employees, social activity and many other things.

Even job fairs switched to an online format during the pandemic. Many universities take part in such fairs and provide an opportunity for students to find their first job, and not necessarily in their field of study. Among them are "Career Time", "Facultetus" and many others.

Summarizing, we can say that there are many sources of openings. It is important to take initiative.

How to make (well, or not to make) an impression at an interview (from the experience of meetings with candidates)
Universities, tell graduates that the rejection of a potential employer is not a reason to consider oneself a bad candidate. It is necessary to analyze mistakes, prepare for the interview, train in its passage. Passing an interview is a useful skill that is acquired with experience. Faith in yourself and your strength is one of the main trump cards up your sleeve.
Julia Maltseva, HR Business Partner, expert on recruitment and adaptation of personnel. Julia has more than 4 years of experience in profession including global international companies. Over 5-years experience in executive positions in fashion retail.