More than 1,100 job seekers and representatives around 50 companies gathered on Sept. 21 in a brightly lit hall at the NSC Olimpiyskiy sports arena in Kyiv for the Kyiv Post Employment Fair, a biannual career event since 2004.
Various companies, banks, government agencies, and international organizations advertised their vacancies and advised the candidates on the ways to secure a job, offering tips on how to put together a good CV and pass an interview.
See also: Kyiv Post Employment Fair in photos
But the trickiest thing was to decide which job suits the applicant the most, the companies admitted.
“We would like you to make your choice consciously and develop your talents,” said Iryna Sitnikova, the talent head at French multinational food company Danone in Ukraine. “All of us have talents, don’t doubt this.”
Sytnikova gave an inspiring speech in a panel discussion section, advising the job seekers to look for carers which fit their talents and are demanded on the market, without thinking about salary too much.
“If you are productive in what you do, you will have money,” she said.
Most of the attendants were either students or young professionals and spoke foreign languages. The panels were held in both Ukrainian and English.
Any job on a plate
The companies represented at the fair offered a variety of jobs, starting from a cashier or sales assistant up to a brand manager and business development director. The Kyiv Post also had advertised several job openings.
It was crowded by the booth of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the UN operational arm which coordinates the big infrastructure and public procurement projects for governments, international financial institutions and the UN bodies.
Rostyslav Havrylov from UNOPS said that their Ukrainian office has about 50 employees and currently is looking for people with expertise in project management, finances, and HR. But even if a person lacks this experience there’s still a chance to start a career with UNOPS.
“We are looking for people who want to work in an international organization and we offer them internship positions,” Havrylov said.
Havrylov added that gender diversity is an important goal of UNOPS. So his organization offers job opportunities that would allow women to combine their career and family. For instance, he said they have an employee who comes from Serbia and lives with her family in Sweden while working remotely for the Ukrainian office.
Useful tips for a job interview
Yulia Boyko, 23, studies English and German at the National Pedagogical Dragomanov University and graduates next year. She said she found several interesting job offers at the fair.
“After I come back home, I review the booklets and will send three or four CVs,” she said.
Boyko said she was especially grateful for the tips she heard during the panel discussions from the human resources specialists.
“Next time when I go to a job interview I will feel more confident because I will know what the HRs want,” she said.
Job seekers talk to representatives of the Brain Source International at the 15th annual Kyiv Post Employment Fair at NSC Olimpiyskiy sports arena in Kyiv on Sept. 21, 2019. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
The Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) prepared a special panel advising how the applicants should prepare for job interviews with the international organizations. They offered the examples and role-playing games of an applicant and employer.
Liudmyla Palamar, an outreach officer of OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, said the international organizations appreciate when the applicant not only describes the way he or she would handle some work situations but also can give specific examples from their personal experience.
“When you go to a job interview you should be prepared,” Palamar said.
Work for the government
There were several banks represented at the employment fair, as well as the National Bank of Ukraine, the state regulatory body.
Iryna Lemeshevska, an HR specialist at the National Bank, said the NBU has several opening positions including that of a risk management analyst. She said the National Bank is becoming more open for the public now.
“There used to be a belief that we are a very closed organization. But now anybody may come to us and see that it’s easy to find a job at the National Bank if a person has knowledge, skills and a will for self-development,” she said.
Those seeking careers in law enforcement could find opportunities at the National Guard of Ukraine, which was also represented at the employment fair.
At the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine, many soldiers of the National Guard were deployed to the war-torn Donbas. Now, the National Guardsmen are mostly policing the peaceful parts of Ukraine and also guard the diplomatic missions, said Oleksandr Shynkarenko, of the National Guard’s recruiting center.
Shynkarenko said the National Guard invites young people with different backgrounds and educates its staff. Those who don’t have a special education will start with the junior rank, while people who have higher education can start with a sergeant and quickly be promoted to the officers.
The National Guard also offers the opportunity of training abroad.
“Our guys travel to the United States and European countries for the international exchange,” Shynkarenko said.
