Creating an impressive CV and searching for superpowers: a series of career intensives held at St Petersburg University

About 400 University graduates of 2022 from all fields of study have participated in the career intensives organised by the St Petersburg University Career Centre.

Olga Chernaus, Head of the Department of Professional Orientation and Career Development at the St Petersburg Employment Centre, spoke about the features of the current labour market and effective career strategies. In her presentation, she underlined that one of the most exciting tasks for those who have just started thinking seriously about their future career is finding their competitive advantage. Well before graduation day, students begin to wonder how to find their purpose in life and what they can do to bring value to the world. What are the signs that they have found their true vocation? According to Olga Chernaus, the easiest way to identify your strengths is to notice what people around you most often ask you for. ‘If people ask you to help them make it up with someone, you are a savvy communicator. Or maybe they often tell you that you are good at taking notes. You need to deconstruct this skill into subskills to understand what tasks you feel most successful doing,’ Olga Chernaus explained. ‘The world needs your talent. When you discover your talent, you will gain a competitive advantage over your competitors. It is not for nothing that so many people knock on your door asking you to help them.’

In order to learn how to better navigate their strengths, the webinar participants were asked to evaluate their key soft skills. These are skills applicable to all professions: initiative; perseverance and growth mindset; organisational skills; reliability and commitment; teamwork skills and an aptitude for both self-motivation and the motivation of others. Having identified their most developed competencies, the candidates can demonstrate them in a job interview, supporting them with examples from personal experiences gained during university studies, internships or volunteer projects.

It is important that you understand what steps you need to take to get started. Small steps lead to big changes. There is no need to plan grandiose events — taking small steps has power, the steps add up over time and each step taken propels you closer to your goal.

Olga Chernaus, Head of the Department of Professional Orientation and Career Development at the St Petersburg Employment Centre

‘Take small steps to achieve your goals. They are never useless, even if it might seem so in the future, when you look back on the road taken from the vantage point of the acquired knowledge. Now you are taking actions using available skills and resources and moving in the right direction,’ concluded Olga Chernaus, Head of the Department of Professional Orientation and Career Development at the St Petersburg Employment Centre.

Next to address the audience was Mariia Leonteva, an expert of the Psychological Clinic of St Petersburg University. She focused on developing a professional profile and finding individual sources of support. Mariia Leonteva engaged the participants in psychological exercises that will enable them to conduct a life experience inventory, understand the job market and learn to see the situation from employers’ perspective.

Choosing a profession is like launching a spaceship that takes off toward a predetermined destination, but during the flight, its route is constantly revised. The world provides many opportunities. It is therefore very important that you understand what you can bring to the world, without forgetting that the starting point is yourself. You are the captain who at certain points will set the ship on autopilot. Sometimes you will need to pilot your ship yourself, because the external situation will require you to take control into your own hands. You are at this point right now.

Mariia Leonteva, Expert of the Psychological Clinic of St Petersburg University

For those who realised that their professional path would require restructuring, the psychologist suggested conducting a life experiences inventory, which helps to determine their strengths. For this, the graduates were asked to write down five examples of professional and everyday activities they had tried themselves, from hands-on experience gained in a professional setting during an internship to organising parties for friends. ‘For each item on your list, you need to ask yourself: What do you enjoy most about this activity? What is the most important skill you demonstrated on your job? What qualities do you bring to the world? Write down three answers that first came to your mind. If there are repetitions in your answers, you managed to find the through-line, a suggestion of your main talents,’ said Mariia Leonteva. ‘Superpowers are abilities you possess that enable you to outperform others. Like a seed, a superpower may germinate even under somewhat unfavourable conditions, but it can be developed only through action. In other words, your superpower will remain unrealised potential if not practised.’ Mariia Leonteva added that the repeated qualities and traits that you have found are indicators of their special characteristics and strengths that recruiters and hiring managers are looking for.

Based on the skills inventory, the participants in the intensive career webinars were asked to write or review their CVs. This might seem basic and boring; yet, tailoring your CV is essential for your professional start. Aleksandra Surina, Senior Recruitment Consultant at Kelly Services, conducted a master class for the recent University graduates. A CV not only offers an overview of the applicant’s skills, but it is also the first impression that can determine whether or not a potential employer will consider you for an interview. According to the expert, on average, recruiters spend only a few seconds skimming this document; hence, it is vital to make the most relevant parts of your CV the most visible. Aleksandra Surina outlined the key rules for writing a CV, listed the most common mistakes beginners make, and explained how to avoid them. She also shared advice for writing a standout cover letter and job interview tips.

As part of the career intensive, all registered participants were offered the opportunity to receive a short career consultation on tailoring a CV and personally discuss their job search strategy with an expert from: the St Petersburg University Career Centre; Kelly Services; or the St Petersburg Employment Centre.

Sometimes when you are job hunting, the question may arise: where to search for employment when you have looked through all kinds of job listings online and have not received a single response? To conclude the series of career intensives, Olga Poldner, a practicing career consultant, spoke about ways to promote your CV. She emphasised the importance of making use of all job search tools, such as: job search engines and boards; recruitment agencies; employment services; social networks; and instant messengers. Potential job opportunities also include networking events and career fairs. Additionally, Olga Poldner advised adopting a direct search method that enables you to conduct a direct search for positions of interest even on the sites that you might not have known about. ‘When you enter the labour market, your task is to make yourself visible to potential employers. This will not happen unless you start sending out your CV and interacting with recruiters. Your visibility in the labour market will determine your job search funnel — the coverage of potential employers who know that you are looking for employment in a particular industry,’ Olga Poldner explained. ‘The greater the coverage, the more often you will be invited to job interviews, which increases both your choice and the likelihood of getting a good job offer.’

The master classes have gained almost 500 views and received positive feedback from the participants. They underlined the hands-on approach and applicability in the here and now for solving the task of preparing for employment. Video recordings of the webinars: "Did your choice of major come in handy?" by Olga Chernaus; "Career start: raise your professional profile!" by Mariia Leonteva; and "A world that is not a headhunter. Version 2.0" by Olga Poldner are available to everyone.