Mariia Dorokhina, Head of the St Petersburg University Career Centre: ‘Your professional path is not a rutted trail’

What goals are set down for the St Petersburg University Career Centre?

The Centre’s main ambition is to establish a comprehensive and effective support system for the University students. This is not just career guidance and assistance in the labour market orientation. We believe that it is important to enable each of St Petersburg University students to determine the trajectory of their career development with concrete steps for achieving their goals.

What issues are you most often consulted about as a career coach?

Many students come because they have difficulties in goal-setting. It is a challenge to choose among the many interests they have, or they want to figure out how to start building a career. Students of the Graduate School of Management at St Petersburg University (GSOM SPbU) are often viewed as high achievers, successfully building their careers. Needless to say, this is an oversimplified view. When real people compare themselves with this image, they usually reject this view, ‘It is not about me!’ The fact of matter is that every student has a number of accomplishments to their credit, even in the first year of university. It is for cultural reasons that we do not always know how to identify, track, and recognise our achievements. Many young people think they do not conform to this image of success despite the fact that they have victories, professional achievements, and special interests. One of the tasks of a career coach is to assist you in identifying your strengths and building up your assets. The next task is to help you figure out your priorities, narrow down your goals, and make a plan of action for going forward.

When should we start thinking about our career?

I always say to our students: you career began when you entered the University. It is highly advisable that you know and understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. Even a first-year student can do a lot to build up a professional portfolio. You can learn about different career path options and the opportunities for advancement they offer. You can narrow down your interests, understand your strengths and weaknesses, and the skills you need to acquire to enter the labour market as a highly qualified and sought-after specialist.

What is essential to understand for building a successful career?

It is important to reflect on how you define career success. I do not like the terms "ideal job" or "dream job"; nonetheless, first you need to understand what you want. Some people prefer an immediate take-off with a large number of relocation opportunities, while other people would choose a different option. What are you interested in career? Which is the right work for you in terms of location and quality of communication? What are your values and motivation? Then, assess your skills and abilities, talents and strengths. How do you behave in certain situations? How do you communicate with others? What role do you take on a team? At the University, students have plenty of opportunities to try on different roles and learn more about themselves. What is important to you? What is your purpose in life? What options do you have for realising your full potential? How do your personal values align with the company values?

When you know what you want and what you are good at, what is your next step — the labour market analysis?

Exactly. If a responsible and caring attitude to nature is important to you, while the company pollutes the environment, there is a potential conflict. It is essential that you should find a company that aligns with your values. After the vector of development has been set, you can draw up a plan — outline your short- and long-term goals, fill in the gaps and learn the missing skills. Everything related to the professional career path is about doing. As soon as you understand what you want, it becomes clear where you need to pull yourself up. Then it only remains to translate your strategic goals into specific actions here and now. Another important stage in the implementation of your career plan is auditing. Every time you achieve something, you get additional information about your abilities and prospects. It is likely that you may want to adjust something — this is all right.

How to choose a career path when you have many interests? For example, your interests are: nature, sports, and finance; and you feel passionate about all three of them.

It is the task of education to answer this question. All three of your passions — nature, sports, and finance — can be woven together into a powerful career story. Professional development can be viewed from two different perspectives. When pursuing a career, you can become a generalist with broad knowledge across many topics, or a specialist who have chosen a narrow specialisation to attain perfection in this field. The former requires upgrading your skill set. For example, if the labour market favours those who are well-versed in information technology, you will need to learn Python because most of the career options you may be interested in will require understanding and using a programming language. The latter option is the career path of a Master, who has excelled in chosen fields of endeavour, and there is a line of clients eager to buy his or her product or service. None of these options is perfect. It is your individual choice. Each option, however, will require specific actions.

Does a step-by-step career progression plan make sense in a time of uncertainty?

There are two approaches to this issue. The first approach assumes that goal-setting is pointless, while the second, on the contrary, insists that you will never get anywhere unless you set specific, achievable goals. The truth is, as always, somewhere in the middle. The world is rapidly changing. Setting long-term, say, five-year goals and heading steadily towards them, no matter what, can be de-motivating and may lead to despondency. Especially if the desired aim becomes obsolete, unrealistic or irrelevant. At present, it is probably more important to determine your motion vector, without explicitly specifying the destination where you need to get. Understanding the direction of development will enable you to filter out the redundant or irrelevant content and carefully select what will benefit you most. Hence, you will avoid rushing around. Meanwhile, when setting your short-term — for instance, three-month goals — choose specific and attainable tasks, using the SMART method as a guide. This will get you moving in the right direction.

What is the SMART method in a nutshell?

The SMART method offers a set of criteria to guide you in goal-setting. Simply speaking, SMART is a mnemonic acronym that helps you to set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals. At first, it may be challenging to formulate a SMART goal. But when you clarify your ideas and specify a timeframe for completing the objective, it becomes clearer. For instance, ‘I want to achieve this goal by that date’ is definitely more transparent and efficient than ‘I would like to get something someday’. It is important to know what you want to accomplish and how to assess your progress. There are two points to keep in mind. Some people love clear, unambiguous goals, and they are comfortable with taking small steps at a time. Others may find it tough. There is no need to paint yourself into a corner if you need to have some wiggle room. However, when you have no idea where to go, you may find yourselves pulled in different directions because there are so many interesting things to do. Another point to remember is that the markets are continuously changing — your dreams need a reality check. For example, you may set a goal to get an internship in a particular company by a certain deadline. It is an excellent goal, but you at least need to make sure that this internship programme will be open in this time period.

Where to find the strength to keep moving towards your goal after facing failure at the beginning of your journey?

In one of our programmes at the Coaching Centre of GSOM SPbU, where we teach how to apply the design thinking methodology to succeed in life and career, we use the term "failure immunity". To attain failure immunity you need to reframe failure. Register and categorise your failures not as bad grades, but as the raw material of success, which can be converted into real growth. Failures and obstacles are part of your path to success. Often they provide much more quality information than success. Your task is to learn to turn any setbacks or failures into opportunities that will contribute to your future personal and professional development. In fact, turning a breakdown into a breakthrough is a skill that can be trained and improved.

What should I write in my CV if I have no experience?

This is one of those questions that are frequently asked by first- and second-year students. I am certain you have more relevant experience than you realise. You can write about: school projects; extracurricular activities; internships; volunteering; group work and collaborative learning activities as part of your university studies; participating in Science Olympiads; as well as your academic and sports achievements. Your professional portfolio, which you need to put together during your studies, should reflect your competence development, professional identity and potential. This can be documented in a variety of ways. For instance, leadership experience can be gained in volunteer projects, including participation in volunteering programmes at school and university. Leading a group project as part of your academic course will also look great on your CV. As a rule, GSOM SPbU students have wide and varied experiences. They just need to collect and highlight them. Of course, a student or recent graduate CV will look differently compared to that of a professional with 15 years of experience, but this is all right.

Apart from online job search engines, are there other ways to search for training placements, internships and employment?

During university studies, students have many opportunities to start a career and find a job. Apart from job boards and career websites, there is also networking. All the career-building opportunities provided by the University are entry points into the job market. Among them are: volunteer experience; internships; and group projects in which student teams work with real-life company cases. If you play an active role in the team, you will be noticed. Currently, business is very active on the labour market of young professionals. Despite the turbulent times, many events are held for young labour market entrants. Participation in such events is not only an opportunity to gain experience but also to show your skills and abilities. Additionally, company representatives are invited to deliver keynote lectures to the University students. This is also networking: you may ask questions, you can always approach the speaker and make acquaintance.

Could such acquaintances be useful?

Of course! Social network theory posits "the power of weak ties". It implies that your acquaintances are likely to be more influential than your close friends or family, particularly in social networks. In other words, information about jobs that will lead to employment is more likely to come from acquaintances than from closer friends. Also, if you know where you want to work, and you have a pool of potential employers, you can monitor the company for vacancies and offer your knowledge and skills directly. Social networks are a wealth of useful contacts. It may be a good idea to follow a person who works for a potential employer and establish communication with them. Case competitions are another great opportunity for you to impress a potential employer by showcasing your abilities and skills. These events enable recruiters to evaluate candidates. Participating in case competitions is, indeed, a unique type of experience even if you fail. Not to mention if you do well, it is a great CV booster!

What are the most common mistakes that students make when planning a career?

They want everything now. A typical example is as follows. A young man identified his future direction of development in finance, and he set up a meeting with a career coach to decide on specifics. So, what was the problem? The problem was translating goals into phases divided into tasks. When we began to discuss it together, it became clear that in addition to his desire to set a goal — to find his first employment within six months of graduation — the student has a lot on his agenda. To begin with, he has academic obligations to fulfil. Then, he will need at least a month to complete the military training programme. He has ambitions to enrol in a master’s programme; and also, he has to handle multiple team projects with tight deadlines. Obviously, it would not be possible for him to achieve full employment within six months. This is unrealistic, all things considered. Nonetheless, the time available can be used to his advantage: to complete his studies and related tasks and determine the best course of action so that within one year of graduation his goal will have been achieved.

What to do when you have too many tasks? Should you give up some of them?

You will have to accept the fact that the path is longer than you might imagine. Outline your plan for achieving your goals. The first point of your plan can be "complete the military training programme". Second point — ‘select an internship programme that will help me to answer my questions. Next — "prepare for the entrance exams for a master’s programme", and so on. And remember to keep up with your current studies, while you follow your plan of action. This is a very common story. We tend to put all our eggs in one basket and try to make a decision here and now. The opportunity to talk it through gives you an understanding of the time needed, while the outline of specific steps will bring you a sense of progression. As you proceed from one point to the next in a step-by-step manner, you know that you are making progress in the right direction. Conversely, if all your stuff is crammed into one heavy backpack, you are unlikely to be able to handle it. This may lead to procrastination, feelings of inadequacy, and burnout.

How to decide whether to get a master’s degree now or start working?

If you do not know which option to choose, you should consult a career coach, who will help you find reference points to make a considered decision. It also makes sense to monitor the labour market data or talk to a career counsellor about the current situation on the job market and employment outlook for new graduates. A master’s course involves a more narrowly focused programme of study aimed to solve certain market problems. Ideally, you would first work to get work experience and understand where and what you are lacking. Only then you would do a master’s programme to gain specialised knowledge and get new opportunities, including career ones. In Russia, until recently, it was a little different. First, you would get a bachelor’s degree, then a master’s, and only then you would be considered a person who is really worth something. Nowadays, to start working after graduation is not unusual. Thus you will be able to learn to navigate the complexities of the current business environment and choose a master’s programme to your advantage.

What advice would you give to young people who are now choosing a career path?

A professional path in the modern world is not a rutted trail that you get into once and have to ride it forever. 20-30 years ago, people would have focused on building one lifelong career. Nowadays, it is possible to have five, seven, or even ten careers, and not necessarily in related fields. The job market is constantly changing. New things spring into life every day. Many of them we have never heard about before. The current options determine your professional path only for a certain period. Then you can retrain, acquire new competences and take off in a different direction. The fact that you have decided to go into finance or marketing does not limit you in the future; and this is good news.