St Petersburg University students identify best companies for young people

The main selection criterion is whether an employer aims to help with training and to invest in the well-being of employees who are just starting their career path. ‘We want to ensure that students have career opportunities even when they study at university; participate in projects; solve cases; and develop professional and soft skills,’ said Iakov Sanadze, curator of the projects at the St Petersburg University Sociological Clinic. ‘We therefore primarily pay attention to what competencies they acquire when interacting with the companies and how effectively they work with young specialists.’

The winner of this year’s contest was Gazprom Gasifikatsiia LLC. The company launched a social project "The first step into the profession of a recruiter". The jury experts highly appreciated its non-standard, original system to choose potential employees. They get acquainted with profession at school. For students aged 12 to 18 years, Gazprom Gasifikatsiia LLC and the Academy of Digital Technologies offer a recruitment training programme. It includes lectures, career guidance, and internships. Schoolchildren are prepared for recruitment contests. They can try themselves in this profession at school.

Today, companies care about the well-being of their employees, providing a large number of bonuses and opportunities, said Maiia Rusakova, Acting Director of the Centre for Applied Sociology at St Petersburg University. IT companies, for example, have a gym, recreation areas, a tennis table, and a corner with coffee and treats. Interestingly, when choosing a job, it is important for young people to have such advantages, even if they do not plan to use them.

Seemingly, our new generation imposes other demands on the employer. The companies that are focused on having young creative employees who meet these high requirements create a wide variety of conditions for young people, sometimes, in my opinion, even in an excessive way.

Maiia Rusakova, Acting Director of the Centre for Applied Sociology at St Petersburg University

What also makes young people different, according to the researcher, is that they can multitask. This may be associated with certain difficulties. A student can easily chat, watch something on a smartphone screen and study at the same time, while the need to focus and do one thing causes a lot of stress. Nevertheless, the company’s strategy for supporting employees also depends on what exactly is required of them: single-tasking or multitasking; individual or project work. The well-being programme changes depending on these conditions.

The contest "HR Brand of the Labour Forum" was first held in 2022 in a hybrid format. Its aim was to improve the image of employers; promote the exchange of best practices; search for new HR solutions; and create a healthier workforce climate.