Two HSE Students Reach Finals of Career Contest for Students with Disabilities

Финалисты конкурса «Путь к карьере»/ © ВКонтакте

 

The XI Competition for Students and Young Professionals with Disabilities was organized by the ‘Perspective’ NGO and the Disability Business Council, with the support of the Presidential Grant Foundation, Trafigura Foundation, Citi Foundation, MTS, and Coleman Services. The winners received internship and job offers.

The purpose of this competition is ensuring professional development and successful employment at leading Russian and international companies for enterprising and talented professionals with disabilities.

The participants are young people who are just starting on their career paths. Over a period of two and a half months, they attended training sessions held by representatives of the business community, worked with mentors and completed several assignments. The topics included business etiquette, preparing presentations, writing resumes and business letters. In addition, the participants discussed appropriate style of clothing for job interviews and how to cultivate the image of the ideal employee. They even visited a master class on make-up and hairstyle.

Two HSE students, Tatyana Koshcheeva (Bachelor’s student in Asian and African Studies) and Nadezhda Mikhenkova (Bachelor’s student in Logistics and Supply Chain Management) were among the 14 contestants.

Here is what Tatyana had to say about the competition:

‘... I decided to participate in the competition in February and successfully completely the selection round. Then, over the course of two or three months, we had a series of training sessions on employment and the world of business (‘The State of the Labor Market for Young Professionals and a Successful Resume’, ‘Interviewing Skills’, ‘Business Letter’, ‘Business Style’, etc.). In addition, we also got acquainted with companies, such as Philip Morris International, PwC, and Deloitte. We also prepared for the finals with the help of the staff from the “Perspektiva” NGO, as well as our mentors, who individually supervised each participant.

‘During the finals, I positioned myself as an expert in international relations. As a result, I got several offers from various companies. For me, the most interesting were the ones from Ernst & Young, Philip Morris International, and Rosneft. There were two job offers and the rest were internship offers. I really enjoyed taking part in the contest. It was a great opportunity to make new acquaintances with other participants and representatives of companies, as well as the staff of the “Perspektiva” NGO. I can now say that I understand how the business world works and how employment strategies are developed. Moreover, I now have the skills for drawing up a good CV. I’ve also formed new goals for myself and my motivation has grown.’