You're reading: Kyiv Post Employment Fair provides edge for job seekers in tough market

Several thousand job seekers are expected to attend this year’s Kyiv Post Employment Fair taking place on Sept. 13. The event runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce on 33 Velyka Zhytomyrska Street with an admission price of Hr 20.

Offering specific career advice are U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt, who will talk about working in the foreign service, Mriya Agroholding deputy CEO Vladyslava Rutytska on women in business, Kyiv School of Economics president George Logush on climbing the corporate ladder and Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner will discuss careers in the media. Speaking on career planning is Talent Advisors partner Roman Bodar, and AE Leadership founder Morten Kriek will give an Ivy League perspective on responsible leadership.

The September hiring season is situated in a competitive labor market for job seekers, according to international job portal Head Hunter Ukraine, with 5.5 applicants for every office job vacancy. Entry-level positions are the most competitive where 10.6 recent graduates are applying for each career opportunity. The least competitive professions are laborers, insurance, information technology, sales, and medicine and pharmaceuticals, with competition ranging from 0.7 to 2.6 applicants per position.

Viktoriya Grushyna, human resources officer at the British Council in Ukraine, says that most people searching for office jobs have a university degree, which “makes employers more and more demanding toward the candidates.”

Candidates willing to work in an international environment are more likely to get a job at British Council. Grushyna concludes that about 85 percent of applicants are already employed, whereas the remaining 15 percent are typically university graduates without a permanent job. Yet, she emphasized that further integration with the European Union will be a major step forward for the nation’s labor market.

Audit company Mazars Ukraine’s HR manager Yulia Sytnik says that human capital is their main asset. “We pick our candidates very precisely and accurately,” she said. She adds that while professional skills are important, they are no less important than “how much (the candidates) are part of the community and how open they are, sharing similar values while acting as entrepreneurs.”

Head Hunter UA’s executive Ulyana Maslova said that the market is in a difficult situation, yet there are no massive layoffs. “Employers deliver stability to their employees,” she said, stressing that “employers have begun to value employees as their main capital… About 70 percent of employers do not reduce the salaries of their workers.”

At the same time, Maslova notes that the average period of job searching increased from three to six months in the past half-year. “Of course, it depends on the sector… The IT market has been relatively non-affected by the current events only until very recently,” said Maslova.

Some tips for avoiding common mistakes at a job interview are: do not be late, sell your knowledge and learn about the company ahead of time. “There is only one good piece of advice in regards to this,” suggested Maslova, “and that is to frequently go through (interviews).”

According to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the country’s unemployment rate stands at 9.3 percent.

Hiring employers at the event include KPMG, Mazars Ukraine, Watsons, Metlife, Auchan, Nova Poshta, Robota Plus, Velyka Kyshenya, ACCA, Leroy Merlin, KSE, DTEK, ProCredit Bank, Ciklum, EY, Philip Morris, Ukrtelecom, Novus, Metro, and JTI.

State-owned oil and gas giant Naftogaz Ukraine is representing the public sector, and international educational organization British Council will be on hand.

Partnering with the Kyiv Post are Head Hunter Ukraine, Bigmir Net, European Business Association, Yappi, Nova Robota, Domopoga Ukraine, Danone and Konika Minolta Ukraine.