The annual fall Kyiv Post Employment Fair drew more than 1,000 people on Sept. 13 who came to check out the offerings of 24 participating companies.
But the real draw for many attendees proved to be expert speakers, among them U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey R. Pyatt and Kyiv School of Economics president George Logush.
Victoria Donets of Kyiv came to listen to Pyatt. She is in the final year of her studies at the Institute of International Relations and hopes to combine her language, social media and marketing skills in a job at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine or somewhere similar.
From listening to Pyatt, Donets said she learned “to do everything with passion, not for money, otherwise you will not succeed. If you do something that you love, recognition and money will come, respectively.”
Her friend, Anna Shumska, was more interested in combining her English-language skills with her interest in the nation’s energy industry. So she came to listen to what state energy monopoly Naftogaz had to say about opportunities. “I have a background with international relations and a huge passion for the energy sphere,” Shumska said.
Pyatt, who has been with the American foreign service for 25 years and the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine for the last year, gave several tips to prospective job seekers besides having great passion for what they are doing. He also suggested that they travel while they are young to gain experience. He encouraged the audience by saying that the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine is expanding and hiring Ukrainians. He said that openings are advertised in the Kyiv Post and on the embassy website.
Logush, the president of the Kyiv School of Economics, has held several leading roles in corporations, including as the long-time regional head of Kraft Foods.
He asked his young audience to set high goals, get as much education as possible and seize opportunities. He stressed the ability to get along and work hard in a team setting and urged people to “never burn bridges or make enemies.” He said to follow the golden rule of always placing “yourself in the shoes of the person across the table, be it boss, peer, subordinate.”
Others speakers at the event, held at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, include Roman Bondar of Talent Advisors, Vladislava Rutytska of Mriya agricultural holding and Morton Kriek, founder of AE Leadership.
Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner can be reached at [email protected]
