HSE Career Marathon: ‘We Should Take Advantage of All the Opportunities That the University Offers’
On April 10, the annual Career Marathon organised by the HSE Career Development Centre took place in the atrium of the HSE University building on Pokrovsky Bulvar. The event was held both on site and online. Students of various fields from both HSE and other universities took part in the event to broaden their career outlook and establish contacts with potential employers.
For many years, the HSE Career Marathon has been an important platform for students to communicate with representatives of 38 companies, from startups to large Russian corporations, including Avito, Alfa-Bank, B1, Mars, MTS, Sber, T2, SIBUR, X5 Tech, VTB, VK Education, Kept, DRT, TeDo, and many others.
As part of the marathon, students not only learn more about vacancies, but also participate in various quizzes, intellectual games, and tests from companies, which help them acquire necessary skills in job hunting and CV polishing. The participants note that this format proves useful for professional networking and obtaining relevant information in the field of career development. ‘The marathon provides undergraduates with every opportunity to take internships in their desired field,’ said Akhmet Merzhoev, first-year master’s student in Business Analytics and Big Data Systems.
Many students start working during their studies, and career marathons can help them better navigate the market and find their dream internships. Zlatislava Nekrasova, second-year student of the Bachelor’s Programme in Asian and African Studies, came to the event with a specific purpose. ‘I want to start gaining experience, so that it will be easier for me to find a job after graduation,’ said Zlatislava. ‘We should take advantage of all the opportunities that the university offers, so this marathon is very useful.’
Ksenia Zaitseva, first-year student of the Applied Informatics and Data Analysis programme at Bauman Moscow State Technical University, learned about the marathon from her friend at HSE University. ‘I've already learnt about different companies, won prizes, and got to know about internships and events. I would like to work in the field of management at a programming company,’ she said.
Diana Rasulova, first-year student of the International Programme in Economics and Finance, came across the Career Marathon while heading to her classes. ‘It's always interesting when different companies come to our university. You can learn a lot of new things,’ she said. ‘I won some merch—I solved a small business case from Resulting and they gave me socks as a reward.’
Daniil Andronik, first-year student of the Bachelor’s Programme in Asian and African Studies, also received prizes from partner companies. ‘HSE University organises such events quite often. My studies take place in another university building, but when I come to Pokrovka, something is always going on here. I like it. This career marathon is an opportunity to make new connections, apply for internships, or just chat with interesting people,’ shared the student.
Olga Gaevskaya
‘Our career marathon is a great opportunity for students to get to know the leaders of the labour market, learn more about professional opportunities in their field, communicate face-to-face with employers, and learn more about their corporate culture,’ says Olga Gaevskaya, Head of the Office for Alumni Relations and Career Development. ‘This event helps students develop communication skills, network, express themselves, and communicate with HR reps. We try to follow trends, make every career marathon as interesting as possible for young people, and make the process of meeting future employers comfortable, exciting, and effective.’
Partners of the Career Marathon commented on the scale and significance of the event.
Mikhail Cherepovsky
‘At X5 Tech, we pay great attention to the development of the internship programme, support ambitious students, and look for those who are ready to enthusiastically start a career in IT,’ said Mikhail Cherepovsky, Senior Manager for Youth Affairs at the company. ‘Participation in the Career Marathon has become an important tradition for us because it is a great opportunity for prospective specialists to learn more about different areas in one day and find something that really inspires them. For us, this is an opportunity to meet promising students and help them make an informed choice of first employer. We look forward to seeing HSE students on internships, at X5 Tech Sprint programming battles, and on our other projects that help us develop in IT.’
Mariya Malahova
‘The marathon turned out to be really large-scale and intense. The atmosphere was energising from the very first minutes,’ said Mariya Malahova, Chief Specialist at the DOM.RF Career and Brand Development Centre. ‘It was nice to talk to motivated students who asked really meaningful questions. We have just started recruiting for the SPRINT internship programme, and we have found several interesting candidates. I would like to highlight the level of organisation: everything went well, comfortably, and in a friendly atmosphere. I’d like to thank the organisers for the opportunity to become a part of this career space!’
Elena Tonkonogaya
‘The HSE marathon featured a lot of bright-eyed students—this is exactly what we came here for!’ says Elena Tonkonogaya, Supervisor for IT Competence Development at PSB Bank. ‘I also liked that the companies had enough room to work with each student individually. Special thanks for the location—it is a convenient space in the city centre, and I was very impressed with the atrium itself: high ceilings and lots of air. We really hope that the marathon was fruitful for all participants, and we look forward to new events!’
Mary Nanushyan
‘The HSE Career Marathon is a special event for both employers and students, which is organised annually at the highest level,’ said Mary Nanushyan, expert for work with prospective specialists at VTB. ‘I’d like to highlight the convenient location, attention to partner companies, interesting poster activities, eager volunteers, and, of course, motivated students.’