HR BRANDS: EMPLOYMENT THROUGH THE EYES OF YOUNG PEOPLE VS HR
On 14 November, American University Kyiv welcomed all the participants of HR-Brands. It was an event where the HR and recruiting communities could unite, share experiences and hear the opinions of students. For the companies, it was an opportunity to make themselves known to a young audience.
HR-Brands is an open panel discussion, which this year was attended by leading companies in retail, IT and banking. For four hours, the speakers shared their experience and insights on closing junior vacancies, the process of selecting the best candidates and the situation on the labour market.
This year's format was divided into two parts: a panel discussion among students and a discussion between HR professionals. This allowed employers to hear directly the needs of young people and understand what needs to be improved. STUD-POINT, in turn, presented the results of a study of young people in the labour market.
STUDENT DISCUSSION
The panel speakers were student activists with experience in working with peers. They were happy to represent the interests of today's youth and discussed the vision of job search through the eyes of students. The speakers represented such universities as: American University of Kyiv, NUPh, IMB KNU and DUIKT.
In particular, participants had the opportunity to hear answers to the following questions:
What criteria are important when choosing a first job?
What is the most difficult stage in the job search?
What are the key factors that build students' trust in employers?
What are the typical mistakes students make when looking for a job and how can they be avoided?
What do students think employers can do to better attract and retain young professionals?
HR DISCUSSION
The second part of the event consisted of a discussion of job search strategies by the speakers. In particular, they answered the following questions:
What channels are most effective for finding young talent?
How to create an attractive employer brand for young people?
How to assess the potential of young candidates without significant work experience?
What are the most common mistakes companies make when attracting young candidates?
How to ensure an effective process of adaptation and integration of young professionals into the team?
In addition, HR professionals shared what their companies value most in candidates.
In addition, Tetiana Bohdanova-Lukianets, HR Manager at 1+1 media, debunked the myth that HR has no influence on business decisions.
‘HR communicates with managers every day, communicates with employees and candidates every day, which allows us to constantly be in the context of what is happening in the labour market and link it to business needs. Among other things, HR helps businesses plan the resources needed to achieve strategic goals, influences the development of corporate culture, advises on talent management, employee training, works with analytics, etc. All this is necessary to implement the global business strategy,’ adds the HR manager.
Olena Shumska, Recruitment Manager and HR Business Partner of the Consumer Products Division at L'Oréal, notes: ‘Communication is very important to us. We are a team that communicates a lot, and this is one of the factors on which a lot is built. We look at the speed of learning, especially if it is young people without experience. Then learning and applying knowledge in practice is important to us. It's not really about skill, but more about showing potential. Having a certain drive, a desire to work, change, and develop yourself and your business is essential.’
Alyona Belugina, recruitment lead at Robota UA, said that they value the ability to act in conditions of uncertainty. Having emotional intelligence, being flexible and stress-resistant, listening and showing respect are essential for the company.
‘What we look for in our candidates is the motivation to learn, because we hire without work experience. We provide every opportunity for development, self-improvement and growth within the company. Therefore, motivation to learn and a thirst for knowledge are a must. Of course, the opportunity to work in a team is also important,’ says Alina Arustamyan, Employer Brand Promotion Specialist at PwC.
HR-Brands has become not only a bridge between the recruitment community and students, where everyone could express themselves sincerely. It also provided both sides with useful information, a community of like-minded people and highlighted important topics.
We are grateful to our media partners: Robota.ua, Reteam and 1+1 media.
The video of the event can be viewed on our YouTube channel at this link.
