Oleksandra Yemeliantseva, intern at the Graphic and UI/UX Design Department
Oleksandra told us about her interview before the internship, what tasks she performs at the "plus", and shared her plans after completing the programme.
About choosing a career path
I am studying at the Kyiv National University of Technology and Design, majoring in Multimedia Design. When I entered the university, I knew that I wanted to study a creative speciality because I have been drawing for a long time, and this is really something that interests me a lot. But after a semester of studying, I realised that I was not getting the knowledge I expected from the university. So I decided to try something different, and took a course in UI/UX design, where, in addition to the basic material, we were taught about job search, creating a CV and portfolio, and that sometimes you have to send an unlimited number of responses to vacancies to get the coveted offer. But I was lucky enough to see a vacancy for an intern from 1+1 media. I didn't fully believe that I would be accepted, because at that time I had only two jobs in my portfolio. I didn't even expect that the first response to the vacancy would turn into my first interview and first work experience.
Of course, I was a little nervous before the interview, but after a long preparation of answers to various standard questions, I decided that I would use the simplest tactic - to be myself. I sincerely showed my interest and it worked. The interview went well, and communication with the team was comfortable and interesting.
Impressions of the internship
First of all, I would like to say that I am very lucky to have a team. I have great colleagues who are always happy to explain everything and help with any questions. They are also just really cool people with whom it is interesting to spend time.
I can explain what I do at the internship for a long time, and usually no one can fully understand what my job is. In simple terms, I am an interface designer, but there is very little creativity in my work. Mostly, I do analytics and develop the logic and architecture of interfaces so that users can use them conveniently and businesses can make money.
I often have small tasks that solve a single problem, for example, I need to show what appears when you click the "Share" button. But there is also something more serious, something like developing a landing page that will encourage people to connect a specific package. In fact, I am interested in taking on any task because it is an incredibly valuable experience. When I see that each completed task is one solved problem, I immediately feel warm inside because I understand that I have put a piece of my work into the development of this product.
On what inspires her and advice for future interns
When I first started to delve into the field of design, I set myself a challenging but achievable goal, which became the biggest motivation for me. Because every time I get difficult, I remember why I'm doing it all, and then I realise that I just can't give up, because I really want to become the person I've drawn in my head. But none of this would have happened without full involvement in what I do, without interest in the product and a sincere desire to improve it. After all, if you are not interested in what you are working on, then no amount of motivation will help.
During my internship at 1+1 media, I got my dream experience and learnt a lot. But most of all, I am grateful for the emotions it gave me. The internship has become a really interesting stage of my life and, to be honest, I really don't want it to end because I'm not ready to say goodbye to the team and the product that have become my family. So, if we talk about plans after the internship, I would like to stay in the team, continue to develop and improve the product together.
To future interns, I would like to say that you should just be yourself, be interested, ask questions, take initiative and do a little more than you are asked, because it is up to you to develop yourself.
