The SPbGASU Center for Student Entrepreneurship and Career together with the Russian developer of engineering software "Nanosoft" held a large-scale career guidance event - Career Day.

At various sites of our university and in various formats, meetings of students and graduates with industry practitioners and experts, representatives of specialized companies were organized in order to solve the main tasks: the first - to find a company for industrial practice, employment, the second - to attract young personnel.

On this day, lectures, master classes, and poster sessions were held in the main building, at the Faculty of Automobile and Road Building, and the Faculty of Forensics and Law in Construction and Transport.

How to become a cool BIM specialist

In his lecture, Dmitry Polyakov, BIM manager of the architectural bureau Studio 44, spoke about his professional activities and dispelled the established stereotypes about specialists in the field of building information modeling (BIM or TIM specialists). Initially, he worked as a designer and was sure that he had found himself in this profession. Over eight years of work, he realized that automation is closer to him, it allows designers to simplify and improve work processes so much that, for example, one operation can be performed not in two days, but in twenty seconds.

"Today, there are stereotypes about BIM specialists that we want to destroy. The main one is that for this position it is enough to understand the software: learn a certain program and "twist and turn your models" in it. This is not so. Other specialists also work in the program, including architects and designers. Also, a BIM specialist is often mistaken for a system administrator who is required to eliminate failures in office equipment. In addition, the heads of some bureaus can even assign responsibility for decisions that go beyond the scope of such a specialist's responsibilities: for example, calculate the number of engineers needed to design a certain number of buildings," explained Dmitry Polyakov.

He emphasized that the real work process begins like this: the customer contacts the design bureau with an idea, technical specifications, and finances. As part of the competition, the bureau prepares a draft design, which generally demonstrates the appearance of the building and provides technical and economic indicators. Already at the draft design stage, a BIM model appears, regardless of whether it is a matter of constructing a new facility or rebuilding an old one. The design bureau has a large department of subcontractors. The BIM specialist first thinks about which path to take to effectively organize all processes, which software to choose, how to implement each task, and establish communication with project participants. He controls everything that happens in the model, how the parameters are observed in it, how the model is submitted for examination, that is, he monitors the work process and eliminates any collisions that arise. Insufficient control on the part of the BIM specialist can lead to serious discrepancies with the requirements of the construction site, which the bureau will eliminate at its own expense. Without a BIM expert, departments would communicate with each other in a disjointed manner and via different communication channels. In such a case, misunderstandings arise, and it is impossible to find the roots of the error, because the employees were talking about something somewhere in between. To prevent this, a BIM specialist comes and connects everyone in one model.

"Who is a cool BIM designer? He understands design and, if necessary, will show on the model any detail that an experienced designer asks for. He is not afraid of digital technologies. He knows who does what at the site, monitors work processes and delves into them. He is diligent: it happens that it takes an hour to think over the optimal solution. He is sociable: this job is not for introverts - you constantly need to communicate with someone, be able to listen. He follows developments in the field of information technology, global trends, the practice of both large and small companies. Ready for continuous learning: if asked a question that he has not encountered, he studies it. Open to unexpected turns: for example, they give him a new object, the likes of which he has not seen, but he implements it. The main thing is that he thinks with his own head, despite the fact that the customer or someone else might say that "we do not do it this way, it should be like this." “You can listen to comments, but in general you should do what you and your team think is right,” advised Dmitry Polyakov.

He talked about the programs he uses in his work, cited examples of completed projects, and focused on the correct regimen so that the chosen activity would be interesting and not turn into a belly buster.

How neural networks help an architect

Leading architect of ATRIUM Alisa Silantyeva gave a lecture on neural networks in architecture. In her professional activity, she is engaged in the search for concepts and projects from furniture to urban development projects, and the ATRIUM company as a whole is aimed at developing complex projects in different countries. The topic is interesting for future architects: as it turned out, many of them already use neural networks in developing their concepts. The lecturer reminded that the initial stage of the concept is the creation of an image of the future object. Neural networks generate new forms and designs. Deep learning algorithms analyze thousands of architectural samples and create new, unique forms that meet the specified parameters and requirements. Alisa Silantyeva showed examples of how, taking the shape and geometry of a perfume bottle, a watermelon or scattered cubes with turrets as a basis, with the help of a neural network you can get the first sketches of a unique appearance of a building and then refine the sketches.

“Neural networks help to quickly transform an interesting idea into a sketch and find the optimal combination of styles,” noted Alisa Silantyeva.

How to write a resume to attract a recruiter

Senior consultant at ANCOR Recruitment company Alina Aipova gave valuable advice on writing a resume. According to her, a resume should clearly answer a number of questions that are important to a potential employer: what is your specialty, what specific skills in this area do you have, what results have you achieved. A simple list of responsibilities will not do. Digitize your achievements: for example, indicate that you became the author of five startups, participated in the implementation of five different projects (specify). Avoid empty phrases: stress-resistant, sociable, punctual, etc.

The lecturer presented a schematic portrait of a “star” applicant, which a recruiter will definitely notice and an employer will appreciate: an applicant will be successfully employed if he clearly sees his career path, is focused on a specific company and knows why he is here and how he can be useful.

"Experience without an official entry in the work record book is also experience. Include in your resume industrial practices, internships, exchange training, experience in creating a startup, participation in case championships and business games, conferences, work in student councils and university projects. In addition, today employers greatly value participation in the volunteer movement. All of the above speaks of your developed soft skills," Alina Aipova emphasized.

How to pass an interview successfully

If an employer has chosen your resume, you are only halfway to success, because there is an interview ahead. GeekSource (ANCOR Group) consultants Anna Krestyantseva and Natalia Komarinen, who specialize in recruiting IT specialists, told us how to pass it in order to get the desired position.

"Before the interview, it is advisable to study information about the company you intend to work for: the employer values ​​interest and awareness of their activities. Prepare a self-presentation for five to ten minutes. Typical mistakes that applicants make during an interview: in order to be liked, they give socially desirable answers; they do not have information about the employer; they do not show interest or are driven only by monetary motivation; they talk a lot or, on the contrary, little, they allow a lot of negativity or criticism, they react irritably to questions," said Anna Krestyantseva.

She also emphasized important details of the online interview: it is necessary to tidy up your appearance and background: untidiness, disorder and inclusion of strangers in the dialogue can be a reason for refusal to hire.

How to learn business communication skills

Olga Zenina, head of the career guidance department at SuperJob and certified expert in emotional intelligence, devoted her speech to business communication skills. She clarified that modern youth are interested in building long-term business communications both with each other and with older people, but they do not always understand that not everything that is acceptable in everyday life is appropriate in professional communication.

"In your email, fill out the signature: indicate your contacts, position, company name or area of ​​freelance activity. Indicate a specific subject of the letter: for example, "Report for February 2025", and no "Important" or "Please respond", otherwise the letter may go to spam. The names of the attached files should be equally "telling". Accompany the letter with words of greeting to the addressee, greeting him/her by name and excluding emoticons. Not responding to the letter for more than 24 hours is bad form.

When communicating in messengers, express your thoughts in one message and send them during working hours. It is better to discuss the need for a phone call in advance and choose a place for it without extraneous noise. For a video call, tidy up your appearance and surroundings. In corporate chats, it is worth paying attention to the choice of statuses: this way, colleagues will see that you, for example, are currently busy and cannot answer. It is advisable to put a personal photo on the avatar so that the interlocutor clearly imagines with whom he is communicating,” Olga Zenina explained.

The lecturer emphasized that following these simple rules will please partners and customers and will improve their attitude towards you, which means it will increase your chances of success in your professional activities.

Poster session meetings

On the balustrades of the main building, company representatives demonstrated their posters. Students lined up at each one to learn about the organizations' areas of activity, the conditions for completing an internship, and employment opportunities.

A third-year student of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Municipal Services Daniil Abdulin stopped by the stand of the China National Chemical, Engineering and Construction Corporation "Seven". "Today I learned that the company owns the largest gas processing complex in Europe. I am interested in employment with them, but it will not be possible to combine it with studies for now - perhaps I will be able to do a summer internship," Daniil said.

Ksenia Drozdova, a third-year student at the Faculty of Economics and Management, is approaching her industrial practice, and she considers the poster sessions to be an excellent opportunity to find a company where to do it right at the university. "There is a wide range of different companies represented here, and my specialty involves many areas of activity, so I am sure that I will be able to conclude an agreement on doing an internship. Perhaps this will become my professional choice," Ksenia explained.

A fourth-year student of the Faculty of Architecture Veronika Petrova learned that, for example, in the federal developer GloraX you can do not only an internship, but also a paid internship. “It’s great that GloraX has a direction that corresponds to my specialization, so this company interested me,” Veronika explained.

A fourth-year student of the Faculty of Civil Engineering Alan Niyazov admitted that he paid attention to the company "Nanosoft". "I am interested in TIM technologies, but I do not know programming languages ​​yet. It turned out that this is an obstacle to employment. But now I am aware of the requirements and will acquire the missing knowledge," Alan said.

A fourth-year student of the Faculty of Civil Engineering Alena Kosenkova reported that she and her coursemates already have contracts with companies for internships, concluded at last year's Career Day, but want to learn about vacancies in industry companies. "We want to be aware of the situation on the labor market. This is an interesting and informative acquaintance with companies," Alena believes.

Anna Koltsova, a second-year student at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, admitted that this was her first time at the Career Day, as she missed the event last year. Today, she was interested in listening to practical advice on writing a resume. “I’m just starting my career, so listening to the recommendations of expert practitioners was useful. I’m very glad that I showed my resume, and they gave me detailed advice on how to correct it. For now, I have a job, but my resume will come in handy in the future for my planned career growth. The lectures are also interesting because they are interactive, when you can get an answer to your question right away,” Anna said.   

Companies are inviting

Natalia Koneva, a recruitment specialist at Glavstroy-Petersburg, noted: "We are interested in young specialists, and we are happy when they grow professionally with us and subsequently occupy high positions. Today, we offer students practical training and internships. We are ready to add various specialists to our staff. For example, we are currently ready to accept an economist for an internship. There is an opportunity to do an internship in any department, both in the office and at construction sites. It is pleasant to observe active feedback from students."

Leading specialist of the HR department of "Seven" Evgeniya Naido reminded that the company has been cooperating with SPbGASU for the third year: "Students of SPbGASU successfully complete their internship in our company, and we have already gained good experience of their further employment. Therefore, we are proud to know your university and are happy to cooperate with it. Our company is engaged in industrial construction, and at the moment we have vacancies for engineering positions. We consider students for internship in the positions of technicians of the production and technical department and surveying technicians with possible subsequent employment. It happened that students were hired directly for engineering positions. The internship is paid, the monthly salary is 35 thousand rubles, and for technician of the production and technical department it is 70 thousand rubles after taxes," noted Evgeniya Naido.