Who are entrepreneurs looking for today? What sectors are of greatest interest to young people? Why is it worth taking part in the Career Day, organised by Vincent Pol University and the Municipal Employment Office in Lublin, on 12 June? We ask Katarzyna Kępa, director of the MUP in Lublin, about all this.
Who are entrepreneurs most likely to look to today? What kind of employees are they seeking?
– In particular, IT professionals, civil engineers, doctors, nurses, medical analysts and cyber security specialists are in demand. Economists, chief accountants and specialists in service industries such as catering and hospitality are also among the desired professions. Our city is rich in restaurants and hotels, providing excellent opportunities for young people to gain valuable work experience.
Which industries, in turn, are of greatest interest to young people looking for a job or internship?
– Young people today have many opportunities for development and the chance to earn good wages, which makes them very demanding. They educate themselves in professions that offer these opportunities, such as IT, medicine (doctors), economics, multimedia production, computer graphics and architecture. These are very demanding fields of study, but acquiring a solid theoretical and practical education makes it easier to get a later start on the labour market. Young people realise that communication skills are also important, so they should strive to develop these. It is also important to have a driving licence and knowledge of foreign languages, which opens up more opportunities for them both financially and professionally.
Summer is ahead of us, lots of seasonal job offers and therefore opportunities to earn money. How can you tell which offers are from honest job brokers if, for example, such a person does not advertise through the employment office?
– People using job offers should carefully analyse them and check recommendations. Nowadays, we have the possibility to browse various portals, and it is also possible to contact intermediaries from the Municipal Employment Office to check whether an employer is reliable. It is a good idea to contact the job centre to make sure that the offers are reliable and will allow you to work safely abroad or at home. It is important that the work is adequately remunerated and that there is no exploitation of workers.
Entering the job market right after university can be a daunting experience for a young person. How do you prepare for it?
– Young people today have a lot of knowledge about the job search, but it is worthwhile to constantly expand this knowledge. They should contact universities, career offices and job centres. It is fundamental to examine one’s predispositions in order to follow a career path in line with one’s competences and skills. By choosing the right secondary school and university, it will be easier to find your way in your chosen profession. Young people realise that it is worthwhile to work during the summer holidays in order to earn extra money for a driving licence, language courses and specialised training related to their field of study. All this makes it easier to look for a job later on. Contacting the job centre is also very helpful. The job centre offers advice on CV writing, job interviews and the possibility of internships, which increase the chances of getting a job afterwards.
And what do you think are the reasons for young people’s difficulties in the current labour market?
– I think one of the biggest difficulties young people face today is a lack of communication skills. Although they are great with digital and IT, they sometimes find direct contact with employers problematic. Employers pay a lot of attention to the ability to communicate, cooperate in a team, establish relationships with customers and work effectively with superiors. These are very important qualities that not all young people possess, so it is worth developing these skills through cooperation with job centres and career offices.
On 12 June, Vincent Pol University and the Municipal Employment Office in Lublin are jointly organising a Career Day. Why is it worth taking part in this event?
– This is a very important event for university students and graduates. It is a great opportunity for young people to gain knowledge of job opportunities, talk directly to employers and find out what their requirements are. There will be an opportunity to submit CVs and learn about different professions, which can influence decisions about future careers. In addition, during this day there will be workshops run by the university on job searching, interviewing and finding your way in the labour market. This is valuable information that is worth acquiring and expanding on a regular basis in order to find your way more easily in the professional world.