Meet the employer: Profi.ru
A specialist-search service with a 17-year history, which still considers itself a startup.
About the company

[Svetlana Kolomiitseva, Project Manager] Profi.ru is a service that helps clients and professionals find each other. Clients can get in touch with professionals from any sphere – private tutors, driving instructors, plumbers or hairdressers. Profi.ru has a total of over 1,000,000 specialists offering 900 types of services. Individual specialists and companies find clients with the help of Profi.ru, with over 10,000 new orders published on our website daily.

A few words about the history of the company from the editors:

[Editors] Profi.ru is a company founded by physicists. Its team members are very pragmatic and love working with data. The company values different approaches, tests and analyzes them to understand its audience better. At Profi.ru soft skills are no less important than hard skills. Employees can change their fields of activity without leaving the company, and gain more skills in the process.


What's the status on hiring at Profi.ru? How is the company working in the pandemic?
[Svetlana] Despite the high level of uncertainty and a temporary pause on hiring in the spring, we are gradually opening more and more positions.

[Editors] The pandemic made the company work remotely, in a Remote Only model. It turned out that its team members were able to work well even without an office. However, after the pandemic ends, the company plans to try an Office & Remote model. The main idea is to come to the office as often as they can, since the employees' presence isn't only important for them and their team, but for the other people in the office as well. Profi.ru believes that Office & Remote work model will help the company improve its life quality, boost productivity and increase the number of strong people in the team.

What do you believe people need to think about when job hunting?
[Svetlana] ]My personal opinion is you need to listen to yourself. Look for something that inspires you. It can be anything – great challenges, complex technology, useful products for people. Determine your desired role, objectives and remuneration for yourself. Check the people who you are going to work with. Who are they? Do you want to be around them every day? Do you want to make something cool together?

[Editors] Gather recommendations and feedback on your work! People often forget to mention their achievements during interviews or, on the contrary, they exaggerate their work experience. Feedback will help build an objective picture. If you lack work experience, just three contacts are enough. The employers can even contact your teacher, internship supervisor or head of department.
What career advice can you give to someone who is searching for a job in your industry?
[Svetlana] Of course, soft skills are important. Learn to understand yourself and other people's worldview better, communicate and interact harmoniously with others. Develop your communication skills and gain awareness. This is useful in any professional area and life in general.
What should a student start with?
[Svetlana] There is always something you can do to prepare for job hunting:

  1. Explore the marketplace of employers. It's very important to understand what kind of company it is, what its requirements and values are. For example, we have a whole section on the Profi.ru website about the principles of working with us.
  2. Check if there are any vacancies that match your experience and ambitions.
  3. Be active! Send your resume to the openings you are interested in. Go to interviews without the fear of being rejected.
  4. Don't be afraid to ask recruiters for feedback.
  5. Be sure to analyze their responses. Good luck!

The Skoltech Career Center thanks Svetlana Kolomiitseva for this interview and support.