«Staying Ahead of the Curve»: Media Management Students Engage with Yandex Representatives

On March 11, students enrolled in the Media Management educational program had the opportunity to meet with representatives from Yandex Advertising: Yulia Kudryashova, an event producer, and Yulia Kordinova, the marketing director. The session was overseen by Tatyana Magera, the academic head of the Media Management program.

© Olga Zotova

Yulia Kudryashova shared her extensive experience, including her work on major TV projects within the Red Square holding and the NTV show «Let's Go, Let's Eat!». She emphasized the demanding nature of television work, which despite its challenges, accelerates professional growth. Transitioning from independent event projects, she highlighted the multidimensional exposure and developmental opportunities within Yandex's event production. Kudryashova underscored the importance of proactive expertise, persuasive abilities, teamwork, and staying abreast of industry trends for success in event project management. She concluded by advising aspiring professionals to embrace initiative, experimentation, continuous learning, and passion for their craft, emphasizing the necessity to stay current and marketable.

Yulia Kordinova shifted the focus to her journey not just as a specialist but as a leader. Reflecting on her tenure at amoCRM and experience organizing AMOCONF business conferences, she detailed her transition to Yandex Advertising in 2021. Despite initial challenges assimilating into a new team and environment, Kordinova successfully spearheaded the establishment of new marketing initiatives, such as the «Training» program, which now trains over 120 thousand marketers annually. She echoed the sentiment that responsibility is earned, encouraging proactive engagement and idea implementation for personal and professional growth. Following their presentations, a lively question-and-answer session ensued. 

Kristina Belova and Marianna Hayrapetyan, 2nd year students of Media Management, were awarded souvenirs for posing the most engaging questions. The session proved highly informative, providing students with invaluable insights and practical wisdom.

Diana Godlevskaya, also a 2nd year student in the Media Management program, shared her impressions: «The detailed discussion of the speakers' career paths and tasks was incredibly enlightening. Hearing firsthand insights into various companies and perspectives on the importance of education and teamwork was invaluable.»

 When asked about the significance of engaging with students, Yulia Kudryashova expressed a sense of social responsibility, emphasizing the impact of practical teachings on her own academic journey.

Yulia Kordinova viewed it as both a social obligation and an opportunity to nurture future industry professionals by imparting practical knowledge and experience:  «For me, the opportunity to teach for students is, on the one hand, a social mission: if practitioners from the industry regularly came to me at the university and shared their experience, then my studies would be more productive and would give me much more motivation and inspiration. On the other hand, this is a great opportunity to transfer your knowledge and practical experience to future industry professionals. 

Kudryashova emphasized the importance of embracing challenges, continuous learning, and staying updated with industry trends. Kordinova, speaking from her perspective as a hiring manager, stressed thorough interview preparation, relevance of past projects to job vacancies, and the value of practical experience acquired during studies.

The speaker emphasis that students need to know in order to enter the labor market after studying: «First of all, search and mistakes are part of the way. You don't need to be afraid of them, you need to use them. Besides, the dream job hardly comes the first time. It's like true love. To find «the one», you need to go through something that doesn't suit you in order to understand what is truly yours. And finally, your development should not end with graduation. Constantly read relevant telegram channels, listen to podcasts, watch materials on YouTube and other sites, communicate with experts from the field. It is important to constantly develop your viewing experience and keep up to date with news and trends. 

Yulia Kordinova, added: I would note 3 important points from myself as a hiring manager: 

– Prepare carefully for interviews. Knowledge about the company and the product, a list of good questions at the end of the interview is something that I personally and many of my colleagues pay attention to.

 – Tell us about the projects that are primarily relevant for the vacancy, even if they were student projects within the university, but they fit the profile (for example, you organized a student forum and are being selected for the vacancy of an event manager), do not forget to mention this. Clearly state your role in the project and your contribution to the result.

 – During your studies, look for as many opportunities as possible to put your experience into practice: projects within the university, internships, part-time jobs. The sooner you start doing this and learn how to successfully combine it with your studies, the easier it will be for you to get into full-time work later.

 In essence, the session underscored the significance of proactive engagement, continuous learning, and practical experience in preparing students for successful careers in media management.

Translation: Nagham Ali