The St. Petersburg Times
Issue #1420 (84), Tuesday, October 28, 2008

As the ruble fluctuates, stock markets slump and investment banks are sold off for a song, assessments of and forecasts for the financial situation vary. Sales of jewelry soared in October as Russians hurried to invest their money rather than leave it in banks, while television beamed politicians urging people to stay calm and offering reassurances that Russia’s economy is perfectly well equipped to weather the financial storm.

With the Russian economy in rude health and new employment opportunities opening up, the vexing question of what time of year is best to move jobs has become more and more relevant. Russians traditionally believe that autumn is the time to find the best opportunities, but as the economy matures this nostrum is being challenged.

Over fifty percent of candidates looking for a job doubt whether their CV shows them in a favorable light, and about the same proportion of candidates are not confident in their ability to produce a positive impression on a prospective employer during a face-to-face interview, says a report produced by Kelly Services.

When Peter the Great started building St. Petersburg in 1703, his vision was of a new capital that would resemble a western city in both appearance and customs. With impressive energy and entrepreneurial skills, Peter I tried to bring the best European achievements to Russia, such as business knowledge, practicality, good organization and attention to education, arts and science.

Over the last few years, the popularity of social networking websites such as Facebook.com, LinkedIn.com and their Russian equivalents VKontakte.ru and MoiKrug.ru has soared, particularly among office workers. What could be more tempting when sitting in front of a computer all day than messaging your friends, looking at their holiday pictures, seeing who their friends are and cyber-stalking people you dated or went to school with long, long ago? In fact, the popularity of such websites has become such that a third of employers in the U.K have banned social networking sites in the workplace entirely, on the basis that e-networking reduces productivity. The online publication HR Zone recently reported that Facebook users who access the site during office hours are costing UK companies $264 million a day.

With the Russian economy in rude health and new employment opportunities opening up, the vexing question of what time of year is best to move jobs has become more and more relevant. Russians traditionally believe that the fall is the time to find the best opportunities, but as the economy matures this nostrum is being challenged.