Employers have identified "red flags" in resumes and interviews for aspiring engineers.

A one- or two-page resume with clear wording ("agreed", "optimized", "calculated", "implemented") and a keen interest in the company increase the chances of a young engineer getting an offer even without work experience. Such conclusions were made by experts of the International Engineering CASE-IN Championship with the support of the Presidential Platform. "Russia is a land of opportunity" from the annual survey of employers. HR specialists of industrial companies are unanimous: lack of experience has ceased to be a critical barrier if a candidate is able to present his educational and project achievements through concrete results and tools.

The CASE-IN Organizing Committee annually polls the HR departments of partner companies in order to synchronize employers' expectations and youth requests. The data obtained becomes open recommendations for students and novice engineers, and also forms the basis for the programs of all championship projects. Seven industry leaders participated in the study: Metropolis, JSC System Operator of the Unified Energy System, JSC ALROSA, SIBUR, Altynalmas, PJSC ROSSETI and PJSC Mosenergo.

"CASE-IN annually conducts surveys among the leading Russian partner companies of the project in order to receive honest feedback on the formation of the personnel reserve. The results obtained are compared with the requests of the project participants, after that, if necessary, the programs for training a new generation of specialists for the leading areas of the Russian economy are adjusted. The results of the survey in 2026 will help students and young professionals understand which mistakes in resumes and interviews immediately screen out candidates, and which formulations help them get an offer, even if they have no work experience, so that talented guys have a map, compass and a clear path to the profession. Without accidents and guesses"- explains the CEO of the Presidential Platform "Russia – the land of opportunities" Andrey Betin.

What employers value: the five main insights of the study

Employers primarily expect a candidate to provide specifics in a resume.

"Formulaic formulations like "sociability" and "responsibility" do not work without an evidence base., - says the founder of the International Engineering Championship CASE-IN Artem Korolev, - HR specialists single out those who, instead of impersonally "participated in the project," write, for example: "calculated the kinematics of the mechanism in SolidWorks, optimized metal consumption by 11%." Priority – numbers, knowledge of GOST standards and snips, proficiency in specialized software such as BIM, RastWin, Autodesk."

The lack of experience is successfully compensated by training cases. To demonstrate participation in the CASE-IN championship, university projects or practices, experts recommend using the STAR methodology (situation – task – action – result). For example: "As part of the CASE-IN, our team developed the concept of a waste recycling plant, my contribution was the coordination of the group and the calculation of the mechanism, the project took second place and was awarded by an industrial partner."

The first minutes of an interview, according to employers, decide everything. They rate clarity of thinking, structured speech, neat appearance, and eye contact. Frowning, familiarity, and reading responses from a phone, on the contrary, create the image of a "tough" candidate.

"Burning eyes" and knowledge of the industry are valued above formal assessments. HR pays attention to a sincere interest in the profession, an understanding of the specifics of future work – for example, the difference between a career and a cut, a willingness to work "in the fields" at low temperatures.

In addition, HR highlights several "red flags". These are "I don't know" answers without trying to reason, criticism of previous employers, shifting responsibility ("they didn't explain it to us"), self-confidence, and lack of questions for the company.

Checklist for the candidate from the founder of CASE-IN Artem Korolev

Artem Korolev advises novice engineers to first of all clearly define their field and specialty: HR values confident applicants with a clear request. Your resume should include specific results, tools, and your personal contributions to projects. The volume of a resume also matters – it's important to choose the golden mean. Before the interview, it is necessary to study the specifics of the company and think over a self-presentation plan.

During an interview, you should be friendly, be interested in production processes and be sure to ask questions about the vacancy. If the candidate does not know the answer, it is better to start reasoning out loud to show the logic of thinking. And the most important thing is not to give up after several failures: perseverance and following the recommendations will definitely lead to results.

The CASE-IN Organizing Committee notes that the survey confirmed that the employing companies are aimed at actively attracting talented young people. The main thing is not just to master a specialty at a university, but to be able to present your skills in the language of the employer: specifically, professionally and with a sincere interest in the business.

A source: Russia is a land of opportunity