I want to be an engineer – who will hire me: tips from CASE-IN will help build a career in a prestigious company

How to get a dream job for a student and a novice engineer: the organizing committee of the International Engineering CASE-IN Championship summed up the results of a survey among HR specialists from major industry companies about working with potential personnel. They shared the secrets of how young people can create a "catchy" resume, successfully complete an interview and demonstrate their potential without experience.

The study participants included 7 companies that support one of the projects of the presidential platform "Russia – the land of opportunities", providing young people with opportunities for career and professional development. 

"We annually conduct surveys among the leading companies in the fuel and energy sector and learn about their priorities in building human resources.  The results obtained are compared with the requests of young people, after which, if necessary, adjustments are made to programs and projects to train high–quality specialists for the leading areas of the Russian economy," said Artyom Korolev, founder of CASE-IN. "The results of our survey in 2026 will help students and aspiring 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."

"Metropolis": we appreciate concreteness and clarity of thinking

In a resume, it is important to avoid general phrases and focus on specific results and personal contributions: you should not write "worked on projects", but "agreed on 18 interface nodes and optimized metal consumption by 11%." HR companies value numbers, standards (GOST standards, SNiPs, etc.) and technologies (BIM, Autodesk, MS Project), as well as formulations that demonstrate an active role. 

A well–written resume is the key to an early invitation to an interview. In the first minutes of the interview, the company's HR staff assess the clarity of thinking, the structure of speech and the understanding of the role of the future profession. Then soft skills come to the fore: the ability to communicate with designers, ask clarifying questions, and work in a team. Metropolis recommends compensating for the lack of experience with specific study cases, completed projects, and knowledge of norms. 

For the company, confident answers, logic and the ability to argue will become an indicator of a candidate's maturity, and the inability to explain his contribution, passivity and "I don't know" answers without trying to reason will make him turn away from him.

System operator: burning eyes and project thinking are important

JSC "System Operator of the Unified Energy System" He is looking for engineers who can successfully realize their research potential, solve interesting tasks and make important decisions, developing the industry and keeping abreast of the energy pulse..

Of the many resumes reviewed daily by recruitment specialists, only those that focus on specifics and professionalism attract attention. The system operator recommends avoiding boilerplate phrases like "sociable" or "responsible" and instead describing the specifics of previously solved tasks. For example, "As part of the CASE-IN, I developed an algorithm ... by analyzing ... in a RastWin PC, modeled graphs and proposed an option using automation devices (AVR). The proposed scheme allowed...".

The employer evaluates not only experience, but also potential during interviews, which is why there are many young professionals working here, for whom the company has become the first in the workbook. Lack of experience is not a hindrance if the candidate demonstrates knowledge of technological processes and the ability to apply theory in practice. 

HR pays attention to the "burning eyes": sincere interest in the industry, knowledge of the latest changes in dispatching. Adequate self-assessment, awareness in choosing a profession, and understanding of complex projects are also important. During the interview, they will ask questions about upcoming tasks, adaptation, and the team. The system operator strongly advises against memorizing answers, immediately haggling over salaries, and criticizing past employers.

ALROSA: No long resume and passivity

ALROSA JSC (PAO) He pays attention not to the grades in the diploma, but to the tools that the candidate owns. Long resumes with unnecessary information (for example, a description of achievements in school Olympiads) only get in the way – just one sheet with key achievements is enough, the diamond mining company noted.

At the interview, the candidate should know the industry specifics: for example, how a quarry differs from a mine or what programs are used in geology. He can demonstrate his potential through questions about software, mentoring, or growth areas. HR specialists recommend compensating for the lack of experience with technical literacy and understanding of the production cycle. 

Before an interview at ALROSA, an applicant should remember the seemingly trivial points: arrive without delay, prepare documents, check the connection if the meeting is online. Typical mistakes are cramming instead of understanding, passivity, ignorance of the company, familiarity, lack of questions.

SIBUR: Don't be overconfident and "heavy"  

When reviewing numerous resumes, the company is attracted to formulations reflecting specific results: "calculated the load on the foundation," "compiled a 3D model," etc. A negative aspect for the applicant will be copying job descriptions and watery descriptions of diplomas, the general phrases "stress-resistant" and "easy to learn" without an evidence base are unacceptable.  

If the candidate has participated in prestigious projects and completed internships, it is better to describe them using the "STAR" methodology: S (Situation-The situation) T (Task-Task) A (Action-Action) R (Result-The result) 

SIBUR's specialists give an example: (S) Last semester, our team participated in the university engineering CASE-IN championship, where we were tasked with developing a concept for waste recycling plants from pyrolysis furnaces in the form of Coke. (T) As a captain and designer, I had to not only develop a coke implementation program, but also coordinate the work of cross-functional specialists in a short time. (A) I organized meetings on the status of the project, independently calculated the kinematics of the mechanism in SolidWorks and personally presented the solution. (R) Our project was recognized as the best in technical performance, took 2nd place, and the recycling plant I proposed was marked by an industrial partner as ready for implementation.

In the first minutes of the interview, neat appearance, eye contact and friendliness are assessed. A frown or annoyance at technical problems creates an image of a "difficult" candidate. The ability to ask clarifying questions, argue a position, and accept criticism is important for an HR company. willingness to learn and work with your hands, rather than immediately lead. Phone reading and overconfidence will be a red flag. 

Altynalmas: less dreaming, more acting 

For successful employment in a company from Kazakhstan, it is not general information that is important, but specific results and tools. When reviewing resumes, HR specialists focus on a clear structure, numbers, technologies, real achievements and contributions to completed projects. A plus would be to mention the specialized software that the young man owns. 

Altynalmas values confidence, clarity of speech, responsibility, teamwork, and compliance with safety regulations. The applicant will need to prepare for questions about specific engineering solutions, methods of checking calculations, or actions in emergency situations. The company will consider the ability to recognize knowledge gaps and suggest ways to eliminate them as the maturity of the candidate. 

The company does not recommend shifting responsibility to others ("they did not explain this to us") and to talk only about dreams, not about concrete steps.

PJSC ROSSETI: we need to be ready to work in the fields

For a young man who wants to connect his professional destiny with Rossetiami The presence of an electrical safety group and readiness to visit facilities are important. At the same time, listing hobbies instead of professional skills and the lack of details about the graduation project will not add to his whist.

A candidate who asks questions about equipment and digital substations will immediately stand out in the eyes of the company's HR specialists. But in response, they can ask their questions: "What is the short-circuit current?", "Are you ready to work at an altitude of -30?", "What is more important — safety or speed?". You need to understand the difference between operation, construction, and dispatching, and also be prepared to start with field work. 

Take signals for the company: the candidate reasons out loud, recognizes gaps ("I don't know, but I'm ready to study"), understands the specifics of working in the energy sector. Markers of "not taking risks": boilerplate answers, superficial motivation ("I live nearby") and ignorance of the company's activities in the region.

ROSSETI is looking for engineers who not only know the theory, but are also ready to put it into practice, learn and work in a team. The company advises students and novice specialists to demonstrate interest, specificity and readiness for real tasks, rather than just listing diplomas and hobbies.

Mosenergo PJSC: engineering curiosity is a priority

The resume must contain the following phrases: "optimized", "automated", "implemented". There is no need to write "actively participated" and "helped colleagues", to list all the programs in a row (including Paint, it is better to specify only the profile ones). Hierarchy is especially important (the tutor's experience should not be higher than a diploma in power transmission lines) and volume (and not too short resumes without details, and not "sheets").

In the first minutes of the interview, the company evaluates confidence, speech structure, and the ability to talk about themselves without unnecessary details. The applicant will be asked to disassemble a simple diagram and will be asked to tell about the most difficult engineering task he has encountered. An adequate assessment of processes, the ability to admit mistakes, engineering curiosity and independence are expected from a future specialist here. Effective communication, critical and project thinking are also important in the course of work.

Based on recommendations from major companies, the founder of CASE-IN, Artyom Korolev, developed and I posted it on my social networks a checklist that will help young people get a job offer.