What specialists are needed in November: they want to work remotely, but agree to retrain

Muscovites complain about reduced performance due to darkness outside the window

November is called the most successful month for finding a new job – everyone is returning from summer holidays, and the mood “Come on, after the New Year?” still ahead. This year the cards were a little confused by the crisis – there are much more applicants than vacancies. Psychological problems are also on the rise: those Russians whose professions have now become unclaimed are in a hurry to retrain, while the most optimistic ones are still counting on “convenient” work with a floating schedule, remote mode and a pleasant team.

According to a survey conducted in mid-November 2022 in Moscow, less than half of the respondents (45%) still prefer to work in the office, this format seems to them the most productive. Another 30% of Muscovites like or have adapted to work from home, and 19% choose alternative options – to work in nature, in a coworking space or a cafe.

However, there is often no choice: against the backdrop of the crisis that accompanies our life after spring, many have lost their jobs (or earnings have dropped significantly), so they are forced to agree to even not very attractive conditions. Among the most popular requests today is to work with a career consultant, which can lead to new thoughts about the course of a career.

As HR specialist Lyudmila Shashkova, who is engaged in career counseling, told an MK correspondent in an interview, the problem itself falls into two parts – people with professions that are not very in demand now are trying in vain to “repackage” their resumes to look more attractive, and the holders of the necessary specialties don’t even bother with that.

– In the summer and autumn of this year, those who were employed in the field of advertising and entertainment, event managers, creatives, and wedding planners most often seek advice. In a word, those on whose services the business began to save in the first place. I recommend that such people carefully study their experience: if they could organize a festive event, then they can also organize a business one? Or, for example, if you worked in advertising, will you be able to refocus on promoting government projects? There is space, although the situation is difficult. From my own experience, I can say that business now relies on maintaining the most important areas, saving on additional ones. It happens that they fire a whole department of copywriters of the trading network in order to take new logisticians in their place.

Shashkova added that logisticians are not an abstract example: the demand for such specialists has been maintained since the very beginning of the pandemic. At the same time, Muscovites still insist: they do not like to sit in the office from 9 to 18. Thus, 46% of respondents said that the hybrid format of study or work is most suitable for them, another 20% prefer to work only online, and 34% are ready, as before, to constantly go to the office.

Oddly enough, with such requests, teachers were in a winning position. According to Shashkova, today there is a great demand for teachers who are ready to work with children a lot, but at the same time – remotely, using video chats.

– Demand is created primarily by those who left Russia, but at the same time do not want the child to completely break away from the Russian school curriculum. Some are considering going back. From such people there is a request for tutors with extended responsibilities who are ready to work with children online several times a week, the career consultant explained. She also added that subject teachers may well combine such part-time work with full-time employment at school.

At the same time, November is a traditional time for autumn depressions: as psychologist Anastasia Aleksandrova noted in an interview with an MK correspondent, many Muscovites complain of a decrease in working capacity due to short daylight hours and cold outside. At the same time, among the factors that contribute to productive work or study, Muscovites identified a good mood (40%), good sleep (12%), a comfortable workplace (11%) and enough time to complete tasks (9%). Only 3% of respondents are motivated by approaching deadlines and interesting tasks, and 1% highlight the interest of a teacher or leader in development as an important motivation factor. Also, 20% of respondents reported that people around them interfere with their work, 19% – a bad mood and 17% the presence of noise.