-By Marinagrazia Bisogno- After the success of last year’s fall session, the Career Connect organized by MIT Spouses & Partners Connect will come back this spring with a series of workshops focused on job searching strategies. These workshops are open to spouses and partners who are looking for a job during their time at MIT, and will feature returning MIT S&PC guest again Bori Stoyanova, Human Resources Administrator of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT.

Bori has been working for a long time with students and international MIT community members and has broad experience in HR and recruiting. She joined MIT in 2006 and during her time here she has worked to enhance life in the community. We met Bori in her office to ask more about her work, and to collect some useful information and suggestions for our potential job searching!

Bori, you are very involved in the MIT community, and you received two awards, the MIT School of Engineering Infinite Mile Award and the MIT Laya Wiesner Community Award, both of them acknowledging your commitment and effort on the job. Which aims have you set for yourself and in your work?

I can tell you that I have never set aims with the purpose to win an award, I simply do my job, and I try through my work to promote the integration of people who come here to the MIT community. I try to spend my energy and my time in that direction, with Spouses and Partners and with other initiatives such as the MIT Women’s League.

I read a bit about you and your career, you graduated in Sofia and after your graduation you came to the United States. I realized that you have experienced the situation of being a foreigner who arrives in a new country, has to start a new life and look for a new job. How do you remember that situation and your feelings at that time?

Yes, I know this situation. I think I have been lucky, I came here with fluent English because I studied it at college, and when I arrived here it was a good moment for the economy of the United States. I came for a job interview and I was hired, so for me it is a positive memory, I remember that time as a great opportunity.

Let’s talk about Career Connect, how and when did you start your collaboration on this project?

I remember quite well how the project was born, I was a recruiter and I worked for HR here at MIT when Jennifer (Ed. Jennifer Recklet Tassi, Program Manager of MIT Spouses & Partners Connect) asked me to think about a presentation on the topics that are related to the job searching process. So my colleague and I made this first presentation which had a good result. I remember that the room was full and the feedback was positive. Since then we decided to replicate the event, which gradually had an evolution and an improvement that led to what Career Connect is today.

Career Connect has been designed to support and guide Spouses and Partners who, upon arrival in the US, want to start building a career but don’t know yet how it works here. In which way does Career Connect represent a resource in this situation?

We try to educate the international community of MIT about the cultural specifics of the job market in the US, and we also want to send the message to be patient, because the integration is not a fast process; at the same time we try to connect people who are in the same situation and could help each other.

People in the MIT community come from every part of the world and they often have  completely different cultural experiences from that in the US. What are the 3 words that in your opinion best describe the characteristics of the American job world?

Competitive, fast, hardworking, but I would also add rewarding.

So if you work hard, you will see the results of your work, is this what you mean?

Yes, exactly.

Career Connect is organized as a workshop and is made up of different meetings, each of them dedicated to a specific topic; I attended the last session and you addressed topics including resumes, cover letters, interviewing and networking. Based on your experience, what do you consider to be the toughest and easiest parts of the job search process in the US?

The toughest part is that it takes time, sometimes a long time, and the easiest part is probably the fact that you are completely involved in it, it keeps you busy full time.

It is like searching for a job is already a job, isn’t it? Yes, it is!

By the way, about duration, what is the average time it takes for job searching?

No, there is not an average time, it can change on the basis of a lot of factors but what I can suggest, meanwhile, is to do something like volunteering in the MIT community but also for other organizations. This can be a very good way to spend the time waiting for a good job offer.

Getting back to the several steps that are part of the job searching process, in your opinion, are there aspects more important than others to which a candidate should give more attention?

All the aspects and all the steps are important. Probably, if I have to choose one, I would say that networking is what I would try to improve more.

What are the 3 features of a strong resume?

The 3 C: clear, concise and confident.

Confident in which sense?

I mean fact oriented, it should describe with numbers and facts your experience and also highlight the results you have accomplished.

How much is the knowledge of the English language important on a scale of 1 to 10?

I think 9; English is important, even if it depends on the job. However, a fluency in English is generally required everywhere.

Given your experience as a recruiter, what is the suggestion that you would give to a candidate who has to go to his first job interview?

I would suggest to them to be confident and to be themselves.

What do you think makes a difference in the choice of one candidate over another?

If there are two or more candidates who have the same skills and experience the choice is made considering who fits better in the group. Usually there are 3 points that are evaluated in a recruitment process: skills, experience, and fit.

You have been a speaker for Career Connect for many years; what do you think about this coaching experience and what are the targets that you have set for it?

Oh I love it! This experience with S&P gives me the possibility to come back to my international background and for me it’s amazing. I have not set aims, I like to meet my audience and talk with them to understand what their needs are and adjust my work based on them.

As a last question, before saying goodbye and thanking Bori for the time she dedicated to us, I ask her if as a newcomer she would have attended Career Connect.

Yes, absolutely! I would use this opportunity and all the other ones that S&P offers to the international community as much as possible, for example, as we said before, for networking.

We look forward to hearing all the valuable advice Bori will give us during the next Spring Session of Career Connect! Check the Spouses & Partners Connect calendar for all the info. Make sure you don’t miss it!!!