This year’s second monthly meeting of college student scholarship holders of the Hastor Foundation was held on Saturday, February 15, at the premises of ASA-Prevent Group. This was also the first meeting for the Hastor Foundation’s new scholarship holders. After the last Call for Scholarship Applications, the Hastor Foundation family has 21 new members!

The groups had the opportunity to listen to Mr. Kenan Kekić, who is currently the Executive Director of Eurofarm Centar, a private health institution. His 17-year-long experience in managerial positions, and the experience he gained through more than a thousand interviews he was part of, led to him being chosen as one member of the Commission for awarding scholarships of the Hastor Foundation. The topics that Mr. Kekić discussed with scholarship holders were “Whereto after my studies?”, “How to be prepared for an interview?” and “Bosnian proverbs and sayings”.

Kenan shared with the Foundation’s scholarship holders his life story and his path to success, with a powerful message that nothing should ever be an excuse or an obstacle on the path of accomplishing our goals – both the professional and the personal ones. The following part of Kenan’s lecture was given from the perspective of “the one who employs”, thereby wanting to provide some guidance to students and present to them what it is that the employer expects from a potential employee.

Kenan devoted special attention to the meaning of the term “positioning”, emphasizing its importance by providing different examples. Afterwards, he told the students that preparation and presentation during an interview play the key role during the selection process for any position. This is precisely why the main topic of the February meeting of college student scholarship holders of the Hastor Foundation was “How to be prepared for an interview?”.

Our guest emphasized that it is necessary to thoroughly read the call for the position you are applying to, and to find out as much as you can about the company – its mission, vision, size, turnover, etc. Good preparation will not only provide the candidate with self-confidence, but also help them make their CV and come up with the responses to the questions asked. However, our guest points out the fact that about 55% of the impression about a candidate is made based on their non-verbal communication. This is one of the reasons why it is necessary to constantly work on it and improve it.

It is not rare that the employer asks many questions during an interview for a job/scholarship, and these are intended to make the candidate think and to have them show their reaction in front of the employer. The guest lecturer revealed the questions that are most often asked during interviews, as well as the best responses to these questions. He also explained to the scholarship holders how to avoid revealing too much unnecessary information, and how to use the situation for their personal benefit.

Our guest saved the last part of the lecture for proverbs and sayings that can often be heard in our surroundings, especially when interacting with older generations. However, he emphasizes that some of these can have a bad effect on our motivation and decrease the productivity among the employees.

Once another wonderful lecture by a guest lecturer was brought to its close, the scholarship holders had the opportunity to resolve any uncertainties in terms of their volunteer obligations. The guest lecturer at the February meeting talked about something that is essential to all students when entering the business world. Well thought out techniques and skills linked to nonverbal and assertive communication, good preparation, experience, and that something that “makes us different from everyone else” are the characteristics that will make us valuable and promising in the labor market.

Amela Vatreš