How I landed my last job 2013 was a tough post-crisis year in Russia. Unemployment rates kept rising and it was quite difficult to get a job. I was laid off from my previous job as a Persian translator with a shipping company because my employer was losing money and made a reduction in workforce. I registered with a local employment center although it was absolutely useless. Their list of vacancies included only offers for general laborers or cleaners, whereas jobs for qualified workers could hardly be found. The problem is that regional employment centers in my country do not represent the real picture of the labor market. Therefore, their services aren’t popular either with employers or job seekers. It is also believed that their services are used by those candidates who are not able to seek employment by using other methods. One day my friend texted me he knew that a Chamber of Commerce was looking for English translator. I applied for the job right away and soon was invited for an interview. First, I had an interview with the Chief of Translation Division, next I was interviewed by the Director of Foreign Economic Relations Department and, in the end, my ultimate interviewer was the President of the Chamber himself. As I found out later, the Director of the Department had called to the head of the university department where I had studied to inquire about my academic performance and to get a reference as to my character as well. In fact, it's common practice in the organization to contact the institution where a candidate had studied to get first-hand and true account about him or her. I think I was hired for this job because I had necessary qualifications, relevant experience and, last but not the least, a good referee. Honestly, I believe it was partly a happenstance. I mean that If my friend hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known about this vacancy in time. First I was taken on a trial period, but a month later the Chief of the Translation Division went on maternity leave, so took her position and I got a permanent contract. First months of working there were really hard: a new place, new people and policies. I had been doing a lot of overtime to cope the large amount of work until I got used to my new job.