Published on: 2026-09-16
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Graduate Faculty of Economics at NSU Lev Lobov developed the digital platform “Univork” for job search, which currently unites over 10,000 young specialists from 92 universities and 38 cities. This is a specialized service aimed at students and includes universities as full partners in the traditional “job seeker — employer” model. The main difference of the new platform is its official status in universities and a priority audience, which ensures a quick search for relevant jobs by students.
Students get lost on large sites
The labor market situation for young specialists today is paradoxical: 72% of students gain their first professional experience while still studying, and 70% of employers are willing to hire graduates without experience. However, on general job search websites, students remain unnoticed — their resumes get lost among thousands of responses from experienced specialists.
Students cannot find their first experience in their field: instead of engineering or IT positions, they are offered courier and cashier vacancies. Companies, in turn, lose the best candidates in a random flow. Universities do not see where the graduates are employed and are forced to work with each employer manually — instead of a unified system, there are dozens of disparate contacts.
— We believe that every young person deserves to realize their potential. Not just to find any job. Not to get hired wherever they can. But to find their own — that in which abilities unfold, meaning appears, and a true career begins, — explains Lev.
How did it all begin?
“Univork” grew out of the student startup NSUJobs, created in January 2024 by Lev Lobov, who was then a graduate student. He developed the first version of the platform entirely on his own — designed the architecture, wrote the code, ran the first campaigns, communicated with users, and maintained the site.
In a year and a half of implementing the NSUJobs project, it was possible to reach more than 60% of NSU’s audience, attract 110 targeted employers, and employ nearly 500 people in their specialty. In May 2025, the project was recognized as the best student startup at Startup Lynch’25.
At the end of 2025, the team decided to scale beyond their alma mater, completely revamped the infrastructure, entered the all-Russian market under the brand “Univork,” and became a resident of the Akadempark Business Incubator.
Univork platform
Technically, the platform consists of several web clients (personal accounts, the service architecture is designed for high loads and coverage of up to 5 million users. Recommendation algorithms provide personalization of the feature feed for each user, and AI is applied selectively — for small data classification tasks, without mass usage. At the same time, the key emphasis is on competent work with the audience: users, partners, and clients.
“Univork” is a specialized service on the market that offers a tripartite format: the platform includes universities within the classic “candidate — employer” model. Universities act as official career partners and active participants in the employment process of their students and graduates.
— While historically universities have tried to “push away” from this process, the emphasis here is precisely on partnership. Interaction is built through career centers, not paid traffic, which gives universities official status as career partners. In addition, universities receive an analytical product — dashboards on employment, salaries, and the demand for fields of study, and businesses receive predictive planning: the employer sees students entering the market in advance and can form a personnel reserve. — Lev says.
Thus, “Univork” is a career ecosystem that brings together students, employers, and universities. Students and graduates receive a personalized feed of verified specialized job openings, internships, practical training, and events. Employers gain direct access to a targeted audience of young professionals from leading universities, the ability to post job openings and internships, manage the company profile, and promote their HR brand among youth. Universities get tools for student and graduate employment, analytics and statistics, and reputation enhancement.
Today, the digital platform is used by leading universities in Siberia and Moscow, among the employers are companies such as Sberbank, Alfa-Bank, Beeline, CFT, Kept, B1, ITMS, DRT, and others.
The platform verifies every employer and does not allow MLM companies, illegal organizations, or gambling businesses. Among other available services are built-in chats for direct communication with candidates; collaboration — several company employees can manage the account from a single personal cabinet.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of information. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.