– JumbaQ is an educational platform for IT professionals. Could you tell us more about the project?
– We prepare IT professionals for job interviews at global technology companies, including Big Tech. The candidate assessment process consists of five or six stages and resembles an examination: technical knowledge, programming and communication skills, and psychological readiness are all evaluated. Technical interviews are conducted by software engineers or hiring managers themselves.
I am a backend developer and spent seven years working as a Software Engineer at Amazon, where I conducted technical interviews for the company in the United States. So I know this process from the inside and understand what is expected of candidates.
– What is the typical profile of an IT professional who approaches you?
– We primarily work with professionals from CIS countries who already have experience in their local markets. Our candidates are typically between 25 and 35 years old, with several years of professional experience or product management skills.
They want to enter the international job market, gain opportunities to work on global products, and learn engineering practices from industry leaders such as NVIDIA and OpenAI.
– When a specialist from Kazakhstan gets a job at an international Big Tech company and moves abroad, what does this mean for Kazakhstan's economy: a brain drain or the creation of an international professional network that could eventually benefit the country?
– I have asked myself the same question: could this lead to a brain drain, and how would it affect Kazakhstan? That is why I began studying the experiences of other countries, particularly China and India.
At one point, many developers from these countries moved abroad to work for major technology companies, including those in Silicon Valley. This initially raised concerns. However, five, ten, or fifteen years later, the knowledge, skills, and experience they had accumulated began flowing back into their domestic IT ecosystems, contributing to their growth.
These professionals maintained ties with their homeland: they established companies, invested, taught, mentored others, and helped build professional networks. Developers who had gained experience in the United States and Europe created new opportunities for their home countries as well.
I see this as an exchange of knowledge and international experience that helps develop Kazakhstan's IT ecosystem. We need professionals who have worked at leading companies and mastered modern engineering practices. By returning to Kazakhstan or maintaining connections with the country, they can share their knowledge, create their own products, mentor others, and invest in local projects.
– How do you work with representatives of global companies, and what types of specialists are they currently looking for?
– I collaborate with experts who are directly involved in recruitment: recruiters, software engineers who conduct technical interviews, and hiring managers. These are the people who train our candidates.
There is currently demand for specialists in AI and FDE, as well as highly skilled backend and software engineers.
I believe developers from Kazakhstan have very strong technical skills. What they often lack is the ability to effectively package their experience and present it to international employers. Our goal is to help professionals and employers find each other.
– How do you use artificial intelligence in your work and in preparing candidates?
– I delegate routine tasks involving analysis and repetitive manual work to AI. I develop and implement ideas together with people, while using AI to prepare standardised materials, such as agreements and contracts.
My students also use AI as a tool for practising interviews independently. It is very convenient because AI does not judge you and has endless patience.
AI is good at recognising metacognitive processes, so it helps candidates identify weaknesses in their answers that can be difficult to notice on their own.
I am currently developing a training tool of this kind. It will simulate job interviews, allowing professionals to practise and feel more confident during real interviews.
– Kazakhstan is developing new technology and industrial projects. If local companies need specialists with particular skills, would you be able to help train them?
– I approach this question primarily as an engineer: first, we need to understand the problem we want to solve. Then we need to determine which specialists and skills are required and whether such professionals are available in the local market.
If they are, that is excellent. If not, we need to organise retraining. To do this, I would bring in experts with international experience in the relevant industry who could train our specialists and transfer practical skills to them.
For example, university graduates have theoretical knowledge but are not always prepared for the practical demands of the industry. Working with experienced professionals would help them develop these competencies.
I am building a platform that brings together professionals, employers, and experts from leading international companies. Here, people can learn how the job market is changing, which professions and skills are in demand, acquire the necessary knowledge, and prepare for interviews.
Our goal is to help people understand employers' requirements in the age of AI and prepare to meet them. We want to make the path to employment more transparent, understandable, and less stressful.
– Which IT specialisations do you believe will remain in demand in the coming years?
– Engineering and software development are not going anywhere. There will always be a need for specialists in backend, machine learning, AI, and full-stack development. Developers with a strong foundation in computer science and software engineering will be particularly sought after
