A diplomat from the Russian Foreign Ministry was a guest at a new career guidance meeting

On 12 February, as part of the department's career guidance project, an online meeting was held with Denis Karenin, a Japanologist, employee of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and graduate of MGIMO and Ural Federal University. Denis spoke about his experience working in Russian diplomatic missions in Japan and the Philippines, about the daily routine of the diplomatic service, and shared some memorable episodes from his practice. We would like to share some important points from this meeting.

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• ‘The pivot to the East’ is a reality.

Specialists in Asian and African studies are in demand today more than ever: new embassies and consulates are opening, and the number of commercial and humanitarian projects is growing. There is a high demand for promoting the Russian language in Asian and African countries.

• How to get into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Internships are not only available to MGIMO students. Graduates from St. Petersburg, Vladivostok and other cities are also in demand.

It is not only grades that are important, but also an active attitude: participating in competitions and writing research papers can be your ticket to the profession. 

• Modern diplomatic skills

Today, diplomats are also social media managers and analysts. Working with social networks, analysing information fields and using neural networks to prepare documents have become everyday realities. Additional skills (IT, public speaking) give a serious competitive advantage.

• Language skills

The most sought-after languages today are Chinese, Hindi and Turkish. However, knowledge of Japanese or Korean remains an advantage due to the small number of specialists. Rare languages (such as Tagalog) make an expert truly unique.

• The main thing is to get started

‘Don't be afraid to try, participate in competitions and internships. A non-specialised education is not an obstacle. History knows examples of mathematicians who became successful diplomats.’

We would like to thank Denis for his candid conversation and valuable insights, and all participants for their lively questions and interest in the topic!

Stay tuned for announcements about upcoming meetings!