The event gathered over 200 young people interested in building a successful career and learning more about the opportunities available in the labor market.

The program included a series of workshops and keynotes delivered by experts from various fields such as marketing, IT, entrepreneurship, human resources and personal development. Participants had the chance to gain valuable information about current labor market trends, the skills needed to obtain a well-paying job, and how to build a winning CV and portfolio.

The workshops were interactive and practical, offering participants the opportunity to apply the knowledge acquired. For example, in the public speaking workshop, participants learnt how to deliver an engaging presentation and manage their emotions in front of an audience. In the entrepreneurship workshop, participants developed business ideas and learnt how to implement them.

Keynotes were delivered by prominent figures from various fields. For instance, Alexia Țăranu, founder of the Fashion Days platform, talked about the challenges and satisfactions of entrepreneurship. Andrei Pitiș, CEO of UiPath, discussed the importance of artificial intelligence and its impact on the labor market.

In addition to workshops and keynotes, the Youth Speak Forum also offered numerous networking opportunities. Participants had the chance to connect with professionals from various fields, learn more about the companies present at the event, and discover their potential future employers.

The Youth Speak Forum was an event focused on the needs and interests of Generation Z. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions to experts, express their opinions, and receive valuable feedback. The event demonstrated that young people are an ambitious, creative generation, eager to build a successful career.

The Youth Speak Forum was an important step in helping Generation Z build a successful career. The event provided young people with valuable information, inspiration and opportunities to connect with professionals from various fields.

The Youth Speak Forum was a landmark event for Generation Z, demonstrating that young people have the potential to succeed and need support and guidance to achieve their goals. 

Young people who wished to participate in person or online to the event could register here: YOUTH SPEAK FORUM 2024.

For more details about the Youth Speak Forum, Alex Daragiu invited Teodora Gheorghe and Mădălina Stanțieru, representatives of AIESEC, to the MyImpact show. From this interview, we learnt that the minimum salary Generation Z considers for employment is 4500 lei net per month.

The full show can be watched in the video above.

Alex Daragiu: Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! I am Alex Daragiu and today we have two young ladies from AIESEC for the Youth Speak Forum, an event that took place on April 19 at the Hollywood Multiplex Cinema at București Mall. Let's start by introducing ourselves a bit, starting with you...

Theodora Ghiorghe: I am Theodora Ghiorghe, a member of AIESEC Romania and I am the national PR representative.

Mădălina Stanțieru: I am Mădălina Stanțieru, the national development director of partnerships.

Alex Daragiu: How old are you?

Theodora Ghiorghe: 21 and 22 years old.

Alex Daragiu: All of us are from Generation Z. First off, how did you get to the point of promoting the Youth Speak Forum? How did you get here? Because it’s important to know what people our age can do to advance in their careers.

Mădălina Stanțieru: Well, we’ve been volunteering for AIESEC for a few years now and have seen several editions of the Youth Speak Forum both locally and nationally. It's a recurring event, a global initiative, you could say, that we organize. It happens in multiple entities.

Theodora Ghiorghe: I've participated in several events as well, and that's how I ended up volunteering for a couple of years now. I manage PR, because I truly believe in our vision.

Alex Daragiu: So it’s important to get involved after all. Besides, jobs don’t just come to us... What happens at the Youth Speak Forum, what do I need to know, for example, to participate or to wish to participate?

Mădălina Stanțieru: It's a one-day event focused on Sustainable Development Goal 8, on Decent Work and Economic Growth, attended by several partner companies. This is also a networking space, as well as one where keynote speeches and workshops are held for students from Romania. And that's why it's a hybrid event, in person at Hollywood Multiplex in București Mall and also online, for students across the country to access the spaces where partners hold their sessions.

Alex Daragiu: What problem is this event supposed to solve? To make it easier for someone our age to find a job, to have some extra connections?

Theodora Ghiorghe: Indeed! And also to understand which job offers on the labor market might suit them, because usually, we don’t know exactly which direction to take. This is one of the reasons why it’s quite hard for young people today to find a job they like. Especially now, with many internships often requiring prior work experience, it’s a bit harder for someone who's just starting out and doesn't really know exactly what to do in their career. I think it’s difficult. Navigating the difference in experience that someone from Gen Z may have compared to another generation can be challenging.

Alex Daragiu: Essentially, when you're seeking employment, such as an internship, and it requires two years of experience, it's somewhat contradictory. How can a company, for instance, tailor a recruitment strategy to accommodate a generation? What offerings or guidelines can it implement?

Mădălina Stanțieru: In my opinion, it has a lot to do with the company's involvement in society, especially with the new policies of corporate and social responsibility, and what employees in the company do to promote an inclusive, prosperous and fair working environment for everyone. I believe this is an important criterion when people, especially Generation Z, are looking for a job. So yes, it’s also about the company’s culture and the activities they are involved in within the community.

Alex Daragiu: But you see, we have people here as a perfect example. If you were to choose a job, what would be the first thing you think about? I mean, what's the foremost thing: from salary to precisely what you mentioned - the company's culture.

Theodora Ghiorghe: I believe the work schedule is somewhat important, especially considering we're students. Many of us aim to juggle both university attendance and employment. Trying not to be late for classes, not to have absences. And I believe this aspect of salary is somewhat important as well. It's necessary to have a salary that enables you to sustain yourself, more or less, particularly if you're a student from a different region residing in a city with high living costs, ensuring you can maintain a certain standard of living.

Alex Daragiu: So, the schedule should be primarily flexible, let's say, and the minimum wage shouldn't be so minimal. I understand... there's a statistic stating that 23% of young people in Romania don't have a job, and that's just the statistic. Why is this happening? From your perspective, do they not want to work, are they lazy, do they want to live off their parents' money or are they not finding the right job?

Mădălina Stanțieru: Probably because of this desire to enter the workforce quickly and not necessarily explore your passions or strengths. And we also have plenty of opportunities through which we can do these things and develop certain hard and soft skills, but we just need to choose, to participate in some way, because I don't necessarily believe that Generation Z is a lazy generation or that they want to live off their parents' money. I just think they may not have had the opportunity to truly discover what they want to do, and no one wants to go every morning to a job they hate. So you want to do something you're truly passionate about and would actually enjoy continuing in that field.

Alex Daragiu: Correct, I’ve seen this problem too. Usually, you go to college, you don't do anything else alongside it, and you just finish college, after which you're supposed to look for a job. You look for it purposefully, you don't explore anything, and even before college, you didn't make any attempts, not necessarily to find a job, but also projects, right? You could, for example, be volunteering somewhere or hanging out with colleagues who volunteer elsewhere. It's like a form of networking you should engage in. Networking seems to be the basis for building options because otherwise, the only option is what you’ve seen at home: mom works somewhere, dad works somewhere... Or that’s also a problem, right? There are parents who guide you based on what they know. Have you experienced situations where your parents tell you to do something they know about, but you actually want something completely different?

Theodora Ghiorghe: No, I didn’t even know exactly what I wanted to do. My parents work in accounting. I went to an economic high school and realized it wasn’t for me. I can handle it, but I don’t like it. I couldn't do that, and they never told me, "OK, you have to do it!", but I joined an association and had the chance to experience various areas, such as HR or recruitment, or handling the experience of international interns, figuring out where to accommodate them and dealing with all aspects of projects and sales. This helped me move forward and figure out that I wanted to pursue PR, which is what I do today.

Alex Daragiu: It’s great that you searched because otherwise, you could have continued doing what you knew from home and it wouldn’t have made you happy. But you found options... Have you been in this situation?

Mădălina Stanțieru: When I graduated high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next... I hadn’t explored much to figure out what I’d like to do in the future, and during university, I got more involved in projects and volunteering. That’s how I started discovering what I’d like to do. So, if I could go back in time, I’d probably choose a different faculty. But I think there's also another issue, that sometimes, as young people, we probably don't fully understand how companies operate internally and we may have some false expectations about the jobs we choose. The events or projects we try to undertake are meant to set some standards or expectations for young people when they're looking for a job.

Alex Daragiu: I’ve noticed another problem – often, when I talk to people my age or younger who can’t find a job, I ask them if they have a LinkedIn profile or a CV. If they have something online where they can be found besides their Facebook account, which probably has a silly name... and usually, they don’t. They want to catch fish without a bait, so to speak... Do you have any advice in this direction for platforms you can use such as LinkedIn? Or tips for good CVs. What to include? What not to include?

Mădălina Stanțieru: I think it also depends a lot on the profile and what the employer is looking for. Firstly, because the skills you have should match the job they need in the company, and a lot is chosen based on the profiles. But I think it's important for young people to make an effort and seek out as many opportunities as possible to develop those skills. And just as you said - to have a good CV that includes the achievements they've had in each position or opportunity they've had. And the same goes for the LinkedIn profile, because that's where they're mostly searched for and where your profile is somewhat verified.

Alex Daragiu: And there's another important thing: when you start writing your CV, you realize you don't have much to put in it. It's the moment of clarity when you understand the reasons why someone might or might not seek you out. This is when exploring volunteer opportunities becomes relevant. You head in a direction at that moment, realizing you don't have much to include. Thus, it becomes a personal realization as well. What do you think are the discriminations a young person faces when applying for a job right now? Experience could be one... any others? I don't know, being too dreamy, being too young?

Theodora Ghiorghe: Yes, I think there's also a bit of this stereotype aspect, for example when you asked us if we think maybe Gen Z is lazier as a generation... And I think this part is somewhat stereotypical and it's to our disadvantage because people have the impression that young people today just want to live off others' money. And why would I hire you? Because anyway, you don't have much experience, you don't know what you want to do? There's a chance you might leave us sooner than a regular employee would...

Alex Daragiu: Have you ever faced this yourself?

Mădălina Stanțieru: Yes. But I think there's also a problem that exists in society right now, which is that we usually perpetuate these stereotypes and don't try to make our voice heard and act more like leaders. In fact, we should show that Generation Z is a generation that could bring about change and that we have initiative. Instead of destroying these stereotypes, we usually nourish them.

Alex Daragiu: What were your expectations from the Youth Speak Forum, for example, and what did you hope to learn from other participants?

Theodora Ghiorghe: My expectations from the Youth Speak Forum were mainly to understand exactly what companies are looking for and to set some relevant standards for myself. I wanted to know what kind of company I’d like to work for and which one aligns with my values. For me, it's important how companies engage with the community and society, especially since I've done volunteer work before. Also, the networking opportunities with partner companies and other participants were valuable to see what challenges they’ve faced.

Alex Daragiu: The company comes with its CV to show you what they expect from you... What are some fears a young person might have when looking to get hired? One example in my mind is what you mentioned about a rigid schedule, not being able to fit the job into your time, or the salary not being high enough to cover rent if you've moved to Bucharest. And other such issues. Colleagues will look down on me now because...

Theodora Ghiorghe: The fear of being the youngest at the workplace and being looked down upon because you lack experience or others may not have the same patience with you as they would with someone else. I think this is one of the biggest fears. But again, I hope that at the Youth Speak Forum, people and companies came together to broke these stereotypes and myths because people need to get over these fears. In life, if you don't try, you can't overcome them. But yes, there's also the fear of being the youngest at work...

Alex Daragiu: It puts you in a secondary position. Well, that's a fear even when you're the oldest at the workplace...

Mădălina Stanțieru: Maybe you get to a job and realize that the degree you completed isn't necessarily in the field you want to continue in. Since it was your first chance to try out that field, you then need to figure out how to build your life and decide which direction to take...

Alex Daragiu: What is a motivating salary for Generation Z, in your opinion? Or from what you've heard. A well-paid internship is around 4,500 lei, at least from what I’ve seen on LinkedIn and heard from others.

Mădălina Stanțieru: I wouldn’t say it’s a sensitive topic, it’s within that range. I think young people also have a problem knowing how to price themselves or understand the relevance of their skills and the value they bring. So, that's why it’s a topic we treat a bit more cautiously or sensitively.

Alex Daragiu: Well, this is true for people of any age, believe me. There are people with 20-year careers who still don’t have a clear idea of how to ask for raises... I would say 4,500 is adequate for an internship. Plus, the easiest way is to calculate how much it costs to live in, for example, Bucharest... You have collaborated with students or young people from other countries. What strengths do you think a Romanian has compared to what you’ve encountered elsewhere?

Mădălina Stanțieru: We are very much oriented in trying to do things as best as possible towards excellence, and I think it's a quality appreciated when young people in Romania are looking to get employed. Also, we like to sometimes take calculated risks, I would say, and try out more opportunities, solutions, and implement them. And I believe we are also a generation of young people with an entrepreneurial spirit, so I think that helps a lot when you are looking for a job, you know it sets you apart a bit from other candidates.

Theodora Ghiorghe: I was involved in welcoming people from abroad and I could see that our generation is much more open to change. We can adapt, take on risks—whether calculated or not—and we are very open to new experiences, to other people and helping each other out. Because I've noticed that individualism is more common, especially in the West, but I don't think we have that here yet, and I'm really glad about it. We still help each other out, even on LinkedIn, for example. If you don't have a good CV, someone might say, "Hey, let me help you. Look at mine, take it as an example". I think this really benefits us a lot... We are warmer. Yes, this has been pointed out to me, which I think helps a lot.

Alex Daragiu: I’d add adaptability. I swear. I’ve met people who have done completely opposite things. What are some preferred jobs for people our age? I don't know, what comes to mind when you hear that someone wants to get hired? What are those jobs? IT, for example, since that's the most obvious one... anything else? I don't know, what have you looked for, for example...

Theodora Ghiorghe: I think marketing is also very popular, yes, communication in general. Also management, leadership, in those areas.

Alex Daragiu: How much has volunteering helped you up to this point, and what foundational skills have you learned from it?

Theodora Ghiorghe: You somehow learn adaptability, which you don’t always have naturally. You have to practice it and learn it first. And I think volunteering helps a lot with that, in general. By going through various areas of work, you can see things on a smaller scale compared to what you'd do in a corporation or a company, but you get the chance to practice everything you'd like to do. On a smaller scale, but you can get an idea of what's happening. For example, in sales. We also handle sales, where people actually call companies, set up meetings and sign contracts. For someone at 20 years old, this can feel quite surreal because there's often a fear of even calling to order a pizza, let alone calling a company. Saying that you called someone and signed a contract is a big deal. There's a lot of pride in being able to go to your parents and say, "Look what I did at 20 years old", showing that you're not just sitting around—it makes you more responsible.

Alex Daragiu: How can workshops or keynote speeches at the Youth Speak Forum help young people achieve their professional goals in your opinion? How can something like this help? Firstly, because it's practical and you gain first-hand experience.

Mădălina Stanțieru: And they also have the chance to speak with experts in the field. In other words, they somehow get the experts' opinion, so to speak. So it gives you direction and a source of credibility, it helps you understand a bit how you would fare in such a situation. It's a kind of real-life simulation, and again, it helps to understand a bit what standards we, as young people, should have towards companies, not just companies coming with certain standards towards us and our CVs.

Alex Daragiu: I would add one thing: the humanization of a company, because at this moment, when I think of a large company, I don't have a face to associate it with. Also, the fact that in a meeting like this, you have contact persons you can talk to, whom you can practically reach out to later on LinkedIn, in case you have CVs and what we have discussed about before, and then you can further connect in a chain...

Mădălina Stanțieru: And in the networking space, you can initiate conversations on topics that interest you and receive responses on the spot. So, I think this is also very beneficial, particularly in addressing fears... I think that’s why it answers you indirectly...

Alex Daragiu: But you have to prepare your questions beforehand. When was the event again? Just so we all know...

Theodora Ghiorghe: On April 19th, at Hollywood Multiplex in București Mall. In person as well as online.

Alex Daragiu: Thank you very much!