I have over 8 years of experience in design and art, served as a design tutor for design teachers, co-owned an IT company, built the design department from scratch at Qoollo, and designed products for international markets.
In 2022, I relocated from Russia and began searching for a new job. Despite a severe labor market crisis, I completed 80 interviews in two months and ultimately chose from 3 excellent offers from the US and EU, securing a salary three times higher than before.
I began as a Product Designer at the EU-based company App-Smart, then joined Family Space - an international startup with products across the US, LATAM, and MENA markets. Currently, I’m part of Hoogu, an Israeli startup.
During these unstable times, I deeply relate to people moving and seeking their first job in a new country - one of life’s most important steps. So, I began to help:
Did 300+ free consultations about job search
Over the past three years of job-seeking mentorship, I’ve helped more than 100 clients secure desirable jobs.
Created a free, high-quality CV_template used by over 6,500 people.
Published many useful posts about real job searches and hosted several free webinars.
Career guidance, CVs, Portfolios, Interviewing, LinkedIn, Career path and others
Product, UX/UI, Web, Graphic design, Industrial design and Illustration, Art direction, Creative leadership e.t.c
Public speaking, Work and life balance, Copywriting, Teaching, Communication with management, Idea generation and other skills
Tell me your request and we will discuss it. I will tell you if I can help you. Maybe recommend a mentor I know, if I can't help myself
We created a strong resume, since my previous one was poorly structured and not effective. Ilya gave me knowledge and experience that will stay with me moving forward. And in the end, I landed a job.
What I especially liked:
• Communication process: clear, easy, and very informal
• Professional knowledge of all the nuances. He answered my questions and highlighted gaps I hadn’t noticed
• Shared useful templates and strategies
• Looking back, it would have been great to record the session (I didn’t think of it at the time)
What sets Ilya apart from other career mentors is that he digs much deeper and doesn’t just “read from a script” during your call. He genuinely analyzes your case and works through it with you.
I am a UX/UI designer with almost 6 years of experience at the same company. I reached out to Ilya after a long and unproductive job search. Together, we updated my resume, refined my LinkedIn profile, and completely redesigned my portfolio. Now it has a clear structure, well-written project descriptions, and a much more professional look. Ilya didn’t just give generic advice - he dove into the details and was clearly invested in achieving results.There was even a funny moment - while we were discussing my portfolio, his dog started barking as if saying, “Misha, this is all cr*p, start over” 😄. After that, I sat down and completely reworked everything.
In the end, the job search became easier and more productive, and I started getting more responses from HR. All the information I received was useful and to the point.Thanks to him for the help and support!
I found a job 🙂
If you want, I can also make a more concise and polished testimonial version so it reads better for a portfolio.
I found a remote job in Cyprus, and after four months I received a salary increase. Due to an NDA, I can’t share details about the company.
I was looking for a position as a frontend React developer. At first, we worked in a consultation format, and later switched to a “turnkey” approach. A lot of useful work was done, although at some point we paused our collaboration. In the end, I found the job myself, using the updated CV and the skills I gained from our consultations. From the start of our work together, my job search took 1 year and 4 months.
What could be improved:
For me personally, the downsides were excessive materialistic views and occasional use of profanity in communication.
It would be great to have a well-thought-out referral program.
What I liked:
What I valued most is that Ilya works with willpower. I came to him without much determination, and he helped me strengthen exactly that quality. This is a big plus - Ilya doesn’t just give advice, he actually impacts your inner state. I’m grateful for that. I also want to highlight his sincere approach to mentoring and his help in personal promotion. It’s clear that he works to his full capacity and genuinely tries to help. I’ve already recommended one friend to reach out to Ilya.
I reached out to Ilya for help with job searching and CV writing, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made! From the very beginning, he took the time to thoroughly analyze my experience, strengths, and career goals. With his guidance, my CV was completely transformed to highlight my skills in the best possible way for potential employers.
What I particularly appreciated:
• Deep experience analysis – Ilya helped me see my strengths from a new perspective.
• Clear and structured approach – he provided a well-organized plan, timely feedback, and valuable insights at every stage.
• ATS optimization – now my CV is not only professional and polished but also tailored for applicant tracking systems.
• Beyond CV writing – Ilya gave me strategic advice on job searching, interview preparation, and application tactics, making the whole process much easier and more effective.
I highly recommend his help to anyone looking to improve their chances of landing a great job! Thanks, Ilya, for your professionalism and support.
After moving to a new country, I faced the challenge of finding a job. My lack of confidence and unfamiliarity with the job market created certain difficulties. In this situation, I was advised to seek help from Ilya Bondar.
After I reached out to Ilya, we arranged a meeting. He suggested that I fill out a questionnaire before our interview to make the most efficient use of our time. The meeting went well. Ilya made it clear that I had many skills and extensive work experience that I had somehow overlooked. We created a LinkedIn profile and updated my resume. He then gave me recommendations on how to work with LinkedIn and how to present myself there. We scheduled another meeting for a week later to evaluate the results and address any potential issues. The second meeting was just as productive, and I was left with no doubts about what I needed to do.
I’m writing this review from the office of my new job. Although I didn't find the job on LinkedIn due to my lack of confidence in my English, the updated resume and acquired skills gave me the confidence to continue my search, which led to finding a job on HeadHunter. I will definitely recommend Ilya as a great specialist. I would describe him as a "psychologist" who understands the algorithms of social networks for job searching and helps you realize your strengths and weaknesses.
The best mentor! 😊 I reached out to Ilya on the recommendation of a friend. At first, I didn’t have a clear idea of what to expect from the consultations—I only had some general wishes and questions. In the end, working with Ilya turned out to be the best decision I could have made. I received an offer from the place I wanted to work at and, overall, found a job fairly quickly.
During the consultations, Ilya answered my questions, helped me create a job search plan, and assisted with my resume and LinkedIn profile setup. Throughout our collaboration, he shared an enormous amount of valuable information.
After the consultations, I felt much more confident in my skills, and I approached interviews with that same confidence 😎
For me, this was the perfect mentoring experience, with support from the beginning all the way to receiving the offer.
A big thank you for this experience!
I want to share my experience of working with Ilya.
First of all, I want to highlight Ilya’s positive and friendly attitude, which I noticed during our first interaction. Initially, I asked him for advice on job searching on LinkedIn. However, a couple of months later, I reached out to him for mentoring support. Our work together took place in a calm and friendly atmosphere. We mapped out a plan and tackled each point step by step.
Thanks to Ilya's well-posed questions, I gained a clearer understanding of what I wanted to convey in my profile and CV. Ilya then devoted a lot of attention to the wording, ensuring that every line conveyed information, rather than just connecting adjacent phrases. The "cherry on top" was the visual appeal of my resume.
Once we finished with the CV, we went over potential interview questions, which amounted to around fifty or more.
The result of all this work was a job offer that came about a month after we started working together.
I am very pleased that I got connected with Ilya. It's hard to imagine that I could have worked so productively and comfortably with another mentor. As they say, tested by personal experience, so I recommend him to anyone searching for their dream job.
I was lucky to meet Ilya when I was just getting to grips with Linkedin functionality. I didn't know or understand much about how to design my page to be attractive to potential employers. Ilya enlightened me on job search issues, helped me to design my LinkedIn page and gave me very detailed feedback on my CV. Now I am more confident in offering my services to employers. My page and resume look professional and HR companies are more willing to respond to my requests. I recommend contacting Ilya if you want to increase your attractiveness on the market!
Finally an offer after a morally hard six months of job searching. EVERYTHING was updated in the portfolio. I really liked Ilya's easy-going, relaxed approach to work, which is evident in everything. It may at first seem that he is not serious about it or something, but in fact, you just need to take it lightly and everything will be much better))) During the mentorship with Ilya I even managed to work with him as a Lead Designer, as Ilya provided a freelance project, where problems appeared and we solved them together in the end. From his part, Ilya is ready to help with job search and advice in every way possible.
Also due to price fluctuations Ilya offered to raise the price of the classes, but at my request he took into account my difficult financial situation and preferred to keep the mentorship even at the old price and not very intensive mode.
On the downside, perhaps it is my own fault, but the portfolio breakdown I had imagined a little differently, although in the end it did produce results, even though I sat on it for a very long time. Ilya puts the emphasis on full-blown case parsing rather than simplifying the work, which for me was very painful, but probably necessary
Then finally I got the cherished offer from a company from the UK, I am very happy about it, as it was a total match with the company and the team, which just might happen because of the quality of self-presentation in social networks and a clear understanding of their goals and desires in terms of job searching.
What was done with Ilya:
- formulation of goals, needs and desires for the job
- preparation for the interview (only 1 time, but super helpful)
- developing a job search strategy (Ilya has many of them, believe me)
- Complete portfolio update with tips and comments from Ilya
- work on relaxation, work-life balance, generation of ideas
- heart-to-heart talks and a billion relaxation memes
PS! I think I was the first person on Ilya’s mentorship and I had a difficult situation as I was working a full time job and trying to find work, which is super mega difficult for both me and Ilya as there was super little energy and time left. And Ilya has his own experience of surviving extreme time pressure and no rest, and it helps a lot as he gives valuable advice and tips. I like him and recommend him to everyone!
I reached out to Ilya to refresh my portfolio and CV, and to get ready for a new job search.
In the end... I didn’t even change jobs - my manager noticed the updated LinkedIn profile and portfolio, and it turned into a +25% salary raise and +5% bonus 😁
Ilya helped me clear my head, structure everything properly, and set realistic goals.
The sessions were dynamic, focused, and without unnecessary “coaching fluff.”
The only thing I didn’t like was that the results came too fast - it was almost unexpected!
Impact: 100%.
Working on my portfolio and resume was very productive - we had five sessions where the focus was on how to properly articulate achievements for recruiters. As a result, I landed a Graphic Designer role at Azama just two months after the consultations.
In terms of the portfolio, we managed to structure it more clearly and put the most “sellable” cases first. In the resume, we removed the ChatGPT-like tone and cringy words such as “Comprehensive”, which are rarely used in reality.
That said, I still believe the idea of fitting the entire resume onto a single page doesn’t work for everyone. It might be effective for specialists with up to three years of experience and fewer workplaces, but in my case, it looked too cramped and hard to read.
A big advantage was Ilya’s focus on the design field and his help in adapting my experience for the Western market. Figuring this out on my own would have been very difficult.
I definitely recommend Ilya to designers who are facing challenges in finding a job on the international market.
In the fall of 2023, I reached out to Ilya for career consulting.
We thoroughly analyzed my case studies in terms of presentation and description, as well as current opportunities on the job market. We took a detailed look at how to use LinkedIn for job searching, including vacancy filters and search optimization.
Building on my professional experience, we worked on positioning and crafting a strong presentation of my background. Ilya’s approach is supportive and soft, yet framed within a clear and well-defined strategy. After the main sessions, we prepared for each interview individually. I got exactly what I was looking for - improved confidence in interviews, stronger presentation skills, and a better ability to talk about products. I interviewed with fintech companies and for an art director position at a major studio.
This also helped me in obtaining a UK Global Talent Visa, where being able to present your projects effectively is essential.
I believe the course is valuable not only for job searching but also for improving overall project presentation skills — whether to clients or within a team.
The knowledge I gained continues to help me to this day. I got exactly what I wanted. Highly recommend!
In May 2023, I reached out to Ilya for help with my job search. At that time, I faced a challenge: I had a humanities degree but extensive experience in management, and I wanted to move into project management - yet my CV was too weak for that goal.
While working with Ilya, we first discussed my strengths and weaknesses, professional interests, and desired results. Ilya helped me clarify all of this by asking the right questions.
Next, we completely reworked and strengthened my CV, adding key points important for HR and giving it a polished, professional look.
After that, Ilya walked me through job search strategies on LinkedIn - offering simple yet incredibly useful tips, some unique to the platform and others applicable to job hunting in general.Together, we developed a plan and set KPIs, which ultimately led me to landing a new job!
I whole heartedly recommend Ilya to anyone who needs help with their job search ❤️. He will improve your CV, highlight your brightest strengths, and teach you how to communicate with employers and HR so you can secure your dream position. There are no vague or unclear instructions - Ilya provides clear, step-by-step guidance, so you’ll know exactly what to do to get hired. And as a bonus, you’ll have a fantastic, supportive atmosphere throughout the whole process!
(After Completing the Job Search):
I’d like to write a great review about my mentorship with Ilya!
Our acquaintance began in June 2023, and we had a month of intensive work ahead of us. I want to note that I skipped the trial call because Ilya was able to clearly and comprehensively explain how our work would be structured from the very first messages.
I started at a point where I had been unable to find a permanent job in design for over a year and a half after completing my training courses. With Ilya, we filled in some of my knowledge gaps, explored job search hypotheses, revised and adapted my CV, and under his guidance, I put together a successful new case for my portfolio and practiced interview skills.
After the sessions, the results didn’t take long to show, and a month and a half later, I was offered a job at a company where I have successfully passed the probation period. I suspect the company’s leaders found me because I started building my personal brand and became more active on LinkedIn.
I want to highlight that during the mentorship, everything—from communication to the work itself—was as easy and comfortable as possible. From the first call with Ilya, it felt like we had known each other for a long time.
I can 100% recommend Ilya’s mentorship to all designers, whether you’re just starting or already working. Even now, I still have questions, and I’m confident that Ilya will be able to provide thorough answers.
Additionally, I’d like to point out that Ilya always stays in touch, even after the mentorship ends, for which I’m especially grateful! 🙂🙃
I really enjoyed the atmosphere during the sessions. It was calm and relaxed. At the same time, Ilya provided a tremendous amount of information, so it was not only comfortable but also very beneficial.
After each session, I felt like I was actually doing well. I have a very strong case of imposter syndrome, and it often seems like everyone around me is doing a better job than I am. Somehow, he managed to quiet that feeling.
It’s nice that Ilya is focused not just on conducting the session but on achieving results, and it's clear that he invests a lot of time and effort into it.
Throughout the process, I received a lot of feedback, and it felt like I wasn’t alone and had someone to turn to if needed.
I had previously worked with a mentor who helped me put together a portfolio, but that doesn’t compare to the work we accomplished in just one month. It was very quick.
As for drawbacks, I felt there wasn’t enough information on which specific Telegram chats are currently relevant. Maybe some other alternative options could have been suggested that are equally effective. I mainly relied on online solutions because I’m too shy to look for offline opportunities.
The main feature of this service, in my opinion, is Ilya himself. His knowledge, skills, ability to convey information, and the calm atmosphere he creates helped me become more confident, expand my competencies, and, of course, find a job.
I would definitely recommend him to friends, especially juniors who have no idea how to approach the job search or how to assess themselves—or to anyone who is simply afraid to take the first step.
(During the Job Search):
I took a mentorship with Ilya. Right from the start, I appreciated that he explained all the possible formats for our sessions and helped me choose the best one. Regarding the sessions themselves, I really enjoyed them—they were cool, engaging, and, most importantly, lively!!! That’s a crucial aspect for me. We worked together for a month, with four sessions, and I learned a lot of new things, such as how LinkedIn works and how to set it up. I also significantly improved my CV and wrote drafts of cover letters, which, by the second week of our work, began bringing me more responses and, consequently, more opportunities!
I can definitely recommend Ilya as a mentor! 🔥
It's no secret that finding a work is also a work. I was very lucky that Ilya agreed to help me. We worked on my CV, completely changing and improving it. We worked on my LinkedIn profile. Ilya was not just talking, after each call he sent me notes and other materials and vacancies that I might not have written down or even missed. I have to say straight away, the profile changed so much that I wanted to hire myself.It wasn't long before a recruiter wrote to me for the first time in ages. It was the first time I got excited, because it wasn't me who wrote and asked for the job, it was me, with an offer. Plus Ilya prepared me for the interview and even more, when I was hired Ilya helped me with advice on how to conduct myself in a team, how to understand the tasks that the product manager set me and how not to be afraid of work. I got rid of the imposter syndrome and fear, and now I'm a designer in the company thanks to this man.I am happy that such people exist. And I am even happier that I have met Ilya on my career path. Thank you.
Even though we had one session (since I managed to find a job quickly), Ilya’s mentorship was still very helpful. He helped me pay attention to my strengths and highlighted what I should focus on in my answers at the interview, which subsequently helped me feel more confident.
You're a really cooool mentor, thanks for helping me understand LinkedIn and CV and how to communicate with other people🤧Your tips and advice have been super duper helpful and helped me create a cool profile that looks professional and attractive to potential employers! 🙌I'm so happy I found you and got so much useful info Without you I would have figured out how to make my avatar picture.Arigato, Ilya-senpai!
I had two mentoring sessions with Ilya about job search and resume building. The vibe was super friendly and open, nothing formal or stiff.
Even though I already had solid product design experience, my resume was weak. It barely showed my skills and definitely wasn’t tuned for the Western job market. Ilya helped me completely rethink the structure, polish how I present achievements, and put the right focus on my value as a designer.
On top of that, he gave me great insights on searching for jobs abroad and kept supporting me during the interview process. Thanks to this, I landed an offer at a company in Cyprus.
If you’re struggling with your portfolio or resume, or just need guidance in the job search process, I can highly recommend Ilya.
He’s positive, approachable, always in touch, and really cares about helping you succeed.
I am a product designer with about 5 years of experience. I had plenty of work to showcase, but it never came together into impressive, well-structured case studies. I reached out to Ilya for help with preparing my portfolio. I wanted to present my work clearly and get expert feedback on what was good, what was weak, and how to improve.
We started with my resume. Ilya approaches his work very meticulously - we went through and discussed almost every single sentence. He clarified what stood behind my statements and suggested ways to rephrase them so my achievements would be more understandable and stand out better. He provided me with examples and templates of strong CVs.
Then we moved on to the portfolio. Ilya immersed himself in my projects, highlighted their strengths and weaknesses, and suggested how to make improvements. He also shared best practices for publishing work, explaining in detail what to keep in mind - down to remembering to include navigation links so viewers can easily move between individual projects and the overall portfolio.
I had previous experience working with a mentor, and compared to that, Ilya stands out with his thorough (in the best sense) approach, extensive experience, and up-to-date expertise. You can feel that he is genuinely invested in your success.
We haven’t finished working together yet, but I already have an excellent, detailed resume, a shorter version for sending out (which I’ve already used successfully), and several completed case studies I’m proud of.
I want to thank Ilya for three very productive consultations. Together, we refined my CV, discussed job search strategies, and explored additional steps I could take to improve my chances of finding a job. It was valuable to get a fresh outside perspective and new ideas, as well as to speak with someone from the creative field who understands the specifics of the market. Thanks for your help and practical advice! In the end, I found a position and am now employed.
After working as a designer at the company for three years, I realized I needed to find another job, preferably at an international company. However, since I found my first job almost by accident, I had no experience in job searching and no portfolio. There were two options: either to search on my own, going through trial and error to find a job, or to consult a specialist who could provide me with all the necessary knowledge for a successful job search in a short period of time. I chose the second option and consulted with Ilya.
Ilya helped me compile my portfolio and prepare my cases for Behance. I had many questions regarding the portfolio, and I was completely unsure about it — I didn't know how to present my work properly or whether they were professional enough. Ilya evaluated my work, gave me design advice on what could be improved, and we thoroughly worked on each case, analyzing the structure and content in detail. In the end, I had a complete and solid portfolio.
Ilya also worked with me to develop my CV, helping me structure all my experience and reflect it correctly. It was incredibly valuable to receive job search tips from Ilya — he told me how to use LinkedIn and about less obvious ways to search for jobs there. He provided me with scripts for job searching and recommended channels and websites where job searching is most effective right now.
Overall, I can definitely recommend his consultations to anyone who wants to quickly dive into the job search process without spending time on self-directed research and strategy development, and to those who need to improve or revise their portfolio and want a professional evaluation. The consultations helped me address all these issues. I think it’s possible to go through this process on your own, but it would take much more time, so in general, I’m satisfied with the results of my consultations with Ilya.
I purchased consultations from several mentors in the design field while looking for a job, and I can confidently say that Ilya’s sessions are the most informative, open, and relaxed. It was very comfortable to talk to him, like chatting with a friend.
After the first session, I even gained more confidence in my level as a UX/UI designer, and the imposter inside me quieted down!
I appreciated that, in addition to the information provided during the sessions, Ilya would periodically check in on how my job search was going and would send me useful chats and additional recommendations.
Perhaps at times, I felt the information could have been more structured. It might be helpful to record the sessions or to provide a summary list of what was discussed, along with all the relevant links and resources.
But I definitely recommend Ilya as an experienced and motivating mentor who supports you even outside of sessions, for which I’m immensely grateful! I will reach out to him again, but since I’ve found a job, it will be for design-related questions instead!
I had one session with Ilya, during which I received an excellent analysis of my initial data and future prospects. Everything was as informative and friendly as possible. Ilya gave great advice on improving my LinkedIn profile and resume. I should note that after this, my profile views increased, and recruiters started reaching out to me more frequently. It's also important to mention that Ilya’s positive attitude instills confidence that everything will be awesome, which is just as important as having a strong CV and portfolio. Thank you, Ilya! 👍
Meeting Ilya was a turning point in my job search. Before that, I had been working with a career consultant for 3 months with no results. Ilya’s knowledge of the design field and market turned out to be a key factor in our successful collaboration. But let me go through everything step by step 🙂
First, I want to point out that Ilya has a very positive and confident approach to job searching, which was incredibly helpful, uplifting, and eased all my anxieties during this stressful process.
Second, if you (like me) are a designer looking for a career consultant, Ilya is the one to go to. He has a solid and deep understanding of the industry, along with diverse "on-the-ground" experience. My job search journey proved how crucial this is. Ilya helped me improve my portfolio and present my cases in the best possible light. With his help, I was able to see my portfolio from an outside perspective (believe me, I was too close to it), understand where there were gaps, and figure out how to address them with minimal time investment.
I will definitely reach out to Ilya again, but next time for advice on growth and development as a designer. And I will 1000% recommend him to my friends and colleagues! Ilya is a power!
It's not enough for Junior designer to just look for a job, upload his resume and respond to all the vacancies that appear - you need a system, the right approach and a person who will give advice on how to do things! I was looking for a mentor for a long time and tried different services. And I was lucky! Ilya helped me to understand many nuances in job search, competent CV writing, portfolio recommendations. Thanks to mentoring sessions with Ilya I found my first job! For that I thank him very much!
Ilya is a wonderful person! I was looking for a job and decided to go to him for advice.We only spent 2 hours with him, but we managed to get my CV and portfolio in such order that I found a job within 2 weeks without any problems!
I would like to thank Ilya Bondar for helping me last autumn during my job search. Ilya helped me to quickly get started on the difficult job search path, even in an overseas market... His structure, easy waiver and knowledge gave me confidence in my abilities and the drive to go and conquer the western market. We made a clear work plan to follow from the first meeting: CV / LinkedIn profile, packaging a basic "personal brand" on social networks... and all this in a couple of meetings.And, most importantly, Ilya's help is very much felt even after we've finished the work: from linking posts to memes and interesting articles in my personal account) Thank you very much for your care, help and open-mindness ❤️
I came to Ilya after six months of looking for a job. He is not only a professional, but also a sensitive person who knows how to support me in a difficult situation and motivate me to take action. The greatest outcome of this collaboration was the job I found within a few weeks, and I was looking for a job abroad. I consider it as a success.
Course programme:
