Mgr. Michal Gašpar

As a direct subordinate to the Centre's Director Mr. Tomáš Barance, I helped lay the groundwork for establishing a new research organization linked to the renowned Slovak IR think-tank Strategic Analysis. My primary duty at the CBSS involves monthly coverage of political, security, economic, and social development in the area of the South Caucasus with the intent of publishing regular briefs about the development of the territory. This position helped me to expand my knowledge about the region, provided me with the ability to offer complex, up-to-date coverage of contemporary affairs, and immensely helped my Russian language skills.

During my student contract in the CX/UX/UI division of the SLSP, I utilized my knowledge of social science research methodology to provide support for the CX teams inquiry to discover how are the Bank's products perceived by the clients and other segments of the population with the ultimate aim to find the strengths and weaknesses of the product before their production. My core tasks involved qualitative data collection, selection, and analysis; assistance during in-depth interviews and focus groups, or preparation of the final findings reports. During my stay, I required deep insights into the universal principles of customer behavior and how they make decisions about the acquisition of new products and services.

During my stay at the CRA department of the VÚB, I covered a relatively wide range of responsibilities. The core of my stay lay in the physical and digital archivation of the banking documents and their pre-analytical review, with the final goal of providing the CRA/CRM teams with necessary materials in a coherent, easy-to-access format. Occasionally, I also worked directly with the department director to provide him with resources for his executive board presentations or to translate internal documents into English. Later, I also designed a data administration system calculating the total length of the CRA/CRM processes, which was shared by various Bank branches and departments, facilitating communication and coordination among them. In this position, I heavily honed my day-to-day office skills, especially within the MS Office suite.

As a support for the librarians of the Central Library of the Faculty of Social Studies, my primary role revolved around the administration of the information desk and assisting any visitors, especially international students, which helped me immensely in developing my communication skills. I have also experience with the assistance work with the circulation system and the depository management. Lastly, I also contributed to preparing thematic events and promo materials.

During my internship, I helped with the administrative responsibilities in the office of Mr. M. Beblavý, who then led the party SPOLU-OD's structure. I was frequently tasked to conduct analytical work using open sources, background research of the selected topics, and coordination of the party's member bases across the country in the wake of the upcoming election campaign, giving me insights into the realities of political marketing. At the end of the internship, Mr. Beblavý awarded me a letter of recommendation.

As a member of the Side-Event team, I was tasked to oversee the smooth course of the closed-to-public, sensitive meetings in the framework of the GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum 2019 conference. This consisted of preparatory work in the office, such as direct contact, registration, and coordination of the attendants, as well as flexible on-site assistance. This experience taught me a great lesson about being flexible and comfortable in a high-stress, politically sensitive environment.