When it feels like all doors are closed: The story of Ruslana Schastna on the power of trying and career transformation

Ruslana Schastna, a 42-year-old Ukrainian woman from Kyiv, is a real estate professional who rebuilt her career after nine months of job searching, thanks to a mentorship program by the Women For The Future initiative. Initially, she accepted a compromise position but eventually secured a role as the director of a property management company in the residential real estate sector. Photo: courtesy of Ruslana Schastna

For over five years, Ruslana worked as the manager of a business center, responsible for tenant negotiations, contract management, budgeting, and overseeing services. However, after a change in leadership, her salary was cut in half, and she was forced to leave. Despite her years of experience, she couldn’t find a new job for nine months, repeatedly passing initial interview stages but never making it to the final rounds. 

“It was incredibly hard because there were many interviews, but no results. You start doubting your professionalism, and it really brings you down,” Ruslana recalls.

She wanted to stay in commercial real estate but began considering other fields. Her main question was why she could not grow professionally and keep hitting a wall despite having a strong resume.

The turning point came when she joined the Women For The Future mentorship program. Within the first few weeks, Ruslana got a job — her first in nine months. She decided to accept the offer while continuing her work with her mentor.

“I understood that the place I had joined wasn’t right for me. But after such a long search, I decided to stick with it and keep working with my mentor,” she explains.

However, after just two months, Ruslana decided to quit due to a toxic management style. “The director publicly kicked me out of a meeting just because I didn’t fully understand one of his questions. I had never been treated like that in my entire professional life, and I wasn’t going to tolerate it.”

Despite the stress, she did not give up. She continued in the mentorship program, worked on her resume and LinkedIn profile, and explored her strengths.

“My mentor helped me see and feel my strengths—things I hadn’t noticed or believed I even had,” Ruslana admits.

Her decision not to give up paid off. Thanks to the self-work she did during the mentorship program, Ruslana not only reassessed her professional value but also caught the attention of former colleagues. They soon recommended her for a new position, one she truly wanted.

“I reached out to all my contacts, saying I was looking for a job. But it took six months before anyone responded,” says Ruslana.

Today, she is the director of a property management company in the residential real estate sector. Despite her success, Ruslana admits that working in a residential complex comes with its challenges. “It’s emotionally tough to work with residents. This is currently the most difficult period in my life. But I no longer have the fear and insecurity I felt during my first month on the job.”

Now, she plans to keep moving forward: “I’ve realized that I enjoy managing operations across different departments. I’d be interested in trying myself as a Chief Operating Officer (though maybe I already am one).”

In closing, Ruslana shares a key piece of advice for women in similar situations: “Don’t be afraid and believe in your strength! Even when it’s scary and you think, ‘I can’t do this,’ that’s not true. It’s better to try and then draw conclusions.”

She emphasizes that even when the road is hard, attempting is already a step forward. Her story proves that transformation is possible even when it feels like all doors are closed.

This publication has been created as part of the Women For The Future initiative, which is implemented by Happy Monday (NGO "Professionals of the Future") within the UN Women project titled "Transformational Approaches to Achieving Gender Equality in Ukraine." This project is funded by the Government of Sweden and is in collaboration with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. Financial support for the initiative is also provided by the Government of France.