It’s our first post of the year (welcome freshers and returning students!), and as part-time jobs are a popular query at this time of year, we asked Bianca Drotleff, a student currently on placement with us in Career and Employability Services to talk about how a part-time job can give you much more than a bit of extra cash in your pocket…
I am currently a 3rd year International Business and Management student. In my second year of studies I had the chance to get a part-time job at the Students’ Union as a Volunteering Assistant. This experience literally changed my life- I ended up experiencing and learning so many things and meeting new people, but the most important thing was it helped me discover my passion for business ethics and the environment.
Developing my skills
This experience gave me the opportunity to develop my time-management skills. I can definitely say that working part-time was a challenge because I had to find the right balance between studying, working and personal time. But in the end it helped me be more organised, plan ahead and prioritise the most important tasks. Apart from these, it helped me build my confidence as I was quite afraid of speaking in front of an audience. I had the chance to run workshops and sessions for students where I had to use and develop my public speaking skills. I also had the chance to lobby the management team of the Union to continue my work by funding the training of some students and to start an environmental society at our University.
Getting that chance!
Being very active and willing to learn more, my manager offered me the chance to coordinate an environmental project called Green Impact. Initially, I thought that I should just stay in my comfort zone and stick to my main responsibilities as Volunteering Assistant, but I decided to be open and not miss this opportunity!
So, I decided to get on this new challenge and this was the point that helped me find my passion. During this new stage I developed an environmental campaign and worked with various departments across the University and organisations in the local community, plus I won a national funding competition from the WWF to run some events. So, it is all about being willing to know more and the right opportunity will come to you!
This experience was a great chance to network and develop new relationships and ultimately, it helped me join a national youth board of an environmental NGO in the UK called Groundwork.
Definitely, go to the Careers Part-time Fair and for sure you will get a great adventure!
Thank you Bianca! Yes, please come along to the Part-time Jobs Fair on 28th September in Student Central, you can also check out our webpage and part-time jobs picks every Thursday on Facebook, and get in touch with us to see how we can help you further in Careers.
- You can also find out more about employability skills here.