Molly Morrison, Marketing Coordinator at the Union, has shared her journey from being a student at the University of Derby to working for the Union for Student Employability Week.
As a student, I was very engaged with the Union; I was President of the Musical Theatre Community, a Rep, played on the women's rugby team and got involved with all kinds of Union activity. I graduated in July 2023 with a degree in Media and Communications, unsure of what exactly I wanted to do but knowing that I wanted to do something creative and fun. After a little break soaking up the last bits of student life, I got to job hunting - and hated it. Let's be real: it's tough, and it feels like a long process with a lot of uncertainty, but I knew that the right job was out there waiting for me and I just had to find it.
I saw a job advert for the Union and thought "hmm, it would be nice to work at the Union - it looks like a fun job and would still kind of feel like I'm at uni". So I went ahead and applied, and (obviously, because here I am!) was successul and landed the job. In my interview, I spoke a lot about my own experiences as a student here, and how I'd seen first-hand the impact the Union can have on students; I wanted to be a part of that, and I suppose give back to the student body, helping new students have an amazing experience like I did. The things I spoke about weren't things that you would expect to be bringing up in an interview (I'm a theatre kid, so of course I yapped about how I played a Mexican wrestler in MT's last Spring musical), but I'm convinced that that's what helped me land the job. Yes, I had the degree, some experience and a can-do attitude - but my own personal experiences with the Union gave me that edge, that little bit of extra confidence in myself that this was something I could excel at, and enjoy!
So if I had to share some advice from my own experience, it would be this:
- Use your personal experiences to sell yourself in the role - even if it's not entirely relevant!
- Trust the process - the right job for you is out there
- Don't put yourself in a box - just because you have a degree/experience in one area, doesn't mean it can't be applied to something different