Student Staff

Student Staff Testimonials: Anudheep (Student Photographer)

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 16:55:29 Z

"Know something about everything, and everything about something."

My journey began with a saying that deeply resonated with me; This mantra fuelled my insatiable curiosity, leading me to explore diverse fields while honing a deep passion for one: Marketing with visual storytelling. Brand Transformations

I am Anudheep, an Indian student pursuing International Business at the Birmingham Business School. As an international student, finding a part-time position was essential. But for me, it had to be something that ignited my spirit. That's when I stumbled upon the perfect opportunity: photographer and videographer for the Guild's Communications and Marketing team. It was a blend of my marketing aspirations and my long-held love for photography, a hobby nurtured since capturing my first shot at the age of four on my dad's precious reel camera.

Driven by my curiosity, I jumped at the chance. In just two months, I've embarked on a journey filled with exciting assignments, from commercial photoshoots to captivating campus narratives. I've learned the art of planning months ahead for social media content, all while collaborating with a dynamic team.

This role wasn't just about exploring my passion; it was about connecting with people. This role helped me interact with students from all backgrounds, and help them overcome their camera anxieties, and contributing to the vibrant Guild community. This role has provided me a platform to forge new connections, build friendships, and refine my photography skills. More importantly, it's helped me conquer my own insecurities as an international student, empowering me to initiate conversations with confidence.

Beyond the technical skills, this role has been a transformative experience. I've gained invaluable insights into the inner workings of the Guild and the marketing world, while simultaneously discovering my own strengths. My communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills have flourished, and I've developed a newfound confidence in leading projects.

These skills, coupled with the unique experiences of this role, will be instrumental in my future career path, particularly in marketing and business transformation. If you're looking for an opportunity to challenge yourself, develop new skills, and make a real difference in the student community, then I highly encourage you to join the Guild student staff. It's been one of the most rewarding experiences of my university life, and I know you won't regret it.'

Student Staff Testimonials: Emily and Ana (C&M Assistants)

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 16:52:37 Z

Being a student staff member at the Guild is a fantastic opportunity to try new things, gain new skills and can really set you up for future work and experiences. Right now, we’re currently recruiting for a range of roles from Reception to Catering Assistants, so be sure to apply!

Want to hear about the experiences of some of our current student staff members? Well, make sure you keep on reading:

Emily, third-year English student and Communications and Marketing Assistant:

‘I joined this role in my second year of university as I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of what marketing was like. At first, I was nervous as this felt like my first proper job, but I was immediately put at ease by the kindness of everyone around me.?

?This job has been so beneficial to me on both a personal and professional level as it has helped me to develop my confidence and to gain transferable skills. Every day is different in this job, one day I might be helping to film the Officer team or a societies fair, whilst the next day I may be writing social media captions and researching social media trends.

Through doing such a wide variety of roles I have developed my skills in so many ways. For example,?I get the opportunity to exercise my creativity when writing blog posts or trying to come up with fun ideas to promote events. Meanwhile, helping to film videos and working with my fellow students has developed my leadership skills as I get the opportunity to present my vision. My written communication skills are constantly improving as I am always captioning videos and content.??

This job has also allowed me to gain confidence in my own ideas as I am encouraged by more senior members of the marketing team to suggest ideas, which are then often used. The Guild’s friendly atmosphere and the approachability of my co-workers means that I feel part of a team.? This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants paid work which fits alongside your studies and allows you to gain vital skills.’

Ana, third-year Politics and Sociology student and has worked as a Catering Assistant and now a C&M Assistant

‘As a Catering Assistant in Joe’s kitchen, I have learned to work under pressure. Some of the shifts were quite busy with multiple orders, so I had to learn to keep a cool head and focus on the tasks ahead of me. During my time working there, I learned how to work in a team with other student staff, but also to work under the supervision of two cooks. I also learned to make smoothies and create fun ice cream desserts like the University Challenge! This job worked flexibly alongside my studies, meaning I was able to pick up shifts when I was available which helped me navigate my academic responsibilities whilst earning enough to cover my grocery shopping.

As a Communications and Marketing Assistant, I have learned to make promotional videos from scratch. From creating the video brief, to recording content, editing it, recording the voice over and subtitling it, each video was my own little project. This has definitely built up my confidence in my ideas and in my skills, and developed my editing skills. I have also developed my communication skills by writing countless blog posts, captions, video briefs and coming up with video ideas to promote certain events or campaigns.

This experience has been invaluable in learning about all of the behind the scenes of a marketing office and how a charity promotes its services, events and elections. I am myself interested in working in the public sector, and potentially charities so knowing about marketing will definitely be useful.

It was also my first proper part-time job with regular hours in an office, and I am delighted to say it was the best office experience I could wish for. The Comms staff were so kind, patient and understanding and they created a welcoming environment when I first started there.’

Interested in applying for a student staff role? Be sure to apply via our website.

Student Staff Testimonials: Rianna (Student Mentor)

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 16:45:49 Z

I applied to be a Student Mentor because I wanted to use my student experience to help others. The role enables me to help those who may be struggling to settle in at the beginning of university, but also at any other points during the year as and when they need support. Being able to support those who need support at university is extremely rewarding, but has also been a great way to develop my wider skillset outside of my degree.

I have been a Student Mentor for the last two years, and have thoroughly enjoyed my experience within the role. I have had the pleasure of working within a team of 15 friendly and encouraging colleagues, undertaking a variety of different tasks on shift, from flat meetings and student visits, to phone calls and emails.

When beginning the role, I received extensive and extremely helpful training to support me in all aspects of the role – we were encouraged to ask questions about elements we were not confident with, but also received constant support whist on shift if there is anything we were unfamiliar with. We were also able to bond as a team during a variety of fun and exciting team building activities – relying on your colleagues during shift is extremely important when sharing the workload and helping each other with difficult and complex cases.

There are many benefits to working as a Student Mentor – not only are you able to work with a great group of people, but the role is extremely flexible. The management team are extremely understanding regarding the commitment necessary to degree studies, therefore, are as flexible as possible when assigning shifts. However, there are always opportunities for extra hours when completing extra admin and working at different events, for example, Wellbeing Cafés and Housemate Finders.

I’ve developed a variety of skills whilst working as a Student Mentor – for example, improving my leadership skills during Arrivals Weekend when supervising a group of Welcome Team, developing my confidence when talking to students in difficult situations, and enhancing my organisation and time management skills when balancing commitments to my degree, societies and a part-time job.

The different scenarios I have been placed in as a Student Mentor have been, at times, challenging. However, they have all played a significant role in my personal development, as well as my professional development. The skills I have gained and the situations I have encountered have given me a number of examples to discuss in interviews for graduate roles and internships, applicable for a multitude of careers. Our team is comprised of a variety of different degrees, for example, Law, Politics, Psychology and Biomedicine, all of which benefit greatly from the experiences they have as Student Mentors.

My advice to any potential applicants would be to just be yourself – the team are looking for genuine, kind and caring people, and this will shine through naturally during your responses at the interview stages. Also, the group interviews may be daunting, but they are an opportunity for the team to see how well you work with others – make sure to contribute your ideas but also encourage others to speak up! Also, during your application, it would definitely be useful to use your past experiences, whether this is within a society or a previous job, to demonstrate that you have the right skills to be a Student Mentor.

Working as a Student Mentor has been one of the highlights of my university experience – I have made amazing friends, helped with a range of different cases, and seen first hand the difference the role can make to the lives of students. If you want to find out more about the Student Mentor Scheme and the role, please contact us and we would be happy to answer any questions!

Email: mentorwelfare@guild.bham.ac.uk

Call: 0121 415 8568

Facebook: Studentmentorscheme

Instagram: @Studentmentors

Student Staff Testimonial: Amy (Student Mentor)

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 12:34:00 Z

Interested in working with us? Find out why Amy, one of our Student Mentors, decided to apply and why they’d recommend working for the Guild:

I applied to be a Student Mentor because helping other students really appealed to me. I thought this role would be really rewarding and I liked the sound of a job that worked around my studies whilst still being able to enjoy the term time holidays. I also believe the role stands out compared to others because it requires a lot of different skills that are transferrable to many future careers. I understand that moving to university can be a daunting experience so I wanted to be able to give back to others from the perspective of a fellow student.

I have been a Student Mentor for 3 years now and each year I find the team to be really friendly and supportive. The shifts are enjoyable because we get to work together and share the workload. No two shifts are the same as the role is very diverse ranging from; flat mediations, flat visits, events, running campaigns, social media videos, meeting students 1-2-1, emailing and calling students.

When I was new to the role I found some parts of the role to be quite challenging but I was always well supported by my team and managers so I never felt incapable of managing the tasks. The job requires a high level of responsibility with us each managing our own caseload. However, it is rewarding to follow-up and see the students we support overcome their challenges.

The best part of the job is being able to support students who may be struggling. I think it is really rewarding being able to help others, especially when they find it difficult to reach out. My favourite part of the job overall is meeting and interacting with different students. Overall, being a Student Mentor has been a highlight of my university experience!

I have benefitted from the role as I’ve had experience of dealing with a range of situations. The role allowed me to reflect on my own university experience and offer advice based on this. I have also developed my ability to work as a team, problem solve and adapt to different circumstances.

Before commencing the role we receive very thorough training, this also involved fun days out to bond as a team. This helps you feel very prepared and relaxed to start the role. Training is provided throughout the year in areas such as: autism awareness, mental health first aid, NotOn workshops etc. which helped build my knowledge of how I could best support other students.

I also developed my leadership qualities during Arrivals Weekend when we are responsible for managing the Welcome Team at a particular accommodation site.

Most importantly, my confidence has developed over my time as a Student Mentor and I’ve gained skills that I will be able to transfer to my future career and life moving forward.

I would recommend future applicants, who are a friendly and enjoy supporting others to apply. My advice is to display in the application why you specifically want to become a Student Mentor and to evidence some of the skills required.

Don’t be put off by any of the scenarios in the interview, your answer doesn’t need to be perfect it is just to see how you would approach a situation. I also recommend to have some examples of certain skills you have demonstrated in the past (using the STAR technique) to answer the interview questions.

Most of all, I would say to relax, be yourself and let your personality shine through as this is a person-centred role.

Student Staff Testimonial: Fatima (Hall Rep)

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 12:33:10 Z

Interested in working with us? Find out why Fatima, one of our Hall Reps, decided to apply and what’s great about being a Hall Rep:

The reason I wanted to be a Hall Rep is mainly because I wanted to give back! I had such a lovely time staying in student accommodation in my first year, so I wanted to give students the best experience possible by putting on free events for them. It was an amazing opportunity to really make a difference as Halls are a huge part of the student experience! Additionally, having insider knowledge about the opportunities and events happening on campus seemed rewarding. Not only was I excited to put on events, but I also wanted to represent my halls of residence and become a voice for the student community.

Being a Hall Rep is unlike any other job! We’ve hosted several crazy and different events, ranging from zorb football to DIY macramé plant pot hanger sessions! Additionally, it is very flexible which means I don’t have any clashes between lectures and work unlike other part time jobs. This was especially important to me as a final year physics student. However, my favourite part is getting to meet and socialise with students. During Welcome Week alone, I got to talk to hundreds of students! Getting paid to take part in amazing events is definitely an added bonus. For example, the outdoor cinema, Freshers’ Fling, and Spooktacular were some of my favourite events.

I’ve developed a range of skills throughout my time as a Hall Rep, all of which have been very beneficial for my CV. Planning events has truly helped me develop my organisational skills and take them to the next level. Whether I’m on-site or in the office, the constant communication and teamwork required to carry out events comes in handy. Some examples include liaising with external suppliers, marketing on social media, and gathering student feedback. Overall, being a Hall Rep has been a massive boost to my employability and leadership skills.

My advice to future applicants would be to have confidence in yourself and in your skills! Don’t be afraid to apply just because you think you might not have the skills; this role will open up avenues to get involved in the Guild. So, have a look at the job description, identify the skills needed, and think about how you can contribute to the development of the Hall Rep scheme. Remember that you will be trained and supported the whole way through. Just be yourself during the application and interview, and this will shine through!

Student Staff Testimonial: Community Wardens

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 12:32:24 Z

Interested in working with us? Find out why one of our Community Wardens applied and what they find so rewarding about their role:

Growing up in Ecuador, community work was always part of my upbringing; my parents were members of a volunteering organisation in my city and always taught us that if we all do our bit, we can make great changes in our communities. When I read the job description for the Community Warden Scheme, I felt that it aligned with my beliefs, and as student living in Selly Oak, I truly wanted to help make a difference and help as many other residents in the area as I possibly could.

What I like the most about the role is the feedback that we get from other members of the community that we have helped. There were instances where families took the time to email us, thank us for our work and let us know about the positive impact it had caused. Also, it is very rewarding to hear from fellow students on the changes they’ve seen in Selly, saying they feel it is cleaner, more organised, etc. It is very fulfilling to know that even though our work maybe hard sometimes, it doesn’t go unnoticed.

As a Community Warden, I have benefitted from extensive training provided by our managers and external coaches, such as how to communicate better and deescalate difficult situations, how to work with the police, waste handling, we provide self-defence courses for all university students that we can also take, and we have an upcoming first aid training, which I’m really excited about. Every day on the job you get to learn something new and further develop the skills we’ve been taught.

For any future applicants, my recommendation would be to take your time filling in your application: don’t rush, think about the skills you already have and how you can use them to help the scheme. The Wardens need people who are motivated to help and support our community, so in your application and interview make sure to let us know how you can help make a difference. Be confident in yourself, remember there’s no need to have loads of previous experience; I didn’t have a lot and still managed to get the job!