A Day In The Life

The Careers Service is excited to present this special podcast episode all about the connections you can build with charitable clubs and societies through a career in student unions. Listen along to hear all about different pathways into this line of work as well as top tips to help start your career journey before and after graduation. Hosted by our own Volunteering & Managed Opportunities Placement Intern, Jenna Shamash with guest Max Camara, LUU’s Activities Team Manager.  

Have you ever wondered what it is like to work for a start-up and experiencing fast expansion? What are the benefits of working for an SME vs a large organisation? Is it true that your career progression may be super fast if you work for a smaller business?

Our guest, Kaamil, a senior software developer at Arctic Lake will talk about how he got to where he is now; why he started working for a small business; what exciting projects he has been involved with and what a typical day in his life looks like. He will give his advice to current students on career development and will mention some fun facts about his role.

Listen to this inspirational podcast to learn from the story of an experienced professional and give your career a real boost!

The moderator/editor: Rego Pal, Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Leeds.

Have you ever wondered how IMDb, the movie website that we keep checking for fascinating information about our favourite actresses and actors was founded? Are you interested in where the original idea came from and who is behind this extremely popular website? Hear the story from the founder himself!

Col Needham, founder and CEO of IMDb, a University of Leeds alum will walk us through his journey of how he got to where he is now. He will talk about his experience at the University of Leeds; where his passion for films and cinemas came from; how he developed his first movie database, and how IMDb grew to what it is today. On top of this, you will have the chance to hear about what a typical day in his life looks like at IMDb and he will mention a range of fun facts throughout the conversation.

Are you looking for inspiration? In the end of the podcast, Col will give his advice to current students on career development.

The moderator/editor: Rego Pal, a current University of Leeds Mechanical Engineering student.

What is a day in the life of a Resourcing Manager like? What are the best and not so great parts of this job? What are the benefits of working for John Lewis Partnership?

In this short but insightful conversation we will discuss these exciting questions with Vicki Horne who is the Resourcing Manager at John Lewis Partnership. Together, we uncover the myths about working for recruitment, who can apply, and the rewards to be had!

"And I think particularly when you work in resources, It's so great to see the success stories of the people that you've seen come into the partnership."

In this episode, we hear from Isel, the University Partnerships Team Lead for the Northern Region at FDM. Not only is Isel a Leeds alumna, she actually worked with us in the Careers Centre, so it was great catching up! Listen to find out how Isel used her English degree and varied job experience to bag a role at FDM.

This week’s episode is all about volunteering! Leane is a current second-year student at The University of Leeds, who spent 5 months volunteering with Leeds Hospitals Charity before being offered a paid role. We discover why Leane decided to get involved and how this experience had such a positive impact. We also hear from the LHC Volunteer manager, Rachel, who explains why volunteers are vital to Leeds Hospitals Charity, the support you receive as a volunteer and the many ways you can get involved.  

“Volunteering is just a way to gain soft skills, be who you are, meet new people. And it's fun! But at the same time productive. I think it's a great experience that everyone should try at least once in their lives." – Leane, Volunteer with Leeds Hospitals Charity

If you would like to find out more about volunteering opportunities for Leeds Hospitals Charity, you can visit their website here or, if you would like to have a chat with Helen and her team, feel free to email the team at volunteers@leedshospitalscharity.org.uk

In this episode of 'A Day In The Life', we're joined by Civil Service Fast Streamer, and University of Leeds alum Ellie Chambers. Ellie tells us what the application process for the fast stream was like, how she found working from home and reveals what the culture is really like at The Civil Service.

"I really like being in the heart of government. When I was working in the cabinet office, I really felt that on a daily basis. I think certainly working as a kind of public servant, that has to be your motivator. I do find it really motivating, waking up in the morning and feeling like the work I'm doing is for the public good"

This week, we welcome Leeds Alum Chloe Greaves who, after graduating with a degree in Economics, decided to take on the fast-paced world of digital retail!

In this episode, we hear about Chloe’s time in upstate New York, her love for the North and what fashion buying actually entails!

What does it take to build a successful career in Executive Search at the recruitment partner of choice, Mackenzie Stuart? How does it feel when deals fall through at the last minute? Is the recruitment industry really as “cutthroat” as we believe?

In this episode, we speak to Leeds alum Nick Weavers and his colleague Tom. Together, we uncover the myths about working for recruitment, who can apply, and the rewards to be had!

MC2 are a Manchester-based PR & Marketing agency that has worked with clients such as Krispy Kreme, Deloitte & Mondelez. They are now 100% Employee owned, and in today’s episode, we chat to Sophie Roberts, an account director specialising in content, copywriting and PR! Discover how Sophie went from studying English Literature to collaborating on exciting PR campaigns – some of which had national TV coverage!

“We arranged a day at the university where journalists from the likes of BBC News and Sky News will come down and speak to the academics about their research, and then that's resulted in them being on TV and getting lots of national coverage, which is always really exciting!”