I was looking for an opportunity to enhance my leadership skills and look for something that absolutely nobody else on campus would be doing.

I also felt as though this would be a good opportunity to build up some long lasting relationships with fellow students from other universities as well as members of staff at ICEAW.

I was fortunate to be able to speak on a local radio show to talk about my role within the university and how others can also get involved. 

I had the opportunity to work closely with my lecturers to give presentation to first, second and third year students promoting the University Student Scheme (USS) and the online virtual careers fair. As well as setting up stalls around my campus to get to know different students that I might not have usually come across.

While it was a tedious task, I had a lot of emails to respond to from students across the university, allowing me to be seen as a point of contact and somebody trustworthy. This small activity pushed my gradual transition into becoming fit to be a leader.

 

What have you learnt from being an campus ambassador?

Through the role, I had many opportunities to act as a point of contact for many students by responding to emails, meeting students who wanted to find out more about ICAEW and giving short presentation to lecture groups. These activities both enhanced my leadership and communication skills. 

I was also tested on my time management skills; there were no pressures to prioritise the role over university, however having this role allowed me to balance my role as a student and my role as an ambassador. This skill is invaluable and will last me throughout my career.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced within the role?

My biggest challenge was being unable to attend my careers fair due to prioritising my university commitments. My ICAEW Marketing Executive was extremely supportive of this decision but I felt as though I wanted to make up for the time I had lost in my role.

Learning from this setback, I set up events around campus in the following weeks in order to make up for that time I had missed. The turnout was great and I was able to interact with so many students and staff as well as promoting an online ICAEW careers fair, this heavily involved a lot of social media activity, which allowed me to practice a more professional stance on social media.

Be innovative; do not be afraid to think of ideas that nobody else has thought of yet. I would suggest grabbing every opportunity available within the role. The role offers many incentives such as being awarded ‘Ambassador of the Term’ and long-term relationships with the staff at ICAEW as well as staff from your own university, who will be assets to you in the future.

This role is not one that is handed to you; if successful it shows initiative, innovation and time management. I would recommend applying for this role to make your university experience stand out compared to everyone else.

The role does not just apply to finance or business students. The role is open to any degree background, part of the role is to promote to people of different degree backgrounds. So do not be afraid to attempt something slightly out of range to your comfort zone!