Samantha

Employability and Student Experience Intern, School of Social Sciences

Give a quick snapshot of your role

My role is very varied, as most internships are, and at any one time I may be working on a number of projects. These projects are as varied as creating and running a variety of events and workshops, analysing data sets and creating reports, running and attending meetings, creating online spaces, managing our ambassadors or supporting our societies, running our social media pages, and more.

Why did you choose MGT?

I initially applied to do an internship with Manchester Graduate Talent because it seemed like a good way to take a year out while not straying too far from the student setting, which I have hopes of returning to.

How have you benefitted from your MGT?

Already this experience has been way more than “just a year out”, and ultimately has transformed my thinking about the world of work and my place within it. Leaving student life and entering working life has been challenging, and consequently rewarding, in ways that I never expected. I now have a really good understanding of my strengths and weaknesses, and have been able to begin working on the latter by pushing myself to complete projects and tasks that address them. I’ve built up a real stamina for work and have become more proactive than I’ve ever been before, which are skills that I now use in all areas of my life. I’ve also learnt a lot about just how to exist in the working environment, which will continue to be useful to me no matter what direction I end up going in.

What advice would you give someone considering MGT?

If you know exactly what you want to do and have a whole 5-year plan, then maybe MGT isn’t for you. But if, like a lot of soon-to-be graduates, you’re not completely sure of what you want to do and you’re stressing about making the right choice, then MGT is perfect for you. Doing an internship with MGT means gaining and developing a whole range of skills that employers value, while also giving yourself more time to figure out what your future holds. And if you really love it – like I did – your MGT internship may itself be a stepping stone to a career in Higher Education.