Luiza Dobre
International Business and Management
- Chose Bradford as she fell in love with the School of Management
- Is currently working for Microsoft as an EMEA Recruiter
- Hopes to inspire people as much as she can
Journey to Bradford
"My applicant journey was quite easy and straightforward – I chose to apply through an agency who helped with every aspect of the application.
"All I had to do was to choose the universities and make sure that I provided all the necessary documents, as well as getting a high mark for my Baccalaureate. The agency even helped with the loan application, so everything went smoothly from the beginning.
"I must be honest and tell you that it was difficult to choose from all the universities that offered me a firm place. I had been accepted to Leeds, Southampton Solent, Manchester and Anglia Ruskin.
"What made me go for Bradford was the School of Management - I fell in love with the place.
"I was super anxious but also excited to move to the UK. I was 18 at that time and had never been to UK before, so as you can imagine, it was not easy.
"I came by myself and I remember shedding a few tears on the plane. At school, English was one of my favourite subjects, but when I arrived, I felt that I was too shy to speak in English as I was afraid of making mistakes.
"The communication part at the beginning was a bit difficult, even if I was proficient in English. I chose Bradford as I had another colleague from high school that chose Bradford as well.
"I struggled choosing from the five universities that had accepted me, but what made me decide was seeing pictures of the School of Management and reading about their accreditations."
Student experience
"I was not very active in the Students’ Union during first year as I focused more on my studies.
"However, I had a friend who was part of the Christian Society and through her I got to attend a lot of the events they organised and I loved all of them.
"During my first week at Bradford, the International Students Officer got all of us together for a walk – we visited the city centre and went to Leeds. That was an amazing activity and I got to meet a lot of the other students and I met my best friend from uni there.
"I also used to work for the student shop in the Atrium and Student Central and through that, I got to meet a lot of people from the Students' Union and got to attend a lot of their events."
Luiza with friends at her graduation.
I’ve got lots of favourite memories from my time at Bradford. The amazing people that I have met, the library where I spent most of my time, FND’s and Party on the Amp - and not to forget graduation!
Choosing my course
"To be honest, I chose International Business and Management because I was not quite sure what I wanted to do professionally and I thought that I could use this degree for various roles.
"What I appreciate the most about my degree is the fact it can be used for various career paths. I got to learn a little bit about everything and this has helped me grow as a person as well.
"I remember my favourite modules were International Business Strategy with Dr. Martin Owens and Business Economics with Dr. Abhijit Sharma. I liked these modules because the lecturers were amazing and I felt that they were genuinely interested in making us understand everything."
Finding work
"Since October 2019, I have been working for Microsoft as an EMEA Recruiter.
"Working for Microsoft has been an amazing experience so far. Microsoft is not only a large multinational company but it is actually an environment where you can grow professionally and personally. I can honestly tell you that I now work with people from different countries and it is amazing. It is one of the best parts of my job to be honest.
"I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do professionally and I ended up working in corporate banking after completing an internship with the biggest bank in Bucharest.
"They offered me a full-time position and I took it as it seemed very challenging. I spent four years as a corporate banker which definitely shaped me as a professional, but I cannot necessarily say I felt it was my dream job.
"I am a creative individual and I have a genuine passion for people, so I progressively started to feel that I would need to make a career change."
A return to education
"After four years as a corporate banker, I needed a career change.
"When I make big decisions such as that, I like to plan everything accordingly and do it progressively. That is the main reason I chose to return to the UK and start my MSc in Global Human Resource Management."
The Alumni Gathering was great. I had so much fun and it has been great to meet the alumni and even reconnect with some of the people I already knew from university. I would definitely recommend attending one of these events to other alumni.
Life in different cities
"Currently, I am living in Bucharest and life is great. I love the people here and the general vibe. I cannot say that I am 100% happy here, obviously, there is room for improvement and that is why I am still keeping my options open.
"I am considering a relocation again in the next few years. I am not quite sure if it will be possible in the UK but I am definitely considering other EU countries.
"Being culturally aware has been a major competitive advantage for me. Coming from Romania - a country that unfortunately is not very diverse in terms of culture, it helped me a lot that I got to interact at university with people from all around the world.
"I have made many friends from Korea, Vietnam and Pakistan but also from other EU countries. I love learning about different cultures and interacting with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. It helped me shape my personality, my empathy and my communication skills.
"As well as this, being culturally aware helped me a lot with the role I currently have as an International Recruiter."
My future
"I currently hold a CIPD Level 7 qualification and I am developing my career in recruitment and talent acquisition.
"For now at least, I do feel this is a career path for my long-term future. Nowadays, people shift career paths once every few years and having done that myself, I cannot say 100% that this is a career path that I would like to work in forever. But, I can see myself being in recruitment for the long term. I love what I do, I think I am good at what I do and I put passion into everything I do.
"I like to think that everyone can keep their options open if we look at the way things are going nowadays and how quickly technology is growing and I am even considering more technical roles. I actually like programming and I have a bit of a programming background as well, so you never know what will happen in the next 5-10 years.
"I guess what I aspire to be is a good person and to keep being passionate about everything I do. I do not want this to fade with time, as other people have warned me.
"My ultimate goal would be to reach out to high school students and talk to them about their future career prospects. I feel that there is not enough information available for them before making the biggest decision of their life, choosing their degree. If I am being bold and were to aim high, I would very much enjoy being a speaker at a TED Talk, as I find them very inspiring. To sum up, my goal would be to inspire people in any way I can."