Amar Ali

Tell us about your current role?

I work as a marketing and business development assistant at Aspire-Igen – The Opportunity Centre. I have been there for two months now. My role involves working with associates, developing spreadsheets, and handling the marketing for my department. My department is responsible for bringing in business for the organisation and outsourcing careers advisers to schools, so I design e-bulletins, posters, and conduct various administration tasks.

What inspired/motivated you to apply for this role?

I did an internship during the second year of university. That originally inspired my interest in the marketing sector, particularly in digital marketing. The digital marketing sector is competitive so to get to the stage where I want to be, which is working in a social media agency, I need to pick up a lot of experience. So, any experience in a marketing role, like this one is extremely valuable to me. My role is a hybrid of marketing and business development, which I don't mind because I’m still building my skill areas. Business development is an area I hadn’t considered before and actually do enjoy doing it.

Is this something you always wanted to do, or did you discover once studying at university?

My Business and Management degree is broad, so it let me keep my options open. Once I studied my marketing module, I thought this is an area that I would be interested in. This is why I decided to take forward the internship and my internship led to here, so I would say this all started off, while I was studying for my degree.

What did your internship consist of?

I did my internship with an architect's firm, they needed someone to manage their social media presence, so it was a digital marketing focused role. I managed their social media tasks like Twitter, YouTube as well as creating videos for Facebook and LinkedIn. I also worked alongside an external video storyteller where we produced a video that highlighted the corporate culture of the company. The production of this video led to the largest Twitter post that the company had at that time – generating over 6,000 impressions which I never thought I would be able to do.

How would you describe your journey of finding a job?

So far it has been a positive experience. But at the start when I was looking for jobs after graduating which was during the pandemic my motivation was down. I would say having your motivation low is something that can happen, it happened to me but it's about how you bounced back from that.  You can feel demotivated, you should expect to be demotivated, it will happen, there’s no escaping it. It is all about how you get back there, and the University of Bradford Career and Employability Services (CES) can definitely play a part in motivating you. I would say keep a positive frame of mind no matter what happens at the end of the day, I believe that you can get to where you want to be as long as you keep that positive mindset.

What made you use the University of Bradford Employability and Career Services?

I made the mistake of not using them during the duration of my degree, but I definitely saw the need to use them after graduating. I am horrible at job searching, I hate looking around for jobs. Having someone to read my application, CV, and cover letter, and provide advice on what is good, bad, and where I can improve has helped me out.

What was the application process like?

For my application process, I had to fill out a form and add my CV. I had to attend a panel interview which was between myself and two other people that end up becoming my managers due to the hybrid nature of my role. I expected the application process to be like this because the CES helped me understand. They already gave me an idea of what to expect and I think that played a part in me being confident enough to attend the interview.

Did you face any challenges in your career journey so far?

So, I had applied for a lot of jobs after I finished university, I was optimistic. There was a job that got back to me, I made it through the interview stage. The following day I got an email saying that they are no longer recruiting for the role due to the pandemic and lockdown measures. That really hit my motivation because I felt the interview went well. I felt like if it wasn’t for the pandemic, I probably would have got a job. That was the moment I decided to turn to the CES. I would say I was always resilient, but sometimes even a resilient person needs a helping hand just for the reassurance to say everything will be ok, that was the support I received from the career advisor.

Was the location of the job ever a potential barrier stopping you from getting where you wanted to be?

I am open to working outside of Bradford within the Yorkshire area. In my experience, the location should not be a hassle or barrier. I am a family-oriented person, so I like being around my family, therefore I do not like going far from my family. 

Were you always interested in attending university? Why did you choose the University of Bradford?

There were times I thought about trying an apprenticeship, but I ended up going the traditional route. My sister had gone to university as well, so my dad was saying do whatever you feel comfortable with, but just do something. I applied for university and got an unconditional offer so I thought, “I will go to university”. I chose the University of Bradford because they offered me a scholarship and the fact that it was local was even a bigger benefit for me.

What did you study at the University of Bradford? What made you choose that course?

I studied Business and Management at the University of Bradford. What made me choose this course is the broadness of the degree. I liked the way it was open in terms of the field that you can get into.

How did the University of Bradford/Graduate Workforce Bradford Project support/guide you?

The University of Bradford CES helped me a lot. My career advisor even till now checks up on me, which I really appreciate. Just having that person that I can talk about jobs, how I am feeling right now. Having that open line of support to speak about work is really useful.

What advice would you give our current students and graduates based on your experiences?

I would say - keep your head held up high and keep applying, and eventually you will get where you need to be. I would say, keep motivated - that is a key point. Keep going and if you need support you should turn to the CES. Do not think that you are on your own, you have your degree and have five years of support available from the CES so it’s a no-brainer. Really just make use of them, they are here to be used. They are there to help you, and they certainly helped me out a lot. Definitely use the CES, that’s all I can say.