My UEA Story: Yasmin

Languages and Communication Studies Alumni

Job Title: Event Manager
Employer: salesforce.com
Location: Staines

Please explain how your career has developed since graduating.

Very random, did a French degree, ended up working for my year out in events in Paris and after graduating decided to go back to that job in Paris. I have since had a career for the last 11 years in events management, five in Paris and six in London.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your current role?

Travel, variety, money, people, flexibility.

What steps did you take in finding employment (e.g. careers centre, job websites, networking events)?

I was not good at the psychometric testing so all the UK graduate programmes were hard for me to get into. I am not sure what I would be doing today if it had not been for the year out in Paris working, as it launched my career in events.

What are the key skills you learnt at UEA?

Language, presenting, confidence.

How have they made a difference in your career?

Not a huge difference as the world has moved on since then, nowadays you need to know about Facebook, Twitter, the world is online, email was just getting popular when I was at university.

What piece of advice do you wish you'd received before you graduated?

Practice doing tests for job interviews, proper job interview experience, more on how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the Internet.

Do you have any tips for current students or recent graduates?

Go out and work in your holidays in your choice profession if you can or be an intern, learn a language, spend time in the country of that language, learn the skill of networking.

If you use languages in your job, how do you use them and what do you use them for?

Mostly conversation, not written.

What is the professional and personal value you place on being able to speak a language other than English?

It does give you that edge over another candidate and also personally I love that I speak another language as I get to show it off!

Can you provide a short description of an incident from your time at UEA, your year abroad or your professional life which stands out (language related or not)?

I keep getting told I sound so French it is hard to believe I am English!

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