Hi, I’m Olivia, a final year Politics and International Relations student. I’ve been using the My Skills platform to reflect on my last few years at the University of Bristol and to help me take stock of my transferable skills, ready for the start of my career journey.
Using My Skills made me realise that the work I’ve done, both for and outside of my studies, has helped me engage with both local communities and the wider world. As I’m aspiring to a career in the NGO/human rights sector, both are attributes that are attractive to potential employers.
You can use My Skills to complete your skills profile and then figure out the skills pathways relevant to you.
I completed the pathways entitled ‘engaging positively with global issues’ and ‘engaging positively with local communities’, here’s what they helped me realise:
The global and the local are deeply connected, and your career could be the missing link
Engaging positively with global issues is important because it allows us to be global citizens and equips us with the tools and knowledge to foster empathy and cultural competence. Completing this pathway made me consider how I’ve engaged with global issues without necessarily having gone abroad.
Through my work fundraising for Sanctuary Scholarships at the University, I was able to help refugees and asylum seekers wanting to study, while staying right here in Bristol.
The role was a chance for me to actively participate in the global issue of education access, and to develop skills that will allow me to have a positive impact in my future career.
There are opportunities right on your doorstep
Clearly, you don’t have to travel far and wide to make a difference. There are so many opportunities available for you to have a positive influence on your local community.
My Skills showed me how local opportunities can open doors for my future, all while becoming an agent of positive change in my immediate surroundings.
I volunteered with Bristol Women’s Voice on International Women’s Day and helped the local community come together to gather and celebrate. I developed skills such as teamwork and communication which I will take forward and which I know will be useful in my future career, especially in a charitable organisation.
Making international connections is valuable
If you too are aspiring for an international career then it is important to go beyond the local, even if you use that as a starting point. Meaningful connections are invaluable to your future career.
After my year abroad at the University of Copenhagen, I kept in contact with one of my lecturers who helped me get a paper published by The Arctic Institute using her connections.
The world is interconnected and making use of that is an extremely beneficial skill to have.
There is always more to learn
Finally, My Skills made me realise that there is always more to learn. Both in your sector and through the development of transferable skills.
Outside of my studies, I have completed online courses with the UN in Peacekeeping and human rights, and in humanitarian approaches to nuclear disarmament.
These allowed me to expand my expertise and skill set outside of my degree and strengthened my ability to work well independently, a skill valued by all employers.
Once I had used My Skills to take stock of my transferable skills, I went to 5 Tyndall Avenue and spoke to a friendly Careers Advisor. This meeting was really helpful in signposting resources such as the sector guide for international development. They were able to further arrange a guidance meeting, which was longer, more personalised and made me feel really supported.
No matter what experience you have, whether it be a part-time job or as a member of a society, there will be skills you have developed along the way that are relevant to the world of work.
Complete your skills check on My Skills and then book in to have a live chat or come and speak to us at 5 Tyndall Avenue.