De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) Business and Management graduate Alex George turned down the opportunity to travel to America with DMU’s football club (DMUFC) choosing instead to take up a work placement at the European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan.
DMUFC forward Alex (pictured seated) decided to accept the work placement at the European Games because he knew that having international experience would make his CV more appealing to prospective employers.
He said: “I knew I wanted to do a master’s to improve my CV further but I wasn’t sure I could afford to do it. I thought I would have to work first.
“When my flatmate told me about the VC’s 2020 Scholarship I was really excited but I didn’t tell anyone my plans – I didn’t even apply until I had the 2:1 for my Business and Management course in the bag.”
Based on academic achievement and merit, the Scholarship is automatically applied to all home and EU graduates who achieve a 2:1 or higher and who are graduating or have graduated within the past two years. Individual faculties may also set their own eligibility criteria, terms and conditions.
Throughout his time at DMU, Alex has always looked for opportunities to expand his CV. In fact, he chose to study Marketing Management for his master’s degree because he wanted to broaden his skillset for the same reason.
During the holidays he worked for Off to Work, a large event staffing company. He has worked for the London Olympics as well as at events at the Natural History Museum, parties at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s house and even festivities for the Royal Family.
Between the first and second year of his undergraduate degree and before his master’s, Alex also undertook two internships.
“The first internship was at a company called RPM, a creative agency working in the drinks industry. I had to work with research data on different sorts of drinking vessels. The second internship was with Future Proof, where I did a lot of social media tracking and engagement.”
When he found out about the work placement in Baku, and having decided to say not to DMUFC’s trip to America, Alex seized the opportunity with both hands.
“I think everything I have learned at DMU combined with the skills I gathered during the internships helped me effectively manage the stock control element of my role in Baku. Plus, all the event work I had done meant I understood the finer points of stock control.”
Alex said: “I was based in the Athlete’s Village, which meant I was controlling the stock and stores for three kitchens and four bars.
“I had to oversee all the deliveries and make sure the goods were where they were supposed to be, from a general storage area to the freezers.”
He added: “It was very challenging because a lot of the people we were working with did not have any experience so I was spending a lot of time teaching them things instead of simply supervising, which is what I was originally there to do.”
Now he is back in the UK, while processing all that he learnt at the Games and working hard on completing his dissertation, Alex is looking for another internship.
“There is a lot of competition out there and DMU can only do so much. To get your foot in the door, you actually need to be proactive.”
Posted on Monday 13 July 2015