Studying Abroad: Multitasking and Problem Solving

I will be studying abroad next year in Heidelberg, Germany. The chance to study abroad will provide an opportunity for further development, as I will be completely independent, immersing in a different country with different cultural norms and modes. Already the advent of studying abroad has offered up challenges and positive opportunities. I have exercised skills in multitasking and problem solving.

One of the positives of studying abroad I have experienced is the new role I have acquired as ‘Study Abroad Student Blogger’ for the University of Leicester. Devoting weekly travel posts to my imminent journey to Germany has enabled me to anticipate what I will have to prepare for when I go abroad, for example independently securing accommodation, signing up for language courses and registering for classes. Fulfilling this role as a Student Blogger has also encouraged me to multitask as I have to fit my blogging around working full time over the summer, signing the necessary study abroad documents and completing the Leicester Award itself. 

Being a Student Blogger has undoubtedly improved my ability to organise myself and meet deadlines; the role provides me with a journalism portfolio and perhaps more importantly encourages thinking ahead to the imminent future. This will hopefully make the transition from being in my comfort zone amongst friends and family in the UK, to a completely unfamiliar environment in Germany less daunting. 

Participating in a year abroad has already tested my proactive nature. I was unable to participate in the preparatory German language courses offered by the university abroad as my dates of arrival clashed with the course dates. However I overcame this setback by inquiring about alternative options. I was able to find another language course offered in Heidelberg which starts a week later and is accredited. By signing up for the alternative language course and looking beyond the facilities offered at the university, I discovered that I like to find solutions to problems and complete tasks in an ordered fashion. Although I was disappointed I could not take part in the university regulated language course, I did not want to start my studies with little to no knowledge in conversational German; I was motivated to look at other options within the city and hence immerse myself in Heidelberg’s culture. 

Ultimately, I believe taking a year abroad will give me confidence in my own abilities. I hope participating in a year abroad will expose me to new career opportunities. We now live in a global village whereby borders are being diminished by technology and the growing familiarity we have with other nations. I would also like to use this trip abroad to explore journalism opportunities in Europe. I have a strong desire to travel and experience different societies. Ideally I would like to gain some journalism experience while I am in Germany and learn the language to increase my journalistic skills. I hope participating in the German language course will be my first step towards networking with other cultures and building relationships with potential friends and contacts beyond the UK.

Social Media: Reconnecting with Contacts and Defining my Personal Brand

I have devoted my second post to the personal professional development I have experienced since participating in the Leicester Award.  The Online Networking course, particularly Unit 2 has given me the chance to analyse and assess the personal image I portray online. Also my participation in the E-tivities has given me the chance to reconnect with professional contacts in the journalism industry that I otherwise would have lost contact with. 

Attending the webinar with Malcolm Levene prompted me to share my personal brand online where there are potential employers. His advice to have, ‘One message, one communication style,’ especially stood out to me, as I believe that although I am an energetic, good communicator in person the lack of my digital footprint would suggest otherwise to employers assessing me online. To achieve an effective outer brand I have established myself across a range of social media , using a polished headshot and my full name to create a credible appearance online. 

I was particularly surprised to learn that eighty per cent of employers use social media to find talent. To improve my digital footprint and promote myself as a budding journalist I joined LinkedIn. I found the format of the social networking site extremely beneficial in terms of highlighting my industry experience and contacts. My profile acts as a virtual CV, and the summary page enables me to highlight my unique selling point and differentiate myself from my industry peers. While the function which allows me to showcase my previous articles provides a pathway for which potential employers can review my personal work. This is a particularly important aspect in promoting my brand, as the work culture of the journalism industry is largely freelance based; jobs are temporary and obtained largely on your reputation, which is affected by the quality of your latest work.

I found the option to ‘connect’ with contacts and view my position within the web of professionals I interact with the best feature on LinkedIn. The feature which allows you to request an introduction is useful and I intend to use it in the future as being recommended by a mutual contact will make me a more appealing and trustworthy candidate to potential employers. 

Within a day of setting up my LinkedIn page and connecting with employers I have started a dialogue with former contacts I have worked with in the journalism industry. The first was a novelist and inspirational speaker that I interviewed for an article I wrote for Live magazine. There is an opportunity to gain mentoring from this individual. The second person was a company director of a web design company and editor of a car review website who I completed work experience for whilst I was at school. After connecting with him on LinkedIn he instantly offered many tips on how to maximise my LinkedIn profile, and also offered to meet up with me to catch up. This is especially promising as it offers the opportunity of more experience and mentoring.  Although I have both contacts’ email addresses, social media has given me the unique opportunity to gain career based support and remain in touch in a structured online format. 

I will continue  to work on creating a strong personal image online by regularly updating my profile and engaging in industry related debates online, for instance by joining journalism groups and sharing industry related articles online. 

Although I was initially dubious of the benefits of using social media beyond a social context, using LinkedIn has allowed me to gain greater clarity on how I will pursue a career in the journalism industry. I am actively networking with role models online, whilst simultaneously gaining the experience that will help me climb up the career ladder.

Summer Work: Independently Managing Tasks

I was recently given the chance to develop my planning and organisational skills. Having acquired a summer job waitressing at a restaurant in Westfield, one of the biggest shopping centres in Europe, I was given the opportunity to independently manage a drinks stand which stood apart from the restaurant. The experience was particularly challenging as the task occurred on the weekend of the Wimbledon final, hence the shopping was busier than usual. Although I initially found the task of independently manning my own stand daunting, I was also eager to impress my manager and demonstrate that I have the ability to confidently make decisions without continually seeking reassurance.  Overall the experience challenged my ability to respond to demand and be perceptive; I would say that in retrospect I have improved this skill.

My main objective was to sell as many glasses and jugs of Pimms, an English beverage, to customers as possible. On the first day, sales were lucrative, however as it was initially organised on a small scale I had to stop service several times throughout the day to re-stock ingredients. This meant that customers were lost and the full potential of the scheme was not reached. Another issue which impeded sales was the fact that jugs were not returned by the customers once they had finished using them. As a result I would often sell out of pitchers and hence I was not able to upsell drinks to new customers. 

To overcome these sales issues, on the second day I obtained much more stock and prepared all of my ingredients, storing them in containers ready for service. Implementing this method was small but effective, as I was able to serve more customers in a shorter amount of time and keep my work station tidy. Having prepared all of my stock in the morning the quality of my service also improved as I was able to devote more time to interacting with my customers. Moreover, to surmount the issue of jugs not being returned by customers, I suggested the introduction of a five pounds deposit for customers that purchased a jug of Pimms. The charge of a deposit meant that customers were more likely to return their pitchers as the financial incentive of a potential loss prompted them to return the jugs.  Overall sales peaked on the second day. Unlike the first day of service all jugs used for Pimms were safely returned to the drinks stand to be used again and I had a readily available supply of jugs throughout the day. 

The successful result of operating my own drinks stand meant that my manager has reduced internal seating in the restaurant in order to accommodate a drinks cooler and bar where I continue to serve drinks and handle money in a separate money box. My additional role of responsibility was achieved due to my improved organisational skills and ability to identify better practices, which has also helped my manager to identify and capitalise on new areas of business growth for the restaurant. The experience also allowed me to exercise my cash handling skills, and my continued use of this skill within the restaurant gives me a level of credibility and trust within the company. 

The experience taught me to be perceptive and prepare for all outcomes, but I also learnt that I can perform under pressure and independently achieve results. This is particularly important in journalism, a profession which I would like to pursue, as it involves independently meeting strict deadlines and responding positively to new experiences.  Next time I would analyse the level of preparation needed from the start of a task in order to reap the full potential of an event.