Tag: volunteering

Societies at Sheffield – Enactus

Hannah ReaneyHi! I’m Hannah, a BA Business Management student in my second year of study. In this blog, I’m going to talk about something that I’m really passionate about, which is Enactus, a society that you can be a part of at University of Sheffield.

Societies that you can get involved with at university are never ending, and range from sports clubs like cheerleading and football, to groups such as Quidditch and film making. But there’s a society I want to talk about in particular, which is known as Enactus. We are a society that is quite different from others as we’re a stand-alone organisation that doesn’t have to adhere to the usual rules of university societies, as we have our own funding.

So, what is Enactus Sheffield?

Enactus stands for ‘Entrepreneurial, Action, and Us’. It’s a non-profit social enterprise run by students, which runs a range of projects both locally and internationally to benefit communities. Our aim is to provide aid to local and international social issues through the development of new businesses. Each year, Enactus Sheffield takes part in the Enactus National Competition with 55 other teams from all over the UK. We get to present on what impact our enterprises have had over the past year, and each team is judged – in each of the last eight years we have placed in the top four teams! We have also received recognition from the former Prime Minister David Cameron and HRH Prince William, as well as winning several national awards.

Facts about Enactus:maxresdefault

  • Takes place in 36 Countries
  • Over 1,730 universities take part
  • We have 72,000+ student members
  • Our work has impacted 1,300,000+ people

Opportunities at Enactus:

All of the above are obviously great reasons to get involved, however you might be asking what Enactus can do for you? The opportunities that you gain when you take part in this society are huge, and range from meeting and working with a large group of diverse people, to the opportunity to develop and enhance your skills at multiple training days and weekends. You would also have the opportunity to go to Nationals, and if successful compete in The World Cup, which this year is in San Francisco! As well as that, implementing our projects take our members around the world, with members travelling to Zambia, Nigeria, Malawi and Bolivia.

Lastly, we’re part of a global network that supports the amazing work we do, with sponsor companies such as Asda, KPMG, Centrica and Accenture to name just a few. So, if you have your eye on a graduate job (which let’s face it, all of us do) then join Enactus to have access to this network of companies keen to employ you.

Enactus

How to enhance your CV in first year

james-dylagHello, my name is James, and I’m a second year Business Management student. In my first post for the blog I am going to talk about how to enhance your CV in your first year at University!

This might seem like a boring topic, especially when you’re not even in first year yet, but trust me – first year is the best time to get stuck in and try loads of different things, all of which will build your CV!

One of the great things about university life in Sheffield is the massive amount of volunteering available to students throughout the University.  As a fresher, you’ll get the chance to attend a volunteering fair. This is a really good way to find out about the different volunteering roles available and get a feel of what might suit you. At the fair you’ll find a massive range of opportunities – from working with Sheffield Museums, helping out at an animal shelter, and even helping local students with their homework! Broomhill (about a five-minute walk from Endcliffe/Ranmoor student village) is full of charity shops which are always looking for people to come in and help them out. The best part about so many of the volunteering roles in Sheffield is that you don’t have to commit to a set number of hours each week; you can just sign up to the different projects being run by the organisation and only commit to what you are able to do!7m-ty5ho

Volunteering is a great way to gain experience, build your skills, meet new people and learn more about your new city! All of these things just give you that little bit more to talk about in any future interviews which might just give you the edge over other candidates.

Joining societies at University is another way to get involved and enhance your CV. There are literally hundreds of societies that will almost definitely cater to your interests. All societies have positions such as president, social secretary, and finance secretary. Any member of the society can apply to these positions. Being involved in a society gives you real life experience of working to maintain an organisation – which is a great transferable skill. Not only this, but you will have the chance to meet lots of new people and get involved in all the societies events! All of which, you guessed it, give you more to talk about in any interviews you might have in the future!

The University also offers students services such as 301 – an entire department dedicated to developing your skills. Here, you’ll be able to book appointments with advisors who will help you work through and develop _MG_8626your CV. The Management School also has its own Student Experience Office, and a dedicated careers service through the Employability Hub. Both of these departments will work alongside students giving you advice about things such as applying to placements and writing your CV.

Like I said, building your CV in first year at this point might feel like a million miles away, but first year is a great time to get involved in all of the activities offered to students by the University, which will not only benefit you and your CV, but also give you the opportunity to make new friends, try new things, and develop your skill set.