Kasia Kowlaska

Country of origin: Poland

Placement: Lancaster University Management School

I decided to take a placement year as part of my degree because I knew it would provide me with a great opportunity to test my skills, gain professional experience and increase my employability. I had an impression that it would also help me realise what motivates me and makes me flourish at work and therefore what career path I want to pursue after graduation.

During my placement, I worked as Alumni Coordinator in the Careers, Alumni & Employer Relations Department at LUMS. My responsibility was to build and maintain relations between LUMS alumni and the University. That included responding to requests and queries from LUMS alumni relating to alumni services and activities as well as keeping the database of alumni up-to-date. Moreover, my job involved organising alumni reunions and events around the world, liaising with students’ societies and alumni to encourage mutual engagement as well as promoting LUMS alumni services and news via social media and e-communications. I was also responsible for aiding student recruitment by connecting prospective students with Alumni Advisers and creating Alumni Profiles. Moreover, I ran the LUMS Career Contacts scheme, through which students were able to connect with alumni asking them for career advice related to their job, company and industry. I even had an opportunity to collaborate with my colleagues on launching a new online social platform for LUMS alumni.

In short, I would describe my placement experience as truly fulfilling and impactful. One of the key lessons I learnt on my placement was to grasp as many opportunities that come my way as possible, while still completing my regular tasks well. Working in a fast-paced environment with multiple things to do at the same time and minimal supervision really taught me a lot about how to be efficient and consistently deliver to a high standard.

One of the best parts of my placement was meeting Lancaster alumni, who are very positive and inspiring. It was great to talk with people who have graduated from my University and went on to do amazing things in their lives and careers. Being involved in great events, which engaged students, alumni and the community, was very rewarding.

LUMS Careers team were very supportive during my placement application process and I hugely benefited from their advice. I am especially grateful for the help of Rory Daly who gave me very meaningful guidance on how to succeed at each stage of the process.

After graduation, I am planning to apply for jobs in the consumer goods and advertising industries. I am convinced that the transferrable skills I gained during my placement will help me significantly in pursuing my dream career.