Salford Business School student stories
Discover student stories that will fill you in on what it's like to study and live in Salford, as well as the opportunities available when you join us at Salford Business School.
Study Business Case Studies
Jill Arkoh Otabil - BSc Business and Management
BSc Business and Management student Jill Arkoh Otabil shares with us her experiences completing a summer internship at Happski & Company - a Manchester-based start-up which specialises in helping tech businesses with their next round of funding.
The Internship Experience
Happski & Company is a Manchester-based design & consulting firm which specialises in helping tech businesses with their next round of funding. I joined the company at an early stage, before the company even had a website or any online presence. During this summer internship, I was working directly with the CEO and had a significant impact on the overall success of what the company is today.
With the skills already acquired through my Salford experience, I was able to shape the company’s culture, business fundamentals and had a massive effect on the overall look of the marketing strategy.
During my internship, I have definitely learnt time management and project management tools. Happski & Company exposed me to different agile management methodologies, such as Sprint, Scrum, Waterfall, and a mix of all. I structured my working hours in a way to create balance and keep me stimulated throughout the day. I achieved this by productively, delivering all the tasks by measuring them against detailed time tracking, organisational deadlines, and operational expenses. These are skills that are needed in companies and will help to increase my employability.
The Salford Business School Experience
Professional confidence is the results of Salford’s curriculum.
Throughout the delivery of the modules, I was constantly learning new skills as well as enhancing already acquired knowledge. Salford aims to increase students' understanding and prepares them to face any obstacles.
The role of the teaching team also plays a significant part in building professional confidence. We are encouraged to seek help and ask questions when we struggle with modules. So during my internship asking for further training or enlightenment about a task was never a problem.
Furthermore, asking the right questions builds critical thinking. During my internship, I was in constant conversation with the CEO.
Read more Business Management case studies
Study Law Case Studies
Emma Clarke - LLB Law
When I started at Salford, I never expected to experience everything I have done. It goes without saying that the teaching staff have without a doubt made the experience for me. I was taught by people who believed in me before I truly believed in myself.
The Placement Experience
I worked as an intern within the in-house legal team at Viacom Media Networks, who are a multinational television and media company. My day to day duties included drafting a wide range of consumer products contracts as well as dealing with counterfeit and trademark-related issues.
I could not have asked for a better placement experience, it truly allowed me to grow as a person and I saw a huge increase in my confidence. Working in a legal team for such a large company was incredibly fast-paced which meant I had to pick things up quickly and be very organised. These are all skills that have carried forward into my final year – I’ve seen such an improvement in my grades. I even got to visit their New York offices in July, which was an incredible experience!
Preparation for a Successful Career in Law
I think almost every aspect of my studies at Salford has prepared me for life after University. From learning the principles of accounting and marketing in first year to the professional development module in second year, there is certainly ample opportunity to advance real-world skills that will make you stand out in the highly competitive graduate field.
Ultimately it was the mooting opportunities at Salford that changed my entire experience.
Not only did it help me to decide that I wanted to pursue a career at the Bar, but it also allowed me to develop skills that I may not have picked up elsewhere. I was fortunate enough to be successful in both national and international mooting competitions which not only hugely increased my confidence with public speaking but also allowed me to develop a network of peers from across the world. Not only that, but it is a great talking point at interviews too! Mooting requires resilience and the ability to think fast under pressure which has most certainly helped me develop skills that I know will favour me in the future.
Read more Law case studies
Study Finance Case Studies
Nilima Begum - BSc Business Studies with Financial Management
We caught up with BSc Business Studies with Financial Management graduate Nilima Begum, who talks to us about her aspirations before starting university, what she is doing now in her career and how The University of Salford helped her achieve her ambitions.
Where are you now? What has your career path looked like?
When I graduated in 2013, I was lucky enough to get my first job at RBS as a Complaints Handler; I was there nearly 3 years, eventually leaving in 2016 after doing various roles in Personal Banking. This helped me build my knowledge and experience within the sector.
After that, I joined the Co-Operative Bank doing on-boarding of new business accounts, which I did for a short 6 months. I then moved back to RBS, but the Williams & Glynn side doing Business and Commercial Banking and AML & KYC on existing business customer accounts. I stayed there for over one and a half years before leaving to go to Deloitte, where a great opportunity opened up for me to go onto doing Commercial Banking.
In October 2018 I joined Aldermore Bank PLC as a National Bad Debt Protection Administrator in Invoice Finance which was my first experience in this type of banking and I absolutely loved it. I did this role for just over a year before landing my current job in March 2020.
My current job title is Business Development Support Executive at Aldermore Bank PLC, more specifically within Invoice Finance. I work in the sales team, supporting the Business Development Managers with new business. I help onboard new clients (mostly SME’s) and support our prospects during this stage. I absolutely love my job, it suits me perfectly and I am excited to progress even further. The best part of my job is being able to help struggling businesses get the cashflow they need and learning about the different businesses that are out there. No two businesses are the same despite them being in the same sector.
How did Salford Business School help you achieve your ambitions?
Salford Business School gave me the confidence and experience behind the theoretical knowledge of businesses as well as the financial side. They helped me to speak confidently and purposefully in front of large crowds, which I believe has helped me in interviews and generally being able to speak to people on the phone.
Whilst at University I felt I had a lot of support from tutors. They were always available when I needed them and helped me during assignments and exams.
Salford Business School helped give me the foundation I needed to go into a job as well as help build my confidence as a person. When I graduated I knew exactly where I wanted to be! Without my degree, I wouldn’t have known exactly the direction I wanted to go in.
I still use my theoretical and practical knowledge of businesses even now during my working life, to look at financial accounts and to speak to different businesses about how they run. Practically running a business is very different from an idea of how we think a real business should be run.