Friday 07-02-2014 - 10:31

Are you thinking of running for office? Or are the pros and cons of the sabbatical officer job a bit hazy? We've spoken to sabbs from around the UK to ask them about their experiences in their roles, and how it has helped them find success after graduating from university. 

 

We spoke to Nabil Alizai, who was the Activities Officer at Sheffield University Students’ Union between 2011/12. He's now a Marketing & Communications analyst at Accenture, one of the world's leading business consulting and management organistions.

 

 

1. What did your sabbatical role involve? 

I was the Activities Officer at The University of Sheffield Students’ Union in 2011/12. As well as working with the rest of my sabbatical officer team to represent students, I was responsible for representing the interests of students involved in societies, fundraising, volunteering, student media and the community activities in our halls of residence.

 

I had an incredibly varied role, with the chance to work closely with student leaders across a diverse range of societies, from ballroom dancing to medieval re-enactment to political and campaigning societies.

 

 

2. How did you get involved in your Students’ Union?

I’d been involved in RAG and Volunteering during my time as a student and was the president of a society in my third year. I really enjoyed having lots to do alongside my degree and got the chance to work closely with the Activities Officers before me, so I felt like I had a good understanding of the role.

 

 

3. What did you achieve as a sabbatical officer?

Probably the best part of my role was the relationship I built up with the rest of my team, who continue to remain some of my best friends. I have countless great memories, including creating the Student Union’s strategic plan, helping to shape the design of the new SU building ensuring a useful and relevant space for student use and, through a few days of non-stop lobbying and collecting student views, successfully overturning the University’s attempt to take out an injunction over any forms of protest on our campus.

 

My proudest day, and achievement, during my time in Sheffield would definitely be the creation of a LipDub involving over 300 students – filmed on a Saturday morning in December. I would definitely recommend a watch!

 

 

4. What did you learn during your sabbatical year?

I wasn’t really into party politics when I first became a sabbatical officer and was worried about how ‘political’ I would need to be.

 

I learned quickly that being political just involves having a set of values and beliefs and sticking to them, and whilst it may seem an obvious lesson to some, it made a huge difference to the way I dealt with my role. I had so many chances to talk to large groups of students and chair meetings, so my communication skills drastically improved over the year.

 

Combined with the skills I gained in effective project management, leading training sessions and working with a wide range of stakeholders, I honestly felt like an entirely different person after 12 months.

 

 

5. How did your role impact upon your life and career?

During my year, I worked closely with the SU Marketing department, including leading on improving the ways we communicated in order to allow students to effectively shape our priorities. As a Biomedical Science graduate, I’d never really thought about Marketing as a career avenue to explore, but by the end I was totally hooked.

 

Following my sabbatical year, I spent 3 months working in the Marketing and Communications team at the University – a role which I would not have got had it not been for the projects I’d worked on as a sabbatical officer. I now focus my efforts on recruitment marketing, creating successful campaigns to attract the best graduates to apply for roles at Accenture – and I can definitely say I’d never be here if it wasn’t for my time as Activities Officer in Sheffield.