International Business Personal Statement

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Interaction with business professionals has led me to believe that today we require more, and better skilled, management and organisational personnel if we are to continue to compete effectively in global markets. Human resources, in particular, is an area I am incredibly interested in and hope to study at university. I am really looking forward to beginning my studies at university as I know gaining a degree will help me to develop my skills for the future and truly engage me in the world of Human Resources.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

Studying Graphics, I became interested in businesses because as well as working with them, I have to research and understand them in order to create effective designs. I focus on ethics and different cultures to make sure that my designs are suitable for their target audience. I also have experience in analysing and evaluating different personalities, needs and aims so that my designs and research are as high quality as possible. Furthermore, my study of two languages has allowed me to enhance my knowledge of communication. I feel that this is important for a career in Human Resources as working and communicating with different people is a key part of the role. These subjects have allowed me to develop my independent study skills and have given me the opportunity to learn how to solve problems within my work.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

Throughout my education, I have taken part in many different activities, including helping with sports days, school shows and mentoring GCSE students. In February 2014, I took part in the National Citizen Service; this enabled me to develop leadership skills. Firstly, I went on a three day adventure where I learnt many different team-building skills. Included was a business challenge ran by ‘Coca Cola’ where we had to work within our teams to create a new soft drink, this included the design, advertisements, ingredients and the profit we would make. Here, I had a management role and had to lead and make sure the team worked together effectively. My team won the challenge. We were also asked to raise awareness for a local charity. Consequently, we planned a range of fundraisers. In order for them to be effective it was important for us to work together, organise and structure our ideas. Altogether, we made over 600 pounds for the Sarcoma UK cancer charity. I feel that my NCS experience not only provided me with lots of skills that are key to success at university but also gave me the confidence to go and take part in other opportunities, for example, I spoke about my NCS experience in front of the year 11 students at my school. I think that this really shows my commitment to something I love and I feel these are factors I would use in university life and my chosen course. After this, I was presented with another opportunity: Project Aspire, run by Ashfield In2Focus. For this, I had to submit an application and have an interview and was successful in gaining a place. I have already been through a number of processes in order to develop my skills including an MBTI test, brain teasers, I also had to provide a professional presentation about an interest or hobby. On top of this I worked in a group to provide a presentation on ‘My Community’ and have just completed a Charity Fundraiser with my team. The goal is to develop as a person and provide me with the personality and skills needed in a working environment. I have also gained as much work experience as I can. I have used my summer holidays to work in offices and gain knowledge on basic and more advanced office routines and policies. I have attended meetings, including one with a local MP and another with the Chamber of Commerce. As well as this, I am also an Avon Representative, whereby it is my job to sell Avon products to various different people. I feel that this has provided me with more communication skills and has allowed me to deal with different situations that would come up in the working world.