Aqeela Hussain

Why did you apply to the University and why did you choose that course?

I applied to the University of Bradford because it was easier to travel to and also because of their Career and Employability Service. This is because most universities only offer their career services while students are studying at the university, and it is not offered after they graduate. This differs from the University of Bradford which offers support for alumni for up to 5 years after they have graduated which feels more reassuring, especially with how unpredictable the job market can be.
I wanted to study Psychology as I was really interested in understanding the mind and all of the factors that could potentially influence it.

What steps did you take to improve your employability whilst at university [and/or after you graduated?

While studying, I worked as a Student Mental Health Ambassador and tried to get involved in some research through the summer internships and Brad-ATTAIN Programme. This really helped me improve my employability as the Ambassador role allowed me to gain vital knowledge and experience working in mental health and in being able to organise groups and different events to raise awareness of different mental health conditions. 
The summer internship and Brad-ATTAIN Programme really helped me improve the research skills I had already developed during my time as a student. I was also able to learn about different processes to get research authorised outside of university assignments/dissertations.

How did Career and Employability Services support you during your time at university?

The Career and Employability services were amazing in supporting me throughout my time at the university! They helped me develop my CV and were really supportive when I was thinking about my career journey and any areas that I would need to build on.  There are a lot of events that the service hold which allowed me to network with others and to understand the job market while I was a student. This allowed me to be really career-orientated and understand what work I would need to do to stand out as an applicant.
The Career and Employability Services also emailed me with a lot of useful opportunities with some that were not directly related to psychology but allowed me to develop a range of useful skills that I still use to this day. They were really helpful in helping me to send off applications for roles both while I was at the university and after I graduated. They also helped me to apply for the role I am currently in and in building on my interview skills. I would not have been able to get this role so quickly if it hadn’t been for the Career and Employability Services! 😊 

Tell us about your current job and what makes you successful in securing the job?

I currently work as an Assistant Psychologist for the Bradford District Care Trust. The main responsibilities of my role involve doing service audits (this is just a fancy term for researching different procedures we use and evaluating them), organising and facilitating psychoeducational and therapy groups, and doing 1:1 therapeutic sessions with individuals.
I was offered this role because of the research skills I acquired through Brad-ATTAIN and through the summer internship. The degree itself was vital to getting the role as you can’t be an Assistant Psychologist without a BPS accredited psychology degree or through a conversion course. The degree offered a solid foundation of knowledge of different approaches and theories as to why people develop mental health conditions such as by having an insecure avoidant attachment style. I had also developed some really useful skills through working as an Ambassador and being able to develop my active listening skills and to learn about the lived experiences of people with mental health conditions.

What advice would you give to current students wishing to enter this type of career/sector?

One piece of advice that I would give is to really make full use of the opportunities offered while you’re studying because it allows you the opportunity to build so many skills and gain useful connections. One opportunity I took part in was the Mentorship Scheme and this allowed me to work with someone who was trained in mindfulness and I still use the knowledge I gained from that scheme in the current work I’m doing.