Aideen Henry

Title: Project Co-ordinator
Degree: Business Management

Graft is a charity that provides information and support to businesses employing disabled people, as well as to disabled candidates looking for work. As a senior manager here, I oversee the day-to-day running of the charity and manage the team. I was offered the job after doing a work placement here.

If you look at my job description, it doesn’t marry with what I actually do. Because we’re such a small outfit, my remit is really wide. On any given day I could be writing fundraising applications or sorting out the payroll. So multi-tasking is an essential skill to have here!

I found it really difficult to get a job after graduating. What helped me in the end was being open to possibilities – and locations (I moved from Oxford to Reading). If you’re in the same situation, my advice would be to persist and keep thinking of different ways to get a job. And remember, the important thing is who you know not what you know. I ended up getting my placement through the Careers & Employment Centre, which resulted in a full-time job offer. So make sure you exhaust all of your possibilities, even if that means contacting someone just on the off chance.

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