Alki Giavridis (left) and Rayaan Afzal (right)
Rayaan:
Since graduating from LSE, how have you stayed connected to the Department of Management?
Since graduating, I’ve been lucky enough to attend a mixture of both in-person and virtual events hosted by the LSE Department of Management Alumni Relations team. These range from more informal networking sessions to alumni panels, and it is always a pleasure seeing some familiar faces! I’m also no stranger to campus where I sometimes pop by to get a change of scene when working from home - it definitely reignites my nostalgia!
What motivated you to share your time with our current students, and what was the outcome?
The main driver for my motivation was remembering what I was like when I started at LSE, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I graduated. It was during my first year when I started attending the alumni events and panels, that I realised just how valuable it was hearing from a recent graduate about their career insights. When I graduated, I was really excited to hopefully provide the same insights to inspire current students, the way I was inspired.
Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to touch base with a fair few Management students and recent graduates who were interested in applying to Amazon, and even prepare some for the interview process. The best part is that some of them are now my colleagues and we have an ever growing community of LSE alumni at work!
Speaking with Alki was an absolute pleasure! We connected at the Welcome Week Alumni Panel for the BSc Management programme in September 2020. She asked some really insightful questions and was interested to hear more about working at Amazon. We kept in touch afterwards with regular catch-ups and following our conversations (and with her being an incredible candidate!) I was able to refer her for a role. She absolutely aced the interview process a few months later and is now working for Amazon in Germany. It was awesome to help out a fellow Management student - we caught up just a couple weeks ago and she’s settling in perfectly!
What is one piece of advice you would give to fellow alumni who are interested in volunteering at the Department?
As LSE students we were always taught to network and build connections at every opportunity, and this is no different. If you volunteer to share your time and expertise with the Department, you’ll not only be able to help develop the careers of new graduates but also maintain a long term relationship with LSE. I’ve also found it massively helps nurture our own communication and mentoring skills, both of which are very transferable in our own careers.
Alki:
How has Rayaan sharing his time and expertise with you had a positive impact on your career journey?
I would have never received my job offer from Amazon, without the incredible advice and guidance of Ray. Amazon was not a firm that I considered working for but after Ray shared with me how positive his experience there has been, I decided to apply. His help is what led me to work at an incredible firm surrounded by brilliant people. I feel extremely fulfilled in my job and am beyond grateful for Ray’s support throughout the application and preparation process. As an added bonus, I gained an ally within the firm, who I can turn to for advice and mentorship.
What advice would you give to current students who are considering attending networking and panel events with alumni?
Like many people, I was initially a bit sceptical of networking and I was wary of going to these events. But after attending my first alumni panel, I was amazed by how generous and helpful people inside this amazing community are, and this is what kept be coming back to the events. I was able to get a behind-the-scenes view of different industries and connect with individuals that were in my exact shoes a few years ago. While we meet 100-200 students through our own cohort, the alumni community offers us access to thousands of brilliant minds. It would truly be a shame to miss out on this incredible opportunity.
Why is it important to you to stay connected to the Department in the future?
I gained knowledge, connection, support, and so much more from the alumni network and this has really inspired me to reconnect with the Department after I graduate. The generosity I have felt has been incredible and that has really motivated me to also give back to the LSE community and offer any guidance, advice, and help I can give to the next generation of students.