Case studies: Employer liaison officer: Chris

Chris graduated with a degree in marketing with management from Aberystwyth University in 2007. He was keen to get into marketing and was looking for a job in this area. He was particularly interested in events marketing.

While I was at university, I spent two summers working at summer camps in the USA through BUNAC. I saw that BUNAC were advertising for a regional marketing coordinator to work in the UK, so I applied and was successful. I enjoyed setting up events around my region, promoting BUNAC and giving presentations. The only downside was that the contract was fixed term for nine months.

After this, I enjoyed a season working at a ski resort and then returned to a temporary administration job with the police. I had by then decided that I wanted to get a 'proper' job. The economic recession encouraged me to look for a position with some long-term stability. In addition, I was keen to secure a permanent contract and a decent salary.

Higher education administration positions seemed to fulfil my criteria. I began to scan university websites and quite quickly secured my current position as an employer liaison officer. I was up against stiff competition for this position as nearly 100 people applied. I believe I was successful as I had the relevant work experience. Not only did I have marketing experience but also I have spent time working with students.

My advice to students trying to get into this area is to do something useful with your summers. Even if the activity you end up doing is not of direct relevance to the position you apply for, there will be a range of transferable skills that you will have built up. My degree was in a related area but I don't feel that I use much of what I learnt in my day-to-day job. It did, however, show me the areas of work that I was interested in, such as human resources and consumer behaviour, and those I wasn't so interested in, such as finance.

My current role involves administering large events and smaller presentations run by the university's careers service. I also supervise student helpers who enter vacancies onto a database. I make new contacts with employers and sort out their requirements to ensure that they return to events year on year. I enjoy making these large events happen. I am getting more involved in promoting events to students, which is an area that I enjoy very much.