What is a brand ambassador and what made you interested in this role?
The role of a brand ambassador is to spread awareness of the roles and opportunities available at a company. I was scrolling through Surrey Pathfinder and saw the variety of roles available, one of which was the brand ambassador. I’ve always been passionate about interacting with new people and making new friends, so I saw this as a really interesting opportunity to interact with new people and also promote a well-known company.
What was your application process like?
The application process was decently competitive. The first stage involved answering a series of written questions: why would you like to work for JP Morgan, what skills do you have et cetera. The next stage revolved around making a 2-minute video explaining why they should pick you, and the goal was to make the video somewhat creative. I made my video in the style of a talk show interview.
Finally, I was selected to have an interview with our current manager, who asked us a series of questions. Here we got to explain the people we knew, the types of events we’d like to host and how to promote the brand further. Along with this, I reflected how I would promote the brand online during COVID – usually, brand ambassadors would be around campus and could talk to students and have in-person events, but this is of course very different now.
In your opinion, what is the value of part-time jobs like this during your studies?
I think a part-time job has opened my eyes to time management. I used to think I was pretty good with my time management skills as I didn’t have a job, so it was purely just academics and societies I was part of. This year, having a part-time job meant I had obligations as well as objectives to meet. I need to get a certain number of people to click on links as well as students to sign up for JP Morgan’s talent network.
Being a brand ambassador has shown me that maybe a 9-5 job isn’t necessarily what I want to do. Being an Economics student, I’ve always thought that my career would go down this road, with having such a critical and practical mind, but I think my perception of everything has changed at least a little bit. In terms of skills, it’s made me more extroverted and excited to meet with new faces, even if it’s not face-to-face, I’ve had people messaging me privately after seeing my message on group chats about opportunities. I have tons of respect for people who must work a part-time job, and I feel genuinely privileged that I did it out of interest.
What tips or recommendations do you have for students interested in being brand ambassadors?
If you want to be a brand ambassador, be ready to throw yourself out there for the company. Especially since many roles are being recruited up until November, you need to promote the company you represent as much as possible in the first two months. Think of unique ways to promote the company and if you’re passionate about the company, then you’ll find ways to put yourself out there. I find myself wanting to be on campus a lot more because of my role as an ambassador. I think it’s a great way to be part of something and you get the added advantage of setting your working hours, no one forces you to do anything, so you need to be self-motivated and driven.
