Career Orientation – Vietsoc Sheffield

I led the planning and preparation of a career orientation event run by Vietsoc Sheffield, aimed at helping Vietnamese students get a clearer sense of university life, employability, and career paths in the UK.

The event came out of something a lot of international students experience such as knowing how to study but feeling unsure about how university actually connects to a career. Many students arrive with a lot of pressure to do well, but not much guidance on things like networking, building experience, or finding opportunities outside lectures.

What I Contributed

My involvement was mainly in the lead-up to the event:

• Attending planning meetings and helping coordinate the committee
• Suggesting ideas for the structure, themes, and discussion topics
• Drafting prompt questions to guide speaker discussions and student engagement
• Helping with guest speaker communication and scheduling, including writing invitation emails and formal letters
• Preparing a financial plan to manage guest support costs and refreshments
• Putting together promotional content and student communications
• Supporting general logistics and task coordination in the run-up to the event

Challenges

The main challenge was making the event feel accessible, somewhere students would actually want to come rather than another formal careers talk. A lot of students, especially those from international backgrounds find it hard to openly admit they feel lost about their future. We also wanted to balance practical advice with honesty without the whole thing feeling rehearsed or out of touch.

Approach

We focused on keeping the event conversational and student-led rather than lecture-style. Instead of presenting speakers as polished success stories, the idea was to have more open conversations around things like career uncertainty, adjusting to studying and working in the UK, building up experience gradually, and the reality that employability takes time.

We also thought carefully about how to make the event feel approachable for students who wouldn’t normally show up to anything career-related.

Outcomes

• Helped plan and deliver a student-focused employability event
• Contributed to creating a more honest, open space for career conversations
• Gained practical experience in event planning, teamwork, and coordination
• Developed a better understanding of how student societies can support peer learning and career awareness