Kent Law and Criminology LLB student Layli Ofarinova shares her key take-aways from an inspirational employability event organised jointly by Kent Law School and Kent Student Law Society.
‘I was happy to attend an informative session on alternative career paths which you can follow having a law degree. Although I still want to become a lawyer, this session motivated and encouraged me not to be afraid of uncertainty about the future career.
‘Here are some inspiring take-aways from the session I want to share with you:
- Both your specific academic and general transferable skills that you get from a law degree play a huge role in your applications and interviews. You will get a job as soon as you are able to show the employer that you can benefit the company by efficiently resolving certain issues by applying these skills. Christos Panayi, a data protection specialist, especially focused on drafting skills that employers may expect you to know with your degree. Use them to successfully apply to other careers!
- It is not about your marks, but rather your experiences that make you stand out in the modern society. Do not be afraid “to zig zag” through different fields, try something new which will not only feed you both with physical and intellectual food, but also will enrich your work experience
- Use the power of social media for networking and showing your passion about certain topics. Employers often look at applicant’s internet profiles to know more about you, so use this opportunity to make you stand out from the crowd
- In order to impress a potential employer, listen carefully to what they are saying. People like to be valued
“Go for your dream and believe you can do it. Bet on yourself” – Christos Panayi.
- Use a “Hedgehog Concept” – follow one main goal, rather than a large number of small interests at the same time
- Do not get downhearted because of rejections. It does not make you less worthy
‘Thank you so much, Kent Student Law Society and Kent Law School for organising this uplifting event!’
Layli Ofarinova
The event Layli attended, ‘What else can I do with a law degree? Alternatives to Legal Practice’, was organised jointly by Kent Law School Employability Manager Jayne Instone and Kent Student Law Society. A panel of four Kent Law School alumni with interesting jobs outside of legal practice shared insights into their career paths, the ways in which their law degree has assisted them, and the things they wish they’d known whilst still a student. Panellists comprised:
- Daniel Malynn, Vascular Network Manager, NHS. Graduated from Kent in 2010; Called to the Bar in 2011; five years working in advocacy departments; then pursued a career in public policy, first as part of the Civil Service Fast Stream, working across Home Office, Ministry of Defence and Department of Health and Social Care. Daniel is currently working within the NHS as South London Vascular Network(s) Manager, which is focuses on improving care and outcomes for patients with vascular diseases. Outside of work Daniel has volunteered for 10 years and is now on the Advisory Board of Progress Educational Trust. Daniel is also a coopted school Governor at Langley Park School for Boys, leading on Safeguarding, SEND and School Exclusions
- Kinga Stabryla, founder of an international digital marketing and events agency ‘Brandspire’. Her clients include a billionaire, a serial entrepreneur, SME’s. She helped launch books and assisted entrepreneurs to appear on media channels. Events organised with her support are consistently attended by 100-700 entrepreneurs. In her free time she mentors teenagers in career growth and helps two charities. Before starting her agency she lead and organised hackathons with companies like Microsoft, Mastercard and NASA at a London start-up, worked briefly as an Intelligence Analyst, spoke at the European parliament, and gained experience in the legal field (believing she wanted to be a lawyer)
- Natasha Connors, Senior Associate, Content & Media Policy at Ofcom. Graduated from Kent in 2011; 9years striving to make ‘communications work for everyone’ at the communications regulator Ofcom. She joined the graduate scheme and worked across a range of policy areas including fixed and mobile telecoms, post and broadcast regulation. She moved to an associate policy role in Ofcom Chief Executive’s office where she was part of a central team responsible for setting the direction of the organisation then moved to specialise in Content and Media policy in 2016. Now a Senior Associate in the Broadcast and Online Content Group, Natasha has managed and been part of several media policy and strategy projects, including on encouraging diversity in broadcasting, promoting media literacy and most recently, exploring the Future of the Public Service Broadcasting system through Ofcom’s ‘Small Screen: Big Debate’
- Christos Panayi, Data Protection Specialist, World Food Programme. Christos is an international law practitioner who has worked for the legal departments of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) focusing on international administrative law, international employment law and later specialising as a data protection specialist. For the last year and a half, Christos has been working with the World Food Programme (WFP) as a data protection specialist and as a legal focal point within the IT security department, being part of the efforts rewarded with the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize award. He has participated in a few working groups on data protection and international organisations, is currently the chair of the Ethics Technical Working Group on the ethical use of data collected by drones in the humanitarian context for an FCDO funded project, has represented WFP in multiple international conferences and has delivered several presentations both internally and externally on data protection and international organisations. He holds an LLB from the University of Kent and an LLM from University College London.
See ‘Get into Law‘ (the KLS Employability blog) for an overview of the events, activities and support available to aspiring lawyers at Kent