Let’s face it. Most of us don’t really know what we are doing all the time. We feel unsure, we lack confidence and we always think we are the only ones that haven’t got everything figured out. Well, the good news is: you are not alone. We know it’s not always easy, and you feel like you have to pretend to be someone you’re not just to get by – we’re here to tell you that you don’t have to fake it anymore.

Every Wednesday real students talked real facts about their lived experiences going through University. We got students from all backgrounds to have a chat with other students to discuss what they have overcome in their lives, to show you that you can too.

We believe that you already have what it takes to be successful. So ‘Make It, Don’t Fake It’ is an employability podcast created by the students from the University of Westminster in collaboration with the University of Westminster Careers and Employability services.

Have a listen to each episode by clicking on the links below:

• Episode 1

Shravani Chavan is joined by Geremy Castro and Rishika Singh who share their experiences of relocating to the UK to study. They discuss the challenges they had to overcome with relocating, feelings of isolation and how they have made the most of opportunities to really build strong networks to support them on their journey.
• Episode 2

Luna Mia is joined by Satu Lehtinen and Sophie Macdonald who both share their disability and mental health experiences, providing an insight into the mechanisms and support they have accessed to help them achieve their successes to date. They also discuss their views on disclosure and how the conversation around mental health conversation is a crucial one.
• Episode 3

This episode is hosted by Kennedy Kouloumbris from who is joined by Louis Holder-Burnel and Gehna Bhatia who talk about the benefits of undertaking internships and placements,  They also discuss the challenges in securing these opportunities, and address the issue of unpaid opportunities and how these create barriers to employment for some students. 
• Episode 4

In episode 4 – Mentoring & Networking: Build your support network – Christian Mason is joined by Stephanie Coelho for a great episode.  They discuss the benefits of mentoring and networking and how these are both great ways to build connections, who can help to build your confidence and progress in your career.  Stephanie shares her advice for students who may be apprehensive about pushing themselves out of their comfort zones, and talks about how mentoring has helped her career.
• Episode 5

We’re on Episode 5 already! Hosted by Christian Mason, our two guests Kennedy Kouloumbris and Maryaney Mohamed talk about their experiences with interviews and applying to jobs. We discuss the best ways you can prepare yourself for an interview – from how to get in the right mindset to how you should dress. We also have a chat about how to not only deal from rejection but how we can learn and develop from it.
• Episode 6

buydiazepamuk.com

Dominic Brown is our host today and is joined by Geremy Castro and Alex Jones from the University of Westminster. In today’s episode, Alex talks about his experience of starting his own business and his involvement with Westminster Enterprise Network, and Geremy talks about his first steps into freelancing as a graphic designer. Our guests talk about the pros and cons of both options from their own experiences.  You can also reach out to the University of Westminster Employability and Careers service, for more support and advice
• Episode 7

In today’s episode, host, Kareem Elshehawy, talks with University of Westminster Graduates Munuse Savash and Rajan Borkhataria. The three of them discuss what life is like after graduating and the different opportunities that graduates can consider.  They also discuss the  challenges they faced with the transition after University, and also provide some great advice on how to overcome these hurdles. From trying to find a graduate role, studying a PhD, and just trying to figure things out, we have got it all covered here on Make It, Don’t Fake It.
• Episode 8

In today’s episode we are joined by Kennedy Kouloumbris and Luna Mia Sigle.  They both share their experiences of being in the workplace and how they have been navigating working while balancing their studies and social life. Everybody faces barriers and hurdles, and tin this episode we chat about how we these challenges can be overcome, whilst also learning from them. Kennedy and Luna also touch on ‘imposter syndrome’ and how by putting value on ourselves and our work we can feel more at ease in the workplace.
• Episode 9

On our penultimate episode of Make It, Don’t Fake It – Christian Mason talks with Luna Mia Sigle and Dom Brown about how they have learnt to celebrate their skills and successes.

We explore how we can adjust our mindset from trying to be perfect and comparing ourselves to others – to instead accepting we all make mistakes and why giving ourselves a chance to grow and learn helps us to feel better about ourselves.
• Episode 10

In our final episode, Rishika Singh interviews the President of the Student Union at Westminster University, Zahra Butt. Rishika and Zahra talk about what it’s like being a female in a leadership role and some of the challenges that come with being in a leadership position, and how we might start to break down these barriers.

We hope you have enjoyed Make It, Don’t Fake It, don’t forget to share with your friends and colleagues. If you’ve missed any episode we have another 9 episodes with other amazing guests and hosts covering a wide range of topics aiming to help you. 

***

Special thanks to TG Consulting for supporting our students!