Being in the ebf board, IBR & recruitment days. What are the differences?

Many students join an EBF committee each year. Being in one is more than being only a member of the team, and this has made it a unique experience, especially in terms of skill development networking. You can also take being active at the EBF to the next step: working (almost) full-time at the EBF in the EBF Board, the International Business Research Executive Board, or in the EBF/MARUG Recruitment Days organization! In order to get to know more about these experiences and the differences between them, hearing about first hand experiences is certainly helpful! Therefore, we conducted an interview with one member of all three teams:

Laurien, the Project & Internationalisation Officer from the EBF Board;

Niels, the Travel Logistics & PR Officer of the IBR Mexico Executive Board, and;

Mandy, the Planning and Logistics Officer from the Recruitment Days Organisation

In the interview, the members explain their positions, and the experiences that they have had so far! Furthermore, they also explain what they have learned, what challenges they faced, and with what parties they are in contact with.

What does your year look like?

Laurien: “As the EBF Board, you are responsible for both the daily operations of the EBF, such as organising all events and guiding committees and also developing and executing long term strategy of the association. You start the transition period in April during which you will learn everything that you need to know from the old board. In July, when you are officially installed as the new EBF Board, you will start working full time for a whole year. Moreover, every person in the board has its own portfolio. For example, the Vice-Chairman is responsible for the study support that the EBF offers, getting speakers to Groningen, and for working on the policy with the Chairman. On the other hand, the Project & Internationalisation Officer is to guide many of our committees and help them set up their events. But I also work with the faculty on topics such as internationalisation, inclusion and sustainability. In addition, I work together with the Secretary & HR Officer on the recruitment of our committees. What I think is the nice thing about being on the EBF Board, is that you are basically running a large business together with your fellow board members. That also means that you have a lot of responsibilities, but it’s all worth it.“

Niels: “The IBR Executive Board experience is quite a bit different! In March when the board is chosen we immediately start with the choice of our destinations. The IBR board of 10 persons consists of two boards of 5, each going to one destination. At this point the board is still part time and it will pick up pace until we start to go full time in September. Depending on your function, you will have a variety of tasks and workload throughout the year. The functions IBR offers are Chairman, Vice Chairman & Treasurer, Public Relations & Travel Logistics, and External Relations. My responsibilities include the public relations towards the students and companies. Next to that, I am responsible for the travel logistics, where I organize the field research itself, like booking the flights and hotels. Therefore, you will also have close contact with relevant authorities like the Embassy and local universities. During the beginning of your full time year, you will start selecting the participants who will join the project and conduct the research projects. The acquisition process to bring in the research contracts is the underlying focus of the whole project and as it’s hopefully is full by February; the desk research phase commences. Next to the acquisition, you will have a lot of different tasks and activities with your board and the participants. You will travel to your destination in April, conduct 5 weeks of field research and travel freely 5 weeks afterwards. In July you will finalize your report and present your findings to the company in question. With the IBR board, together with your participants, you will work your board year towards an end goal – the international business research!”

Mandy: “Being in the Recruitment Days organisation is a very different experience than the EBF Board or IBR. As the board of the EBF you are in charge of an organization, and in IBR you are organising a 10-week trip during which you do research. As the Recruitment Days organization, however, you work hard towards one, very large, four day event. Everything has to go well during those days, so good preparation is very important. Organising the RD will be a great year in which you will learn new skills outside the study books, meet a lot of new people from the EBF as well as the MARUG (because you are an active member at both associations!), and of course have a great time with the other 6 people you are organising the RD with! During the first months of the RD, you will be mainly busy with brainstorming about different subjects of the event of upcoming year. From September on, the tasks will be more operational and specific linked to your function. I, for example, was responsible for the planning of the event, and for optimising our scheduling programme. I also was the main contact person for all participating students. Since there are 7 positions in the RD, there is surely a position that will suit you!

Next to your board, what parties are you in contact with?

Laurien: “As I mentioned earlier, I work together with the faculty on a variety of topics. Because the EBF is the faculty association, I’m not the only one who has regular meetings with the faculty: our Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer, IT & Marketing Officer, Commercial Officer and our Career Officer do too. Next to the faculty, we are in contact with the EBF’s sub-associations a lot, but also with study associations from other faculties, and even from other universities. Even though mostly the Commercial and Career Officers are in contact with companies, all board members have plenty of opportunities to get a look behind the scenes of firms, too. The people you work with most, however, are the EBF Active Members. These 180 students are the ones who organise everything, and you help them to make sure everything goes well!”

Niels: “First of all, the two boards of 5, although focused on a different country, work closely together. As soon as the participants join the project you will also work closely together with them. Next to that we work closely together with the EBF board. Besides the students, you will work closely together with the advisory board you have composed in the beginning of the year and they will help you in the whole process. Every now and then you will be in contact with your board of recommendation. Finally you will constantly communicate with the professors that assist the research projects and also join the field research for 3 weeks.

Mandy: “You will work closely together with the EBF board as well as the MARUG board. Next to that, there are some other parties involved. Of course all the companies and the 600 students will play a great role. Besides, you will also be in close contact with MartiniPlaza, and the system developer Anchormen. Furthermore, there are some other companies which you will need for the Day Organization of the event. Finally, for the promotion you will be in contact with parties like the municipality.

What did you get out of your (almost) full-time year at the EBF?

Laurien: “During my board year (which of course is not over yet!), I have learned how to work very intensively in a team, communicate more efficiently, deal with different opinions, but also how to work under stressful circumstances. I have also really develop stronger leadership skills, and I learned how to think strategically. I also got a great professional network out of this year. The social side to the whole experience, however, has been the best part. I have become really close to my fellow board members, and I’ve gotten to know a lot of people through the EBF.

Niels: “For me, the main take-aways from my board year are very similar to Laurien’s! Working closely together with 10 people definitely increased my ability to work in teams. I’ve also learned how to pitch and sell in the acquisition process when calling companies. Overall, you will enhance various skills in dealing real organisational problems, which is very valuable for my future career! I agree with Laurien on the social part as well. Next to getting close to your own board members, you have a lot of contact with our participants, which is always a lot of fun too!”

Mandy: “The same goes for me, actually. During my time at the RD, the main thing I have learned is to work closely together with different people and to tackle the differences in views and opinions in an effective way. Besides, I also learned to look critical to different issues, and to make effective and efficient decisions.

*EBF Board*	*IBR Executive Board*	*Recruitment Days*
April – July 10-20 hours	March – August 5 – 20 hours (depending on your position)	March – September 20 hours
July – July 40 + hours	September – June 40 hours	September – December 40 hours
Deadline: 8^th of March	Deadline: 20^th of February	Deadline: 23^rd of February

Are you interested in joining the EBF Board, the IBR Executive Board or the Recruitment Days organisation? Then send us an e-mail to plan a coffee meeting to get more info! You can reach us on info@ebfgroningen.nl!

Shafira Risa Amalina & Hoda Scheikhzadeh

15-02-2019