Meet Farhana and learn more about her position as an engagement manager for Manchester Pride. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
Hi, I’m Farhana Hemani and I’m the engagement manager at Manchester Pride.
I look after our corporate and community engagement strategy. So that’s about connecting with the community and finding out what kind of issues there are in that community and how we can support them. We also look at corporate engagement as well - so working with businesses and charity partners and developing projects with them as well to support the LGBT+ community.
Manchester Pride’s vision is to live in a world where all LGBT+ people are free to live and love without prejudice. And for me that’s one of the greatest things about this job, is being able to work for an organisation that’s fighting for LGBT+ equality.
I’ve been working with our businesses and organisations who kind of sponsor us, or are taking part in the parade, and talking to them not just about our Manchester Pride Festival, but about Manchester Pride as a whole, so us as a charity and what we do as an organisation and how they can get involved in terms of volunteering, engagement across the year. So my lead up is really getting people to understand who we are as an organisation outside of the festival.
I started volunteering for a charity that worked with refugees and asylum seekers and I met somebody during that time that had been through quite a lot in their life, fleeing persecution because of their LGBT+ status. That story actually really stayed with me and it really kind of changed my perception of what I wanted to do with my career. I think building on that volunteering, I was like, I want to go into the world of work in the charity sector.
I think having relationships skills are so important for this role. So being able to spark up conversations with strangers is quite important and can be quite scary sometimes…
I think being really organised as well – so having structure and being able to know how to schedule things, how to project manage, I think they’re really two important skills to have.
When I was younger, I hated doing networking. I was such a shy person and I think actually what I found is putting yourself out there a little bit more can really help because once you’ve done it once it becomes so much easier when you go to do it the next time, and the next time.
I think for top tips on where to go next, if you’re looking at type of careers, I’d say try as many things as possible, be as flexible as possible, and don’t worry if you start in a career path and you think: ‘oh that’s what I want to do’, and then part way through you change your mind. Like, it’s completely ok because you can transfer skills from lots of different types of jobs.
Be flexible, try and enjoy it as much as possible, and try as many things as you can.
I volunteered with a charity that worked with refugees and asylum seekers… that changed what I wanted to do with my career
Farhana works as an engagement manager for Manchester Pride. A key part of her role is to develop the engagement strategy for Manchester Pride. This involves developing relationships with, and supporting, the LGBT+ community as well as working with businesses and charities to develop new projects which aim to campaign for LGBT+ rights
At school, Farhana wanted to be a journalist and went to university to study English Literature and English Language. However, after volunteering with refugees, she realised she wanted a career where she could make a difference
Farhana's favourite things about her job are working with an organisation that's fighting for LGBT+ equality and building new relationships with people
According to Farhana, the key skills you need for this role are:
- be able to build relationships
- be organised
- be good at prioritising
When choosing your career, Farhana suggests to try as many things as possible. "Don't worry if you start down a career path and change your mind", she says, as many of the skills you learn are transferable.
A similar role to this is an events manager. Event managers organise and run conferences, exhibitions, promotions and business and social events.
What to expect if you want to be an events manager
- Events manager average salary: £21,000 - £40,000 per year
- Events manager typical working hours: 37 to 39 hours per week including evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
What qualifications do you need to be an events manager?
You could get into this role via a university course, a college course (such as a Level 2 or Level 3 Diploma, or a T-level – England-only), an apprenticeship, working towards the role, volunteering or applying directly if you have relevant experience. Check with your course provider which alternative qualifications they accept.
Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service, GOV.UK
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed and the GOV.UK website for more on T-levels.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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