CAN YOU MANAGE SEFA?
125 events
40 committees
6500 members 250 company contacts
Information drink:
March 20 th & March 29 th
Application deadline: April 15 th
www.sefa.nl/board
FROM THE CHAIRMAN Dear student, As chairman of the Sefa board 2017-2018 I would like to emphasize the exceptional advantages and possibilities that come with a board year. At Sefa we provide every year a diverse portfolio of career events, social activities, academic intensification and international congregations, so that students can improve their social and professional capabilities. Sefa is the largest study association in the field of Economics and Business in the Netherlands, with over 6500 members of which 300 dedicated and enthusiastic students organise the more than 100 events per year. The daily management of the association and supervision of the 40 committees lies with the Sefa board with a fulltime workload. You and your fellow board members have the power and responsibility to manage Sefa in the most optimal way. Providing Economics and Business students from the University of Amsterdam the service and products they need to better transcend and connect to their future. Through our career events and committees such as de Amsterdamse Carrière Dagen, Career Week, Master Career Clubs, Let’s Get Started, Investment Day and many others we connect thousands of students with hundreds of companies to help them orientate on their future career. Our academic events such as Room for Discussion and Skillsweek inspire students to broaden and deepen their knowledge in numerous fields of expertise. Our international projects provide students the ability to do research for companies or non-profit organisations in foreign countries. Lastly, the social side of Sefa is an important aspect of the association. Through numerous social events we create an Sefa community that increases the feeling of social bonding between students of the faculty of Economics and Business. The experience and knowledge you acquire during a board year is extremely valuable. A board year at Sefa composes all the different aspects that will prepare you for your future career as well as your personal life. You will develop your communication, coaching, planning and strategic capacities, besides the capabilities you develop from one of the seven positions and the training courses that are included. You will have to overcome difficult obstacles which will increase your solution-driven thinking and will challenge your capability to improvise. Leading such a big, professional, social and diverse organisation with an group of seven people is the best thing you can do. Are you ready for the ultimate challenge? Do you want to give your CV a boost and kickstart your career? Do you want to have a steep learning curve all year round? Manage one of the largest professional study associations in the Netherlands? Then this is your chance to apply for the 97th Sefa board! With kind regards, Olivier Huikeshoven
OLIVIER HUIKESHOVEN Chairman Sefa Board 2017-2018 1
WHAT DOES A BOARD YEAR LOOK LIKE?
In addition to the responsibilities that come with your specific board position, you will be the coordinator of projects and committees. Your daily tasks will be very diverse. You will be working on a strategic level by implementing long-term policies, while at the same time being invol ved closely in the daily development of your committees.
TIME INVESTMENT
NEW AT SEFA?
A board year at Sefa is fulltime. You will be working from Monday to Friday during office hours and you are expected to be present at all social activities that may take place in evenings and during weekends. A board year at Sefa demands a lot of flexibility!
It is no problem if you are new to Sefa. We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated students. Being a former active member of Sefa is not a requirement.
FINANCIAL COMPENSATION
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
Since you will be working hard during a board year at Sefa, there is little time left for activities like work. Therefore, Sefa compensates you financially. During your board year, Sefa compensates your tuition fee and provides you with a student grant. In addition, many activities related to Sefa will be compensated financially.
We are still working hard to internationalise. However, the Sefa board has important daily contacts that require board members to have a good understanding of Dutch.
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FROM THE PROFESSIONALS
A board year is a unique opportunity to distinguish yourself from other students and to experience what it is like to have the full responsibility of an organisation. You will get in touch with many potential employers during a board year at Sefa. During exclusive board days at companies and other professional Sefa events, you have the chance to get in touch with the biggest companies in the Netherlands. A board year at Sefa is the perfect way to expand your professional network.
Joop Wijn – Chief Strategy and Risk Officer at Adyen (and former Minister of Economic Affairs) Chairman of the SEF board 1989-1991: “It is striking how, after more than 25 years, I still see my two years on the board of the SEF as one of the most educational periods in my life. Yet it was and felt like a playground. It was a great opportunity to develop skills and learn about teamwork, organisation, finance, and e.g. stakeholder management. The “boardroom” dynamics of the SEF are really no different than those of even the biggest of companies. But above all it was fun and I’ve made many friends for life! “
Hederik de Vries - Senior Associate at Strategy& Chairman Sefa Board 2010-2011: “Being in the board of Sefa was an incredible experience. The amount of responsibility and freedom you have is huge, and the skills that you acquire are invaluable. On top, I met some amazing people that I am still in contact with today. Given all this, I advise every student with ambition to consider it!” 3
ABOUT SEFA Sefa has been the study association of Economics and Business at the University of Amsterdam since 1922. We aim at enriching the lives of students with unique activities in the following four strategic pillars:
ACADEMIC CAREER INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL
Sefa offers you the possibility to get the most out of your student life. On the following pages, you find more information about Sefa’s activities within one of the four pillars.
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ACADEMIC
A glance at the current situation in the world Sefa gives students the chance to gain insight into current economic issues by organizing the following academic events and initiatives. • TEDxUniversiteitvanAmsterdam • List Sefa • Room for Discussion • Rostra Economica • Skillsweek One of the main academic activities is Room for Discussion. Room for Discussion is the platform of Study Association Sefa and the Faculty of Economics and Business that aims to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and current developments. Almost every week during lunchtime, professors, entrepreneurs, politicians, CEOs, journalists and other guests will take their seat on our characteristic Chesterfields, ready to debate on interesting economic topics and actualities. Some guests that were welcomed at Room for Discussion are Christine Lagarde, Mario Draghi, Thomas Piketty, Larry Summers, Jeroen Dijsselbloem and Werner Hoyer
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CAREER
Meet your future employer Sefa organises various career activities to give students the opportunity to get in touch with potential future employers. • Amsterdamse Carrière Dagen • Commercial Team • Marketing Team • Let’s Get Started • Master Career Clubs • Marketing Team • Career Month Junior • Career Week • Sefa Investment Day • Sefa Social Consulting Group • National Student Competition Sefa’s biggest and best-known career event is the Amsterdamse Carrière Dagen, which is also the biggest career event of entire Amsterdam. During this five-day event, 2000 students take the opportunity to meet with 70 companies during presentations, workshops, trainings, lunches and other individual contact moments. For several years already, the Amsterdamse Carrière Dagen takes place in the World Trade Center on the Zuidas in Amsterdam. Examples from participating companies are ING, Shell and Unilever. 6
INTERNATIONAL
Broaden your horizon in a globalising world In the world we are living in today, it is important to gain experience with organisations and cultures abroad. For this reason, Sefa organises various activities that give students the opportunity to broaden their horizon and gain experiences abroad. • International Development Project • International Student Committee • International Week • Research Project • Sefa Study Trip Sefa’s Research Project is the most prestigious project within our international pillar. Every year, the committee and the participants of Sefa’s Research Project acquire assignments to do research in an emerging economy. During the summer of 2018, the committee and the participants will travel to Argentina to conduct research on behalf of the acquired companies. In the previous years, Sefa’s Research Project went to China, Chile, Argentina, tPhilippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, India and South Africa. The students participating in the International Development Project will visit WestPapua during the summer of 2018, to conduct research about a specific social economic issue
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SOCIAL
Meet your fellow students At Sefa, the social aspect of student life is well represented as well. We organise monthly drinks, Winter Sports, Active Members Weekends and a Grand Ball. By representing our social pillar, we connect our active members to make their committee period an even more fun experience. Besides, we also give members and other students at the faculty the opportunity to get to know their fellow students by organising open drinks and activities that are open for every student at the faculty. • Active Members Weekend • Active Members Day • Almanac • As Good As New • Batavierenrace • Grand Ball • Introduction Camp • Kingsday • Social committee I & II • Store Committee • Winter Sports Every August, the Sefa Introduction Camp takes place to introduce the new first year students to the association. The Introduction Camp offers first year students the perfect opportunity to meet other students before their first lecture starts. 8
THE AVAILABLE POSITIONS
CHAIRMAN As Chairman, you have a central position in the board and focus on the overall cooperation between all board members. You oversee the goals of the association and the long-term strategy in its entirety .To maintain oversight and keep everyone informed you organize and chair weekly board meetings. This also holds for four-monthly general meetings where members hold you accountable for the achievement of policy goals. Furthermore, you are Sefa’s final representative to the outside world and maintain the external relationships.
TASKS - Organizing and chairing all board and general meetings - Safeguarding strategic policy goals during the daily routine - Communicating extensively within the board, with the university, with other study associations, with the FSR and with Sefa’s supervisory board - Acting as the face of Sefa towards outside parties - Financial audit Capacities: diligent, leadership skills, team player, strategic insight and diplomatic
OLIVIER’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ‘’As chairman of one of the largest study associations in the Netherlands I have gained valuable experience in a wide variety of areas, for example policy making. Throughout the year I organized several teambuilding and brainstorm sessions for the board. The sessions were valuable for the team spirit but even more for creating Sefa’s annual policy. Making a short term as well as a long term policy with six other board member and assuring that it is aligned with the end goals of Sefa was challenging but also instructive. Creating the same vision not only for the board but for all the committees is part of it. When the vision was formulated and the strategy developed, we translated each strategic objective into concrete targets and actions. Up until this day, we share the same vision, and work together reaching the strategic goals defined during our teambuilding and brainstorm sessions.’’ 10
SECRETARY The role as Secretary in the board is a diverse role. On the one hand you are coordinating the Sefa Store and keeping contact with the suppliers. On the other hand you are taking care of the Office Mangement and external communication of the association. This makes the work diverse and never boring! Being able to multitask and switch rapidly are the challenges you need to face. You have a relative free role in the board, where there is space for personal initiative and a longterm view at the association with innovative ideas. You know the ins and outs of the association which makes you the ideal support and sparring partner for the board.
TASKS - Keeping the members administration up-to-date - Responsible for the board and members office - Maintain a positive relationship with employees of the faculty - Take care of the general mailbox - Support board and active members - Running the Sefa Store and Sefa’s education services Capabilities: team player, punctual, efficient, flexible
RYAN’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE “Starting my board year at Sefa was a complete switch in my life. Of course, leading such a large organisation brings a lot of responsibility and challenges. However, this is also what makes a board year so exciting because you start to realise that no day is the same. As a secretary you are in charge of the academic value of Sefa. This means that you are the contact person for material with regards to exam preparation, summaries, trainings, and more. You are also the person responsible for the Sefa Store. During a board year, you will be pushed out of your comfort zone, you will have strategic meetings, you will meet many different people, and you will learn a lot more about yourself. You will get to know your strengths and weaknessess and get the opportunity to actively improve yourself. To conclude, a board year at Sefa is not only challenging and good for your career. Most of all, it is a lot of fun!” 11
TREASURER As Treasurer, you are responsible for the financial position of Sefa. This means monitoring every euro spent by the association and you are responsible for all in- and outgoing cash flows. But it’s a lot more that just controlling. The Treasurer is also responsible for making financial plans and helping the board and all committees set out a financially sound strategy. You will make sure that your fellow board members and all the committees spend money in the most efficient and rational way. To do so, you are closely involved in all aspects of the organization. Furthermore, the Treasurer has an important role during the General Meetings by justifying the financial choices made by the board. This includes preparing Sefa’s overall budget and realisation and giving an adequate explanation.
TASKS - Creating Sefa’s financial policy, budget and financial statements - Have a complete overview of the financial position of the association - Manage and authorise all in- and outgoing cash flows - Guiding the committee treasurers and having good insight of the committee budgets - Managing Sefa’s insurances and tax matters Capacities: punctual, reliable, stress resistant, confident. Experience with Excel is preferred
THÉRÈSE’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE “As the Treasurer of the 96th Sefa board, I am responsible for the financial position of Sefa. Managing the financial position of such a large organisation comes with a great responsibility. Every euro spent should generate the intended benefit to the organisation as a whole. I have acquired the skills to think on a strategic level and to create a solid long-term financial plan. Besides, I have developed my social skills during the year more than I ever expected. I have learned to manage, work under pressure, to give and take criticism, to negotiate and I improved my social skills. But above all, I have met many great and inspiring people and got in contact with many interesting companies.”
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MARKETING OFFICER As Marketing Officer in the Board, you are responsible for all promotional expressions. You are also the guard of the corporate design of Sefa in general. It is very important that people see the connection between our activities and Sefa, while every expression has to be distinctive. Furthermore, the Marketing Officer is concerned with the image of Sefa and strategies that will improve that. We are the Faculty Association of this Faculty, which means we are there with advantages for every student at the Faculty of Economics & Business and we have to carry that out.
TASKS - Taking care of Sefa’s marketing and PR policy - Building and sustaining an unbeatable brand image - Taking care of the website, social media and all the ‘offline’ promotion expressions - Attracting and maintaining media attention Capabilities: creative, team player, punctual, efficient, open minded
ARTHUR’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE “As Marketing Officer, I am responsible for building and sustaining the brand image of Sefa. When my board year started, I was unfamiliar with designing and creating a marketing strategy. Within a very short time I acquired design skills and marketing knowledge. Apart from these hard skills, I developed on a personal level more than I ever expected. I have learned to manage, take responsibility, work closely together, to focus, to plan, to convince, to give and take criticism, to discuss, to negotiate and improved my social skills. Because I have never been an active member, it was really difficult to estimate, if I would fit here at Sefa as a board member. But it was one of the best choices I made. All the experience and knowledge I have gained will be valuable for the rest of my life and besides that, I’ve made loads of new friends this year.”
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COMMERCIAL OFFICER The Commercial Officer of Sefa is responsible for the external affairs. This means that all contacts with companies and sponsors are your responsibility. In practice this comes down to visiting a broad range of different companies, managing relationships, negotiating contracts and heading all commercial activities at Sefa. It is your aim to set up long-term relationships with different parties and to ensure that the collaboration has a positive outcome for both parties. Additionally, you can transfer the necessary knowledge to help acquisitors in committees and you are always looking for new interesting partners for Sefa.
TASKS - Communication with commercial relations - Generating Sefa’s cash flow - Exploring the market and making new contacts - Assisting committees with acquisition - Organizing trainings for active members - Coordinating the Amsterdamse Carrière Dagen, the Career Week and the Commercial Team Capacities: reliable, representative, commercial, confident, convincing and target driven
ZINO’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE “For me, the year started with the search of new main sponsor. After many meetings, long brainstorm sessions and just a little luck, we are proud to call ING our new main sponsor. As the Commercial Officer, you are responsible for all business relations of Sefa. During the year, you meet with up with all the existing partners and new possible partners as well. In order to properly assist companies in their recruitment process, you have to think of creative ways to meet their wishes. This way, the ultimate goal is to create a win-win situation. You also are the go-to person for commercial advice for the rest of your board and other committees. To be given that much responsibility is something that you get nowhere else and something that you will cherish for the rest of your career. Due to all of my newly formed business relations, I now have a clear idea of the possibilities and opportunities that await me in my future career.”
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HUMAN RESOURCE OFFICER The Human Resource (HR) Officer of the Sefa Board is responsible for recruitment, selection and retention of active members of the association. As HR Officer you are the first contact person for students that want to become active within one of Sefa’s committees. You promote active membership and you recruit new committee members, which is crucial for the existence and future of the association. As HR Officer you are responsible for the application and selection procedure for all committees. Finally, you are responsible for coaching and retaining active Sefa members to ensure that every student gets the most out of his or her active membership at Sefa.
TASKS - Promoting Sefa’s active membership and recruiting new members - Informing potential new Sefa members - Develop efficient and effective application procedures - Select students and conduct interview sessions - Coaching and retaining active members - Providing growth opportunities for active members Capabilities: social, enthusiastic, entrepreneurial, creative, team player and open-minded
MAUD’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ‘’As HR-officer in the Sefa board I developed myself while having an amazing time. Challenging myself in a dynamic environment made every day different and interesting. Being part of this team is very inspiring and provides the opportunity to experience being in charge of a big organization with all related responsibilities. I have gained insight in human resources and processes and the interaction between them. I learned how to supervise different kinds of committees and how to set up a policy plan to improve my function with the intention to bring Sefa to a higher level. Furthermore I meet so many great people and interesting companies which makes a board year at Sefa even more Perfect.
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INFORMATION STRATEGY OFFICER Information technology is on the rise. The role of big data on a company’s strategic decision making is becoming increasingly important. For Sefa this is a long term challenge: the size of our business and multiple kinds of stakeholders make the implementation of an information strategy complicated. As the Information Strategy Officer you are responsible for developing techniques to capture data that can be translated into information to support the overall strategy of Sefa.
TASKS - Data management & data analysis - Integration of IT systems and connection of the IT systems - Finding software related solutions and improvement of current systems - Creating real-time information sources for all board members Capabilities: analytical, innovative, resourceful, result oriented, thorough
ROSA’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE “After doing the Sefa Research Project 2017 to China, I decided to apply for a board year at Sefa. During this year, I have learnt a lot about myself and I developed many managerial skills. For example, how to supervise committees and how to run an organisation. When I was doing a big-data internship, I found out that I was really interested in data and IT. Therefore, I applied for the position Information Strategy Officer (ISO). As ISO I’ve been responsible for the optimisation of our current IT related systems and the development of a new information platform: Sefa’s new website. The technical skills involved with completing these tasks require a pro-active attitude towards learning about managing IT systems. The reason I chose this position is that I think it is important to support strategic decisions with data, and also because my work affects Sefa in the long run.”
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MODULES In addition to the tasks that every board member has within his or her funciton, there are two modules that can be assigned to you. During your first interview, you can let us know if you are interested in one of the two modules.
VICE-CHAIRMAN
COMPLIANCE
The vice-chairman assists the chairman on a strategic level. The vice-chairman is also an important partner when it comes to negotiations and meetings with members of the faculty. Next to that, the vice-chairman helps out with teambuilding and other issues related to inter-board relations.
The compliance module is all about making sure that Sefa operates according to the law. The board member responsible for the compliance module will create a compliance strategy and needs to make sure that all members of Sefa comply with the rules.
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IMPORTANT DATES • March 20th - Board Interest Drink I 18:00 Information meeting at Roeterseiland (Room t.b.a.) 19:00 Drink in CREA Café
• March 29th - Board Interest Drink II 20:00 Information meeting at Roeterseiland E0.08 20:30 Drink in Kriterion
• April 15th 23:59 - Application Deadline Send your motivation letter and CV to board@sefa.nl
• April 16th - April 26th - First Interviews After sending your motivation letter and cv, we will let you know whether you are invited for an interview with the current Sefa Board.
• April 28th - May 7th - Second Interviews After your first interview, we will let you know whether you are invited for a second interview with the current Supervisory Board.
• May 15th - Selection results We will evaluate your interview and inform you about the outcome of the selection procedure. In case you got selected for the 2018-2019 board, you will be introduced during the General Meeting in May.
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Send your motivation letter and CV to: board@sefa.nl
Application Deadline 2018-2019 Board: April 15th 23:59