their events are COVID-safe and that they have adequate back-up plans in place, that are also approved by the University. A large amount of the President’s work is behind the scenes preparations, emails, phone calls and meetings. Balancing your professional and personal obligations with MULS, the ACNC, ALSA with your study is difficult and if you are not organised you can become overwhelmed very quickly. You must also ensure you are flexible, as urgent issues can come up that need to be resolved that day. As the last two Presidents’ have said, this is a serious role with real-world consequences if things go wrong. Candidates should apply to this role with a view that if they are successfully voted in, they will be at the helm of a medium-sized company over which they have unlimited personal responsibility. Aside from the above, MULS president is an extremely rewarding role, and I feel I have grown immensely both personally and professionally during my time as president. You will be given opportunities to meet new people from across Australia and the world, make life-long friends and will be involved in affecting the university experience for students at Macquarie and across Australia through ALSA. MULS President is a role that you get out what you put in. Make the most of it and take advantage of the opportunities you will be given to create positive change for others. Attributes Time management: There will be times where you will be required to make choices about how you allocate you time in the role. You will need to be able to quickly respond to issues when they arise and be contactable whenever you are needed. Often, MULS cannot wait, and you will need to prioritise these tasks over your studies and work commitments. Flexibility: Like the above, in order to succeed in this role, you must be flexible with your commitments and learn to shift your priorities. You also need to be flexible to ensure you attend as many MULS events as possible, because as the President it is vital that you demonstrate ongoing support for your team. Communication: The primary attribute required for this role is good communication skills. You will be required to attend meetings with firms and stakeholders, draft speeches and reports and deal with conflict inside and outside of the Executive team. Professionalism: You will be required to address all issues with professionalism. Of course, there will be times where being informal is OK. However, when dealing with external stakeholders and sponsors professionalism is key. Resilience: Resilience is a major requirement for this role. You will be under constant pressure to deliver outcomes for the Society and will likely face criticism from those inside and outside of MULS. MULS is a year-long commitment and as President, there will rarely be a time where there is not work to be done. Taking care of yourself and recognising signs of burnout will become vital. Decisiveness: Every day you will be faced with decisions to make which could have reputational, monetary and relationship impacts. The successful candidate will need to back themselves on all decisions and not crack under pressure from competing views of members, stakeholders or the Executive Council.
Page 15 of 86
