Who are you and what is your job title?
Hi there! I’m Manu Barba, a French expat with an unusual love for de Hollandse Nieuwe! (Yes herring, yes, I really love it!) I currently juggle two roles at the Graduate School of Medical Sciences (GSMS): one as the Marketing and Communication Officer for the Master’s Office, and the other as the Internationalization Officer for the PhD Office. But soon, I'll be focusing on internationalization full-time.

Technically, I’m not entirely a 'UG staff member' since the GSMS is based at the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG) and I'm employed by the UMCG. However, my work focuses on the Master’s and PhD programs, which are offered by the UG.

Before this, I was Event Coordinator at Lancaster University in England. I really enjoyed working in the higher education sector so when the time came to move to the Netherlands (that’s a story for another time), I was thrilled when, back in April 2023, I got the chance to cover a six-month maternity leave position at the GSMS. I'm still here, so I guess things are going well...

This blog aims to inspire young professionals. What would you like to share with other early career professionals?
Working at a large institution like the UG offers loads of opportunities for personal and professional development. So one of the first thing I did was browse the university website for these, and I found YoungRUG. Even though I'm not officially on the UG payroll or that ‘young’ with my 35 glorious summers, I was grateful to be able to join the 'club' and participate in its activities.

As an expat, attending the various conferences and talks organized by YoungRUG helped me start integrating into life in Groningen, working at the UG, and building a network (check out Frederiek’s blog on the key benefits of networking ;-) ). I improved my Dutch through their language buddy programme and even got to explore the region with activities like the wadlopen outing in Schiermonnikoog. But the highlight for me was the Mentor Programme.

My mentee experience
The YoungRUG team had 'pre-matched' us with 3 potential mentors.  After the initial awkwardness of the speed dating part (never been on a blind date before), I met someone who, like me, was an expat and who had built their career at the UG We agreed to meet once a month, sometimes at the UG, online or at a café in town, whatever was convenient for us at the time.

Connecting with a mentor who truly understood my challenges was invaluable. She helped me better understand the workplace culture in the Netherlands, what to expect at the UG especially and gave me some tips adapted to my situation.

When I was struggling with my two roles, feeling overwhelmed by wearing two hats and thinking I wasn't good enough, my mentor offered a fresh perspective. She helped me realize that perhaps the workload was unrealistic, and that maybe I was putting too much pressure on myself. As an expat, I feared that such a job opportunity might not come up again and so I had to make it work. Which only added to my stress…

Through our discussions, I got to voice my concerns and aspirations more clearly and well,  that was a game-changer for me! I was then able to explain these concerns to my manager. This honest conversation was a huge relief and ultimately led to moving to a new position where I will be able to focus on one role only, starting this September!

My tip for you
So here’s my tip: find a mentor. Whether through the YoungRUG Mentor programme or another network. Don’t hesitate to ask around, in my experience, people are usually quite open to helping the 'younger generation'. You could seek out someone in a position you aspire to because it’s a great way to understand what the role is really like, or someone whose path is similar to yours in other ways.

Talking to a mentor is different from chatting with a friend, colleague, or family member who might be too involved or too close to the situation to offer good advice. A mentor can help you step back and see the bigger picture.

I’d say it’s good to have some clear goals of what you hope to gain from this relationship, although for me, those goals went out the window when the struggle started, but that’s also part of it. A mentor can help you navigate crises.

Be open to sharing. I thought it would be difficult with a stranger, but somehow it just wasn’t, it was needed in order to go forward professionally and personally.

And of course be open to receiving feedback, even if it’s not always what you want to hear... It can be confronting but you're not in it because it's easy—you're in it because it's worth it.

What question would you like to ask other young professionals? Readers can answer this question in the comments below.
Do you have any recommendations for other professionally 'game-changing' programmes or training you've participated in, whether at the UG or elsewhere? I'd love to hear about your experiences!