My time with Shorts - Josh Hardy

Josh Hardy recently completed a period of 9 months with Shorts, which consisted of a four-month placement and a five-month contract working as a Receptionist/administrator. During this time, Josh was also working on his business and Human Resource Management degree at Sheffield Hallam University. At the end of his time with us, we asked Josh to put together a few words, with thoughts on his time at Shorts. Here, in his own words -

My Story

My name is Josh, and I worked for Shorts for 9 months during my second year of university where I am currently studying Business and Human Resource Management at Sheffield Hallam. While this is not an exceptionally long time, I have learned so much about the industry, and have gained and developed my soft skills for working in a professional environment further than I could have imagined.

My Job Role and Responsibilities

Working within the admin and reception teams has meant that communication both internally and with clients has been a main focus of my role. Trying to make positive first and lasting impressions on everyone that comes through the door or calls our reception has taught me how to adapt my approaches to different audiences in order to build rapport and create a welcoming environment in reception.

As well as admin and other ad-hoc tasks keeping my day-to-day busy teaching me ways of keeping myself organised at home and at university.

Working whilst studying

The flexible working has allowed me to stay on top of my studies during the week, maintaining good time management but has also allowed me to have an active social life too. The opportunity to work during the week rather than the unsociable hours of weekends like many of my peers has been a real game-changer for me.

This was one of the main pulls of the job initially, but it has lived up to the promises advertised and then some. There have been several opportunities for me to take on new and different work to vary my days, as well as providing me the time to complete a short HR placement with Shorts between January and April.

Operations and Finance Director, Michelle Frost commented "It has been an absolute pleasure to have Josh with us during the last nine months. He very quickly settled in and has proved to be a diligent and enthusiastic individual, who during his time with Shorts has made a valuable and positive contribution to the team. We wish him every success with the remainder of his degree and in his future career."

How I found Shorts

There is a real community feeling throughout Shorts, with many of the teams having their own vibe and feel and sometimes so close they are like family, but with regular firm-wide socials and office socials everyone comes together as a team. I have enjoyed every minute of my time here at Shorts. The opportunity to then take up an industrial placement year however was too great to turn down. In my next role, I will be gaining real-world experience working in a world-class HR team which will hopefully be the difference maker during my final year of university and when the time comes, in applying for graduate roles.

Leaving Shorts is certainly a bittersweet experience and I could not recommend Shorts more as a place to work, especially for students who are trying to balance work, studies, and social life.

Some images of Josh's time with the team

Sheffield-2 Christmas Jumper Day 2022