Hear from Westminster alumni as they share practical advice and real experiences – from getting noticed by employers to building a successful business.
Who it's for
While the series is designed to support all current students and recent graduates from the last three years, all alumni and Westminster colleagues are welcome to attend.
Have you got insight or experience you'd like to share as a speaker? To volunteer your expertise, get in touch using our enquiry form.
What's involved
These alumni-led events feature former students sharing their insight and experience. Taking place in person or online, each session explores themes such as leadership, entrepreneurship, career progression and wellbeing.
Key benefits
- Learn from alumni working across a wide range of industries
- Gain practical career insight you can apply straight away
- Explore different career paths and professional journeys
- Build confidence and motivation for your next steps
- Attending events can earn you points for the Westminster Award
- Level 4 or 5 students could earn hours towards work-based and placement learning
How to take part
You can see and register for all upcoming events on our alumni events feed.
If you're a student or you finished your studies within the last three years, you can also find sessions on CareerZone.
Session topics
about the What it takes event seriesSince launching in 2017, the What it Takes series has delivered dozens of events featuring alumni speakers from a wide range of industries.
Sessions have attracted hundreds of attendees each year, with consistently high satisfaction scores. Around 95–99% of attendees rate sessions as good or excellent.
See below for a taste of the topics covered by What it Takes.
Featuring events on what it takes to:
- enter the job market
- make better career decisions
- excel during an interview
- build a personal brand
- impress in a new job
- boost your LinkedIn profile
- find and secure a job in a virtual world
- turn virtual networks into opportunities
Featuring events on what it takes to:
- be an influential communicator
- be a successful leader
- ignite social change
- be a leader from an ethnic minority
- be a female leader
- be an LGBTI+ ally
Featuring events on what it takes to:
- overcome imposter syndrome
- own your disability
- manage your money
- thrive in a neurodiverse world
- develop resilience
- manage your mental health and wellbeing
- create confidence and self-esteem
- unlock the potential of AI
- level up your digital skills
Featuring events on what it takes to:
- start or grow a successful business
- be an entrepreneur or freelancer
- build a portfolio or freelance career
- develop your own app and brand
- pitch your way to success
On-demand content
Want to learn from alumni experts in your own time? You can watch full recordings and short highlights of previous events on YouTube:
- 2025-26 YouTube playlist
- 2024-25 YouTube playlist
- 2023-24 YouTube playlist
- 2022–23 YouTube playlist
- 2021–22 YouTube playlist
- 2020–21 YouTube playlist
Recent highlights
Watch highlights from a recent session on what it takes to build a successful business.
Contact us
For questions about the What it Takes event series, email [email protected]Email us about the What it takes series.