Since graduating from UCL School of Management’s Management Science programme in 2023, Charlie has launched his career at Huzzle, a start-up co-founded by fellow UCL School of Management graduate Parham Rakhshanfar. An early careers platform connecting students, societies and employers, Huzzle has already amassed a global workforce and has over 100,000 monthly users on the platform.

We recently caught up with Charlie - currently Huzzle’s Chief of Staff - to find out more about his role at the company, as well as his experiences of the programme and the graduate job market. Understanding the difficulties facing current students and recent graduates, he also shares his advice and reassurance to students, as well as his accomplishments at Huzzle so far.

tell us about yourself

I’m Charlie. I graduated from UCL School of Management’s Management Science programme in 2023 and currently work as Chief of Staff at a pre-seed srartup called Huzzle.

What do you do at Huzzle?

I’m currently working as a Chief of Staff at Huzzle. The role is difficult to define, but it primarily involves a mix of Sales, Marketing & Operations. I enjoy it because not only is every day different, but given how fast the company is growing, my role is also constantly evolving.

how did you find our management science programme?

I enjoyed my time studying Management Science. I particularly liked how diverse the modules were, and I think that is where it has prepared me most for my current role. As I mentioned, every day looks different in my current role and it often requires me to manage projects in areas in which I have no previous working experience.

The breadth of knowledge I picked up during the ManSci programme has definitely made me feel more comfortable in tackling completely new areas.

did you utilise our careers team much during your time with us?

I did, yes. I worked quite a lot with Agne, who was amazing. Actually, before speaking with Agne I had no idea that Startups could be a viable career path, and so I thank her for opening me eyes to that possibility. I’d definitely recommend that if anyone is unsure about what career is right for them, speak to the careers team :)

how did you find the graduate job market?

This is a difficult question because I never actually applied for any graduate programmes. But, from my work at Huzzle, I’ve seen the graduate job market very closely and just how difficult it can be.

To anyone applying, good luck and remember: if you get rejected, it’s not a reflection of how capable you are. The market just sucks right now, and there’s nothing you can do about that.

what advice would you give to students who will graduate soon?

Think long-term. Let’s face it. No-one’s long-term dream is to be a Graduate Investment Analyst; they just see that role as a necessary step to achieving their long term goals. So, if you don’t manage to get your first choice graduate programme, don’t worry.

No career path is linear and so it doesn’t mean that you can’t still achieve your long term dream. All you should focus at this stage of your career is finding a role that will allow you to build the right skills and network to succeed long-term; anything else is less important.

What have been your career highlights so far?

I’m still in the early stages of my career, so I don’t feel like I have too many highlighs per se, but my personal highlights definitely include raising £1.4 million in pre-seed funding, and helping to grow Huzzle to more than $1 million in annual revenue.

Find out more about UCL School of Management’s BSc/MSci Management Science programme.