What is e-Mentoring?

eMentoring is a scheme run by the Careers & Employability Service that gives students the opportunity to link up with alumni of the university. It's a great way to find out more about the world of work as you are able to network with a professional doing a job that interests you. They can provide practical advice, an insider’s insight, and an opportunity to develop your skills. You will gain top tips on the application and recruitment process and the confidence to secure that interview. 

What will you gain?

From the e-Mentoring scheme, we believe you will gain a plethora of skills and experience such as: career advice via email, valuable insight into a specific career or industry, development of employability skills, practical advice on job search techniques and skills, advice related to the mentors personal experiences within employment, an opportunity to network, help in recognising your own abilities in relation to your career ideas and in highlighting areas for development and potential opportunities  to visit a mentor’s place of work or to gain work experience. 

How does the e-Mentoring scheme work?

There are two sign ups to e-Mentoring throughout the year; one in Semester 1 and another in Semester 2. Communication is primarily via online chat, email and video call. Your mentor may be able to meet with you face-to-face, but this is not a requirement. Typically, mentors and mentees will have one exchange per week for approximately 8-10 weeks. The partnership must be realistic and sustainable for you both and will have to reflect your respective work or study commitments. Your formal mentoring partnership ends when the scheme ends. Subject to mentor availability, you may choose to continue as a mentee on the next semester’s scheme and select another mentor.

Expectations as a mentee

Just as you might expect in the workplace, there are expectations of you as a mentee. All mentors are alumni of the university, who have volunteered their time and commitment to help students with their experience and knowledge. Therefore, during the induction period, we make it clear what the level of commitment and professionalism we expect from you. This also gives you the opportunity to prepare yourself before embarking on the scheme, as well as allowing time to set yourself clear objectives of what you want to achieve by taking part in the scheme. We also ask that you take the time to reflect on and record the skills and attributes gained during your mentoring experience using mySkills.

Support from the Careers & Employability Service

The Careers and Employability Service will support your partnership and will provide helpful resources to complement your mentoring experience, to ensure you both find it rewarding and beneficial. There is lots of additional information in the Mentee Guide which you will receive once you have completed the online induction session.

Why should you get involved?

Last year we facilitated over 500 eMentoring partnerships between a diverse range of students and mentors from a wide range of professions. eMentoring provides students with a fantastic insight into different industries and provides an excellent volunteering experience for our dedicated mentors. Below are what recent student participants have to say about the scheme:

“I am truly grateful to have been able to experience eMentoring. I feel immensely lucky to have met my mentor not only because of the help I received throughout my internship application process, but because I feel I have met someone who I will be able to reach out to throughout the pursuit of my career”.

“The eMentoring scheme is perfect for those students who are unsure what direction they want to take after graduating. It provides an insight into an occupational area and sets you up with the relevant tools and information of how to prepare and apply for positions”.