How did you first hear about Career Mentoring? 

I first heard about Career Mentoring from my university Equal Opp email. As I’m in my third year and looking for a job after I graduate, I thought that I should look into the scheme and see what I could get out of it. 

What was the application process like?

The application process was really easy and quick. I filled out a couple of questions about how I thought the scheme would help me and what I wanted to get out of it. Within a week, I got accepted and chose my top three mentors with a short reason as to why I chose them. Within another week, I got my mentor confirmed and emailed them! 

What were you hoping to gain from having a mentor?

I was hoping to gain an insight into the different sectors I can go into after I graduate and the experience and skills that I could gain that would be valuable before graduating. Given that I want to work in academia in the long-term, I wanted advice on entry-level jobs within that sector specifically. 

Can you tell us a bit about your mentor and the industry they work in?

My mentor Ray graduated with a Masters in Librarianship and worked in a range of information science roles; he currently works in the Civil Service.

How did you primarily communicate with them? (emails, chats, or online meetings)

We communicated via online meetings and emailed in between.

What's one piece of advice from your mentor that really stuck with you?

My mentor told me that, if you have an interview, then they already want you. This really helped me be more confident about myself during interviews as it made me realise that it really is just a conversation where they just want to know more about you.

What was the most rewarding part of being a mentee?

The most rewarding part of being a mentee was going outside of my comfort zone. Sharing my goals and experience with my mentor was great practice itself for interviews! I learned to be more confident about my skills and experience, which translated well in interviews. 

What would you tell a student who is considering signing up for the scheme?

Definitely sign up! My only concern was it potentially being too much alongside my studies but it was absolutely fine and my mentor was really helpful when it came to applications and interviews for internships.