During her Paediatric Exercise and Health postgraduate study Kelly applied for a mentor in the Healthcare and Wellbeing sector. She was matched with a retired Chief Executive of Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

This mentor has accomplished a Masters of Philosophy from Nottingham and a Masters of Science from Oxford after he graduated from Exeter.  He has also got a PhD from Sheffield. His previous employment includes working as a Trustee and Advisor for Sentebale charity and as a Deputy Chief Executive at Barnardo’s. He also worked as a Chief Executive at Thomas Coram Foundation.

At the end of the six months, Kelly discussed with us the benefits of the scheme to her personally.

She achieved all job hunting, personal development and career objectives she had set to herself. An additional outcome she achieved was improving her presentation skills with the help of her mentor.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the career mentor scheme. It was so valuable to receive help and advice from a caring and friendly mentor. I feel that I have a vastly improved CV, in addition to gaining a wealth of advice in other areas including interview techniques and presentation skills.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

The whole experience was useful! It was really helpful to receive guidance in compiling a strong CV and to create networks and contacts for both now and the future.

What message would you give to a student thinking of applying for the Career Mentor Scheme?

The career mentor scheme is such a fantastic opportunity that will prove beneficial in both the short and long term. You will have an opportunity to engage with a willing professional and receive a broad range of support, from learning how to compile an effective CV to gaining valuable contacts and networking opportunities. Simply just having somebody to discuss your thoughts with regarding both your current studies and future career is hugely beneficial. I would definitely recommend this scheme to all students, and the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it!

The highlight of the scheme for her mentor was:

“The opportunity to understand, a little more, the pressures experienced by university students in 2012 and to offer some support”