Kirby, a History student, applied for the Career Mentor Scheme after considering a few different career paths such as law, politics and working in the Foreign Office. Through the scheme, Kirby was matched with a Member of Parliament for West Bromwich West in the House of Commons. This mentor wanted to share his experience of the profession and provide some advice and guidance through the scheme.

“It helped me to narrow down my areas of interest, as well as providing great networking opportunities and contacts in the industry”

Kirby met all of her objectives, including being able to narrow down areas she was considering for graduate employment, increased knowledge of effective application forms in this sector and improved personal development skills.

Kirby shared her experience:

What were the highlights of the scheme?

• Gaining a full tour of the Houses of Parliament

• Understanding better the relationship between the government and NGOs/the media

• Forming professional relationships with people at different levels of government

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

• Networking

• Confirming for me that I would like to work in a political organisation rather than political party

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

The scheme is as useful as you want it to be – if you are dedicated to regularly contacting your mentor and have a clear idea of what you wish to gain from the scheme it can be incredibly rewarding. As someone who was unsure of what they wanted to do after University, this scheme was useful to me as it helped me to narrow down my areas of interest, as well as providing great networking opportunities and contacts in the industry.