Emily, Geography student, applied to the Career Mentor Scheme to gain real world advice and insight into the different job roles that exist. She also wanted to build a network and develop her CV. Through the scheme, Emily was paired with a Business Economics graduate from the University of Exeter who is now a Management Consultant at Accenture with over six years’ experience in the consulting sector.

Emily tells us more about her experience below:

What objectives did you achieve?

Emily achieved all of her objectives including:

• Increased knowledge of effective application forms in this sector
• Improved knowledge of further education and professional courses related to this sector
• Increased knowledge of good and bad aspects of the profession

What were your highlights of the scheme?

I really enjoyed getting a professionals perspective on my CV. It was interesting to see the changes my mentor made and the comments he had. I also enjoyed maintaining a relationship/ communication with my mentor, it is clear that my mentor is now a connection for life and if I ever need to reach out to them, I am more than welcome.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

My mentor gave a really honest insight into the world of consulting. This along with an internship helped me decide that perhaps it wasn’t the sector for me, and therefore the help my mentor gave me in making this decision was very helpful.

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

Really take your time to decide who you want and what you want them for. Some aren’t willing to give internship and work experience opportunities so don’t have your heart set on this. Think about the wider benefits they can give you.