Nicholas, Economics student, applied to the Career Mentor Scheme to learn from an industry expert and gain insight into what firms are looking for in applicants. Through the scheme, Nicholas was matched with a Financial Economics graduate from the University of Exeter who is now a Senior Client Portfolio Manager at Standard Life Wealth. He manages global equity portfolios for high net worth individuals.

Nicholas tells us more about his experience below:

What were your highlights of the scheme?

It was good to meet my career mentor in a casual setting, where not being overly formal and corporate made the experience more relaxed and enjoyable. We were able to talk through all of his experiences of the job and some of the more technical aspects of the work.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Learning some of the technical aspects of the work and understanding what the profession is really like from an inside perspective.

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

Apply and make sure you develop a good relationship with your career mentor, and meet them as much as possible.

He also gained a good understanding of the industry and the job and how to make use of LinkedIn.