Category Archives: English

Katie, Management and Consultancy

English, History, Management and Consultancy, , , ,

Katie wanted to go into the Management and Consultancy sector. Through the Career Mentor Scheme she was matched with a Revenue Director at Microsoft. This mentor went into Management and Consultancy. His recent previous employment includes being a Head of Business Development at MSN Asia between 2008 and 2012 and Head of Commercial Partnerships between 2012 and 2014.

Katie benefited hugely from the mentoring partnership. She achieved all personal development and career development objectives, such as improving her listening and confidence building skills and receiving help with application forms.

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What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

Learning about the Marketing sector from an experienced marketer.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Gaining useful contacts that have enabled me to secure work experience and a summer internship.

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

Don’t be afraid to ask your career mentor for something you want [i.e. work shadowing].

Hannah, Media, Publishing and Journalism

English, Media Publishing and Journalism, ,

Between May of her penultimate year and October of her final year, English student Hannah participated in the Career Mentor Scheme and was mentored by a Consultant at Project Unleash. The mentor’s main responsibilities at the time of their partnership included being a consultant, a coach and a business trainer specialising in media and hospitality industries.

Her mentor really helped guide Hannah in the Media, Publishing and Journalism sector. She gave us an insight to the advantages of the scheme to her career path.

feel-not-1315297What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

Highlight was meeting my mentor and having really productive meetings which had open discussions that allowed me to make positive, well informed decisions about how to approach my future career plans.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Learning about the industry of my interest from someone with actual experience and valuable advice that has helped me be more definitive in my future career plans/goals. Also, genuinely gaining a respectful working relationship with an industry professional has helped my confidence and networking prospects.

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

The best way to learn is through experience, and the career mentor scheme allows you to gain invaluable insight from others experiences and definitely gives you a kick start into your career search!

Arielle, Media, Publishing and Journalism

English, Media Publishing and Journalism, , , , ,

Arielle applied for the Career Mentor Scheme towards the end of her first year and she was matched with a freelance children’s books editor and writer. Their partnership continued until October of Arielle’s second year.

This mentor graduated with a Business and Management degree at Exeter. She has extensive experience in writing manuscripts, copy-writing, picture research, liaising with marketing, sales, freelancers and supervising an editorial assistant, amongst others. She has previously worked at John Wiley and Sons, Natural History Museum, Parragon Books and Priddy Books, MacMillan.

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The mentoring partnership with Sarah was really useful to Arielle. Arielle improved her confidence to seek graduate jobs, obtained job hunting resources and gained professional experience to put on her CV.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

It was wonderful to learn exactly what my desired job role entailed. I learned the ins-and-outs of the industry.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

My mentor provided insight into my chosen sector and gave me great feedback regarding my CV and cover letters.

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

This program is fantastic and provides valuable experience for any student who wishes to seek employment after graduation.

Lisa, Law and Legal Services

English, History, Law and Legal Services, , ,

During her final year of doing an English Literature and History degree Lisa had many career paths she could go down. She successfully applied to be mentored by a solicitor at Umbricht Attorneys.

After graduating with a LLB degree from Exeter, this mentor started his career at Pritchard Englefield in London. Firstly, he was a Trainee solicitor and then an Assistant Solicitor there. He progressed in the firm eventually becoming a Head of German Group, responsible for German clients and a Partner before moving to Zurich, Switzerland.

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At the end of the scheme Lisa had some great things to share with us about the positives of the partnership!

What were the highlight of the scheme for you?

A highlight of the scheme has definitely been meeting my mentor at his offices, it was really wonderful to see how his firm operated and meet personally to discuss career options. The opportunity to receive one-to-one guidance was invaluable.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Work experience, network opportunities, insight into the chosen profession, and guidance on how to approach applications/emails.

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

The scheme is an absolutely amazing way to gain insight into a chosen career and receive professional guidance from an expert. It has really helped my job opportunities, make sure you take advantage of it.

Her mentor said:

“Meeting Lisa was invaluable!”

Rhiannon, Media, Publishing and Journalism

English, Media Publishing and Journalism, , ,

Rhi was doing an English degree and was interested in going into Media, Publishing and Journalism. In her second year she applied for the Career Mentor Scheme and was matched with a consultant at Project Unleash.

This mentor has a wide range of professional experiences. He has been an editor at various organisations, including Woman and Home, BBC Good Food and Olive Magazine. He spent nearly 10 years working in the South of France as a Chef and Hotelier before moving on to be a Consultant, specialising in media and hospitality industries.

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From Rhi’s feedback it became evident that she completed all her objectives, some of which include having her CV proofread, obtaining help to prepare for her next steps after graduation and developing her interview techniques.

What was the highlight of the scheme for you?

My mentor was extremely knowledgeable about the kinds of professions I was interested in and gave me great advice on which career would suit me best, after listening to what was important to me in a career.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Insight into chosen career.

The mentor shared:

“It is interesting to work with young people and see how they tackle the challenge of finding a job.”

William, Management and Consultancy

Art History and Visual Culture, English, Management and Consultancy, ,

William was in his second year of doing English and Film Studies when he applied for the Career Mentor Scheme and was matched with a Revenue Director at Microsoft Corp.

After graduating from Exeter, this mentor went into Management and Consultancy. His recent previous employment includes being Head of Business Development at MSN Asia between 2008 and 2012 and Head of Commercial Partnerships between 2012 and 2014.

During the mentoring partnership William achieved all objectives he had. He improved his confidence to seek graduate level employment and obtained help to prepare for the next steps. He also developed his interview techniques and gathered information about the sector entry requirements. He shared some insight with us at the end of the scheme.

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What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Gaining insight into the world of media and advertising from an inside perspective.

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

The scheme is a great way to gain a different perspective on a chosen career path, from a professional who has experience in the field you are interested in. Even if the result is that you decide that this career is not for you, it is better to have learnt this before you actively pursue that path.

 

 

Laurel, Media, Publishing and Journalism

Drama, English, Media Publishing and Journalism, , , ,

During her second year English and Drama student Laurel successfully applied to be mentored by a freelance journalist and PR consultant. Her mentor guided Laurel into the Media, Publishing and Journalism sector for a period of half a year.

This mentor has a wide variety of professional experiences. She started as a reporter for the Falmouth packet weekly newspaper and then for the Harrow Observer. She then moved on as a Chief Sub-Editor at Travel Trade Gazette to then become a freelance feature writer for women’s magazines, writing for Prima, Business Travel World, Easyjet Inflight, Mother & Baby amongst others.

Laurel found being mentored extremely useful and shared more about the experience with the Career Mentor Scheme team.

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What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

It was so interesting to hear about my mentor’s experiences and to receive advice about the field of journalism. I learned lots of new things and feel like I also improved my own skills. Meeting my mentor in person was the highlight as it enabled me to put a face to the name and get to know her better. She set me different tasks, gave me lots of feedback and answered all my questions about the industry of journalism; it was a really enjoyable day.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

I received guidance from my mentor on my CV and applications, which helped me secure a work experience placement with a magazine in London this summer.

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

Taking part in the Career Mentor Scheme has greatly improved my confidence. It was extremely useful to learn from an industry professional; I am hugely excited by the things I have learned and look forward to putting them into practice in my future endeavours. There’s really nothing to lose!

The highlight for her mentor was:

“Felt I helped, and she secured two work placements at the end of it!”

Emma, Retail

English, Retail, , ,

During her final year of doing English, Emma Pegg was mentored by the CEO of the White Company. Emma was looking to go into Retail and she received guidance and advice for getting into the sector.

This mentor has great experience in the industry. An alumnus of the University, he has previously been President of MIM, who have 300 stores in France and Belgium and also a Group Managing Director of New Look Retailers.

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Emma gave us details of her experience of the scheme.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

Two weeks work experience at The White Company’s head offices in Kensington.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

The work experience and the networking opportunities.

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

Go for it! Through the scheme, I’ve been able to work in a fantastic company and use it as a launch-pad for further opportunities. The experience is what you make of it though, so be proactive when networking.