Category Archives: Geography

Hannah, Financial Markets and the City

Financial Markets and the City, Geography, Politics and International Relations, , , , ,

Hannah, a Politics with Geography student, applied to the Career Mentor Scheme to gain advice and learn about good and bad experiences in order to help her make an informed decision about a future career in the Finance sector. Through the scheme, Hannah was matched with the Executive Director for MSCI Inc. His role involves looking after the pension funds and insurers for German-speaking Europe, and he has past experience in credit, performance measurements for investment portfolios and sales of asset management.

“An excellent opportunity”

Hannah achieved all of her objectives including increased knowledge of effective application forms and interview techniques in this sector, and improved personal development skills.

Hannah talked about her experience:

What were the highlights of the scheme?

Having someone there to check over my application answers and help with interviews

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Talking to a professional who is not related to me, as David had an unbiased opinion which was useful.

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

An excellent opportunity to meet someone new and have a guide who can help during this uncertain time (in final year) when we need to decide what to do next.

Katherine, Education, Training and Research

Education Teaching and Research, Geography, , ,

Katherine, a Geography student, applied to the scheme to gain an understanding of what she needed to achieve in the Education sector and improve employability. Through the Career Mentor Scheme, Katherine was matched with a Geography Teacher and Head of Department at Rookwood School. This mentor is also a Chartered Geographer, a fellow of the Royal Geography Society and qualified in PGCE Secondary Geography. Her main responsibilities include organising and implementing field trips, teaching key stage 3 and 4, and looking after her tutor group.

“Insight into job prospects that you wouldn’t consider.”

Katherine achieved all of her objectives including increased awareness of other job prospects after university, evaluating the benefits of travelling after graduation and received academic support.

Katherine discussed her experience:

What were the highlights of the scheme?

It was really useful to see what other graduates had done in the years after university

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

I found help on my CV the most useful aspect.

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

It is a great opportunity to gain an insight into job prospects that you wouldn’t consider.

Jake, Charity and Development

Charity and Development Work, Geography, ,

Jake, a Geography student, was interested in charity work after volunteering in the sector with a variety of organisations. He wanted to gain contacts and develop a deeper insight into the industry. Through the Career Mentor Scheme, Jake was matched with the Founder & Managing Director of Bhubesi Pride Foundation. His previous work experience includes Design, Technology and Physics Teacher at Dean Close School and Graduate Engineer for Parsons Brinckernoff.

“A great way to learn real life experience from someone who has been successful”

Jake achieved all of his objectives, including receiving academic support, increased knowledge of job hunting in this sector and improved personal development skills. He also described a personal objective of “working on a personal development plan throughout the scheme, allowed me to identify how I can improve myself through different scenarios.”

Jake shared his experience:

What were the highlights of the scheme?

Feeling as though I and Richard really got on well, both on a professional and personal level. I feel as though Richard believes in me as a person and really wants to push me forward in life.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Having a one to one basis for experience in the charity sector was probably the most useful. Richard and I worked on much of the development on the same level, and I liked the way that I could suggest improvements for myself as I progressed through the scheme.

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

Great way to learn real life experience in your charity from someone who has been successful and only wants the best for you! It may be scary at first but once you meet them then you’ll feel suddenly more relaxed.

Amy, Management and Consultancy

Advertising Marketing and PR, Geography, Management and Consultancy, , , , ,

Amy, Geography student, was interested in a career in Entrepreneurship after being inspired by the work of entrepreneurs, such as Casey Neistat, CEO of Beme. Through the Career Mentoring Scheme, Amy was matched with the Founder of City Mixology. This mentor has worked as a Corporate Lawyer for Slaughter and May before progressing into PR and Marketing and then working with start-ups. He has worked in London, New York and Tokyo, among other key business cities.

“The Career Mentor Scheme is the best extracurricular activity I have taken part in this year.”

Amy achieved her personal objectives of setting up a Linkedin profile, completing applications for Law vacation schemes and setting weekly goals as a means of time management. She also improved her personal development skills, widened her networking opportunities and increased her knowledge of sector entry requirements.

Amy shared her experience:

What were your highlights of the scheme?

Meeting my career mentor in person was a highlight of the scheme; it gave an opportunity to continue conversations face-to-face which had only been conducted over email previously.

Being able to increase my confidence in formal communication on a professional level from emails and phone calls, to meeting in person has definitely been a highlight over the whole scheme for me.

Despite not being successful in obtaining a law vacation scheme, being able to submit multiple applications and cover letters to magic circle law firms and making it through the initial stages of application in some cases has been a huge achievement considering my complete lack of experience in the sector beforehand.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Being able to receive first hand insight into my chosen sectors (law and entrepreneurship) was immeasurably useful. It is so different to simply reading about that particular career, I am now able to fully appreciate both the pros and cons associated with the sector. It has helped me narrow down my career path moving forward.

Perhaps most useful, has been the transferable skills I have gained from the scheme. I now have fully functioning LinkedIn and RiseTo profiles as well as hugely improved CV. I am now able to conduct formal and professional emails, phone calls and face-to-face meetings – these skills have vastly increased my confidence and will be extremely useful in future professional settings.

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

The Career Mentor Scheme is the best extracurricular activity I have taken part in this year. It helps to start you on your career path well before graduation is even on the horizon and has provided me with numerous transferable and valuable skills which I can apply into everything from everyday situations to more formal interactions and interviews. It is an extremely rewarding way to spend your time and gives the opportunity to network and boost employability skills.

Anna, Science

Geography, Science, ,

Anna, a second year Geography student, took part in the Career Mentor Scheme in 2013 and was assigned a Scientific Consultant for the Met Office. The mentor had a BSc in Geography from the University of Birmingham (2011) and an MSc in Applied Meteorology from the University of Reading (2012). Her role for the Met Office involved working on meteorological consultancy projects across a range of sectors, and she was also a member of Weather Analytics where she was responsible for supplying historical weather data to clients.

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Anna said she felt she had achieved all of the objectives she had set for the Career Mentor Scheme, including:

  • Developing professional contacts and networking opportunities
  • Gaining knowledge of how to get in to the environmental sector
  • Improving her CV and getting help with application forms, cover letters and interview techniques
  • Gaining professional work experience

We asked Anna a few questions about her experience. Here’s what she said…

What was your highlight of the scheme?

Gaining two days of work experience at the Met Office and having the chance to network with people who work there and build contacts.

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

Apply, as it can lead to valuable work experience and the chance to have 1:1 career advice and guidance from a professional.

 

 

Sam, Surveying and Property Management

Geography, Surveying and Property Management, ,

Sam joined the mentor scheme to gain some insight into the property sector. He was
paired with a Housing Development Manager for Exeter City Council. This mentor’s previous roles have included a Development Manager and a Consultant Project Manager for other organisations.

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Sam achieved many of his objectives through the partnership, including guidance towards finding a job in the sector, professional experience to add onto his CV and help preparing for graduate level applications.

Please let us know some of the highlights for you during the scheme.

I attended a number of conferences and managed to hear influential people speak and listen to interesting discussions. This included the Exeter Breakfast Forum and a conference where many of the regional leading renewable energy companies had representatives at.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Insight into chosen profession.

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

It’s definitely worth your time.

Sam’s mentor added some comments on her highlights.

“Enabling an undergraduate to widen their horizon on career opportunities. Assisting an undergraduate with shaping the topic of their dissertation and providing them with contacts to assist them in their research.
Sharing with an undergraduate the work and role of the public sector. Observing an undergraduate develop their confidence and self-awareness skills.”

Lucas, Science

Geography, Science,

Lucas, a second year Geography student, was interested in Science and Geography. He was assigned the Head of Centre for Research at the Forestry Commission in Farnham. This mentor graduated from Exeter in 1998 with a BA (Hons) in Geography. From there he went on to further study an MSc in Environmental Forestry and then a PhD in Remote Sensing of Forests. He has been working at the Forestry Commission in the department of forestry research since 2007 where he has worked his way to the post of Head of Communications and Operations.

Lucas said that he achieved the objectives he was hoping for in taking part in the Career Mentor Scheme.

  • It improved and required management skills, it was down to Lucas to set up and organise meetings with his mentor at a time that was suitable for both of them
  • The mentor scheme improved the students confidence for seeking graduate level employment and gave guidance to help prepare for the next steps after University
  • The mentor scheme gave a useful insight into the profession with helpful advice on good/bad aspects of a career from someone in the know
  • Useful to understand if your current career ideas are right for you and how you can go about getting into that career

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

  • Meeting with someone who is employed in the field you are interested in to give you useful insights and information about the career field to explain real life positives and negatives
  • Having someone to discuss your future career with is very useful with someone asking specific questions about what sort of business size and team dynamic is important to define exactly what direction you want to go in and what kind of company is most suitable for you
  • Expanding network and encouraging and helping student to find internship opportunities
  • Mentor discussing University work with student and discussing ideas and progress to help with perspective of degree in career path

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Getting advice on the career I wished to go into from someone in the know and the wealth of resources and people I could talk to about career opportunities.

Charlotte, Education, Teaching, Research

Education Teaching and Research, Geography, ,

Charlotte undertook the Career Mentor Scheme in November 2014, during her first year at university. She is a geography student who was interested in pursuing a career in education and research, which allowed us to match her with the Head of Employability Services at the University of Exeter. This mentor’s main responsibility is to lead various teams through a period of significant change, to meet the professional development needs of 16,000 students and key staff groups, across 3 locations, to significantly improve graduate employment outcomes in order to place Exeter amongst the best UK universities for graduate skills development and employment.

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Through the scheme, Charlotte was able to get an insight into the profession she was interested in and obtained job hunting resources which helped her further determine the path of work, which she wanted to take upon graduation. She pointed out that finding out about both the good and bad aspects of the profession was really beneficial as well, and that she was able to build up her personal skills which will help her employability in the future.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

I enjoyed meeting my mentor for the first time at the event organised by the Career Zone. There was a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere and it was a good way to get to know each other before fully taking part in the mentor experience.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

I gained a lot of advice on how to develop my own personal skills and relate them to my professional development.

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

Don’t be afraid to be honest about what you want to gain out of the experience as you never know what expertise and knowledge your mentor may have beyond their current profession that could be of interest to you.

Emma, Purchasing and Procurement

Geography, Purchasing and Procurement, , ,

Emma participated in the Career Mentor Scheme during her second year. Interested in purchasing and procurement, Emma was matched with a procurement officer for Cornwall Council. This mentor, an alumnus of the University of Exeter, is interested in sustainability, environmental management and climate change. At the council, his main responsibilities were developing and delivering the Council’s Responsible Procurement Programme which governed how the council considered agendas such as environmental sustainability, safeguarding and equality and diversity in their purchasing. At the time, he was also working on the procurement of Children’s Social Care Services and had launched the Cornwall Supplier Development Programme.

Both Emma and her mentor felt that their main objectives had been achieved through the scheme. Emma felt her confidence in applying for graduate jobs had grown, she had successfully developed professional contacts and gained an insight into the field. This mentor felt that he had given back to the university through the scheme and was pleased to have facilitated her work experience at TFL.

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Emma shared some insights into the ways in which the scheme was beneficial to her:

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

I enjoyed being able to visit my mentor at his place of work as I was able to get a feel of his working environment and meet colleagues in relevant sectors to discuss potential career opportunities.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Through my mentor I have acquired two weeks work experience at Transport for London (TFL) in June and so hope that this will be one of the most useful outcomes of my mentoring experience. Also the recommendation to go to IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment) networking events has been another useful outcome of this mentoring experience.

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

The career mentor scheme provides a unique and invaluable opportunity to engage with a professional within a sector of the job market which interests you. It is a way of gaining an ‘inside account’ of what skills you will need, what employers look for in applicants and also the upsides and downsides of working in such a sector. Not only this but there is the chance that your mentor may be able to provide you with some form of work experience, something which is greatly valued in the current job market. I would therefore strongly recommend taking this opportunity.

 

Rebecca, Education, Teaching and Research

Education Teaching and Research, Geography,

Rebecca applied to the Career Mentor Scheme in order to get guidance and advice about getting into Education, Teaching and Research. Her mentor was a Geography Teacher at Rookwood School. This mentor is an Exeter alumnus who has had a wide variety of experiences in the industry. Prior to joining Rookwood School she was a Geography Teacher at George Stephenson High School Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Apart from achieving all objectives Rebecca had set, such as developing professional contacts and preparing for the next steps after graduation, she also managed to see what teaching on a daily basis is like by visiting her mentor at her school and learning more about the profession from Hannah.

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What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

I really enjoyed visiting the school, I sat in in some lessons and was really able to understand what it is like to teach a lesson, and everything else that goes with it. Visiting a school other than the one I went to also helped me to see how different schools operate, and overall I really enjoyed the experience.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

I wanted to gain insight into teaching, and I definitely achieved that. My mentor was able to show me all of the work she does on a daily basis, from planning a lesson through to teaching it. This was incredibly useful as I was able to learn what it really takes to be teacher, which has helped to guide my work experience and internship choices to see if I am suited to the job.

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

Taking part in the career mentor scheme is such a valuable experience; not only did it give me a brilliant networking opportunity, but it also allowed me an insight into my chosen profession that is so difficult to find elsewhere.

“Really good to keep in touch via email – asking and answering emails -felt that I got to know Becky.  It was also great that she got to come to my school and meet with me in the work environment.” – Rebecca’s Mentor