Category Archives: Politics and International Relations

Robert, Politics and Government

Politics and Government, Politics and International Relations

Robert, Politics and International Relations student, applied to the Career Mentor Scheme to develop general employability skills after attending a variety of career zone talks which introduced him to areas such as constructing cover letters and impressing at interview. Through the scheme, Robert was matched with a Social Studies graduate from the University of Exeter, who is an elected Leader at Hampshire County Council.

Robert tells us more about his experience below:

What were your highlights of the scheme?

I am eternally grateful for the work experience opportunity that I was afforded during my scheme. Having the chance to experience life in local government was a truly enriching experience and I was given a varied experience by those who were supervising me; they allowed me to attend meetings and training shops in addition to gaining experience in doing some of the work that typically goes on.

The people were central to my enjoyment, with the whole department making me feel welcome in what was a new working environment for me. I would like to thank my mentor for not only offering this interning place, but for also meeting with me privately on many occasions to talk personal development and to chat about developments in Hampshire.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

  • Work experience
  • Networking opportunities
  • Greater insight into the sector
  • Greater awareness of future pathways into the field of work
  • Assimilation of new knowledge

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

Know what you want from the experience before you apply, if its work experience, look for mentors who offer that. The scheme is tailored to what you need and should be a unique experience based on what you want. Don’t panic if other mentees are doing it differently – they will have different goals.

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.

Sophia, Accounting and Auditing

Accounting and Auditing, Philosophy, Politics and International Relations, , , ,

Sophia, a Philosophy, Politics and Economics student, applied to the Career Mentor Scheme to further her job prospects and possibilities through advice from an experienced professional. Sophia particularly wanted to gain confidence in her interview techniques and skills. Through the scheme, Sophia was matched with an Accounting and Finance Alumnus who is now a Global Sarbanes Oxley Analyst & CSA Operations Manager for Procter & Gamble. This mentor is certified in Internal Audit and has 11 years of experience in this role, working in over 20 countries.

“Advice that you would not have had the opportunity to get without the scheme.”

Sophia achieved all of her objective including improved knowledge of further education and professional courses related to this sector, increased knowledge of find internships and work experience in this sector and a increased knowledge of job hunting resources in this sector.

Sophia gave us some insight into her experience;

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Insight into possible career paths and what they entailed and help with internship application forms and advice with confidence etc.

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

It is a really good source of information and advice that you would not have had the opportunity to get without the scheme.

Kirby, Politics and Government

History, Politics and Government, Politics and International Relations, , ,

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.

Jack, Media, Publishing and Journalism

Media Publishing and Journalism, Politics and International Relations, , , ,

Jack, a second year Politics student, interested in Media, Publishing and Journalism was assigned a mentor who is the Home Affairs Correspondent for BBC South West, based in Exeter.

This mentor graduated with a Natural Sciences degree in 1990 and went onto do a Postgraduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism. Previous to his current position at the BBC he was a Deputy News Editor and before that he worked as an ITV news reporter.

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Jack said that he felt he’d achieved his objectives through the Career Mentor Scheme. The following are a few that he mentioned:

  • It improved my confidence to seek graduate level employment and helped to prepare me for my next steps after graduation
  • It improved my personal skills needed for graduate employment
  • The scheme developed my professional contacts and networking opportunities as well as making a professional contact with my mentor
  • I gained an insight into the profession/sector as well as receiving advice and tips for applications and CVs
  • Gained academic support from mentor for degree programme

What was the highlight of the scheme for you?

Meeting with my mentor was both enjoyable and insightful. Having him as my mentor was a huge highlight in itself!

When we asked Jack for his feedback he said he’d like to stay in contact with his mentor after the scheme had finished and would recommend the Career Mentor Scheme to a friend.

We spoke to Jack’s mentor who said that some of the highlight of the scheme for him was:

“Meeting and getting to know an excellent, highly motivated young man who wanted to do his best in the world and being able to help in that.”

 

Joel, Defence and Public Protection

Defence and Public Protection, Politics and International Relations, , ,

Joel was interested in a career in Defence and Public Protection and wanted to get an insight into the profession. He therefore applied to be mentored by a Civil Servant at the Ministry of Defence. Working at the Ministry of Defences since 2003, at the time of their partnership this mentor’s main responsibilities related to project management, ministerial and parliamentary business and International Relations.

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Joel had set a number of ambitious objectives at the beginning of the scheme and managed to achieve all of them, including gaining work experience and developing his interview techniques.

What was the highlight of the scheme for you?

Going to the Ministry of Defence in Bristol for work experience was very enlightening.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Work experience, networking and understanding what it takes to get the job that I want and other non-academic skills I would need.

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

Use every opportunity you get to learn, from their mistakes and successes.

Isobel, Politics and Government

Politics and Government, Politics and International Relations,

History and International Relations student Isobel was matched with an Administrator of Région Haute-normandie, France.

This mentor is an Exeter alumnus, who has worked at various organisations and positions in his career. Between 1997 and 1999 he was an Administrator at the European Parliament. He then moved on to be an Economist at the Office for National Statistics before starting at his position as an Administrator of  Région Haute-normandie.

Isobel achieved all objectives she had set at the beginning of the scheme. She received help with cover letters and application forms, improved her confidence to seek graduate jobs and developed her professional contacts.

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Were there any other objectives you achieved?

To gain work experience and a greater insight into this field of work.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

Having a professional opinion for some of the choices I am having to make- Masters Programmes etc.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Having a contact with professional and well regarded CVs to reference and get to know.

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

It is a great opportunity to have an in-depth insight into the professional line of work.

Holly, Media, Publishing and Journalism

History, Media Publishing and Journalism, Politics and International Relations, , , , , ,

Holly was studying History and Politics and was looking for guidance into the Media, Publishing and Journalism sector. She applied to the Career Mentor Scheme and was matched with a Rights Administrator at Warner Bros. This mentor’s main responsibilities include managing the pre and post-sales administration of deals including output and volume agreements.negative-1531346

Holly had an amazing experience being mentored. She achieved every single objectives she had set at the beginning of their partnership, including gaining professional experience to put on her CV and obtaining help with application forms.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

My highlights from this scheme was the work experience that my mentor helped me to get at Lionsgate. I spent the week helping various departments and also shadowing my mentor.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

My mentor’s insight into the TV and Film industry was one of the most helpful parts of the scheme for me. However, the work experience I did at Lionsgate where he works was really interesting and helpful. The CV and application advice was also very helpful.

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

This is the best opportunity to get a real-life insight into the career you’re interested in.

The highlight for the mentor was:

“Having my mentee to do some work experience with my company was great – especially as she proved herself to be friendly and hardworking.” 

Gemma, Charity and Development Work

Charity and Development Work, Politics and International Relations, , , , , ,

Gemma was interested in getting into Charity and Development Work. Studying towards a Politics and International Relations degree she applied for the Career Mentor Scheme and was as a result matched with a Fundraising (Development) Manager at the University of Exeter.

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Gemma found the mentoring partnership extremely helpful. She shared with us how the Career Mentor Scheme has helped her career development.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

The highlights of the scheme were gaining a real insight into the advantages and disadvantages of the not for profit sector, in particular the area of fundraising. My mentor was able to provide me with detailed information that is impossible to just find online. I was able to really consider what work experience I need to gain to prepare for my career and the steps required to gain a job.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

I found that insight into the not for profit sector was the most useful aspect of the mentor scheme.

 

Helena, Management and Consultancy

Management and Consultancy, Politics and International Relations, , ,

An International Relations student Helena applied for the Career Mentor Scheme in order to get advice and guidance into the Management and Consultancy sector. Her mentor was the Managing Director at EFS Consultants.

After graduating from Exeter with a Politics degree, this mentor gained a variety of professional experiences. His previous employment includes being a Business Development Director at Citibank and Retail Banking Partner at Unisys.

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Hannah learned a lot about the sector through her partnership and achieved many objectives, such as having her CV proofread, gaining information about the sector entry requirements and making a future professional contact in her mentor.

Were there any other objectives you achieved?

I learnt more about how the sector was divided and how best to enter it.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

For me, one of the highlights was meeting my mentor in person and hearing both his advice and useful anecdotes.  I could not have obtained this kind of insight and information any other way.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Learning more about the industry and the day-to-day reality of what it is like to work as a consultant.

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

The Career Mentor Scheme is a highly valuable experience: not only does it give you the opportunity to make a lasting professional contact but it also opens up a source of sector-specific information that would otherwise be inaccessible.

 

“There is no substitute for a face to face meeting with no time limit. We met in a cafe in London and chatted  for three hours. Perfect.” – Martin Dale