Whilst in her second year, Politics and International Relations student Lavanyaa, who was looking to get into the Media, Publishing and Journalism sector was mentored by a freelance journalist.

This mentor graduated from Exeter with a Biology with Animal Behaviour degree, but then pursued a Journalism career. After working as an Essayist at the Kernel and as a Reporter at Real Business, he became a freelance journalist working for various organisations, such as New Scientist, Observer and Vice. This was also his position  at the time of his partnership with Lavanyaa and as such his main responsibilities were in technology and business journalism, copyediting, PR, research and client relations.

Lavanyaa told us of her experience of the Career Mentor Scheme:

She improved her personal development skills and her knowledge of further professional courses related to the Journalism sector. She increased her knowledge of the sector entry requirements and found out more about the good and bad aspects of the profession. Furthermore, she learned how to write, to get inspired and how to source information and facts.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

Learning about my mentor’s experiences, getting advice on my writing style, and learning how to write an article.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Learning how to pitch to editors and how to freelance.

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

Do it, it gives you a wealth of information particularly for professions like journalism that are hard to get into and there is no direct route.