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.

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