All posts by Joanna Louise McCreedie

Sam, Financial Markets and the City

Business and Management, Financial Markets and the City, , , , ,

Whilst in his second year Business and Management student Sam applied to the Career Mentor Scheme and was successfully matched with the Executive Director – Dept Investment Europe at IFM.

Having graduated from Exeter, this mentor then pursued a career in the Financial Markets and the City. He was a graduate trainee and a Manager at RBS and also Head of Infrastructure and Project Finance at Barclays Corporate.

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Sam’s experience of the mentoring partnership was great. Here are some of the details he shared with us:

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

It was great to meet with my mentor at his office and hear about his experiences in the industry. My mentor put me in touch with a wide variety of senior people from within the industry who I was able to meet with or speak to on the phone. It was great to receive advice when I was making a decision about which internship I wanted to do.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Networking opportunities – Extremely useful to be able to connect with senior figures in the industry.

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

It is a brilliant opportunity to find out more about a career that you are interested in. The opportunities that come with this scheme can really enhance your career prospects.

Maartje, Education, Teaching and Research

Education Teaching and Research, History, , ,

Coming from a History degree, Maartje applied for the Career Mentor Scheme in his second year. Interested in the Education, Teaching and Research sector he was matched with a Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter for a period of six months.

This mentor’s main area of research is in the history of the body, with particular interests in gender, sex and reproduction, sexuality, ageing, body size, shape and management, health and medicine in early modern England. Her responsibilities at the time were to supervise doctoral theses on the following topics: facial disfigurement in early modern England; the material culture of health in Victorian England; birth, death and illegitimacy in eighteenth-century Wales; and appearance and the interpretation of character in early modern England.

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Maartje shared some insights about the ways in which the scheme was beneficial to her:

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

The highlights were the face to face meetings as I felt such a personal approach, which really motivated me to improve my work: my mentor’s advice and encouragement thus ensured I put in every effort in achieving my goals.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

The gained insight into my chosen profession is very useful indeed. I had a vague plan of becoming a lecturer but had no idea how to get there and how to ‘prepare’ for such a career. I now understand the path in front of me more, what I need to work on to achieve this and what to prioritise.

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

Absolutely apply. Having a mentor is tremendously helpful as his/her guidance will allow you a more focused and goal-orientated university experience. Essays and presentations thus become opportunities to achieving that ultimate career goal instead of ‘homework’ .

Christopher, Defence and Public Protection

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

While in his final year of doing Economics and Politics, Christopher applied for the Career Mentor Scheme and was matched with a Defence & Public Protection mentor who was an Army Officer at HM Forces.

An Exeter graduate, this mentor’s previous employment includes being Company Commander commanding 100 infantry soldiers specialising in dismounted close combat.  He was also involved in contingency security planning and response for London 2012 Olympics including working with Special Forces, Met Police and civilian organisations. His other military experience has been broad, he has worked closely with senior officers, deployed on operations around the world, been responsible for HR in a major unit and have been a key planner for operations in Afghanistan.

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Christopher shared with us he had an outstanding experience being mentored. He achieved every single objectives which they had set at the beginning of their partnership.

What was the highlight of the scheme for you?

Getting to speak to my mentor’s contacts, and [having] his support and encouragement.

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

Absolutely excellent scheme – couldn’t be more useful. The opportunity to be personally mentored by incredibly accomplished people – even from a different field from your own – is invaluable.

The highlight for the mentor was the Meet Your Mentor Event and the focused preparation for a job interview him and Christopher did.

Alicia, Mining, Environment and Natural Resources

Energy Engineering, Mining and Mineral Engineering, Mining Environment and Natural Resources,

Sustainable Development masters student Alicia was matched with an Environment and Sustainability Advisor at the University of Exeter.

This mentor’s main responsibility is improving the University’s environmental performance through the development and delivery of sustainability strategies and change management with specific responsibilities for environmental compliance, pollution prevention and ISO14001.

At the end of the partnership, Alicia gave us an insight of what she had achieved through the Career Mentor Scheme. Apart from significantly improving her job hunting skills and developing personal skills and abilities, she also achieved career objectives, such as finding our more about the good and bad aspect of a career in Sustainability and learning about the entry requirements. Alicia also got hints and tips about the Green Consultants Programme and possible project options.

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What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

The most important knowledge I gained from my mentor was the opportunity to practice mock interviews and build my confidence skills. She also talked about her experience as a consultant within the energy sector and clarified many doubts about working within that field and what to expect from consultancy.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

The insight of my chosen profession, CV Review, and interview tips [provided].

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

It is very useful to clarify doubts about your career path and to get reassurance that you are going in the right way. It is also very useful to gain confidence in yourself when it comes to interviews and preparation for graduate jobs.

Her mentor said:

  “[It was] rewarding to see Alicia reflect on discussions [we have had] and apply those reflections!”

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!”

Emily, Law and Legal Services

History, Law and Legal Services,

In her third year, Emily, doing History, was mentored by an Associate  Solicitor at Trowers & Hamlins LLP, in the Real Estate, Housing and Regeneration sector.

At the end of the six-month mentoring partnership we got really positive feedback from Emily about the ways in which the scheme had helped her.

Emily received help from her mentor in effectively completing application forms for the Law sector and that was most useful to her in her job search. She also improved her interview techniques through the Career Mentor Scheme and improved her CV with the help of her mentor. On top of that, Emily managed to widen her contacts and find out more about the entry requirements in the Law industry.

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What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

I enjoyed meeting trainees at my mentor’s work place, who were informative, friendly and offered great advice.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Helping with applications, and understanding what key words employers were looking for.

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

Definitely go for it, you don’t realise the amazing opportunities this scheme can offer you.

Sophie, Science

Science, Sport and Health Sciences, , ,

At the end of her penultimate year Sports and Health Science student Sophie was matched with a previous Vice President of GSK.

This mentor’s range of experiences is extremely wide. Some of her previous employment includes Head of Pathology at Unilever, Scientific Director at Quintiles England and Director of Non-Clinical Development at Oxford GlycoSciences.purple-pills-1-1539648

Sophie had some excellent feedback to give about her experience of the scheme. She achieved every single objective she had set, including gaining professional experience to put on her CV and developing her interview techniques.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

Really useful to guide me in the right direction and increase my confidence about my future.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Insight into the sector and help with CV, covering letter etc. Very useful to talk through future plans with my mentor.

Her mentor said:

“It was so rewarding to share my experience”

Wing, Education, Teaching, Research

Education Teaching and Research, Psychology, , ,

Wing, completing a Psychology degree was looking to go into Education, Teaching, Research. During her second year she was accepted to participate in the Career Mentor Scheme and matched with an Associate Research Fellow at the University.

An experienced professional, this mentor’s previous experience includes being a Research Assistant in Psychology at the University of Manchester, Transcriber at Max Planck Institute and Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Manchester.

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Wing had some really positive feedback to share about the scheme!

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

When I went to the memory clinic to do a job shadowing and chatted with an assistant psychologist.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

I found the insight into my chosen sector and the advice in job hunting most helpful.

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

It is an opportunity to learn more about of a sector that you couldn’t learn about in lectures. A mentor would give you a lot of advice from job hunting to CV proof reading.

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.”

Shiryn, Regulation and Consumer Protection

law, Regulation and Consumer Protection, , , ,

At the end of her penultimate year Shiryn was matched with the Head of Data Protection at Guardian News and Media Group as part of the Career Mentor Scheme.

An Exeter graduate, this mentor has a lot of experience in the Regulation and Consumer Protection sector. He has previously worked at Deloitte as a graduate and then was a Data Protection Manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland and Regional Head of Privacy at the Royal Bank of Canada. At the Guardian his responsibilities include managing legal data protection/privacy compliance for the Guardian’s operations in the UK, Australia and the USA.

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Here is what Shiryn told us about how the scheme was beneficial to her:

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

Having my CV checked, speaking to people in a broad range of areas of Law.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Being put in touch with other professionals that my mentor knew and having phone calls with them to discuss their careers and advice.

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

It’s a fantastic opportunity to make contacts that you would have real difficulty meeting outside of the university scheme and is especially useful if you’re feeling confused about your next steps – the insight you get from people already in the industry is invaluable. I would really recommend this scheme to other students as there’s no downside – you gain information and contacts through just a few conversations without having to set aside hours and hours of your life.