Category Archives: Degree Subject

James, Purchasing and Procurement

Geography, Purchasing and Procurement,

Between May of his penultimate and October of his final year James was mentored by Procurement Officer at Cornwall Council. This mentor has a variety of experiences in the Purchasing and Procurement sector. He has previously worked as a Project Manager at Heart of Borneo Project and as a Project Officer at the Cornwall Development Company.

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Here is what James shared with us about the benefits of the scheme to his career development.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

  • Getting to understand first hand the work undertaken by my mentor and seeing how he dealt with certain problems.
  • A good understanding of what the next stage is after University.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Having someone to guide me through the graduate scheme application stage.

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

Definitely do it as having someone to push you will mean you make quicker progress when looking for a job.

His mentor said:

“It’s been great to work with a mentee who is a little less confident, to try and grow his confidence.”

Janice, Surveying and Property Management

History, Surveying and Property Management, ,

Janice, a History student participated in the Career Mentor Scheme and her mentor for the six-month period was Housing Development Manager & Client Lead at Exeter City Council. After completing a Building Surveying degree at Exeter, this mentor gained a variety of different professional experiences. She has previously worked at MCR Property Group as Development Manager, and at Norman Rourke Pryme Project Managers as Consultant Project Manager.

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Janice found a lot of what the mentoring partnership achieved for her really useful. She improved her confidence and got help with application forms.

Were there any other objectives you achieved?

Help with overall interview questions.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

Developed my confidence for interviews and got me thinking of a broader picture of my future job and what team I should go into considering my lifestyle choices.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Developing confidence to go and talk to potential employers and having further professional connections.

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

Even if you apply for a mentor who is in a profession you are not 100% sure about, it is worth considering varying options, getting feedback from an experienced professional and building confidence in a working environment.

Her mentor said:

“Being able to observe Janice grow and develop in her confidence was great!”

Chenyun, Accounting and Auditing

Accounting and Auditing, Accounting and Finance, ,

Chenyun wanted to get into the Accounting and Auditing sector. During her year of completing a postgraduate degree in Accounting and Finance she participated in the Career Mentor Scheme and was matched with Director at Old Mill Accountancy LLP.

After graduating from Accountancy Studies in Exeter, this mentor first worked at EY as Corporate Finance Manager for six year. He then moved on to hold the same position at Peplows Chartered Accountants.

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Chenyun found the scheme extremely useful.

I gained passion in my future career and become clearer of what I am after.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

I had very little confidence at the beginning. By listening to me talking about my experience, my mentor identified some of my natural strengths that I had never before realized I had, which greatly boosted my confidence. He also gave me a lot of encouragement during the process, and the encouragement from a senior professional really means a lot to me.

From the first meeting until my final work experience with my mentor, he was really passionate about his work, which inspired me greatly.

When I was about to take an assessment centre, I asked my mentor for some help in report writing. He then showed me a report he had just finished and briefly explained it to me. Not only did I gain a rough idea of the format and language required, I also got excited about writing the report and became more determined to pursue the career path I [have chosen].

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

The face-to-face meeting made our communication more effective and promoted deeper understanding of each other.

The two-week work experience gave me a real insight into what it is like to work for a UK accountancy firm.

My mentor’s rich experience in working in different sized accountancy firms and coaching has successfully helped me decide which career path I am after and gave me confidence that I can do well in my chosen profession.

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

Career Mentor Scheme gives you an excellent opportunity to establish a closer bond with an experienced professional in your ideal career and he/she can be a role model to inspire you in pursuing such career.

This mentor said:

“I felt that I did make a difference to how my Mentee perceived herself and her achievements, in particular, that she demonstrates leadership in all sorts of ways, not necessarily by being nominally the leader.
She came to our office for a couple of weeks work experience and was incredibly hard-working and committed. Most of all though, the staff became more attached to her than possibly any of the other interns we’ve previously had.” 

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

Hannah, Media, Publishing and Journalism

English, Media Publishing and Journalism, ,

Between May of her penultimate year and October of her final year, English student Hannah participated in the Career Mentor Scheme and was mentored by a Consultant at Project Unleash. The mentor’s main responsibilities at the time of their partnership included being a consultant, a coach and a business trainer specialising in media and hospitality industries.

Her mentor really helped guide Hannah in the Media, Publishing and Journalism sector. She gave us an insight to the advantages of the scheme to her career path.

feel-not-1315297What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

Highlight was meeting my mentor and having really productive meetings which had open discussions that allowed me to make positive, well informed decisions about how to approach my future career plans.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Learning about the industry of my interest from someone with actual experience and valuable advice that has helped me be more definitive in my future career plans/goals. Also, genuinely gaining a respectful working relationship with an industry professional has helped my confidence and networking prospects.

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

The best way to learn is through experience, and the career mentor scheme allows you to gain invaluable insight from others experiences and definitely gives you a kick start into your career search!

Nathan, Management and Consultancy

economics, Management and Consultancy, ,

Nathan, studying Economics was looking to go into the Management and Consultancy sector. Being matched with an Associate Consultant at BCS Consulting through the Career Mentor Scheme really helped Nathan get into the industry.

At the time of their partnership this mentor’s main responsibilities were helping organisations to solve issues, create value, maximise growth and improve the business performance by providing objective advice, expertise and specialist skills which an organisation may be lacking. His previous work experience includes working as an Analyst at Accenture between 2011 and 2013.

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Nathan benefited from the scheme in various ways. He improved his personal skills needed for graduate employment and obtained help with application forms and covering letters. Richard proofread Nathan’s CV and helped him with job hunting resources.

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

The mentoring scheme is an invaluable opportunity to learn about an industry, get support with your applications and improve your skills. I am currently on my year in industry and I was able to walk through any workplace problems with my mentor such as how to get time from my managers when they were so busy. I gained so much confidence being able to write specific and tailored information in my applications, going through interview practise and setting goals. I also performed well in my recent performance review at work and have successfully secured a consulting summer internship for 2016, both of which would not have been possible without the support of my mentor.

His mentor said:

“[The highlight for me was] Nathan winning a summer internship at Deloitte and seeing how much that meant to him.”

Madalina, Management and Consultancy

Business and Management, Management and Consultancy, ,

Madalina, Business and Management student, was interested in going into Management and Consultancy. Through the Career Mentor Scheme she was matched with a Group Operations Director at Catlin.

This mentor’s main responsibilities include managing Process Change, Education, Knowledge and Programme. She has a wide range of experiences including previously working as an Associate Partner at IBM and as Learning Solutions Consultant at PwC.

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Madalina benefited from the scheme and being mentored in a number of ways. Madalina got an insight into her chosen career and found out more about the good and bad aspects of the sector. She also received help preparing for the next steps after graduation and gathered information about the sector entry requirements.

Were there any other objectives you achieved?

I receive the personal opinion of my mentor through a professional perspective in regards to office situations and the corporate environment.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

I appreciated my mentor’s patience and guidance […] and her care in providing a balanced answer.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

I enjoyed learning of my mentor’s experiences through her perspective at this point.

What were the highlights for the mentor?

“Madalina was looking for more than just career coaching, also looking to apply her academic learning through my business experiences”

Andrew, Mining, Environment and Natural Resources

Geology, Mining Environment and Natural Resources

Postgraduate student Andrew, doing Mining Geology was mentored by Head of Geology UK/Europe at Aggregate Industries Ltd.

Thus mentor graduated from Exeter with a Geology degree. He has a variety of experiences in the industry, having previously worked as an Assistant Geologist at English China Clays Quarries, as Company Geologist at Tarmac and then as a Head of Geology UK and International at Tarmac Group.

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Andrew had an outstanding experience being mentored. He achieved all of the objectives, which they set up at the beginning of their partnership, including gaining work experience, developing interview techniques, and gathering information about the sector’s entry requirements.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

My mentor was a fantastic mentor, I feel we built a strong relationship and plan to meet in the future. He became more of a friend than anything else!

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Self-reflection and defining the good and bad things about my personality.

 

Alice, Science

Biosciences, Science, , ,

Between May of her second year and October of her third year, Alice, a Zoology student was mentored by a Career Development Fellow at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

This mentor has completed a Biochemistry degree at Exeter and then pursued a PhD in Biological Sciences. Her main responsibilities include conducting seed biology research at Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, publishing work in scientific journals and training and supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students.

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Alice shared the way in which the scheme was beneficial to her. She developed professional contacts and networking opportunities and gained an insight into further education and professional courses. Alice also developed an understanding of the route to a career in research and the difficulties that she can expect and gained academic support.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

I gained a unique insight into my chosen profession, with both good and bad aspects of the job itself and the application process being discussed.

Her mentor said:

“It was nice to hear about my mentee’s career plans and to see how they crystallised during the scheme.”

 

Arielle, Media, Publishing and Journalism

English, Media Publishing and Journalism, , , , ,

Arielle applied for the Career Mentor Scheme towards the end of her first year and she was matched with a freelance children’s books editor and writer. Their partnership continued until October of Arielle’s second year.

This mentor graduated with a Business and Management degree at Exeter. She has extensive experience in writing manuscripts, copy-writing, picture research, liaising with marketing, sales, freelancers and supervising an editorial assistant, amongst others. She has previously worked at John Wiley and Sons, Natural History Museum, Parragon Books and Priddy Books, MacMillan.

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The mentoring partnership with Sarah was really useful to Arielle. Arielle improved her confidence to seek graduate jobs, obtained job hunting resources and gained professional experience to put on her CV.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

It was wonderful to learn exactly what my desired job role entailed. I learned the ins-and-outs of the industry.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

My mentor provided insight into my chosen sector and gave me great feedback regarding my CV and cover letters.

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

This program is fantastic and provides valuable experience for any student who wishes to seek employment after graduation.