Careers Network Mentoring Scheme

“A learning relationship which helps people to take charge of their own development, to realise their potential and to achieve results which they value” – (Connor and Pokora 2007)

Through our Careers Network Mentoring Scheme you would be paired with an industry professional (a mentor) to engage in a series of conversations all focused around your career development.

The relationship is on a 1-2-1 basis and is led by you (the mentee) in terms of what areas you would like the mentoring discussions to focus on. Below are a few examples of what mentors and mentees on the scheme have previously discussed as part of their mentorship:

• Routes for entering into a particular job role or industry and the skills/qualifications needed
• Growing your network of industry contacts, in-person and virtually
• Top tips for preparing for recruitment processes (CVs, interviews, assessment centres)
• Preparing for transitioning into the workplace from university
• Planning what opportunities to engage with at University to help with achieving career goals
• Where to source and apply for work experience opportunities

Mentors will share their experiences and knowledge to motivate and empower you and help you to understand your aims and how you can achieve these.

• Gain real insight into a particular job role or sector and also sectors beyond academia from an experienced professional
• Discover your strengths, develop new skills and learn how to articulate these during recruitment processes
• Establish a professional relationship and develop your network
• Sound out your ideas with an industry professional who will give you constructive and honest feedback to help you make informed decisions
• Feel encouraged and empowered about your personal development!

You can find out more about the benefits of mentoring through our bank of mentee case studies.

We have hundreds of mentors who have kindly volunteered their time to support students and graduates.

They are from a wide range of sectors, job roles, backgrounds and many are UoB alumni.  We have a number of mentors with postgraduate research qualifications, and a number who are experienced in hiring postgraduate researchers.

As well as having UK based mentors, we also have some who are based internationally in places such as the US, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and more.

Visit our Mentor Sectors and Job Roles page to find out more about our available mentors.

1. To join the scheme you will be asked to register via our online mentoring platform – UoB Mentoring Connect.

2. Once on the platform you will be asked to create a profile and answer various questions around what you would like to gain from a mentoring relationship and the type of mentor you would like to be paired with (e.g. the sector they work in, level of qualification, their expertise etc).

3. You will be asked to complete our online mentee training course to help prepare you for your mentoring relationship to ensure you get the most from it.

4. Based on the information you have provided, our Mentoring Team will match you to a suitable mentor and connect you with one another. You will then need to get in contact with your mentor to initiate the mentorship.

5. Throughout the mentorship (3 months, 1 hour per month contact minimum) our Mentoring Team will keep in touch to make sure everything is progressing smoothly and offer any additional support, should you need it.  

The Careers Network Mentoring Scheme is open to the following:

• Undergraduate students in any year and from any degree discipline
• Graduates of 2023 and 2024
• Postgraduate taught students 
• Postgraduate researchers

To register interest for the scheme for the upcoming Autumn 25/26 intake, please complete our expression of interest form and we’ll be in touch when applications open again. 

For any further questions, you can contact our mentoring team via mentoring@contacts.bham.ac.uk.