With student applications still open for next year’s Bristol Mentors programme we caught up with 2019 Politics and International Relations graduate Liberty O’Hagan about her time as a mentee during 2018/19.
“I joined the Bristol Mentors programme in my final year and it really turned my career prospects around. I hadn’t engaged much with the Careers Service at that point and I was able to learn so much from being on the programme.
My mentor Liberty (the only other Liberty I know!) let me shadow her for a day in London and scheduled time for me to speak with a few of her colleagues. This experience broadened my professional network immediately. I gained an insight into the different roles available in the social impact sector from project management to policy and social media.
From the experiences I gained I was able to narrow down my career options in a positive way as I was able to see what type of work environment I would enjoy (varied, fast-paced and dynamic) and which skill areas I wanted to improve on to help me get there. This led me to apply to my current employer upReach via their Future Charity Leaders Programme. I was fortunate that it met all my interests and all my skills combined.
My mentor helped me prepare for my initial interview for upReach which was a success. We’ve since kept in contact and very recently she again stepped in to help me prepare for a promotion opportunity which I’m delighted ended well.
Whether you are finishing first year or going into final year, Bristol Mentors is a fantastic opportunity to be paired with a Bristol Alumni and I would recommend you apply if you can.”
Bristol Mentors is a targeted programme of support brought to you by the Careers Service. To check your eligibility and to find out how to apply please head to our webpage or contact us on alumni-mentoring@bristol.ac.uk