After our successful launch of the career mentoring programme for students last year, we are delighted to open the programme to all alumni who graduated from the year 2000 to experience the benefits of a mentoring partnership.
What are the benefits of having a mentor?
Taking part in the career mentoring programme will allow you to explore a particular profession or employment area, develop work-related skills, and connect you with relevant professionals to build effective networks to help you progress in your career.
There are a variety of ways in which mentors can support you, including;
- Building your confidence.
- Career change.
- Industry knowledge.
- Job hunting methods and Interview preparation.
- Making new contacts.
- Negotiation - including remuneration packages.
- Networking.
- Role and sector knowledge.
On Thursday 27 October 2022 we will celebrate National Mentoring Day, an annual occasion to highlight the importance of mentoring in all forms and focus on how rewarding mentoring can be for everyone involved.
Alumnus Chris Hopson (MBA 1992, DSc Honorary Graduand 2021), Chief Strategy Officer, NHS joined the mentoring programme in 2021 and successfully created a supportive mentoring relationship with Daniel Rogers (MBA 2022).
Chris and Dan detail their experiences from a mentor and mentee point of view and how being involved in the mentoring programme has helped them both in their professional careers.
How did you get involved in the career mentoring programme?
Dan: At the start of this year, we were allowed by the careers team to see how the system worked to access the programme. I already had an interest in working in the public health sector and came across Chris. I sent him an email to see if he would be my mentor and help me. We had a great conversation and for me, I've had not only Chris' support, and experiences but I've also the benefit of his network. He has put me in contact with other people who have been helping me in my pursuit of what I'm trying to achieve and that's fantastic. I couldn't have asked for anything more."
Can you describe your experience as a mentor?
Chris: I think the reasons I am a mentor is first as a leader I feel it is my responsibility to grow future leaders, and hopefully I've got knowledge and experience to share. Secondly, I’m a big believer in giving back so after having a fantastic experience myself at Cranfield, I think there’s a real opportunity to give something back to the next generation of Cranfield students.
The key bit for me is it needs to work for both sides, and you must be realistic in the fact that sometimes the chemistry isn’t there. So, I deliberately like to have an initial conversation first with a mentee so we can both check the chemistry is there, but I’ve really enjoyed it, I have really interesting conversations with Dan, and I hopefully can provide him with some help.”
What would be your advice to a student or alumnus considering getting a mentor?
Dan: “For me, it would be to put your name out there, and speak to people if you’re trying to find a mentor that is right for you. Have a conversation with someone like Chris to understand their experience and knowledge to see if it is right for you. We started at the beginning talking about me and to see what I wanted, which has now developed into a further conversation where I am trying to learn from Chris and the challenges, he is going through now with starting a new role, and how he would approach certain situations that I am talking theoretically about, so I know how to approach certain situations.
I would recommend anyone to get started on the programme. If you can, try and reach out to a variety of people to have more than one mentor but please don’t leave it underutilised. It is one of the greatest things I’ve been able to be a part of being on the MBA course. Chris is exceptionally busy but has made time for me every month and we’re not talking five, or 10 minutes here, we’re talking some really decent time. He’s always available. So, the benefit is not only being at Cranfield and having the opportunity to access these people but also the people who care enough to give enough of their time when they’re exceptionally busy and I’m super grateful for that.”
What would be your advice to a mentor?
Chris: “For mentors, you need to approach this with a degree of humility and reciprocation as it is very easy to sit here and tell Dan how the world works and give him the benefit of my vast experience and knowledge but the whole point of it is to help him. For me, mentoring is about really understanding what the mentee needs and you as a mentor providing that.
If you’re going to do it, do it properly as a mentor. Commit to it and allocate appropriate time to it.”
The career mentoring programme is led by the Alumni Relations and Development team and the Career and Employability Service. It can be accessed through Cranfield's Careers portal, Simplicity. Once you have logged in, you will be able to browse our list of over 300 alumni mentors from a broad range of industries and gather insights into their careers and how they can support you to develop and succeed in your career journey.
Whether you are looking for a job, to excel up the career ladder or a complete change in career direction, our mentors can help you with every step. If you're interested in having an alumni mentor, you can find out more in our career mentoring alumni mentee handbook or by contacting the Careers and Employability Service.
