Student experiences of Momentum

Luke Hughes, 2011 BA Business Management with Marketing, 
on his mentor, James Dellborg from RBS Coutts Bank

"My mentor has always made time to meet me and been very accommodating and pleasant. He has given me great insight and, even though our job sectors don't match, he's learnt a lot about the industry and been extremely encouraging, especially when job applications were unsuccessful. On areas he has been unsure about, he has contacted other mentors on Momentum, to help me and get me involved in networking with the other mentors.

Now based in Singapore, he is still able to chat with me. It shows that we have created a great professional and personal mentoring relationship. This is due to his personality and dedication to truly helping me. Other mentors could have gone off to Asia and forgotten about being a mentor to someone they only see monthly. James understands how important he is to my success, and I have built up a great trust with him.

James has become someone I look up to and has been an unbelievable asset to me; in my progression from study to now having two major options to work as a financial trader. His enthusiasm, energy and perseverance have matched mine and I will be forever indebted to him for his help. He has also inspired me to become a mentor myself (in my mentoring module of my final year).” 

Since writing this piece, Luke has taken up one of the job offers he mentions and is working as a financial trader for OSTC in Brighton.

Mentee of the Year 2008–09 Marion Funnell, BA (Hons) Library and Information Studies

"It has been really useful and enjoyable having someone outside the university to use as a sounding board and to get advice from. Sarah has helped me with job application advice, CV advice and also helped me write a paper which enabled me to attend an information literacy conference.

I was awarded a sponsored place plus a networking evening, a conference dinner and my travel and accommodation costs were covered as well. The conference was an amazing experience and I met some really great people.

We have met four times, including at the conference, twice here and once in Bedford, where Sarah introduced me to the Schools’ Library Service people in Bedford and we had a tour of their facilities and I was able to ask a lot of questions and as this is an area I am interesting in working in, was fantastic.

Sarah has supported me through emails as well as the visits, and has sent me things such as interview techniques and information regarding the librarianship and information professional work area which have also been extremely useful and funny.

I am really glad that I was accepted onto the programme and have really benefitted from it."

 April Baker, BA (Hons) Criminology and Applied Psychology, 2008-09 mentee

"By being matched with my mentor two years ago I have had the opportunity to work with someone who can not only provide me with advice on CV writing and presentation skills but who was there for me when my workload became stressful, or to meet me the night before an important interview to help me prepare. My mentor gave me the confidence alongside the skills to apply for a graduate scheme that I desperately wanted, but knew there was a large amount of competition for.

Through their continued support from the application stage to the assessment day and finally the interview, I felt confident that each time I had performed to my best ability. I not only got onto this graduate scheme but also received another job offer that I had been interviewed for. Without my mentor's support I do not think I would have had the confidence to apply for these positions, especially as it was a particularly stressful time due to it being the end of my final year.

Their continued support and dedication over the past two years is something I am so grateful for and words cannot describe. Momentum has given me the opportunity to develop personally as well as professionally in many ways. You are matched perfectly to someone who can really help you. In these difficult times being a student looking for your first step onto the career ladder can be very hard and highly competitive. Momentum gives you the opportunity to gain support and advice from someone who is already established within the field. I can't tell you all enough how worthwhile it has been and how hard Robert Prosser works to make sure you are matched to someone who can provide you with the support you need.

I am leaving university with a first class degree and a job to start in September, and although this is down to my own hard work, it would not have been possible without my mentor."