Sign up to Steps Ahead Mentoring

My first meeting was really nerve wracking for me. I thought, 'Oh, what's my mentor going to think?' But I turned up and she was so great. She was so welcoming and completely put me at ease. We just talked about what I wanted out of the mentoring scheme and what kind of path I wanted to take.

Speaking to a professional who recognised my ability, skills and potential, gave me a lot of confidence. Also having professional guidance and mentoring on how to answer key questions in interviews was very useful. The mentoring sessions have allowed me to reconnect with the person I was before my career break. I feel much more confident and aware of my capabilities from the mentoring I received.

I thought my CV was good to begin with but Katrina [my mentor] made me see things I hadn't even considered. It was a great help to analyse how the language I had used would be portrayed. Katrina would take me through mock interviews and ask difficult questions so I was well prepared and confident in my answers when it came to interviews and assessment centres. I have no doubt that Katrina’s mentoring was a massive contributor to securing a great job I wanted.

I believe that the mentoring I received had a huge part in my having the confidence and knowledge to go ahead and apply for the position I now have. Due to my mentoring, I became more confident in myself and my abilities and therefore made me a more positive and approachable to more jobs on the market.

My mentor greatly helped me and tailored all my sessions to what was most beneficial for me. In between the sessions she was available to contact over email for any questions that I had. It was useful that my mentor worked in HR. She helped me to break down the job description and what key points to pull out and include in my application and cover letter.