Developing your career

This one-on-one mentoring program aims to:

• support you to develop the skills to manage your career
• give you an industry perspective to enhance your studies
• prepare you for your transition to the workplace
• establish a mutually beneficial relationship between you, your mentor and your chosen industry

Being a mentee allows you to access 'real world' insights from an industry professional. The mentoring relationship will focus on identifying your career goals and developing your job-seeking skills.

This isn’t work experience or a paid employment opportunity.

You’ll have the opportunity to:

• develop practical skills and confidence to enter your chosen profession
• build personal and professional networks • increase your understanding of the industry and gain exposure to current professional practices and trends
• link academic study to industry realities
• broaden your knowledge of the career options open to you
• learn what employers are looking for when they hire graduates
• practice the skills needed to access employment.

A good mentee is…

• open to new ideas, suggestions, and feedback
• willing to have a go and try out different things
• committed to self-development and achievement of career goals
• able to give and receive constructive and honest feedback
• skilled with good organisational and time management skills
• prepared to take the initiative, to communicate needs, desires and expectations.

As a Mentee you are (at minimum) expected to:

• attend an introductory workshop, or read introductory material provided
• attend the Launch event to meet each other (if both you and your mentor are in Perth).
• maintain monthly contact by telephone, email, Skype or face-to-face meetings. If you and your mentor are both located in Perth, then you should have at least two face-to-face meetings over the duration of the program.
• attend the end of program event (if both mentor and mentee are in Perth)
• complete and submit a mid-program evaluation
• complete and submit an end of program evaluation.

Your responsibilities as a Mentee:

• complete the Mentoring Agreement in conjunction with the mentor
• agree on a regular, mutually convenient contact schedule
• advise mentor if unable to attend scheduled meetings
• observe confidentiality and personal / professional boundaries
• be receptive to feedback and suggestions from the mentor
• explore own strengths and weaknesses and set relevant goals
• fulfil commitments as agreed or negotiate changes
• complete and submit program reports and evaluations by due dates take up opportunities for networking and building professional relationships
• contact the Career Mentor Link Coordinator if any concerns arise.

Use your professional skills to mentor, support, guide and encourage UWA students.

As a mentor you will be matched with a student whose career interests and study matches your skill set and experience.

There are many benefits to being a mentor including:

• gaining personal satisfaction from knowing you’ve made a difference to someone else’s career development.
• enhancing your “personal skills” such as leadership and communication.
• widen your professional networks.
• hearing a fresh perspective from your mentee.
• increasing your organisation’s profile at UWA.

* Mentors can also be from outside of Perth and Australia.

Mentor registrations are accepted throughout the year however matches generally take place during March only.

Register now

Career Mentor Link program will be running from May to October.

To be eligible to take part in Career Mentor Link, undergraduates must have achieved at least 48 credit points of study (equivalent to one year of full-time studies).

Postgraduate students must be enrolled at UWA. The program is open to international and domestic students. The cost to participate as a mentee in the program is $20.