Pushing to success through mentoring

31 August 2021

My name is Keira Forster, I have just completed my final year and I studied International Business. I decided to participate in the Edinburgh Award this past year to put myself out of my comfort zone – I have always been a slightly anxious person and felt I did not get involved with the University as much as I would have liked, so I decided to use my final year to change that.

My mentoring experience with Heather this year was a genuine joy. We had many discussions about the working world, the things employers are looking for in graduates, how to tackle assessment centres, and much more. I found this helpful, as a real insight into how career paths can take shape and I gained more knowledge of what the realities of the working world are.

I was always grateful that she was both honest yet never discouraging about the many boxes employers are looking to tick, and I think that helped me understand what I needed to do to stand out in job applications and present my skills well.

Mentoring helped my self-confidence hugely — I am not very good at giving myself credit for my achievements and tend to have a slightly pessimistic outlook. One specific example was when Heather encouraged me to join an organisation that aims to increase diversity on organisational boards to learn more about the skills required to be an effective Board member in the future.

This was a step out of my comfort zone, but I was so grateful for the encouragement she gave and the reassurance about my abilities whenever I doubted myself. I ended up successfully completing a video interview with the Chair of the Board of Trustees and came out the other end feeling so much better about my skills and accomplishments.

Without Heather’s suggestion and subsequent support, I never would have thought to do something like that to bring something unique to my CV, and I certainly would not have had the confidence to do it in the first place.

I think the best part of my mentoring experience was honestly, just getting to know Heather overall. Learning about her life experience and the range of things she has achieved throughout her career was genuinely inspiring, particularly the travelling she has done as a part of her work. I felt very understood and supported, especially when I was going through a rough and rather cynical period in my second semester about future prospects in both a recession and a pandemic.

Her emails were always very informative and helpful (even if I was asking a hundred questions at once) and I always felt comfortable in being able to reach out to her for guidance. Being able to build up our mentoring relationship throughout the year was a very positive experience for me, and I would like to stay in touch with Heather moving forward.

I would sincerely recommend the Edinburgh Award for Effective and Responsible Leadership to anyone, but certainly, those people that are a bit apprehensive or anxious about it.

Being able to take time to dedicate towards your skills, connect with like-minded people, and have a safe space for personal growth is so beneficial, and I know it certainly improved my outlook by the end of my degree looking forward to my career.

The mentoring scheme is such a highlight of the Award; it helps to build your networking skills and gives you one-to-one support and guidance when thinking about your next steps after university. At the time of writing this, I have just secured my first graduate role as a marketing assistant, and I honestly do not think I could have done it without the support I received from Heather this year. So if you are thinking about participating, definitely go for it! I am sure you will get as much out of it as I did.

Keira Forster recently completed an Undergraduate International Business student at the University of Edinburgh Business School.