777ӰԺ

777ӰԺ has an innovative Careers and Mentoring Programme,  read on to find out more about the mentoring experiences of some of our alumni and students using our mentoring platform, .

Amatey (2013)  Mentee

I was included in the first batch of Jesus alumni to join the Jesus Connect platform and was really pleased to see the platform launch. With a different hat, I’m the co-chair of the University of Cambridge Black Alumni Network (CBAN), so had been keeping my eye out for new ways to connect alumni; Jesus Connect piqued my interest immediately.

I’m currently a consultant working across higher education and health and was previously an elected officer at the National Union of Students. This isn’t a typical graduate career journey and I had been looking for a mentor to support me to leverage this background and navigate through my career.  

I typed in “management consulting” and Mohan’s profile came up quite quickly. The first thing that struck me was how many things we had in common. Other than of course the College connection, we’re both keyboard players in bands, have a strong interest in race equity, both have consulting experience (although I don’t have as much as him!) and we both have an interest in West Africa; Mohan from his career and professional relationships and me from my own family background. It seemed like a good fit on paper and I didn’t hesitate to get in touch.

We had an initial introductory Zoom conversation to get to know each other and we both agreed that this mentoring relationship worked for both of us. Since then we’ve met a couple of times in London and I find our meetings hugely helpful; it was exactly what I was looking for. Mohan has a wealth of experience from his own career and, through his personal and professional networks, great insight into the experiences of others across a wide range of industries and sectors. I’ve got a lot to learn from him but it’s certainly not a one-way relationship – he is as interested in my background and experiences as I am in his and we are able to learn from each other.

My advice to mentees is to try and find someone where there is both personal and professional common ground. Our conversations don’t just cover work and careers, but our lives outside that and that connection is very important. Mentees should also take time to prepare for the mentoring discussions; flagging with your mentor beforehand what areas you are keen to discuss or test with your mentor so that they too are prepared for the conversation. It’s still early days in our mentor-mentee relationship but I’m really pleased that the platform was set up and I have no doubt that we’ll get a lot out of it.

Mohan (1982) Mentor

When 777ӰԺ started its new alumni scheme on its new platform, I signed up immediately – and that was all pretty straightforward and intuitive.  What surprised me was how quickly I had someone contact me to be a mentor. Amatey is also an alumni but has less years on this planet than me, and he reached out through the platform to ask if I could play a mentoring role.

What probably made this happen swiftly, aside from Amatey’s proactive approach to life in general, is that what I had written as part of registering contained the keywords that led Amatey to me. I have a background in HR, professional services, and consulting – and that’s the space Amatey is in and wants to develop further.

We swapped messages and arranged an introductory hour-long video call where I got to understand Amatey’s personal, educational, and professional background, and I of course shared mine too. We arranged to meet up in person in London near his office in the phase when people were just beginning to return to some office working (after restrictions in response to the pandemic). We spoke in much more detail about his work and the projects he was on, and we came to appreciate a number of other areas of synergy and common interest not least in our respective work in the diversity and inclusion field.

During the course of this discussion, somehow a number of snacks and a bottle of wine got consumed! Amatey has already messaged me on what he wants to cover when we next meet, and aside from longer term career advice, we will also do some on-the-spot problem-solving around existing work scenarios. That keeps me on my toes. Amatey would probably agree that it’s still early days in our mentoring relationship, but I must say I am enjoying this. And given his experience so far, which includes leadership roles in the student union organisations of 777ӰԺ, Cambridge University and nationally, I confess I am learning too. Like a lot of great mentoring arrangements, the learning goes both ways. What a great unintended consequence.

People will approach mentoring with different expectations and levels of engagement. Ours seems to be practical, informal, and wide-ranging, yet with some structure and focus too. That suits us. I commend other alumni to get involved, fill out your profiles clearly, and if you get matched up with a mentor, enjoy it!

The views in this article belong to Amatey (2013) and Mohan (1982).