Mentorship programme is organized in a way that a student (mentee) can get professional guidance from successful Hanken alumnus (mentor) working in industry or academia. The main idea (and a big challenge!) is to find a good match between two of them to make the process fun and efficient. Usually, it is expected to have one meeting per month during the school year where you can go together through topics you are interested in, such as CV check-in, preparing for job interviews, discussing career goals and expectations, sharing personal experience, etc.
What was my inner motivation to apply for this programme?
First, being a foreigner, I feel in a way unsecured because of a language barrier as well as a lack of knowledge about Finnish working style and business culture in general. Thus, I was very enthusiastic about a chance to ask straight questions from a person who is willing to give straight answers, telling funny stories and sharing own experiences (both successes and failures!) with me in a way I can receive really valuable advice for my future endeavors.
Next, I am a mother of a fun-loving toddler, and for the last couple of years my life was mainly dedicated to my boy. Yet when the time has come I was struggling to shift my attention and energy towards new career paths. At this point, I need someone who would be able to encourage me and restore my work-life balance. I was looking not only for a guidance on my professional growth but also for a personal support and inspiration.
Finally, I am looking for a career that might be best suited for my lifestyle, my personal and professional goals, and my academic background. But, I also do not want to miss unexpected opportunities and experiences because of the fact that I have certain ‘life-work plan’ in my head. Here, I believe that my mentor will be able to take a look at me through a more objective prism, pointing out my strengths that were hidden or my weaknesses I didn’t know (or didn’t want to know?) about.
As you can see, my motivation is not only about great expectations about my future career, it is also about life-related issues that finally may result in the greatest takeaway from my mentorship relations. In general, the mentorship programme shall not become a ‘one-way street’ case. Both the mentor and the mentee should prove to be a team, be personally engaged in the process, be ready to spend their time, energy, be ready to share, to give feedback, listen each other, and think about another person in a way this time spent together brings a lot of positive emotions and feelings!
/Jane