Alumni
Continued success of eMentoring at Lincoln
In last year’s Imprint we reported back on the early success of Lincoln’s eMentoring system, and I am delighted to say that we have continued to see the platform go from strength to strength. We now have 164 Lincoln mentors, and mentoring requests are being sent by students and accepted by mentors via the platform on a regular basis. In May we held a drinks reception, similar to last year’s launch party, which aimed to remind students that the eMentoring platform exists to enable them to connect with Lincoln alumni and gain valuable careers advice. At the event we had some real Lincoln mentors present, among which was a barrister, a journalist and a consultant physician, who were on hand to give specific advice on their own careers as well as a general insight into their experiences of the world of work since leaving Lincoln. During the event we also had a presentation from Lincoln alumnus Daniel Watts (1999), who is the Managing Director of Aluminati, the company that developed the Lincoln Online Directory and the eMentoring platform for us. Daniel showed everyone how straightforward it is to register with the system and how an online mentoring relationship is easily conducted via the platform. If you would like to register with the Lincoln Online Directory and gain access to the eMentoring platform, visit this webpage www.lincolncollege-alumni.aluminate.net and click on ‘register now’. The Lincoln Online Directory, as well as hosting the eMentoring platform, acts as Lincoln’s private social networking site, allowing our alumni to connect with each other and find out where other Lincolnites are based anywhere in the world with the help of our alumni maps feature. The following interview highlights a successful mentoring relationship, recently completed, which connected Lincoln student Coral Byles (Chemistry, 2011) with Darren Marshall (PPE, 1984) who is a partner in one of the biggest independent sports marketing companies in the USA. 34 | Alumni
the industry and the current demands within it. We were able to meet up in Oxford and I picked his brains about his experiences. He has also kindly put me in contact with colleagues to allow me to further my knowledge of the industry, as well as being on hand to answer any queries I have by email.
INTERVIEW WITH A LINCOLN MENTEE: CORAL BYLES What made you connect with Darren as a mentor? I was interested in learning more about a career in market research and Darren’s mentoring profile reflected his approachable, enthusiastic manner, as well as a wealth of experience. How have you found the system to use? The system was a great starting point to put me in contact with Darren. Having filters that organised my search via ‘industry experience’ or ‘offered service’ was particularly convenient. Some of the profiles were very detailed which was also really useful. What has your experience as a mentee involved? Darren has given me a great insight into his career path, the structure of
Would you recommend that other students use the system to find a mentor, and do you think you’ll want to be a mentor yourself one day? Absolutely. I feel that the directory is particularly useful in enabling students to explore interesting career choices outside the remit of traditional ‘milkround’ placements that seem to saturate many other career resources. Has your experience informed your future career choices? It has definitely encouraged me to learn more about a career in market research. It has also added a refreshing sense of perspective in reminding me that my initial career choice is only a starting point. What would you say is the best thing you have gained from your experience of having a Lincoln mentor? Overall I have gained an invaluable perspective of an industry that I initially knew very little about, and being able to learn the relevant and important information first hand from such an enthusiastic and approachable mentor has contributed overall to a highly positive experience.