Monash Engineering Mentorship Program 2021

Mentoring is an effective technique for students to gain new skills and assist their career development. On 1July 2021, the Monash Engineering Mentorship Program inaugurated its mentoring program to final-year Engineering students. Due to the current pandemic, the entire program was conducted virtually.

The program required a minimum commitment of two meetings between the mentor and mentee throughout the one-month duration. Some managed to have more than two meetings:

As a mentee, I enjoyed this program a lot. We met more than the minimum required times, and the mentor brought in experts from other fields to talk to us. As a result, I learned valuable experiences that can never be learnt in the classroom. 

A common key takeaway that popped up among the mentor and mentees was mock interviews:

We had mock interviews with an HR manager, met with people working overseas, and discussed my final year project topic selection. 

Improving my resume, mock interview, networking, and learning from my mentor's personal experience.

Experiencing a mock interview and feedback on how to improve my skills during an interview

Sharing by my mentor about his work & experience as well as exploring career options

Mentors also shared their experience being part of this program:

My mentees were curious and  ready to be mentored. Glad I could make a difference. 

I was able to share my experiences and advice with them, having been in both engineering and non-engineering fields. 

It is a great platform to help students taking their first step into the working world make that transition. Students are able to know which skills are important and how to navigate in an organisation, and also understand that learning doesn't end with graduation.

The program would not have been successful without the mentors that took the time and effort to give back to their alma mater, the mentees that took the initiative to immerse themselves in the program, and the School of Engineering and External Engagement for putting the program together.