Mentor students

Our students know there’s no better way to explore their employment options than by talking to someone actually doing the job. Register as a mentor and you can share your valuable experience while developing your own skills at the same time. Plus, you’ll be strengthening your links to the University and our pool of motivated students.

• Complete the form to register your interest in becoming a mentor.
• Take a look at our Mentor Information Sheet to find out more about the programme before you apply.

How does the scheme work?

• Communication with your mentee online via email, phone and video call - we know our mentors are busy people.
• Typically one exchange per week, for eight to ten weeks - this can be arranged with your mentee to suit both of your schedules.
• Two schemes per year, operating October-December and February-April - you can make yourself available to mentees depending on your schedule.

Timeline

The next Career Mentoring scheme will take place in Autumn 2026. Take a look at the timeline below to see the key dates of the scheme.

What can you bring?

• The answers to these questions: "What does a particular job involve?", "What are the skills required, and the challenges?", "What’s the recruitment process?"
• Advice on how to gain and present relevant experience to employers.
• Support with CVs, interview tips, networking, and getting ‘work ready’.

What can the scheme offer you?

• Personal and professional development.
• A new perspective – look at your job with fresh eyes.
• Profile raising for your company and a pipeline to our graduate talent.

What students say

My mentor has been really helpful in giving me an insight into the field and showing me that it is not as daunting as it may first seem. They have helped me to feel more confident in my own abilities and shown me how to utilise the skills I already have to make myself a better candidate.

Final year Hispanic Studies student

I would highly recommend the eMentoring scheme to other students. It enabled me to clarify what sector I want to go into and figure out what roles would be best suited to me. My mentor also helped prepare me for post-graduation life, helping me with applications, my CV and doing practice interviews.

Final year Journalism student

What mentors say

The programme is an excellent opportunity to share experiences and work with highly motivated students who are preparing the first steps in their professional careers.

I would wholeheartedly recommend the scheme to students and alumni as a rewarding and enriching experience for both.

A very rewarding and enjoyable experience. Very well managed and coordinated by the professional, responsive and helpful Careers Service staff. I wholeheartedly recommend this programme to students and alumni.

It doesn't take a lot of time or effort to be a mentor and yet you can make a big difference to the students you are supporting. It's good to feel you are really helping a student at the University of Sheffield.

Mentoring Awards 2025/26

This year we facilitated nearly 300 mentoring partnerships between a diverse range of students and mentors, on our student alumni platform, Sheffield Connect. Career Mentoring provides students with a fantastic insight into different industries and provides an excellent volunteering experience for our dedicated mentors.

Thank you! We are especially thankful to our alumni volunteers; we truly appreciate the difference your time makes to our students’ lives and their student experience.

After reading through your nominations, we are thrilled to share with you the winners of the 2025/26 Mentoring awards.

2025/26 Mentor of the Year Winners

Having benefited from my own experience as a mentee during my time studying at the University of Sheffield, it was incredibly rewarding to provide similar support to a current student as they begin their career journey. It was a pleasure to work with such a dedicated mentee, who always came prepared, open-minded, and eager to learn. Together, we explored potential career pathways, demystified the Property Industry, and strengthened key employability skills. I would strongly encourage any alumni considering joining the programme to get involved. It is exceptionally well organised, and the rewards of participating far outweigh the time commitment required.

Matt Giloney

CBRE Global Real Estate

It’s a joy to mentor UoS students. They are dedicated, enthusiastic and curious, so it feels great to be able to help them channel that into employability and set them up for success in the wonderful world of work! I always learn so much in the process, and it’s great to stay connected with the UoS.

Holly Fake

Lloyds Banking Group

2025/26 Highly Commended Mentor

The mentoring experience is a truly rewarding way of staying connected to the University – I really enjoy keeping up to date with the different projects the students undertake and seeing how their studies have changed from my own, especially seeing how newer topics have become integral to an Engineering degree in a way that they weren’t during my degree studies. I’m very proud to be able to give something back by offering industry insight that I hope helps students understand how to get the best out of their university experience and set themselves up for life after their studies.

Tom Heathcote

Rolls Royce plc

2025/26 Mentee of the Year Winner

My mentorship experience really changed the trajectory of my time at Sheffield. As my mentor has spent decades in the field, he knew how to direct and encourage me towards making the right decisions for my professional development. He was incredibly intentional about guiding me and showing me how to improve and was always open, even after the mentoring session was finished, to continue to be part of my personal and professional journey. In job interviews, he scheduled meetings with me to go over potential questions and give me ideas on talking points. He has been my biggest cheerleader, and I am very grateful for the support and encouragement he has offered me throughout our time together and beyond.

Toby Huter

1st year, Faculty of Social Sciences

Questions

For any further information or enquiries contact us by email: careermentoring@sheffield.ac.uk.