Using Bristol Connects to find a career e-mentor 

Connect with a career e-mentor to gain insight into different careers and enhance your prospects with practical help and advice. 

Our alumni career e-mentors volunteer their time and expertise to help you realise your goals. Career e-mentors can offer an objective view, put a situation in perspective, offer feedback, serve as a sounding board, and identify others who could potentially help. 

You can access career e-mentors through the Career Experts section on Bristol Connects. The Bristol Connects platform guides you through the process and is full of helpful advice to ensure you can make the most out of the network available to you. 

Complete your profile 

E-mentors have limited time and may need to choose between several different contacts. Give yourself the best chance of selection by having a complete profile, so they can make an informed decision on who they can best help. Include your interests, aspirations and what you have studied. A profile picture often helps too. 

Take the initiative. Ask your career e-mentor a question. Tell them a bit about your educational and professional objectives. Ask them about their own experiences. They will have already made clear how they feel they can help, so don’t be afraid to ask them for specific advice or guidance.   

Communicate clearly 

Identify your needs and discuss them as clearly as possible. It may be useful to spend some time focusing and organising your thoughts before starting a conversation. This will help both you and your e-mentor.  

Honour your commitment and act on suggestions 

Your e-mentor probably has limited time and they have volunteered to take on the responsibility of advising others. Be appreciative of this and of their time. Respond in a timely manner to their questions and messages. If you don't have time to send a lengthy response, let them know that you will reply soon. When you act on their suggestions, do so in a timely manner and report back.  

Be teachable 

Be willing to learn new things, obtain another perspective and be responsive to suggestions and constructive criticism.  

Expect support, not miracles 

You can expect a certain level of support and advice from an e-mentor, but they can't solve your problems for you. They can offer an objective view, act as a sounding board, identify others who might be able to help, suggest activities for you to do, or offer advice based on personal experience.  

Ultimately your own development is up to you. It's up to you to identify objectives, keep the relationship moving forwards and to act on advice.  

Remember to say thank you 

Once you have achieved everything you wish to achieve, or once you feel that the relationship has come to its natural end, take the time to say thank you to your e-mentor. Then close the connection via Bristol Connects, so your e-mentor becomes available for someone else.