Career Discovery Mentoring
Through 1-2-1 mentoring with a current »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ student you will share your story and shape their start.Ìý
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As a mentor on the Career Discovery Mentoring Program, you’ll empower students from across »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ’s seven faculties as they begin one of the most pivotal journeys of their lives, discovering who they are and where they want to go. By sharing your career story and offering real-world insights into your industry, you’ll help your mentee connect their strengths and values to meaningful career paths.
For many students, this will be their first experience of mentorship. Through active listening, mutual respect, and honest conversation, you will help shape not just their professional direction, but their confidence and sense of possibility.Ìý
Program details
Dates:ÌýTerm 3 will run from 29 Sep – 21 Nov
Applications open: 11 August
Commitment: 5 hours of your time over 8 weeks
Delivery:ÌýFlexible, online or in-person
Eligibility requirements:ÌýMinimum 2 years of professional experience
Recognition: Receive certification in the form of a »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ-certified digital badge which can be added to your LinkedIn profile
"The experience [of being a mentor] reminded me of the importance of giving back and how much we can all learn from each other, no matter what stage of our careers we're in."
Why become a mentor?
Mentoring is a powerful way to pause and reflect on your own career journey, what’s shaped you, what drives you and what you’ve learned along the way. Sharing your experiences can help bring fresh clarity and renewed purpose, helping you grow as a leader, communicator and listener.ÌýÌý
By connecting with a current »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ student, you will get a front-row seat to the next generation of talent. It’s a chance to gain valuable insight into the aspirations, strengths, and evolving skillsets of emerging graduates. Insights that can strengthen your approach to leadership, recruitment, and workplace culture, and help you build more meaningful connections with employees and colleagues of tomorrow.Ìý
When you invest your time as a mentor, you’ll be part of something bigger: a connected, supportive »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ alumni network, helping students and alumni thrive.Ìý
“The opportunity to provide advice and guidance was invaluable. I was excited to be able to be involved, especially because as a student I never had this opportunity.â€
Suitable for...
Career stage
✅ÌýMid CareerÌý/ ✅ÌýLate CareerÌý
I want to...
✅ Have an impact / ✅ Develop leadership skills /Ìý✅ Give back to »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ
Program FAQs
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This program welcomes both »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ Alumni and industry mentors. We value and encourage mentors with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to participate, helping to create a richer and more meaningful mentorship experience.
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No, mentors from across Australia and internationally participate in this program. Mentors based internationally must be able to commit to meetings in the Sydney time zone.Ìý
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Mentees are both domestic and international students from all faculties within »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ. Undergraduate students must be in their second year of studies or higher and postgraduate students can participate at any stage of their degree.
Students are selected based on their application, which includes an introductory statement outlining their motivation to participate in the program, their preferred industries and sectors and years of professional experience.
Students attend a mandatory pre-program training prior to the start of the mentoring program focused on professional behaviour, communication and goal setting. They are coached on how to conduct a mentoring relationship, but they will often need their mentor’s help to drive the discussion and set the agenda for their mentoring sessions. For some students, this program may be their first experience with mentoring and interacting with industry professionals.Ìý
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The matching process is determined by information provided in the Mentor and Mentee application forms. An algorithm considers the industries, sectors, and years of professional experience, to match mentors with students.ÌýÌý
Important note: At times, mentors may be allocated a mentee outside of their preferred industry. In these instances, we encourage mentors to be open to providing valuable insights, guidance and possibly their own professional network to their allocated mentee. The general and transferable advice from an experienced professional can still have a profound impact on a student’s career development.Ìý
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The mentoring platform Chronus is a great way to connect with your mentee, read their profile, access help resources and connect with the mentoring community. If you get accepted as a mentor, you will receive training on how to use the platform.
While use of the platform is encouraged, many mentoring connections choose to conduct some elements of the program, such as messaging and setting up meetings, off-platform, via channels such as email or LinkedIn, to better fit in with their existing systems.
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All mentor participants who complete the minimum of 5 hours mentoring within the program timeframe, will be eligible to receive a certified digital badge from our partner Credly. You can use this badge to showcase your mentoring experience on Linkedin, email signatures and more.
You must verify your completion of the minimum program requirement of 5 mentoring hours in the end of program survey.Ìý
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Mentors have access to training materials including videos and a handbook, which we recommend watching and reading before the program starts. If further support is needed, the CDMP administrative team are available to answer any questions or concerns you may have before, during and after the program. You can get in touch with us at cdmp@unsw.edu.au.Ìý