We caught up with Alan Walsh, Managing Director an ANSA, who provide Data Analytics Solutions to the Energy industry. Alan got in touch with Aberdeen Young Professionals at the end of 2021 as we were finalising our mentor scheme for 2022, and wanted to offer his support & experience to a young professional in the North East. For the past year, Alan has given his time very gratefully and is a mentor for two very separate mentee’s. Since the turn of the year, he been paired up with one mentee on a one-to-one basis and at the start of May, began working with a start-up business in Aberdeen, with two mentees under his wing. We asked Alan, why did you choose to become a Mentor through Aberdeen Young Professionals? “I’ve been doing quite a lot of mentoring in my current position, although it is always focused on people who work with me. I felt it would be good to cast the net wider and share my experiences with those out with my role. Having received invaluable mentoring and coaching throughout my career, I really wanted to try and give something back. I also saw it as an opportunity for myself. It would give me the ability to see my own company through “younger” eyes and perhaps pick up advice for ourselves on direction of the company, culture, etc.” And it might only have been a short time he’s been working with the mentees, but to help feed their ambitions, it’s been a case of getting stuck right in. “Very quickly I had to get an understanding of each mentee’s jobs and what they do, get to know their personality, what challenges they felt they were facing. Gaining that overall picture, which naturally to begin with, involved asking lots of open questions to get clarity for both of us” In that time, there’s been some solid progress. With Alan’s support, the mentee’s, have achieved aligning a sense of career direction, supported a business plan proposal, improve time management and strengthened the ability to have difficult conversations, to name a few areas of development, of which there are plenty more. And for our Mentors like Alan, there’s a benefit too. “It’s been great for me too. I’ve been able to meet new and interesting people first and foremost, which I might not have without the scheme. I’ve also gained knowledge and tools for mentoring that I can use in my own workspace. I know that my confidence has grew and I’ve improved my ability to listen, which is a very important skill for us all to keep working on. Being a mentor has been incredibly rewarding for me. And knowing there is so much talent out there bodes well for the future, especially here in the North East of Scotland.” Finally, Alan’s encouragement for those wanting to be a mentor & support the development of another person? “It’s 100% worthwhile and rewarding. You’ll get out of it what you put in, but make sure you leave the mentees to organise things, don’t push too much. Gentle nudges only. After a time of receiving help, coaching, advice it has been so fulfilling to “give back”. If you’d like to find out more about becoming a mentor with Aberdeen Young Professionals and supporting the development of the next wave of talent in the North East, get in touch
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Mentee Lauren Baxter, has been part of the scheme since the start of 2022 & we got to find out more about how she’s been getting on. “I wanted to be paired up with a mentor as I wanted to develop the skill set that will allow me to excel within my current career, alongside growing my professional network within Aberdeen. " "I also wanted to help my confidence grow, so I got in touch with AYP and since being paired up with my mentor, it’s been helping me achieve just that” A Talent Attraction and Research Consultant at Executive Search company, FWB Park Brown, since July 2021, Lauren wanted the experience of working with a mentor to directly benefit the work she does, along with her own skillset. “My confidence has improved significantly. I have also become far more strategic I believe in how I approach/execute my work and am willing to explore that ‘out of the box’ thinking, where I would doubt myself greatly before. I have also pushed myself to further expand my knowledge of the sectors I predominantly work within. I’m proud of myself for what I’ve put into this, but know a lot of this is down to working with my mentor” We’re aware it’s a big step for someone to call out and ask for support. Naturally, you can feel nervous or apprehensive, especially when discussing some more personal aspects with someone that you might not know before your first meeting. Lauren was no different but pushed past any reservations. “I am far more able to push myself and overcome major doubts than I used to give myself credit for! I had major issues with imposter syndrome (and at times still do) but I am far better equipped to control it and reinforce to myself that I have worked hard to get where I am and deserve to be there. My advice to anyone that’s on the fence about working with a mentor would be to just go for it! It’s important to have an initial meeting to make sure the match is right as it is crucial that both mentee and mentor are on the same page and will get on. For me, that’s been crucial in ensuring the relationship is successful, and I’ve been able to implement and thankfully achieve the goals we’ve set” If you are keen to develop your career and believe that working with a mentor will help, get in touch with us at AYP and we can chat you through how the scheme can benefit you. Having already worked in the offshore oil and gas industry for a number of years, I wasn't sure if the AYP was for me and how much I was really going to benefit from them. I had previously considered joining around 2018 or 2019 but time passed and I ended up missing the opportunity! Anyway, fast forward to October 2020, I was stuck in my hotel room in Norwich, on standby preparing to mobilise for a job offshore when I came across the AYP post on LinkedIn that applications were open for the 2020/21 mentor scheme. I jumped at the opportunity and I watched the short videos and read all the mentor bio's. I instantly knew that I wanted to select John Wilson as my preferred mentor. Not only is John from an engineering background, but he is a very experienced and successful Managing Director. He was also awarded the AYP mentor of the year back in 2019! I was fortunate to have been paired up with John and we had our first catch up meeting at the end of November 2020. We met in Starbucks over at the Village Hotel in the Prime Four Business Park (back when restrictions allowed!). I found John to be very knowledgable, he was also very easy to talk to and was incredibly helpful. The main points which we discussed and took away from the meeting were:
John has provided some brilliant suggestions for career progression and since our meeting, we have now put together a Personal Development Plan (PDP) with goals which I will be looking to achieve in the not so distant future, I am currently project managing two major decommissioning projects with my current employer Lloyds Register, so plenty in the pipeline to keep me going, however, I am very much looking forward to starting my own journey with the AYP and seeing what the Mentor Scheme has to offer with the support of John! I would highly recommend any professional to reach out and apply to the AYP Mentor Scheme, even if you have the slightest bit of doubt, it really is a fantastic opportunity which will provide a whole new perspective. When I discovered that Aberdeen Young Professionals ran a successful Mentor Scheme, I knew I had to sign up. I had heard of a couple of friends having a mentor through their employer and as this was not offered through my work, I saw this as a great opportunity to receive some guidance with my own career. I was immediately drawn to Carla Riddell as my mentor, particularly because she seemed like such a positive and friendly person who has had such a successful career within the energy industry so far, a sector that I’m eager to pursue a career in. The scheme is being run differently to how it has been in the past due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I thought this year it would be challenging to carry out a Mentor Scheme but we’ve been able to adapt well to the situation through using video calls. The main areas I’m looking to work on during my time on the Mentor Scheme are:
Although we both have different technical backgrounds – I studied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at university while Carla is a Geologist - I’ve been surprised to learn that there were some similarities between Carla’s first job out of university and mine. Carla has provided me with some great suggestions on how to work on achieving my goals and I’m already feeling more confident and positive even though I’m only a few months into the Mentor Scheme. There’s still so much I’d like to cover during my time on the scheme and I’m excited to see what else I can achieve! If anyone is wondering if they should get involved with the AYP Mentor Scheme then I would highly recommend it. A mentor will provide a different perspective on topics (which I never would have got by doing my own research online) and will also really encourage you to invest in yourself. Starting my career in 2018 as a communications professionals, I enrolled in the AYP Mentor Scheme at the start of 2019. At the time, I had four main goals in mind:
- Improving my networking skills. - Gaining business development experience. - Having a better career plan. - Increasing my expertise in marketing/communications. Meeting with Calum Lawrie over the course of a few months, we discussed potential projects that would help reach my goals. Thanks to Calum’s constructive advice, I have not only managed to make significant progress with my initial objectives, but also developed abilities I wasn’t expecting in the first instance. Improving networking skills Networking isn’t necessarily taught at University and can be nerve-wrecking when you don’t really know how to go about it. Suggesting events and offering practical advice, Calum gave me the tools to feel more confident and comfortable. Enhancing self-awareness By attending different events, volunteering for organisations (such as STEM Ambassadors), and undertaking new tasks at work, I have been able to get a better understanding of my personality, what I am good at, my likes, and dislikes. I realised that knowing yourself is critical and paying attention to your behaviour can set you up for success when facing challenges. Self-awareness is likewise beneficial when exploring and choosing career paths. Boosting self-confidence for more To me, a mentor encouraging and challenging you is a great way to become more assertive and confident. Over these past few months, I have felt more assurance in the actions I have been undertaking and now have a clearer picture of the career path I would like to pursue. I now feel I can take more responsibilities in my current role, but also in my personal development. I have recently been appointed as promotions lead and head of fundraising by two organizations; two roles that are giving me more challenges and a great opportunity to strengthen my skills and develop new ones. I can say the AYP Mentor Scheme has been very beneficial for my professional and personal development. It gave me more focus and confidence. Today, my responsibilities within James Fisher and Sons plc are different from last year and more marketing-focused (which I was looking for!). Being in charge of planning and implementing a marketing strategy for the product line R2S, and on my way to follow a CIM qualification, I am given the chance to significantly develop my career. Special thanks to Calum and the AYP team who have been great support in achieving these outcomes! |
AuthorOur Mentors and Mentees will be publishing blogs as they progress through the AYP Mentor Scheme Categories |