FIR Has Successfully Completed the First Year of the New Alumni Mentoring Program. How Was It? and What Is the Next One Going to Be Like?
FIR launched the first year of the Alumni mentoring program, which connects students with graduates, at the beginning of the last academic year. The program ran for 8 months and connected 59 mentors & 59 mentees.
The first year of the FIR Alumni mentoring program began in October 2019 with a Welcome meeting, where mentoring pairs met the first time. The evening was opened by the Dean of FIR Assoc. Prof. Josef Taušer, who thanked graduates and students and emphasized the importance of connecting studies with practical experience. Subsequently, mentors and mentees had a workshop about what awaits them, for mentoring. From autumn to May, the individual pairs met according to their individually agreed rules.
What Was the Program Like for Our Mentors?
Mariana Čapková
The role of a mentor was a new role for me, which I had to gradually learn with my great mantee Karolína. What is expected from me, to what extent to guide and direct my mentee, to what extent I should listen and guide her study and life plans. I appreciate this experience and firmly believe that this program will continue, for the benefit of all involved.
Mariana Čapková, Chairwoman of the Committee on Education, Prague City Council and an FIR graduate.
Eduard Hájek
It was a pleasant new experience to be a mentor and part of the Alumni mentoring program. I enjoyed that I can help students in their career experiences and ultimately help them in both work and personal life.
Eduard Hájek, Finance, Controlling & Tax Director, UNICAPITAL N.V., branch plant and an FIR graduate
Martin Moravec
The Alumni program was, and I hope will continue to be, a great opportunity for me to re-establish cooperation with my alma mater after a long period of time. The opportunity to pass on both my professional and life experiences, as well as a confrontation with the views of today’s students and graduates, is definitely meaningful, informative and fulfilling. Meeting other mentors is also very nice and beneficial. Training others but also telling pearls of wisdom is my favourite thing :-), so it was not difficult for me. What probably surprised me the most was how much I had to clarify with myself when I was explaining my thoughts and advice to my mentee. The given context is simply different from a professional meeting or an interview or a conversation with friends, it forces a person to think things through and formulate very prudently.
Martin Moravec, businessman/private investor and an FIR graduate
The program was set up in a flexible way, so it depended on each pair how they pursued it. Most often, students and graduates focused on job opportunities and careers, including the choice of future employment, CV, interviews or corporate culture, personal development, such as dealing with people, stress and motivation, their own studies, as well as personal and family life and expertise of business, finance, marketing, diplomacy management and other fields, including the sharing of work and personal experience of the mentor.
And What Did Our Mentees Say?
Eliška Hronová
Mentoring meetings in our mentoring pair took place in a friendly form. My mentor and I met about once a month in a cafe and we had a nice chat every time. I always went to the mentoring meeting prepared and brought my notes with bullet points. There is nothing worse than realizing on the way home what I forgot to say.
Eliška Hronová, a 1st-year student of International Business
Lucie Kubová
My mentor really was an expert in his field! We were paired on the basis of common interests and especially the profession that unites us both. My mentor had many years of experience in this field, which he was willing to pass on to me. We debated about the joys of the field, as well as the obstacles that one has to overcome on the thorny career path. In the end, the whole program moved me not only professionally, but also personally. Thank you very much for participating in the Alumni Mentoring program!
Lucie Kubová, a 2nd-year student of the International Politics and Diplomacy program
Marek Pokorný
Alumni Mentoring helped to develop self-realization, a reflection on my current career thinking and very high-quality contact from many FIR graduates. Thanks to the program, I re-evaluated my priorities and even found a great job that I really enjoy.
Marek Pokorný, a 2nd-year student of International Business.
During the academic year, a communication workshop was planned for mentors and the program was to officially end with a final meeting in May. However, extraordinary measures intervened in the events, so unfortunately these events did not happen. However, the mentoring pairs still completed their meetings online or in-person during the summer, for which they deserve a big thank you.
mentors & mentees were involved in the 1st year of the Alumni Mentoring program
hours of pairing based on the applications and cover ltters of students and graduate profiles
different fields from marketing, to international business and IT or finance represented by our mentors – graduates
Do You Want to Join the Second Year and Meet an Interesting Graduate With Whom You Will Move Further?
Sign up as a Mentee. The applications are open until 2. 10. 2020. More information is here.
More about the FIR Alumni Mentoring program is on the web in the section for mentees and for mentors.
The founder of the Odyssey mentoring association, which has been engaged in mentoring since 2009, has worked with the Faculty to set up the entire program. We would like to thank Odyssey very much for their cooperation, support and the time they have given us.
We are looking forward to the 2nd year!
This project is sponsored by:
