The idea of group mentoring is for students to share questions they may have and to address them together in a discussion led by a mentor. Topics can range from career planning and personal strengths to job seeking, different career prospects and expectations of the job market.

Previous participants tell of greater self-confidence and courage, new contacts and networks as well as fresh ideas about new career opportunities.

“We do practical exercises to practice what it is like to apply for a job at a company, what employers think in a recruitment situation and how they evaluate students – fairly concrete topics,” explains Otto Mattsson, Director at Kauppalehti. He was a mentor during the previous season.

Peer support

The strength of group mentoring is that participants receive support not just from the mentor, but also form other students grappling with the same issues. Sharing opinions and ideas with peers has proved productive.

“In group mentoring, you get to know other students on a much deeper level and you can talk about different work opportunities with them – and they all have their own ideas,” recounts Ozan Yanar, who participated in group mentoring before being elected Member of Parliament.

Watch the video produced by Career Services: Find your career prospects – group mentoring (in Finnnish) unlocks the many benefits of mentoring.

How to join?

The application period for students is ongoing and will continue until 30 October 2015. This year, the group mentoring programme will involve the following faculties and units:

The Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Science as well as the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Food and Environmental Sciences from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry as well as the students of environmental sciences from the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences from the Lahti Environmental Campus.

Don't hesitate to join us! Read more and register

Read about the experiences of others (in Finnish):

Discover you career prospects – a video about group mentoring

Blog: Ozan Yanar (to be published next week)

Text: Career Services
Photo: Linda Tammisto
Translation: University of Helsinki Language Services