Career Mentoring with Ana Quinn

Ana Quinn tells us about the impact of career mentoring on her career and why it’s important to her to pay it forward.

In only my seventh year in the workplace, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree, I find that I already have the position I always wanted; Chief Medical Writer at IMed and a budding team of my own. I often wonder how my unexpected and rather whirlwind career progression happened! I have had the pleasure and, of course the luck, of learning fast and developing professionally at a rapid rate, but my success so far is also largely due to those individuals who have supported and nurtured me along the way.

I am one of the fortunate few to have had (and still have) great mentors, all with varying styles and backgrounds, but all of whom have impacted my professional growth in some way. Some encouraged me to pursue my ambitions, some to create realistic steps and stages to my dreams. Some taught me the importance of selecting and managing my boss, how to ask for promotions and knowing when to do so. It is thanks to all of them that I now possess the confidence to approach more challenging tasks, to rely on my knowledge and skills, and to take on more responsibilities. These mentors are the reason that I have applied to become a career mentor myself.

I believe that the next generation of Life Science graduates deserve an equal, if not better, opportunity to enter and grow in the industry of their choice and IMed’s management team feel the same way, which is why we launched The IMed Academy last month. I’m delighted to now have also been invited by Nottingham University (as an alumna), to become one of their career mentors. I have accepted this honour in the joy of giving any level of guidance that may help graduates become successful and feel fulfilled in their job choices.

Mentorship can have a greater impact than one might think and it’s no black art! When one considers one’s own career path and all the commercial experience gained by years of hard work and even mistakes made, many of us have wisdom to impart, or an agile business mind to put to good use on the professional challenges faced by others who may feel a little green, overwhelmed, or perhaps isolated.

There’s no ceremony or red tape involved. The University of Nottingham career mentoring programme simply offers their recent graduates a one-to-one session with a mentor who provides support and advice. This guidance can include anything from how to apply for jobs, what to include on your CV, what to expect in interviews, what career paths are available, how to choose the best one for you etc.

I am so thrilled and excited to be involved in this early career mentoring initiative and I hope to encourage some other Ana to reach for the career that she wants (and then become a mentor themselves in 2028!).

What advice could you give to fresh graduates? Perhaps you should consider becoming a career mentor too?