On November 1, the new season of project Talent Up! started. At the first meeting, the participants were told how they will cooperate during the next six months, what is the most important in mentors–mentees’ communication, and how to make a meeting effective. In the middle of the evening, the names of the mentors were announced to the students.

 

 

Talent Up!  is a project of cooperation between students and successful graduates of GSOM SPbU. Students (mentees) and graduates (mentors) communicate in pairs for half a year exchanging experience and knowledge. For mentors, it is an opportunity to share their expertise, and for students — to find answers to questions about career and life after graduation.

 

“The first lesson I learned from this program: a mentor is not just an example of how to follow a specific algorithm and get employed in the company of your dreams. This is a set of opportunities, different examples and mentor’s connections, so that you can learn about them and choose the sphere and the company where you would like to develop,” said last Talent Up! season participant Daria Sergeeva. She advised students to prepare for meetings with a mentor, to make questions and plan communication, so it can be effective.

 

 

Project Coordinator Olga Boot, explained that first of all, Talent Up! is a partnership: “This is a two-way road. Treat your mentor as a partner. You are not lower than him. Yes, now you are a little less experienced, but you can give him a lot too. ” According to Olga, the main thing in this program is responsibility. First of all, students should be responsible, initiate communication and take responsibility for the interaction.

 

After mentors and mentees were acquainted, improvisation master class by GSOM SPbU graduate and theater “Tochka Impro” founder Vitaly Kozlovsky was held.  

 

 

In total this academic year 35 students and 32 mentors take part in the program. At the first meeting, students and mentors met each other. Some mentors came to Volkhovsky 3, others connected via Skype. Graduates talked about themselves, their careers and their experiences in participating in Talent Up! This season, representatives of such companies as Google, Yula, Ozon, Raiffeisenbank, Unilever, Wrike, Dodo Pizza USA, JetBraines, Microsoft, McKinsye & Company, Gazprom Neft, BCG, Mechanica AI, Mars, L'Oreal, PwC, Baltika, Biostar and others participate in Talent Up!  Moreover, among the mentors are the founders of businesses in the field of IT, consulting and catering.

 

The mentoring program is a part of the project aimed to stimulate interaction between GSOM SPbU students and graduates. Since 2013, 110 people participated in this program. This year, 105 applications were submitted.

 

Photos from the Talent Up! first meeting are here.