b'Member News March 2024 19MentoringParticipant perspectiveMentee Name:Kris Glover MentorCurrent role:Electrical Engineer Name:at Mott Macdonald Simon RollasonIndustry: Latest role:Water and wastewaterSenior Electrical Engineerat BPIndustry:What attracted you Has the process beenOil and gasto the pilot? beneficial?The scheme is very different,Definitely, especially the and I liked the idea of choosingopportunity to reflect on myIs this your first IETDo you contact eachan external mentor. I wantedprofessional experience. As thementoring role? other often?an experienced mentor withyears pass, its easy to forget professional qualifications inexamples of things like dealingNo, Ive been an IETWeve had 50 interactions on electrical engineering whos atwith ethical dilemmas, workingProfessional Registrationthe system in total during the the top of their field in terms ofas part of a project team andMentor for six years. Ifirst four months of the pilot. technical competence. Simonovercoming obstacles. have supported dozensI always take care to provide fitted the bill perfectly. He hasof engineers in industrieshonest advice and feedback.worked extensively overseas,Have you put the IET PLDranging from textiles to which Im very keen to do, somentoring platform to diesel engines and diamondWhat do you like aboutthats a bonus. good use? mining. The pilot gave methe IET PLD mentoring Yes. Learning about approachesa great opportunity tosystem?What did you tackle first? like SMART and SWOT helped meextend my support beyondIt records every interaction We identified my goals for theto identify my goals. Simon andprofessional registration.in chronological order, which short, medium and long terms:I like the automated remindersHow did it feel to beis very handy. I recently strengthen my professionalabout approaching goal deadlines,chosen by Kris? asked Kris to use the profile; then become aand the systems transactionsystem to compare his first chartered engineer; then workrecord makes it easier to trackUsually, its the IET thatCV draft with the latest internationally.my personal development. matches me up withiterationrecognising the mentees, so this was totallyimprovement between the What progress have you made? What are your post-pilot plans? different. I was very happytwo documents made him My CV and my LinkedIn pageIm hoping that my careerto be chosen and to make aappreciate the value of now give a more detailed andmentoring relationship withnew professional connection.all the painful rewrites! informative account of theSimon will continue, long afterWe hit it off straight away projects Ive worked on, includingthe pilot ends. I would alsoand have developed a goodAny unexpected benefitsmy responsibilities, technicalreally like to become a mentor working relationship. for you as a mentor?skills and achievements. Its allprobably to someone whos justYes. I live in Portugal, so I so much clearer and logicallygraduatedbut Im definitelydont get many opportunities structured.open to the idea of reverseto attend IET meetings or mentoring too! events. The pilot has enabled me to correspond with far more IET staff members.'