Many students enter the job market with strong academic credentials but little experience of how to position themselves effectively with employers. Competition for internships and placements can be intense, and repeated rejections can quickly undermine confidence. 

When Dezel started working with Di, he was actively applying for placement opportunities but struggling to gain traction. Despite clear capability and determination, applications were producing little success and the process was becoming increasingly frustrating. 

Challenge 

The challenge was not a lack of ambition or effort; the approach was too broad making it difficult to present a compelling and consistent story to employers. At the same time, repeated unsuccessful applications were beginning to affect his confidence. 

The objective was to help him identify a clearer direction, strengthen his personal positioning and approach recruitment processes with greater confidence and preparation. 

 

Approach 

Together, they reviewed his CV, personal statement and project experience, identifying opportunities to better communicate strengths and achievements. Rather than continuing to pursue a broad range of roles, the focus shifted towards a specific area of interest, allowing applications to be tailored more effectively. 

Alongside practical support with applications, Di provided interview coaching and preparation, helping anticipate likely questions, develop stronger responses and build confidence in his ability to perform under pressure. 

Throughout the process, the mentoring extended beyond careers advice. Di knows that resilience and confidence are just as important as technical preparation and made a conscious effort to support Dez behind the application process, particularly during periods of disappointment and uncertainty. 

Where appropriate, she also leveraged her professional network to identify potential opportunities and provide additional visibility into the market.  

Outcome 

The impact of a more focused and strategic approach was almost immediate. 

Within two weeks of refining the target market and tailoring applications accordingly, he had two successful applications after previously experiencing little progress. He also advanced through a competitive interview process using techniques and preparation developed during the mentoring relationship. 

More importantly, Dez developed greater confidence in her abilities, a clearer understanding of how to position himself professionally and a stronger foundation for future career decisions. 

The experience reinforced that successful mentoring is often about more than career advice alone. It is about helping people recognise their strengths, navigate setbacks and maintain momentum when opportunities feel out of reach. 

Testimonial 

“Di far exceeded my expectations of a professional mentor. From the first session, she created an environment where I could ask anything and collaborate freely. 

Together, we worked through my CV, personal statement and project experience, helping me present myself far more effectively. She encouraged me to move away from applying for a broad range of placements and instead focus on a specific field, tailoring my applications accordingly. The result was that I went from no successful applications to two successful outcomes within two weeks. 

Before my first interview, Di offered to run a preparation session where we practiced answering likely questions and staying composed under pressure. During the interview, three of the five questions asked were ones she had predicted and prepared me for, helping me progress to the next stage. 

What made the biggest difference, however, was Di herself. She was supportive, reassuring and genuinely invested in my success. Her first concern was always how I was doing personally, not just professionally. When opportunities were limited, she even reached out to her own network to explore potential placement vacancies on my behalf. 

Di did everything a great mentor should do, and more.” 

Di has worked with HewardMills in a long-term fractional strategic advisory role since the organisation’s early stages, supporting the leadership team as the business evolved from start-up through to an internationally recognised data protection consultancy operating in a highly regulated environment. 

Working closely with the founder and CEO, her role extended beyond traditional strategic consultancy into broader organisational development, helping shape not only market positioning and commercial direction, but also many of the operational and structural foundations needed to support sustainable growth. 

Challenge
Building credibility in the global data protection and governance sector requires more than technical expertise. The organisation needed to establish a clear market identity, professional infrastructure and scalable operating approach capable of supporting growth across multiple jurisdictions and client sectors. 

Alongside commercial expansion, there was also a need to ensure consistency in brand, communication, governance and client experience particularly given the trust-sensitive nature of data protection work and the increasing complexity introduced by GDPR and UK GDPR regulation. 

The business was also developing a growing portfolio of social impact and non-profit clients, requiring careful positioning and go-to-market thinking within a highly specialist field. 

Approach
Acting as a strategic adviser and trusted operational partner, Di supported a wide range of foundational and growth-focused initiatives across the organisation. 

This included advising on aspects of company structure, organisational development and operational scaling as the business matured internationally. She led the development and implementation of core brand and communications infrastructure, briefing and managing the design process to establish a professional and credible market presence aligned with the organisation’s positioning. 

Alongside this, she embedded practical operational tools and templates across the business including reporting structures, presentation materials and client-facing documentation helping create consistency, professionalism and scalability across day-to-day operations.  

Her work also included strategic advice to the Board on market positioning, commercial development and growth opportunities as well as supporting go-to-market strategy for the organisation’s social impact client portfolio. Part of this work included her support for HewardMills’ successful application to become a B Corp. 

Over time, Di developed a strong working understanding of GDPR, UK GDPR and the wider governance and risk considerations affecting both commercial and non-profit organisations, enabling her to contribute effectively to strategic discussions in a highly regulated environment.  

Outcome
The organisation successfully evolved from early-stage consultancy into a globally operating data protection business with a stronger commercial identity, more consistent operational infrastructure and clearer market positioning. 

The work helped establish a professional brand presence and scalable internal systems capable of supporting international growth, while also strengthening the organisation’s ability to engage both commercial and social impact clients with confidence and credibility. 

Throughout the engagement, Di provided continuity, strategic challenge and practical implementation support across multiple phases of the company’s development. 

Testimonial
“Di played an important role in helping shape HewardMills as we grew from an early-stage business into a global organisation operating in a highly regulated sector. 

What sets her apart is the breadth of her contribution. She combines strategic thinking with practical delivery and has a strong instinct for what an organisation needs in order to scale effectively and professionally. 

From brand development and operational infrastructure through to commercial thinking and leadership support, she consistently brought clarity, pace and sound judgement. She became a trusted adviser to both the Board and wider leadership team during a critical period of growth.” 

Career decisions made at a young age can have a lasting impact, yet many students are expected to make important choices based on limited information and exposure to the realities of different professions. 

Through her early-career mentoring programme, Di works with young people at critical points in their education and career development, helping them better understand their strengths, explore possibilities and make informed decisions about their future. 

This mentoring relationship began when a highly capable 17-year-old student approached her future with complete certainty. She had one goal in mind: to become a pilot. 

Challenge
While ambition and clarity can be powerful drivers, they can also mask important unanswered questions. 

In this case, the challenge was not a lack of direction but a lack of exposure. Diya had developed a strong vision of her future career but had not yet had the opportunity to fully explore the practical realities of the profession or consider how well it aligned with the life she ultimately wanted to build. 

At the same time, her strengths in mathematics, physics and economics suggested a much broader range of opportunities than she had considered. 

The goal was not to persuade her away from a chosen path, but to ensure that whatever decision she made was informed, intentional and aligned with both her strengths and aspirations. 

Approach
Rather than offering advice from a distance, Di focused on creating meaningful opportunities for exploration and discovery. 

Recognising that first-hand insight would be far more valuable than speculation, she arranged for the student to speak directly with a professional pilot. The conversation provided an honest view of the profession, including the lifestyle, commitments and realities often overlooked by those considering the career from the outside. 

That discussion became a catalyst for deeper reflection. Together, they explored a wider range of options that better aligned with the student's natural strengths and interests, particularly within STEM and analytical fields. 

The support then moved beyond career exploration into practical preparation. Di worked closely with her mentee to build confidence, identify opportunities and prepare for internships and competitive recruitment processes, including interview preparation for Citibank. 

Throughout the process, the focus remained on helping the student make decisions for herself, while providing the challenge, encouragement and perspective needed to do so with confidence. 

Outcome
The mentoring relationship helped transform a narrow career ambition into a much broader understanding of future possibilities. 

Armed with greater self-awareness and a clearer understanding of her strengths, the student pursued opportunities that were more closely aligned with her interests, capabilities and long-term goals. 

Beyond individual career decisions, the experience also helped build confidence, resilience and decision-making skills that continue to influence her professional development today. 

Several years later, she still describes the mentoring relationship as one of the most significant influences on her career journey. 

Testimonial
“I met Di when I was 17 at a time when I felt certain about my future. I was determined to become a pilot. She challenged me to explore it properly and introduced me to a professional pilot. That conversation completely changed my perspective and I realised both the realities of the career and that it wasn’t the right fit for the life I wanted. 

The way she invests herself and understands her mentees, it completely stands out. She was helping me find the right path, not just any path and knowing my strengths in maths, physics and economics, she opened my eyes to a range of STEM and analytical career options that I hadn’t seriously considered before. 

She didn’t stop at advice, she took action. She guided me through the process of preparing for internships and personally helped me get ready for a Citibank interview, supporting me every step of the way. 

Her belief in me gave me confidence and she is still someone I think about when I think of a good mentor – she is exemplary. 

In hindsight, she didn’t just mentor me, she changed the direction of my career in the best possible way. Her ability to listen, challenge and guide with genuine care is something truly special. I can’t recommend her enough to anyone looking for honest, insightful and impactful mentorship.” 

I’ve been a mentor in Aston University’s Professional Mentoring programme for over 10 years. The initial meeting with my assigned undergraduate student usually takes place in October. We discuss and identify their career options, then work back, step-by-step to determine what kind of placement would best serve that ambition including sector, organisation type and ideal role.

When I first met Aliza, she had already identified the brands she wanted to work for, with Microsoft at the top of that list. She had researched potential internships and started to approach the ones that aligned with her career objectives. 

I may have wondered what I could contribute to this dynamic, focused and go-getting undergraduate’s journey to find her placement year position. However, she had a clear vision for how I could help and here are some of the areas we’ve covered:

• Preparing for interview questions and what to wear
• The culture of companies and how to interact informally in these spaces
• The etiquette of attending meetings (when to listen and when/what/how to contribute)
• Time management and organisation 

Fast forward to this summer. Now in post at Microsoft (as if that was in any doubt!), her planned position has transitioned to working directly with its UK National Skills Director. Excitingly, she gets to be part of an impactful programme across a range of sectors, focused on upskilling the nation in using AI.

Although officially our time together is over, we continued regular catch-ups throughout her placement year.