Welcome to WIRe’s Mentoring Blog Series! We will be featuring both a mentee and mentor throughout the year as we follow their journey through our award-winning one-on-one mentoring program here at Women in Research.

Starting up: Being a Mentee with WIRe in 2017
By Emma Gillingham
Consultant, IRI Australia

The first time I came across Women In Research was on LinkedIn in late 2016. I was already a member of AMSRS but I was looking for more ways to connect in Australia. Having moved from the U.K. to Australia two years ago, I wanted to build my network with others in the research industry and navigate the challenges of a different market. When I found this female-focused group driving personal development in the industry, it seemed ideal!

After discovering WIRe, I signed up through their website community database and attended my first networking event in Sydney in November. After that, I knew I wanted to get more involved in some way.

Shortly after, I received an email about the mentoring program. Due to its popularity, I was unsure whether I’d be successful in my application but decided it was worth a try. The application was a simple online form, but I spent quite a bit of time completing it with as much detail about me and my goals as possible. Once submitted, I waited a couple of months until I learned I had been successfully matched with a mentor!

My mentor is Mike Beder, Managing Director of Qualitative Recruitment Australia in Sydney. Although I was open to remote mentoring, I knew it was an extra advantage to be matched with someone I could meet face-to-face.

In our first meeting, one of the key areas we discussed was how to build a professional network through social media. Since that first meeting, I’ve been more active on Twitter and LinkedIn and I feel more confident expressing my opinions about the industry I work in.

My key take away from the first mentoring session: Building your presence in the industry can start small — sometimes it only takes 140 characters to express yourself!

I am looking forward to the next meeting with my mentor and to learning new ways to grow in my MR career!

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