IBIT Mentoring Program
In the Spring 2022 semester, I was nominated to participate in the IBIT mentoring program where students connect with experienced senior executives based on their interests and background. My mentor was Neil Mundell, the VP of Corporate IT at AmerisourceBergen. Over the semester, we had two total virtual meetings to discuss interests, work experience, changes in technology, etc. In each of the meetings, Neil and I learned more about each other and talk about how we could support each other in our professional careers.
Neil and I introduced ourselves in our first meeting by talking about our background and some of our working experiences. Neil went through his experience at Accenture in his early professional career and how it made an impact on him today. We also spoke about finding an interest early in my professional career so I can use that in the future. One of the most memorable messages Neil said to me was to find my interest in the field because saying “I’m open to anything.” does not appeal to hiring managers and/or yourself. Neil then spoke about the impact that has on career fairs and how it may affect the hiring process since he has done that in the past.
In our second meeting, Neil and I spoke about my upcoming job as a Fox Peer Advisor at Temple. One of the topics we touched on during our first meeting was what skills can positively impact your future. One of them was soft skills and knowing how to speak to people effectively and efficiently. Since an advisor position will be in contact with many new people, Neil agreed that this job would ultimately help me with my soft skills and have a positive reflection on my professional career. Another thing we spoke about was a future internship opportunity, and Neil offered to help me throughout the summer with interviews and resume work which will help especially with a tech-related internship. Overall, the IBIT mentoring program was an enriching experience that positively impacted my professional development and led me to a strong connection with my mentor that I plan to keep in the future.