Career Discovery Mentoring
Through 1-2-1 mentoring with a current UNSW student you will share your story and shape their start.
As a mentor on the Career Discovery Mentoring Program, you’ll empower students from across UNSW’s seven faculties as they begin one of the most pivotal journeys of their lives, discovering who they are and where they want to go. By sharing your career story and offering real-world insights into your industry, you’ll help your mentee connect their strengths and values to meaningful career paths.
For many students, this will be their first experience of mentorship. Through active listening, mutual respect, and honest conversation, you will help shape not just their professional direction, but their confidence and sense of possibility.
Program details
Dates: Term 1 2026 will run from 3 March – 10 April
Applications open: Applications open 27 January
Commitment: 5 hours of your time over 8 weeks
Delivery: Flexible, online or in-person
Eligibility requirements: Minimum 2+ years of professional experience
Recognition: Receive certification in the form of a UNSW-certified digital badge which can be added to your LinkedIn profile
Looking for student information?
"Talking with my mentee often felt like looking back at my younger self. In helping them sort through their challenges and goals, I was also able to step back and reflect on my own situation gaining more clarity about what I truly want and what my career goals are."
Why become a mentor?
Mentoring is a powerful way to pause and reflect on your own career journey, what’s shaped you, what drives you and what you’ve learned along the way. Sharing your experiences can help bring fresh clarity and renewed purpose, helping you grow as a leader, communicator and listener.
By connecting with a current UNSW student, you will get a front-row seat to the next generation of talent. It’s a chance to gain valuable insight into the aspirations, strengths, and evolving skillsets of emerging graduates. Insights that can strengthen your approach to leadership, recruitment, and workplace culture, and help you build more meaningful connections with employees and colleagues of tomorrow.
When you invest your time as a mentor, you’ll be part of something bigger: a connected, supportive UNSW alumni network, helping students and alumni thrive.
Suitable for...
Career stage
✅ Mid Career / ✅ Late Career
I want to...
✅ Have an impact / ✅ Develop leadership skills / ✅ Give back to UNSW
“Mentoring is as much a learning experience for mentors as it is for mentees. Supporting my mentee pushed me to reflect on my own career journey, articulate my experiences more consciously, and strengthen my coaching, communication, and leadership skills.”
In demand industries
We accept mentors from across all industries. However, these industries in particular are often in high demand from mentees:
- Computer Science
- Banking & Finance
- Data Analytics
- Accounting
- AI
- Marketing & Comms
- Consulting
- UX/ UI Design
- Mechanical & Manufacturing
- Commercial Law
Program FAQs
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This program welcomes both UNSW alumni and industry mentors from across all sectors. With a minimum of two years’ professional experience as the only entry requirement, we regularly engage mentors at a wide range of career stages to share their stories and inspire our students. We value and actively encourage mentors with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, helping to create a richer and more meaningful mentoring experience.
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No, mentors from across Australia and internationally participate in this program. Mentors based internationally must be able to commit to meetings in the Sydney time zone.
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Mentees are both domestic and international students from all faculties within UNSW. Undergraduate students must be in their second year of studies or higher and postgraduate students can participate at any stage of their degree.
Students are selected based on their application, which includes an introductory statement outlining their motivation to participate in the program, their preferred industries and sectors and years of professional experience.
Students attend a mandatory pre-program training prior to the start of the mentoring program focused on professional behaviour, communication and goal setting. They are coached on how to conduct a mentoring relationship, but they will often need their mentor’s help to drive the discussion and set the agenda for their mentoring sessions. For some students, this program may be their first experience with mentoring and interacting with industry professionals.
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The matching process is determined by information provided in the Mentor and Mentee application forms. An algorithm considers the industries, sectors, and years of professional experience, to match mentors with students.
Important note: At times, mentors may be allocated a mentee outside of their preferred industry. In these instances, we encourage mentors to be open to providing valuable insights, guidance and possibly their own professional network to their allocated mentee. The general and transferable advice from an experienced professional can still have a profound impact on a student’s career development.
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The mentoring platform Chronus is a great way to connect with your mentee, read their profile, access help resources and connect with the mentoring community. If you get accepted as a mentor, you will receive training on how to use the platform.
While use of the platform is encouraged, many mentoring connections choose to conduct some elements of the program, such as messaging and setting up meetings, off-platform, via channels such as email or LinkedIn, to better fit in with their existing systems.
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All mentor participants who complete the minimum of 5 hours mentoring within the program timeframe, will be eligible to receive a certified digital badge from our partner Credly. You can use this badge to showcase your mentoring experience on Linkedin, email signatures and more.
You must verify your completion of the minimum program requirement of 5 mentoring hours in the end of program survey.
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Mentors have access to training materials including videos and a handbook, which we recommend watching and reading before the program starts. If further support is needed, the CDMP administrative team are available to answer any questions or concerns you may have before, during and after the program. You can get in touch with us at cdmp@unsw.edu.au.