Just 18 months after joining Birmingham City University’s professional mentoring programme, SK Copy Co’s Director, Sanina Kaur, has been given an award for the impact she’s already made.
The award is a huge achievement in itself. But what makes it even more significant, is the fact it was awarded following the success of Sanina’s first ever mentoring arrangement.
Sanina worked with her first mentee, Birmingham City University BA (Hons) English student, Kimberley Richardson, from December 2020 through to May this year.
The relationship involved the pair having regular virtual meetings in which Sanina advised Kim on what she could do to strengthen her chances of breaking into the highly-competitive world of publishing. As a result of the mentoring, Kim made several steps towards building her confidence and gaining valuable contacts and relevant work experience to strengthen her publishing profile.
“Kim went from saying she wants to work in publishing to clearly demonstrating her commitment to it, and she now has work examples to share with prospective employers too. It’s remarkable how much progress she made in such a short space of time,” explains Sanina.
In July this year, Sanina was named Industry Mentor of the Year after being nominated for the award by Kim. This is what she had to say about the support she received:
‘Sanina always encouraged me to take a leap and reach out to people, and because of this, I secured opportunities. I proof-read a book with a local publisher and now I am starting a new copywriting placement.
‘She boosted my confidence by pushing me to be bold and stand out. We looked over several job descriptions and tailored my CV each time, which was helpful because I now understand what to tweak for each job. Sanina also provided me with further skills to determine what jobs might be right for me and how to navigate interviews. I am really thankful for all the time and effort she put into supporting me.‘
Sanina was also keen for Kim to be recognised for the progress she’d made, and nominated her for the Career Developer award, which she won.
“I explained to Kim she had to make sure she stood out from all the other internship applicants. Opportunities very rarely land on people’s laps, you have to go and seek them out, adds Sanina.
“Kim immediately responded to this advice, and every time we had our meetings; it astounded me at how many proactive actions she’d accomplished.”
If you would like to find out more about BCU’s professional mentoring programme, visit https://www.bcu.ac.uk/student-info/student-support/student-mentoring or email mentoring@bcu.ac.uk.