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Aug 26, 2022

Building Meaningful Relationships Through Mentorship

Abby Smith
Melanie Milligan

Abby Smith and Melanie Milligan

Building Meaningful Relationships Through Mentorship

Mentorship at Credera

When searching for internships, we wanted to find a company that would invest in our growth and be a place where we could create valuable, lasting relationships both at a peer and leadership level. After doing some initial research, it became clear not only that Credera was what we were looking for professionally, but it also promised to be a place where connectivity and opportunities for mentorship were central to the internship experience.

From the first day of the summer internship, Credera was intentional about providing individual support and guidance to each intern. Whether it was through formal mentorship programs or friendships with Credera team members who took us under their wings as we started off the summer, one of the most rewarding aspects of our Credera internship was the opportunity to learn from and build relationships with mentors at the firm. Two of the relationships that helped us to feel supported, known, and cared for were those with our project mentor and our career coach.

A project mentor is a more senior Credera team member who is staffed on the same project as you and is there to provide support, give feedback, and celebrate contributions in your day-to-day project work. In addition to your project mentor, all interns are assigned a career coach. A career coach is typically a more senior leader within the firm and is in the same practice and market as you. Career coaches are there to help answer questions, provide ongoing guidance and feedback and to understand your career aspirations and figure out how Credera can support you in achieving those things.

How My Project Mentor Helped Me Grow

Melanie: As an intern in the Technology Solutions Practice, I was introduced to myriad technologies I had never seen. While exploring new technologies has always been a passion of mine, it can also feel intimidating to start a job in which everything feels so unknown. Having a project mentor alleviated this stress and empowered me to quickly develop new skills.

This summer, a fellow intern and I were asked to give a demo of an Apache Airflow solution we built for our client. Before we started preparing our presentation, my project mentor met with us to share best practices for technical presentations. Additionally, he scheduled time with us the day before our demo so we could do a practice run and receive feedback. Since my project mentor had given presentations to our client before, hearing his advice helped me feel confident and prepared to deliver a successful presentation.

In addition to our daily team stand-ups and client calls, my project mentor and I consistently connected one-on-one to review my code, clarify any questions, and assess progress toward my goals. Because we worked together so frequently, I knew I had a go-to person who was invested in helping me succeed. On top of that, our constant communication helped me feel comfortable asking questions early on and trying new things.

The thing I cherish most about mentorship at Credera is that it is customized to each person. My project mentor tailored my work to my experience level, continually pushing me to learn new things without making me feel overwhelmed. He even planned fun events such as a virtual escape room to help our team connect outside of work! Ultimately, my relationship with my project mentor played a huge role in ensuring my internship was full of learning, growth, and fun.

How My Career Coach Made Credera Feel Like Home

Abby: As an intern in the Management Consulting Practice, I had a lot to learn during my first week at Credera. I went through a robust week-long onboarding process designed to help prepare me to jump into a client project. While I learned so many new things during my first week, the most memorable moment ended up being a lunch meeting with my career coach.

As soon as I met my career coach, I felt an incredible amount of peace. While at lunch she tackled all the practice-specific and career-related questions I threw her way. She also created space for us to get to know each other as people and inquired about my interests and passions outside of work. I knew early on this was someone I could confide in and someone who would push me to learn and be the best consultant I could become.

Following our first lunch, my career coach and I had bi-weekly check-ins where she made it clear she not only wanted to invest in me professionally, but also personally. Professionally, we discussed my goals, progress and performance on my project, and opportunities for development and growth. She also gave me constructive feedback and assessed my work so I could effectively grow my current skillset and develop new tools. She also was the first to encourage me when I performed well or accomplished a goal. Personally, my career coach and I made space to talk about the happenings in our lives and to share stories from the previous week. She always remembered the smallest things I would share and would check in with me even outside of our formal meetings.

My career coach played a huge role in my internship experience. She met me where I was, provided feedback that pushed me to grow, and helped me navigate the unknowns of the consulting world. It was because of my career coach that I felt confident in the work I was doing and knew I had a friend at the office who made sure I always felt supported.

Our Key Takeaways

Credera’s mentorship opportunities encourage maximum learning and growth by pairing interns with an experienced Credera staff member to offer advice, support, and coaching.

Having a project mentor empowers interns to feel supported in their day-to-day work as they learn new skills and set goals.

Career coaches are your formal advocates who know you deeply, see your work closely, support you wholly as you progress through your career in a way that is individualized and unique you.

Credera’s mentorship program is highly individualized and designed to create a unique growth plan for each intern.

Find Your Fit

Interested in joining Credera as an intern or full time upon graduation? Check out our website to apply!

Summer Interns 2022 Credera

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