GMC student mentoring is 'rewarding', say Watson Wyatt

22.02.07

Watson Wyatt, one of the GMC?s biggest sponsors, have been mentoring seven teams through the game. Of these teams, two have reached the UK final

Sophie Best, Graduate Recruitment Manager at Watson Wyatt, details her experiences of being a GMC supporter:

'Although I am not a team mentor myself, I take an overview of Watson Wyatt’s involvement in the GMC and am the liaison
point between Watson Wyatt and Hobsons,' comments Sophie. 'The team mentors themselves are from different parts of our business – for example, Technical, Business Services, Projects, Finance and HR. The mentors are at different levels, but all have at least three or four years’ experience.'

Mentor involvement
'We held a launch event for our student teams in October last year, a week before the teams had to make their first business decision. This event was a great opportunity to meet the students face-to-face, with teams spending several hours getting to know their mentors and discussing their approach to the game. The event has resulted in mentors engaging with their team, and putting more time and effort into the mentoring relationship.

'After the launch event, mentoring activity has been conducted over the phone, by conference calls and by e-mail. The mentors devote time to their teams each month – the majority of mentors have a conversation with their team before each business decision is submitted.' 

Benefits for students 
'I feel that the teams are all learning different things from their mentors. It’s interesting, as the students have someone who
will question and challenge the basis on which they make their business decisions. I think the students also gain from having someone to bounce ideas off – it’s as simple as having a third party point of view.' 

Professional development 
'Watson Wyatt has arranged coaching skills sessions for the mentors, which the mentors are finding really rewarding. The mentoring relationship is a chance for them to put this learning into practice in a safe, non-work environment. The students will provide feedback their experiences with their mentor, which will help the mentors’ future professional development.'

The GMC as a recruitment tool
'We had one GMC student who we fast-tracked through the recruitment process to our assessment centre. The GMC has been useful for identifying potential recruits, and has encouraged participants to apply to Watson Wyatt. We are also holding careers talks at Imperial College, which has been arranged through one of the GMC teams. Rather than a direct recruitment channel, Watson Wyatt is using the GMC as a branding exercise to raise awareness of the company to its target students.'

Come back in March to see how the Watson Wyatt teams are preparing for the national final!

Further information
To find out more about supporting a team or sponsorship opportunities, please contact James Steiger on 020 7958 5057.

Back to news

 

 

 

Warwick team the Bright Sparks get to know their mentor

 

 

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An Imperial College team debate with their mentor

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