During Meet a Mentor Programme 3, Janice was paired with Louise Nindi, a freelance Events Producer. Louise and Janice worked on building Janice's confidence and skills for a career in fashion. She is now a Visual Merchandiser for New Look.
Of the programme, Janice said:
"During my time on Meet a Mentor I was working in New Look as Footwear Specialist. Although it was a job which allowed me to earn income, I still felt as though I was stuck and just unhappy in a the position that did not allow me to express my creative abilities.
I had worked so hard in university, ended up with Fashion degree only to go back into working into retail which was something that I did not want to do. I found it helpful talking to my mentor Louise because I was able to voice my frustration towards someone who I didn't know but understood me, Louise was like the big sister I never had, she made me see the light underneath the tunnel and got me to realise that there is hope for me and that something was going to happen and that I just needed to push myself to make what ever i needed to happen in my career happen.
Louise and I would exchange emails, she would update me with the latest work experience vacancies and in return I would send her updated versions of my CV and Cover Letters to companies that I was interested in working with.
Louise's input was helpful in the sense that I had someone who is in the industry who was able to take the time out of her day to overlook and critique any errors that I had within my work.
From this I was able to work alongside Louise and get paid work experience working as a Runner at the ASOS Face + Body event. It was helpful because I got to have an insight into what happens behind the scenes of major company events but also helped to realise what I wanted for my career and the steps that I needed to take to make sure I make my goals into a reality.
Overall I can say that Meet a Mentor boosted my confidence and enabled me to set goals for things that I wanted to for myself and for my life. Although I may not be where I want to be, I know that I am a step closer into being the career that I am destined to be in."
