In today’s episode Mentor Mindset will be interviewing Lauren Devlin. Lauren is a fashion designer who designs under wear garments for Vanilla blush. At Vanilla Blush she specialises in post-surgery needs. Lauren studied at Heriot Watt University at their Galashiels campus. Portfolio and a 1-1 interview are common for securing a place at university to study art related subjects. 

Lauren talks about the difficulties of the process and provides tips on how to be successful at 5:10. At university she worked at multiple retail jobs to understand the life cycle of the product and the importance of customer service in the retail industry. Staying motivated, remaining resilient and working hard are the tips Lauren suggests when applying for jobs or internships. 

Lauren secured her internship after graduation at an undergarment company where her previous retail experience helped her secured the job. She advises on being proactive by contacting the employers before and after applying for a position. This proactive nature helped her secured a job at Vanilla Blush by contacting the owner of the company before applying online, listen on how she did it at 12:50.  Lauren explains her experience at Vanilla blush as , ‘’ The nicest working environment she ever had’’ and she gives this credit to the flexible working nature of the company and the relationship she developed with the executives which she would never have developed if she was working in a million dollar revenue company.  

“Nothing happens overnight”, Lauren say if you put the time and effort you get the rewards. Vanilla Blush offered a full-time job after she completed her internship. Lauren's advice to young fashion designers is to do a lot of research and explore all options before deciding a career path.

This week Mentor Mindset is interviewing Fionn Corbett. Fionn is a TV and Film assistant who works on Outlander!  

This interview is great for students who are interested in the TV or film industry and would like to learn how to transition into the industry through a traineeship program.   Since school Fionn has been exposed to creative projects and art which motivated her to study all forms of art and explore what each had to offer. She explains having a broad portfolio with extra curriculum activities helps a student artist understand what their opportunities are and which area they would feel most comfortable in.

Be who you are” - Fionn emphasis that you don’t need to know all the answers at 17, the most important thing is to have a passion at that age. For a career in arts passion is the most important thing.  Her time at Glasgow university as an art student was a learning experience as she got to work on projects independently without any guidance specially at the start. Listen to Fionn talk more about her time at University at 7:00.  

At graduation Fionn found difficulty in finding a job but her advice is to keep on going until you achieve it, never lose heart. Fionn got involved in the Outlander Traineeship as a Location Assistant. For Fionn the Traineeship was a great experience as it allowed her to get a sense of the film industry and explore the multiple departments involved.  Fionn explains what the role of the location department and its importance in the modern film industry. 15:20  

Her advice for young students interested in the film industry is to be open minded as the opportunities in the film industry are many more than it appears on the screen. From camera work to constructing sets to greens department there are multiple opportunities where a new student could venture into. “The film industry is quite versatile” .17:50

Ryan is a Founder /Director of Gymmies Kitchen and a successful Entrepreneur from Ayrshire.   Ryan was a creative pupil at school, his interest in arts and his experience in hospitality prepared him for a life of entrepreneurship.   

Ryan first project was in the manufacturing industry. He explains what steps he took and how part time jobs at an earlier age helped him understand the “in and outs” of the industry 4:00. 

Ryan’s involvement in the business allowed him to travel outside Scotland and learn key essential business skills which he learned from multiple engagements and online resources.  Entrepreneurial Spark is an organisation which helps new entrepreneurs with there ideas. Ryan tells his journey with how this helped him become a better business owner 6:00. 

 “You need to have a growth mindset otherwise you are never going to grow a business”. 

Ryan’s advise for young entrepreneurs is to have support from organisations such as Entrepreneurial Spark to help surround yourself with motivated people. This support includes like minded people who are aiming to achieve the same goal.   

Ryan is super motivated and is busy in multiple projects his advice on how he keeps himself motivated; 

1. A goal in mind. 

2. Why? Why do you want to achieve this goal? 

3. Predicting the outcomes.  

Negative outcomes and responses are a regular occurrence when running a business. Ryan advice of staying resilient is at 12:50.   Ryan has versed in multiple pitches! Listen to Ryan’s  tactics he used to pitch his ideas 17:50. His advice for pitches is practice.  He also explains the importance of understanding the audience and the product before launching your product.

I am interviewing Adam who is a Girvan Academy graduate who found his love in performing arts at an earlier age and started to pursue it at a performance level with some help from his mentors. Adam lists his mentors who helped him when he was growing up and what role each mentor played. Adam and I discuss that finding a mentor in your chosen field is easy when you have the mentor mindset!! He explains the culture shock he felt when he moved from Girvan to London and all the challenges it brought with it when he started studying performing at university.  “It is a very supportive industry” -Adam Pringle.   He explains the acting industry is quite helpful and supportive of each other especially in times of uncertainty. The mentorship within the acting industry has left an ever-lasting impact on Adam’s life as they provide invaluable advice and feedback.   Opportunities in the acting industry are spontaneous and being optimistic is useful in these situations. Adam himself tells us of the opportunity he accepted which appeared out of the blue  as a vocalist with an Irish dancing tour across Russia and Europe (10:20). He also pointed out no job will be the same and there are 1000s of different opportunities so it will never gets boring.  Auditions are tough and rejection is part of life but being resilient and having mentors can identify your mistakes and improve on your performance (12:30).   His advice to young performers is “To do it”, audition for the roles you are interested it. Learn and research about local opportunities and participate in the foundation classes to kickstart your career (15:30).  Even as a professional actor Adam feels he still has to explore many more opportunities before he can celebrate. “Everyone is running their own race” -Adam Pringle.

To be done

For many becoming a pilot was a childhood dream. On today’s episode of Mentor Mindset we interview David Brodlie a fully trained Ryanair First Officer and graduate of Marr College.

“For young people if you know somebody that is in the industry you are interested in then there’s nothing wrong with having a wee chat with them” - David Brodlie.

David gives a taste of what an aviation academy is like and what to expect as a cadet (5:29). He explains the journey towards his career as a pilot and his key tip to any future pilots, “not to think too far ahead! Its hard work but very rewarding”. Becoming a pilot takes both theoretical and practical knowledge, David expresses his excitement when he finally got to pilot a plane after strenuous number of exams and test.

Jennifer and David discuss questions around competency-based questions and how to practise them (10:00). Competency based questions are a specific set of question which companies use to evaluate possible candidates.

After graduation David reflects on the reality of getting a job as a pilot but he mentions getting into a reputable flight academy and hard work helps reserve an interview. Additionally, he said not to let rejection let you down and never give up. (16:00).

The life of Pilot can be stressful with unsocial hours, busy work life schedule and regular travel checks but as David mentions all those difficulties are faded away when you’re enjoying your work.

This week Mentor Mindset interviewed Caitlin Alexander who is an Immigration Solicitor trainee. Explore how Caitlin found her passion in life and what choices she made to become lawyer.  “Work experience solidifies your interest” • Watch how Caitlin developed her interest in law by exploring her options at an earlier age then developed her interest in Law through work experience and shadowing. Her advice to us - be active about your passion and doors of opportunities will open for you.  • From her work experience and volunteering Caitlin realised how vulnerable people can be from unseen circumstances. She realised through studying law she can help those people in our society.  • After finishing her degree, she emphasises the importance of further training which helped her develop key skills such as professionalism and client communication. • She explains the struggles of her career and how balancing a healthy work life balance can help. Her advice to a young person is find the answer to, “Why you want to become a Lawyer?”. (17:25).

If you have an idea for a business but don’t know what do next, here is the advice to get you started!

“You need to love what you do”

Following up from last week watch the interview with Jay Taylor talking about his experience with setting up his business and how mentorship helped him achieve success in his career.

Jay mentions the importance of guidance he received from his mentor and follow colleagues which helped him overcome challenges in his day work. He mentions Scotland is one of the best places in the world to start up your business because of the support provided by the government and organisations such as business gate away and Scottish enterprise.

Learn from Jay’s experiences starting his own business, Taylormade Digital only 8 months after graduating. TaylorMade digital specialise in digital consultancy to help any small to medium business both grow and flourish online.  Jay has always been passionate about teaching and computer science since school and combination of this passion has motivated him to make TaylorMade digital whilst he was working full time at Apple. I asked him how he developed his passion for computer science and what roles did his mentor played in his career. Jay mentions the importance of work experience and being opportunistic especially taking opportunities which are scary. For example, Jay tells how his participation in a school event, allowed him to connect with his first mentor. Who helped him expressed himself and gain confidence by overcoming stage fright. Jay talks about how mentors in his early career’s years provided with advice and business strategies which helped him market his brand better. If you’re interested in being a business owner watch Jay explain some key traps which ever business owner should avoid to gain success in the market. Furthermore, Jay provides essential key advice such as gaining support when launching your own business, not being scared of the admin stuff and turning your passion into a successful business idea. Reach him on - [email protected]

Hear how Scott balanced music and sports throughout school and found his career as an athlete. I asked him what most surprised him about the Olympic village and what he would recommend young people to do if they thought a sporting career would be an option for them.

Scott is preparing to give back to the sport after competing as a professional athlete for 10 years. His new role Development Manager of the South West of Scotland takes him back to his home club and back to the ice to engage the next generation of curler with the hope of coaching them to win medals.

His first mentor convinced him to start on the ice and Scott recommends having a go at many sports to find the one you love. Scott’s energy and love for meeting people shows throughout the interview and he says himself - “If you ever see me, just say Hi”.