Mentorship program 2023 for master students

Are you a master student in Gothenburg? We are looking for you! This fall we at Smartr will start a mentorship program dedicated to helping women and non-binary students who want to accelerate their careers within data and AI. Men interested in learning more about gender equality are also welcome.
If you would like to expand your network in the field, talk to working professionals about your upcoming career and discuss topics ranging from equality in the workplace to how to manage your first job interview, then don’t hesitate to register your interest below! Did we mention that it is completely free of charge? We hope to meet you this fall.

How it works

There are two parts to our mentorship. One-to-one sessions between the mentor and the mentee (that´s you!) and big group evenings. With these two parts we aim to provide both depth and width to the mentorship. If you are only interested in the big group events, you are welcome to only partake in them.

The one-to-one sessions will occur in between the big group events both during fall and spring. The mentee decides how often these meetings occur, maybe the mentee wants to increase the frequency as graduation approaches - a time that often leads to thoughts and questions about what lies next. These sessions are a chance for the mentor and the mentee to discuss topics that are relevant for the mentee in a private setting. It could be over a lunch, a walk or a coffee. The mentees interests drive the topics, but suggestions are also provided.

The big group evenings are hosted by Smartr and occur six times over the year, including a kickoff and final celebratory event to wrap-up the program. All mentors and mentees are invited and get to meet the bigger community and expand their networks. These evenings include food, drinks and talks from interesting speakers on topics related to what it´s like to work in the data and AI-field, and more general on perspectives on the professional life. Many of the topics covered will be from a gender equality viewpoint. Below is a preliminary schedule for the events.


Date Big Group Event
13 Sep Kickoff! All mentorship participants meet and get to know each other, through program presentations
27 Sep Presentation on Diversity and Inclusion and an interatctive networking session.
November How can daily work and careers in data and AI look like?
January How can your CV be updated to make it stronger?
March We look at the job seraching process and how to prepare for it. A panel of a data & AI professionals talk about their experience. What do companies look for in a candidate?
May Wrap-up: A final event to celebrate and conclude the mentorship program.

Who the mentors are

The mentors are working professionals in the field of data and AI at Smartr. Data engineers, statisticians, data scientists, machine learning engineers, data visualization specialists - you name it! At Smartr we do consulting work within the realm of data and AI for clients in many fields, all the way from insurance and commerce to sea navigation and education. We love the challenge of complex problems and try to keep close to academia to stay relevant in our knowledge. Depending on your interest you might want to have a mentor with a specific competence from the field. We’ll do our best to make that happen.

Why this is important to us

We know that the we are at our best when we engage multiple different perspectives to build solutions and develop ourselves and our field. Having a diverse set of perspectives is not only more fun for those involved, but it also helps ensure sound decision making. Even more basic than that, it is important that all who enter the field with passion or interest feel empowered and thrive, no matter who they are. It is important for us as individuals and as a community to strive for equity and equality. This is a big part of why we care deeply about the gender gap within tech and AI and want to do more to reduce it.

Application

Interested? We are interested in you too! Fill out the application form and we will get in touch. We will find a suitable mentor for you and confirm as soon as possible. If you don’t receive a confirmation email within a few days, please double check your junk mail or contact us. If you have any questions we would love to hear from you at mentor@smartr.se.
The application window closes on the 10th of September.