Letter from IP Inclusive: Helping people find their career in ideas
Andrea Brewster introduces a new mentoring scheme for would-be recruits.
To improve diversity in the IP professions, we also need to broaden the upstream pipeline. IP Inclusive’s “Careers in Ideas” campaign does just that.
It’s there to raise awareness of, and improve access to, IP sector careers. It produces information, resources and events for two groups: school, college and university students who might want to join the IP professions, along with their advisers; and IP professionals doing outreach work such as careers talks and open days.
The Careers in Ideas website showcases various IP-related careers and features basic information and personal stories.
We also build relationships with relevant charities and community interest groups, which can help us reach people who haven’t yet heard of IP careers – or of IP itself.
There’s a problem, though. We can raise awareness and enthuse new candidates. But as they try to enter this new world, they’re up against people with parents or friends already in the sector, or students whose schools and universities give training in interview skills and CV writing.
So candidates from less privileged backgrounds, much as they might like to join us, often don’t measure up to more privileged incomers. Perhaps they’re discouraged from even trying.
To help with this, Careers in Ideas has run online application-skills masterclasses that provided tips for creating CVs and covering letters and preparing for interview when applying to train as a trade mark or patent attorney.
These sessions have proved popular, with many attendees contacting the panellists afterwards for further support and advice.
Now, under the leadership of CITMA member Carol Nyahasha (Baron Warren Redfern), we’re building a Mentoring Hub to help would-be recruits navigate their way into the IP professions.
Mentors in IP-related careers provide general advice about where and when to look for jobs, the skills needed, how to frame an application and what to expect of the recruitment process.
The scheme is designed for mentees who don’t already have access to this information and support.
Careers in Ideas is about all kinds of IP-related career, so we need mentors in all roles: in-house or private sector, fee-earning or business support, and from different career levels too.
Sometimes it’s useful to hear from someone who has only recently joined the sector and knows how it feels to be on the rollercoaster of applications, interviews, rejections and offers.
The time commitment for each mentor is up to the individual and needn’t be huge. We use the online MentorLoop platform to match our mentors with mentees and to streamline procedures. Training and support are provided too.
We’re confident that this new scheme will help a wider range of people into IP careers. We know it will be rewarding for the IP professionals involved. And the recruits we help in 2022 will be the mentors of 2026, with each cohort providing more diverse role models for future entrants.
If you’re a UK-based IP professional, we’d love you to join us as a mentor. Wherever and however you work, you’re sure to have useful information and experiences to share.
For more information and contact details, click here.
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