‘GradLink’ Career Mentoring Programme

The Department runs a very successful Career Mentoring Programme.  The GradLink Mentoring Programme is an interactive learning and educational experience, provided to Junior Sophister students to assist them in their personal and career development.   The programme is run in collaboration with the other Departments based within the School of Histories and Humanities, comprising the Departments of History, Classics and History of Art and Architecture.

Graduates of each Department within the School are invited to participate in the mentoring programme.  A total of 22 mentors from the Departments of History, Classics and History of Art participated in last year’s programme. 

The Department of History was delighted to welcome the following alumni as mentors as part of its 2012/13 programme:

• Ciara Kerrigan, National Library of Ireland
• Heidi Lougheed, IBEC
• Fleachta Phelan, Comhlamh
• Lorna Jennings, Hume Brophy
• Úna Faulkner, IMPACT
• Eileen O’Brian, Blackhall Publishing
• Linda Barry, Institute of International and European Affair;
• Ruadhán Mac Cormaic, Irish Times
• Sarah Shiel, Tandem Design and
• Graham Roe, Oxfam  

Following the launch event, students are assigned a graduate mentor, based on their area of interest.   The programme runs over the course of the academic year, with mentors and mentees meeting 2-3 times over the duration of the programme. 

A Mid-way Mentoring event is also held, which is an opportunity for mentors and mentees to meet again, network and gain some useful tips on success.  Guest speaker at last year’s event was Prof. Ian Robertson, an internationally recognised psychologist and motivational speaker, who spoke about “The Winner Effect—Success and How to Use it”. 

Click below to view a short video clip of the mid-way mentoring event

The Department values maintaining strong links with its graduates in order to draw on the wealth and indeed breadth of experience, which they can contribute to undergraduate learning. Students benefit enormously from the exchange of ideas with graduates and gain useful insights into optimising their time abroad and how they can best manage their career development. For their part, graduates feel that as well as “giving something back” to the School and keeping in touch with College, they also benefit on a more personal level.  The mentoring programme is coordinated by the School’s Global Officer, the Career Advisory Service and the Alumni Office.

View the student/mentee guidelines (PDF, 100kb)

Download the GradLink Mentoring Poster (PDF, 700kb)

Further information on the GradLink Mentoring Programme

Career Prospects

Following four years of intensive study within the Department, students not only obtain an internationally recognised degree from Trinity College Dublin, but also gain a range of transferable skills.  These include: writing, debating, presenting, researching and critical thinking in addition to communication, computer, multi-tasking and team building skills - all of which are highly sought after by employers.    During your time at Trinity College, these skills are honed both in your academic and extra-curricular activities to enable you to adapt to and succeed in the working world. 

Graduates of our Department are well equipped to pursue a multiplicity of career pathways, for example in the museum and cultural sector, as media and communications specialists, in public administration and of course, teaching and research.  The range of modules taught and skills acquired during your four years with us ensures that graduates of the Department go on to pursue highly successful careers in a wide range of areas.

The list below includes some of the professions which our graduates are currently working in:

• Academia
• Accountancy
• Banking
• Communications
• Development
• Finance
• Industrial Relations
• Information technology
• Heritage
• Journalism
• Law
• Lecturing
• Librarianship
• Marketing
• Media
• Public Policy
• Public Relations
• Publishing
• Teaching