Elizabeth Young CA reflects on her mentor journey with the Foundation

Elizabeth Young CA CMIIA is a Risk Assurance Partner at Azets, who started mentoring for the ICAS Foundation in 2014. We spoke to her about her experience of mentoring four programme students - and asked what advice she'd give to potential mentors.

How did you get into mentoring with the Foundation?

I’ve been involved for more than ten years – from before the Foundation existed in its current form. I was asked to help review applications and found myself meeting a group of amazing young people with some seriously impressive stories. It made me reflect on my own experiences at university and the way I got into the profession.  I was asked to go on to be a mentor and I grabbed the chance.

Can you say a bit more about how you got into the profession?

I didn’t come from an affluent background and though I had lots of encouragement and support from my mum, I didn’t have the kind of networks that opened doors or guided me as I considered my options.

I did well at school and chose to study accountancy because I knew it had good prospects, but I didn’t know much about it or what a career in the profession could involve after I graduated. During my third year of university I did an internship at Scottish Enterprise on entrepreneurship, which was a brilliant experience.

Even with that experience, many of my peers had better networks and polished CVs from work experience and internships arranged by family and friends. Whilst I was delighted for them, I didn’t have those connections and I felt that I couldn’t compete.

When I came to apply for training contracts, every form seemed to have a box asking who you knew at the firm and I couldn’t write anything for any of the firms. The people I met at assessment centres all seemed much more well connected and knowledgeable about the firms than I was and I felt out of place.  All of this made me feel that I wasn’t who the profession was looking for – that these were not “my people” – and it put me off pursuing a training contract. Instead, I went to temp in a bank after graduating.

There I was really fortunate to make a friend who was applying for ICAS training contracts.  She encouraged me, helped me to look past the barriers I perceived and gave me the confidence to go for it.

Ultimately, the firm I trained at were an excellent support and I felt I was judged purely on how I performed at work, not which school I had gone to or where I grew up.  That’s one of the reasons why I got into mentoring – to give others the same kind of support that helped me to take the first step on the journey to where I am now as a partner.

How have you seen mentoring help Foundation students?

I’ve mentored several students at different stages and everybody’s needs are different according to circumstance and stage of study.

I try not to push a particular outcome but talk from my experience and the experience of colleagues. I’ve mentored students that are laser focused on what they want to achieve, and students who have been less sure or faced some big challenges and all of them have found a way.

Two of my mentees now work in the business, one in my team. It’s great to see the progress they have made and to have been a part of their journey.

What does mentoring look like day to day?

The approach I’ve taken has varied but for me a mentoring relationship needs to be driven by the mentee. In the early days that means building trust and creating opportunities that build the basis for a working relationship.

At the beginning I’ve found that encouraging students, providing moral support and a sounding board as they find their feet at university helps them to grow and gain confidence. As their studies progress and they evolve, the relationship tends to move towards getting ready for the world of work and looking at career options.

As a mentor you can encourage, suggest topics to discuss and give opportunities but it can take time for students be able to get the most from this very different way of working.

What do you think are the key skills a mentor needs?

The first would be patience. When students are new at university and to the programme, they sometimes don’t see the value of mentoring or understand how to engage. It’s hard to get through to them and it might take a few attempts to find the connection. When it becomes more familiar, they need to invest in and drive the relationship. When that happens there’s a huge amount you both gain from it.

It’s important to be open-minded and able to use your own experiences whilst still being aware of your biases and not pushing students in a particular direction. Listening is important - and finding the right questions to ask. Some of my mentees have faced significant challenges and just being available as a sounding board in tougher times can really help.

I think the profession can be quite opaque at times – there are a lot of specialist terms, and I think it’s important to be able to explain, open doors and invite questions without being patronising.  Finally, I think it’s important not to judge students by your established professional standards as you are there to help them understand and develop these.

What has mentoring done for you and your professional development?

I view mentoring as a practical way of giving back. It gives me a lot of personal satisfaction to see students I’ve mentored doing well.

I think I’ve also learned a lot about recruitment and how I can think differently about how to value people’s experiences. I like to think I’ve become more open minded as I’ve seen students take different paths to achieve their goals. It’s easy to make assumptions about a CV but a CV barely scratches the surface of what a person may have had to achieve to get to where they are – and what that journey has taught them about determination and commitment.

What’s the best thing about being a mentor with the Foundation?

It’s being able to give students some of the experiences and opportunities I didn’t have so that they can progress as far and as fast as they want.

I think it’s important that we take steps to open the profession to diverse talent. We often like to think we are in a meritocracy but if we truly were, then the profession would reflect the society we live in and be a lot more diverse, including with more women in senior roles. 

The reality is that many groups still face barriers entering and/or succeeding in the profession and the Foundation helps to make those barriers to entry a little less pronounced.  It’s important that the Foundation programme brings students from diverse backgrounds in, and I’m pleased that I can play a part in preparing them to do well.

What support have you had from the Foundation?

Over the years the Foundation has grown and the network of mentors with it. In the early days the Foundation was tiny and we often had to find our own way but now there is good support, and more coming. September’s new student and mentor event was a good opportunity to meet and share tips with new mentors and students and it will be great to have more opportunities like this. 

What advice would you give someone considering applying to be a mentor?

It’s been great for me, but I think you really have commit and approach with your eyes open. If you do this, you can make a huge difference to someone who needs your guidance. It’s a responsibility, but there is support there and it’s so rewarding.

 

Elizabeth Young CA CMIIA is a Risk Assurance Partner at Azets. She leads Azets internal audit/risk assurance services team in Scotland and the North of England. Elizabeth is a member of the ICAS Audit and Assurance Panel.