Shaping career through mentoring

Anaghesh was a third-year student at  the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) Bangalore, when he joined Mentor Together, a Wipro Cares partner platform that provides young people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds an opportunity to get mentored by experienced professionals online. At the same time, Viswanathan Ramaswamy, Vice President & 5G Business Head, Wipro Limited, joined Mentor Together to guide youth looking for direction and support in their professional ambitions. Anaghesh’s drive to excel and Vishwanathan’s willingness to share his experience helped mentee Anaghesh secure a job as a Software Engineer with a leading European multinational conglomerate eventually.                                                   

Q&A with Viswanathan Ramaswamy, Vice President & 5G Business Head, Wipro Limited, on how he helped his mentee through Wipro Cares’ online mentoring initiative.

How did you hear about the online volunteering initiative with Mentor Together?

I learnt about Mentor Together through Wipro’s internal mailers.

What made you join the mentoring program?

I have been providing guidance and mentoring my team members regularly. I was looking for an opportunity to extend this to those outside of Wipro, especially the youth.

Tell us about the mentoring opportunity?

Anaghesh was fresh out of an engineering college and preparing to apply for his first job. He was looking for guidance on developing his soft skills, understanding effective business communication, and navigating the challenges in a work environment. It was a fulfilling experience as I got to learn about his aspirations and share my insights with him during our interactions.

Which is your most memorable moment as a mentor?

After we concluded the entire mentoring cycle, Anaghesh wrote to me to inform me that he had secured a job at a European multinational. Insights gathered from our discussions had helped him during his interview process. To have played a small role in his success was very satisfying.

What is it like to be a part of Wipro Cares and Mentor Together’s initiative?

It’s really motivating! I have signed up for further mentoring work with Mentor Together. I am also working with them to bring in more mentors on to their platform.

Do you have any advice for those interested in mentoring?

Many of our new employees represent the younger generation. By mentoring, we get to share our learnings with them and also learn from them about their aspirations and motivations. Mentoring provides an excellent opportunity for both mentors and mentees to reflect and learn.

“Vishy’s kindness, ability to listen, willingness to share his own experiences, and resourcefulness are qualities that I wish to develop. As a mentor, he has helped me become a better version of myself rather than mold me according to his perspective. His constant support has been invaluable. Our regular conversation helped me grow immensely both personally and professionally.“

– Anaghesh Muruli, Mentee

 

Wipro Cares, in partnership with Mentor Together, provides a one-to-one online mentoring opportunity for our employees to assist and guide youth from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. Mentors impart crucial academic, career information, IT, English (spoken and written) skills, and life skills like self-esteem, self-expression, teamwork, and time management to prepare youth to compete equally after their formal education.

If you would like to guide the younger generation on how to fulfill their dreams by sharing knowledge, skills, and your life experience, sign-up with us as a mentor.