5.9 before. 8.9 after. One conversation.
Confidence is the thing a single 30-minute session moves fastest, and the thing we can measure the same way every time. Mentees score themselves out of ten on the topic they came to discuss, immediately before the session and immediately after it.
- Average confidence before the session
- 5.9
- Average confidence after the session
- 8.9
- Mentees whose confidence increased, with none reporting a fall
- 87%
An average lift of +3.0 on a ten-point scale.
Across a recent group of mentees, the average moved from 5.9 to 8.9. 87% reported an increase. Not one reported a decrease. Those whose score did not move had arrived already highly confident, at nine and ten out of ten.
- Average confidence before
- 5.9
- Average confidence after
- 8.9
- Average lift from one session
- +3.0
- Mentees whose confidence rose
- 87%
Same question, before and after.
No proxy metric, no interpretation. The mentee answers the same question twice.
- 01
The mentee names the topic
When they book, they write the one thing they want the session to be about. That topic is what they rate themselves on.
- 02
They score themselves before
How confident do you feel about this, out of ten? Recorded before the mentor joins the call.
- 03
They have the 30 minutes
One conversation with someone who has done the thing they are trying to do.
- 04
They score themselves again
Same question, straight after the session. The difference between the two numbers is the lift.
The topics behind the numbers.
Mentees choose the focus, and the recurring themes are consistent across programmes and countries.
CV and portfolio review
Interview technique
Building a network and using LinkedIn well
What employers actually look for in early-career candidates
Framing transferable skills when moving between industries
It is the barrier before every other barrier.
It decides whether they apply
Most early-career people rule themselves out of roles before an employer ever sees them. Confidence is what changes that first, and it changes fast.
It is honest and self-reported
We do not infer it from attendance or satisfaction. The mentee tells us the number, twice, in their own words about their own topic.
It sits alongside next steps
Confidence on its own is not enough, so we track it with action: 100% of sessions ended with the mentee holding a clear, specific next step.
What this figure does not claim.
Confidence is a self-rating taken minutes after a conversation. It is a real, useful signal, and it is not the same thing as a job offer. We publish employment outcomes only once they are traced to a named employer.
- Measured
- Self-rated confidence, before and after
- Not claimed
- Job offers or salary change
- Sample
- A recent group of mentees
- Reported decreases
- None
One session, measured before and after.
Each mentee rated their confidence on the topic they came to discuss, out of ten, immediately before and immediately after their 30 minutes.
Improving a CV and finding internships
+7- Before
- 3
- After
- 10
Self-rated out of ten, before and after one 30-minute session.
How to enter the professional world
+5- Before
- 4
- After
- 9
Self-rated out of ten, before and after one 30-minute session.
CV and interview skills
+4- Before
- 4
- After
- 8
Self-rated out of ten, before and after one 30-minute session.
Moving industry and framing transferable skills
+4- Before
- 5
- After
- 9
Self-rated out of ten, before and after one 30-minute session.
Marketing yourself online and breaking into a creative field
+3- Before
- 6
- After
- 9
Self-rated out of ten, before and after one 30-minute session.
What makes a junior candidate stand out
+3- Before
- 7
- After
- 10
Self-rated out of ten, before and after one 30-minute session.
What a three-point jump sounds like.
Each quote comes with the mentee's own before and after score.
I went into it nervous and not knowing what to expect, but my mentor was really lovely, and I appreciated her going out of her way to look at my work from an employer's perspective and share her insight into what I could improve.
I'm really grateful to you for being so understanding and supportive during our session. You encouraged me to start my long journey in my field and you made me feel much more confident and positive about what I'm doing. Your spark motivated me to believe in myself.
I'd just like to say a massive thank you to my mentor for taking the time to speak to me. I really appreciate all the advice he has given me and I will start using it straight away. He was really open and honest with me and helped me understand what I need to do to get where I want to be.
She has given me a huge confidence boost and helped me see how my background actually makes me a great fit for new roles. My main takeaway is to customise my CV so it highlights both my personality and my experience.
I really enjoyed how open and practical the conversation was. He shared honest insights from his own experience and gave specific advice I can apply to my career journey.
He was incredibly generous with his time and advice. I really appreciated how honest he was about his own career journey and the decisions he made along the way. It was a thoughtful, encouraging conversation.
Every quotation comes from a mentor or mentee who explicitly consented to their words being used publicly to help others access mentoring. Mentees are identified by first name only. Anyone who declined consent has been excluded entirely.
The things people ask first.
How is the confidence score collected?
The mentee rates their confidence on the topic they came to discuss, out of ten, immediately before their session and immediately after it. The average of those two numbers across mentees gives the before and after figures.
Why did some scores not move?
Because those mentees arrived already highly confident, at nine or ten out of ten. There was very little room to move. Not one mentee reported a lower score after the session.
Does a confidence lift last?
The rating is taken straight after the session, so it captures the immediate change. What makes it stick is the next step the mentee leaves with, which every mentor reported their mentee having.
Can we quote these figures?
Yes. Partners use them in annual reports and social value returns. Take the definitions on this page with them so the number is never read as an employment outcome.
Where can I see the full data?
The impact and feedback page carries the scale figures, the age split, mentor ratings and every consented quote from mentees and mentors.
Thirty minutes, and a mentee who believes they can.
Book a session, or give one back.