From Nigeria To Canada: How An MBA Mentor Helped Me Build A Powerful Network

An MBA can unlock transformative career opportunities, but the right guidance is essential when it comes to making informed decisions about your future.

This is where mentorship plays a key role. A 2024 report identified that 89% of professionals cite mentorship as essential for career advancement, and employees with mentors are 130% more likely to hold leadership roles.

Mentorship can offer MBA students the support they need to navigate critical career decisions and maximize their professional potential. 

This was true for Chike Enwezor, who moved from Nigeria to Canada to pursue an MBA in Sales. With over six years of experience in the banking sector, Chike leveraged the mentor-mentee scheme at business school to adapt to a new market and refine his career goals.

Here are three ways an MBA mentor can help you make the most of your business school experience.

1. Define your career goals with an MBA mentor

Success in business goes beyond technical know-how—a clear career trajectory and a strategic plan is essential to reach your goals. For Chike (pictured), mentorship from seasoned sales director Catherine Brun was a game-changer.

Back in Nigeria, it was Chike’s supervisors who encouraged him to pursue an MBA at the University of New Brunswick Saint John (UNB Saint John). But once he arrived in Canada, he faced uncertainty about his post-graduation plans. His mentor provided the crucial guidance and advice that helped him make these important decisions.

“Early on, Catherine wanted to learn more about my plans—whether I was heading back to Nigeria, returning to the banking sector, or pivoting to another industry. I needed to understand how the banking system worked in Canada to decide if it was still for me.”

Through discussions with his mentor, Chike began to explore career paths beyond banking, including opportunities in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and healthcare—fields where his expertise in data analytics and business intelligence could make a strong impact.

As an international student, defining your post-MBA plans comes with challenges. Thanks to Catherine’s insights, Chike plans to build his career and life in Canada after graduation.

“Navigating a new country and a new job market isn’t always easy. Catherine’s advice and experience eased my concerns and gave me a better picture of what the future might hold, making my MBA experience much smoother.”

2. Enhance job market readiness and build a competitive profile

For MBA students, crafting a strong career strategy is crucial to making an impact in the job market. 

This effort involves not only building a standout resume but also refining interview skills and understanding local professional expectations—an area where MBA mentors can provide tailored guidance.

Drawing on Catherine’s knowledge of the Canadian job market, Chike learned how to adapt his resume to align with local hiring standards.

“It was important to know what a strong resume looked like in Canada—Catherine took the time to go through mine and highlight areas that I could tweak,” he says.

Beyond resume preparation, Catherine shared practical job search strategies, sharing advice on how to effectively present his experience and skills in interviews and applications.

“Understanding New Brunswick’s job and economic landscape from someone who’s been active in business for over two decades gave me a solid foundation for my career plans.”

Catherine also helped Chike see the transferability of his skills—a key factor in broadening his career options.

“My MBA mentor showed me that the analytical and data skills I developed in Nigeria are transferable across industries. This gave me the confidence to pivot away from banking since my skill set would still be relevant and valuable in other sectors.” 

3. Gain real-world insights through MBA mentorship

While in-class MBA learning equips students with essential business knowledge and skills, bridging the gap between theory and practice can be challenging, especially for those stepping into a new sector. 

For Chike, whose MBA concentration in sales marked his first step into the sales industry, guidance from Catherine provided invaluable context into the sector.

“Catherine gave me a real understanding of the sales and banking industries here, which highlighted the differences between career opportunities in Nigeria and Canada,” he says.

Mentors not only draw from their own experiences but also open doors to broader professional networks, offering you the chance to gain close insight into industry expectations and real-world challenges. 

“Having those one-on-one discussions with your mentor gives you the opportunity to ask questions that come up outside of class and hear from an industry professional about how the knowledge you’re learning fits in with their experiences or those of people in their network.

“Catherine has taught me so much, I can’t overstate how valuable her time and guidance has been,” he concludes.