Mentee Guide
This guide serves as a recommended blueprint to a successful mentoring experience.
Emmanuel
Last Update 2 jaar geleden
1. You should drive the relationship:
The mentee should take responsibility for being the main driver of the relationship.
Reach out to your mentor regularly to schedule meetings or phone calls and follow up within 24 hours of their responses to you.
Consider setting an agenda for your meetings to stay on track and get all of your questions answered.
Always ask at the end of each meeting “when should we meet next?” so that you can get a date on the calendar after comparing both of your schedules.
2. The relationship should be mutually beneficial:
Mentors want you to ask insightful, thoughtful questions that you cannot find the answers to online or through someone else.
Send your mentor interesting articles, podcasts, or books you come across that you think he or she may find interesting.
3. Gratitude:
The best way to show how thankful you are for your mentor’s time is to respect it. Arrive on time for all meetings and keep your interactions/emails concise.
Be sure to send a regular follow-up thank you emails or send thoughtful notes after a particularly meaningful interaction or discussion.
4. Circle back and follow up:
As with any business connection, always follow up. This is an important touchpoint to thank the person and show what they did had an important impact on you. This is a key behavior to building a solid, sustainable network.
If you know you are going to have a hard time remembering to do this, put a note in your calendar.
5. Avoid being negative:
Your time with your mentor should be spent sharing problems and looking for solutions or getting their advice and feedback on a certain issue you are tackling.
Your mentor’s time is precious and should not be spent airing grievances or gossip.
6. Avoid impersonal, transactional exchanges:
Remember that your mentor genuinely enjoys connecting with you (that’s why they volunteered their time to work with you!) so ask their advice, listen to their stories, and be authentic.
Benefits and Rewards of a positive mentoring relationship
- Gain invaluable insights from a seasoned industry professional
- Build social capital through authentic relationships
- Accelerate your professional development and growth
- Expand your personal and professional network
- Cultivate interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills
- Receive assistance as you transition into the workforce or a new career path
- Discover different perspectives from your mentor
- Receive constructive feedback about personal and/or professional development issues you are facing
- Achieve critical goals that you set