Why become a mentor?
Students are not the only ones who benefit from a mentoring relationship, there are many valuable reasons you should become a mentor:
- Giving back to your community;
- Validating your accomplishments and learn about yourself, your career and your industry;
- Recognition from your peers and supervisors;
- Enhancing your coaching and leadership skills;
- Helping your organization gain a recruiting edge; and
- Feeling good about having an IMPACT on someone else.
General Expectations
Mentors should expect to:
- Meet with their mentees to discuss their expectations during a Meet & Greet lunch.
- Meet face-to-face 1-3 times per term.
- In-person meetings can be held on or off-campus but should never take place in a mentor or mentee’s home.
- Be responsive and communicative with their mentee, as well as with the IMPACT team.
- Guide and support mentees, offer hands-on experiences in careers students are interested in pursuing.
- Teach mentees how to establish a professional network.
- Connect mentees to resources and professional networks.
- Coach mentees on honing essential skills.
- Skills such as effective communication, leadership, poise, etc.
- Provide career insight and guidance on graduate or professional school.
Things to keep in mind:
As you consider applying to become an IMPACT mentor, please consider:
- Students are still in the process of developing and refining their professional skills. Part of the role of the mentor is to help further develop these skills. Provide positive feedback and constructive criticism.
- There may not always be a perfect industry match. It is important to keep in mind that the relationship can still be valuable, you can still serve as a resource as they continue their career exploration.
- Try to have a clear understanding of the goals the mentee is trying to accomplish.
- Becoming a mentor requires time and energy; it is a commitment. You may need to adjust and adapt to provide the necessary support and advice to help the mentee succeed.
- Discuss expectations for when and where you plan to meet and what you plan to do together.
- Identify appropriate communication channels with your mentee: e.g. email, work/cell phone, LinkedIn, and other social media channels.
- Determine how often you will communicate.
- Be a positive role model for students by being on time and maintaining an attitude of integrity, courtesy, and maturity.
- Inform the IMPACT team of any difficulties or areas of concern that may arise in the relationship.