Bounce ideas, find support for a career move, talk through the options for a sticky project– a mentor can be a real career saver.
The mentor-mentee relationship can take many forms. Coach someone through a challenging project, advise on a career move, or be a sounding board for new ideas. The mentor and mentee decide the scope of the relationship, such as to achieve a specific goal or complete a specific project. Mentoring can be done through online coaching, virtual meeting technology, teleconference, and in person. Matchmaking is done based on questionnaires filled out by mentors and mentees.
Structuring the Mentor Experience
- Determine the goal of the mentorship. Is it for a specific project, to work through a challenging (i.e. maybe with your board), or to position you for career advancement?
- Establish a set of steps that you both agree will lead to achieving the mentorship goal.
- Determine how you will communicate and how often.
- Schedule the next engagement.