BSM Mentoring Guide

WHAT IS MENTORING?

Mentoring is a partnership that most often occurs between a senior and junior professional for the purpose of the mentee’s growth, learning, and career development. There is also an emphasis on career goals, advice on professional development, and work-life balance.

The core of the mentor-mentee partnership is the individual supporting another individual by sharing their professional knowledge and experiences and utilising key skills to enable them to achieve their goals.

This partnership is focused on empowering the mentee to:

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How to get started

Once your registration is approved, start building your profile.

After building your profile, go to the side menu and click "Mentoring". From here you can: Find a mentor.

View your Mentoring relationships

Set the number of mentees you can commit to. Select your preferences between:

Offer Help - Seek Help.

Offer Mentoring - Seek Mentoring.

Option to integrate the following communication platform

NOTE: You are more than welcome to use other platforms outside of these two

Skype

Google Meet

BSM Sir James Connect Graduway Community

STEP 1: Get in touch

When you receive your matches and have decided which of them you are interested in collaborating with:

MENTEE MENTOR

Send a quick message introducing yourself.

Establish preferred method of communication.

Ask your mentee for a short bio to introduce themselves.

STEP 2: Goal setting

Create your short bio and agenda and share it with your mentor for feedback. Establish in which areas you want to grow and develop

Write down a list of questions you want to ask

During your first meeting, it is recommended that you focus on asking open-ended questions.

MENTEE MENTOR

Set parameters of your relationship: How often should you connect and how will you communicate?

Give an overview of your career highlights and relevant experience.

Key points: why you’re offering your time back and how mentors have helped you along the way.

Plan how you can best assist and guide the mentee in achieving their goals

Be mindful of the mentor’s time so please respect the schedule. Do a short intro about yourself and discuss your short- and long-term goals.

Ask questions or seek clarifications

Take notes during this meeting.

A key question to ask before ending the meeting: do you think my goals are aligned with your expertise?

STEP 3: Progress Monitoring

MENTEE MENTOR

Consider what you discussed; ensure it's covered in the meeting summary and next steps shared by the mentee

Schedule the next check-in, share any relevant articles, and start look for opportunities to help your mentee grow.

STEP 4: Feedback

Suggest some touchpoints to focus on in your next meeting.

Stay in touch even before your next meeting.

Key Reflection: Identify progress on goals and share challenges.

This is the time to reflect on the mentoring programme using the following guide questions:

MENTEE MENTOR

What has been the most challenging aspect of being in a mentoring programme?

Do you feel you are getting what you should at this point from the programme? Would your mentee agree with you?

Offer to keep in touch.

What do you feel you have achieved?

What challenges remain?

Remember to thank the mentor for their help.

After this experience, do you see yourself as a Mentor?

COMMON CHALLENGES

Within the mentoring period, mentees and mentors will undoubtedly have challenges in their partnership In case of any doubts, feel free to contact the BSM Alumni Office (alumni@bsm school)

Below are the challenges that are commonly experienced in mentoring programmes

Mentor/mentee is too busy to schedule catch-ups

Mentee and mentor don’t have chemistry or are not aligned in skills/experience

Mentor talks a lot and doesn’t listen to mentee’s needs

Mentor/mentee doesn’t show up to planned meetings

Mentee does not feel like they are making progress

Mentor does not feel like their mentee is making progress

Mentor is pushing the mentee to take risks they are clearly uncomfortable with

Mentee comes to meetings unprepared

The mentee and mentor in an inappropriate relationship or either one is feeling sexually harassed

Mentee needs help with a task but feels ashamed to ask their mentor because they are worried they will appear stupid

RESOURCES

What is Mentoring?: Association of Talent Development

What is Mentoring?: Association of Talent Development

Mentoring Guide: University of Cambridge

https://www ppd admin cam ac uk/files/mentoring guide 2020 v3 pdf

Make Mentoring Meaningful: Argonne Leadership Institute

https://www.ppd.admin.cam.ac.uk/files/mentoring guide 2020 v3.pdf

Tips for a 6-month check up: Mentoring Complete

https://www.mentoringcomplete.com/mentoring-programs-tips-for-the-six-monthcheckup/

5 Questions you should never ask your Mentor: Dan Martell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMFlWvBCYUE&t=22s

Why Mentoring is Important: Indeed.com

https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/why-is-mentoring-important

Maintaining the mentoring relationship: YPard

https://ypard.gitbook.io/mentoring/11-maintaining-the-mentoring-relationship