RTSWS Mentor Handbook

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Mentor Handbook



Table of Contents A Letter from the Founder Mission

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Background

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Traits of a Mentor

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Applying to the Program

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Matching Mentors with Proteges

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Mentoring Across Differences

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Mentorship Process

5

Understanding the Mentorship Relationship

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Communication with Your Protege

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Best Practices for Meetings

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Topics for Discussion

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Responsibilities of Mentors

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Benefits to Mentors

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Responsibilities of Proteges

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Benefits to Proteges

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Article: “Why Women Must Mentor Other Women in Finance”

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Outline for Discussion

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Session 1: Networking & Social Media Etiquette

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Session 2: Resume Building

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Session 3: Resume Review & Career Assessment

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Session 4: Career Choices & Interview Skills

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Session 5: Women in Finance

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Extension Activities and Ideas for Returning Proteges

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Connecting through Online Tools

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Dear Mentor, Early role models, particularly female role models, influence women’s choice of finance and economic careers. Thank you for stepping up to change the ratio. You will be serving as an inspirational mentor to your protege. She likely had no idea that being financially literate is critical to her independence, nor did she know that a profession in finance even existed before she met us in the fall sessions of RTSWS. And for those students who did know of the profession, you will help them to “not exit” finance or economics as a major when they get to college, where we still represent only four out of twenty in those classrooms. You are helping to change the prevalent culture. As children, we’re little sponges taking in everything around us. We might have been guided into particular roles in the family and coached for particular roles as adults. We are still constrained in many arenas of work and home. You will aid your protege in finding her genuine interests and her voice. You will have the privilege and opportunity of offering feedback, teaching, support and guidance. Female students need mentors, and they particularly need female mentors who can model the greater diversity in women’s lives today. In female mentor/ female protege relationships, both parties learn through this empowering relationship how to mobilize the energies, resources, and strengths of each individual. Therefore, mentorship can be empowering for both mentor and protege. Additional benefits of mentoring include improved self-confidence, leadership, and communication skills for both parties. You might find, as some of our previous mentors have, that your own vision, ambition and voice get stronger too. Youth with mentors find more self-confidence and self-esteem, and are able to create bigger goals for themselves. Their behavior and attitudes improve. You will help them grow while closing social and economic opportunity gaps. Enjoy your time with your protege as you grow together and let us know how we can improve your mentor/protege experience with RTSWS.

Maura K. Cunningham Founder & Executive Director, Rock The Street, Wall Street


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Mission “In order to be a mentor, and an effective one, one must care. You must care. You don’t have to know how many square miles are in Idaho, you don’t need to know what is the chemical makeup of chemistry, or of blood or water. Know what you know and care about the person, care about what you know and care about the person you’re sharing with.” — Maya Angelou "Search for role models you can look up to and people who take an interest in your career. But here's an important warning: you don't have to have mentors who look like you. Had I been waiting for a black, female Soviet specialist mentor, I would still be waiting. Most of my mentors have been old white men, because they were the ones who dominated my field." — Condoleezza Rice ●●● The Rock The Street, Wall Street Mentorship Program is designed to encourage high schools girls to take a strong interest in their personal finances at an early age and to explore the possibility of a career in the financial services industry. We do this by offering a five-week series of classroom workshops and a Wall Street Experience Field Trip in the fall. And then, in the spring, we pair those students who wish to be mentored with professional females in finance. Our professionals offer a firsthand (and very often, first-time) view into the world of business. The mentor provides guidance to the protege about savings and investments, presentation skills, resume preparation, college major/minor preparation, job preparedness and career interests. The goal of the mentorship program is to encourage girls to take charge of their financial lives at an early age and increase the number of women entering the financial services profession. Mentoring is a valuable resource in developing the protege’s self-confidence, providing accountability for her goals, and discovering her interests and professional aspirations. By sharing your time and expertise via face-to-face meetings, emails and text messages over the course of your relationship, it is our hope that both of you will become comfortable sharing ideas on life, leadership, academic and career goals, and overcoming obstacles. Our larger goal is to have the two of you stay in touch longterm as your protege grows into a college student and beyond. We know of RTSWS mentor/protege relationships that have lasted for years, attesting to the effectiveness of a formal mentorship program.

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Background Two out of three women state that they know little to nothing about finance. By reaching out to girls in high school, we commission them to take charge of their finances at an early age. We illuminate the relevance of finance in everyday life and encourage girls to study business and seek a profession in the financial industry, where women are vastly underrepresented in the upper ranks and comprise only 2.5% of hedge fund CEOs, 8% of venture capital professionals, 9% of mutual fund managers, and 11.7% of private equity executives. Let's face it. Financial naivete among women cuts across all socioeconomic classes. RTSWS is reaching young women in 15 cities nationwide through local public and private schools, introducing them to financial concepts such as savings, investments, budgets, stocks, bonds, derivatives, private equity and college financial preparedness. We offer young women a pathway to financial literacy and career preparedness through financial hands-on projects in our workshops, role modeling, mentoring, strengths assessments, and real-life Wall Street field trip experiences.

Traits of a Mentor The following are the traits that RTSWS believes makes for a good mentor to a high school student: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Sincere desire to be involved in the life of a young person Respect for young people Willingness to share Ability to relate across cultural and economic differences Active listening, suspending judgment, and asking thoughtful questions Ability to empathize with a young person Skills in recognizing solutions and opportunities Patience Regular access to computer, email and text messaging Comfort with technology and self-expression online. When mentoring, the online relationship can be just as valuable as meeting face-to-face. Ability to not take things personally Ability to guide conversations

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Applying to the Program Mentors can apply to be a mentor through the link to the mentorship application or on the Contact Us portion of our website, www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com/contactus. If you are signing up through the Contact Us portion of our website, please write in the comments “mentor”. If you were already a classroom volunteer, that is all you need to do in order to sign-up to be a mentor. If you are a new volunteer, after you apply, we will send you two emails to complete: one email will contain a link to the RTSWS volunteer release forms (sender “airSlate”) and the other email will have a link to the background check (sender “portal”). Please check your spam folder in case our emails get sent there.

Matching Mentors with Proteges Here’s how the program begins: ● ● ● ●

All proteges and mentors will come together as a group for the first time at Session 1. You will meet your assigned protege then and break off into groups for the duration of the session. At this session, the “rules of the road” will be introduced. This session will describe in more detail the set of expectations for each participant. At this session, both parties will bring their calendars so they can record their subsequent mentoring sessions. If a relationship is not working out (it happens!), please contact us and we will try to assist.

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Mentoring Across Differences Since launching the mentoring program a few years ago, RTSWS has discovered several things that have proven helpful to the mentor/protege relationship. Some of the girls will be of different socioeconomic, cultural, and/or religious backgrounds. It can be a challenge to approach these topics. Please take the time to read an article by Ida Abbott, a professional consultant specializing in mentoring, titled “Breaking Down Barriers to Mentoring Across Differences.” You can find the article at Ms. Abbott’s LinkedIn page or at http://bit.ly/MH_article1. The article illustrates how it can be limiting for the relationship to ignore the differences that exist between mentor and protege. Please also read this interesting article by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which speaks specifically to the need for diversity and inclusion in STEMM, along with outlining effective mentoring practices. You can find the article at http://bit.ly/MH_article2. You can open up these discussions by: ● ●

● ● ●

Being honest, and letting the protege see both your strengths and weaknesses. Not being afraid to show your vulnerability. By acknowledging your unawareness about certain situations, the protege becomes more at ease and less self-conscious about her own vulnerabilities. Inviting her to open up about her culture. Turn your inexperience with her situation into a curiosity and ask her about her life. Who is she? What is her life like? What motivated her to be a part of this program? Being empathetic to her situation. What does she want to learn? How does she plan to use what she learns? What risks and obstacles is she facing? Withhold assumptions about what is “right” for her based on your knowledge and experience. Adjusting your agenda to better fit your protege. Be adaptable to the protege’s responses and be open to speaking about topics you hadn’t planned. Keeping humor in the conversation. If something was misunderstood, laugh about it instead of dwelling on it. Treating the protege with respect. She will reciprocate.

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Mentorship Process ●

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Preparing: We will email each mentor a one-hour training video on the entire handbook before the sessions begin. Before each individual session please review the session tasks, activities, and notes. After Session 1, you will also be communicating with your protege intermittently to check-in and remind her of the tasks she needs to complete. Conducting the Session: Follow the tasks outlined in each session, but please still allow for the conversation to take a natural course as you approach each subject. Reporting: “What gets measured, gets done.” After each session, both mentor and protege will receive a text message to complete a 3-question survey through Survey Monkey. This feedback will help us improve the program. We implore you to please complete these surveys after each session. Reflecting: After each session and at the conclusion of the mentorship program, each mentor should reflect on her own learning from this experience. For example, what have you learned about yourself as a mentor? How will you take what you’ve learned and apply this to your life and future ventures? What have you learned about building a relationship with your protege and the mentorship relationship?

Understanding the Mentorship Relationship ●

Some students may be shy or quiet at first; we have especially seen this with Freshmen and Sophomores. That is why at some schools we will create a ratio of 2 or more students to 1 mentor with those particular grade levels. Please know that this doesn’t mean the student isn’t invested or interested in the relationship. It is more likely that due to shyness or lack of exposure to things outside of school, that this unique pairing may need a bit more time to build a solid relationship. Also remember these are high school girls and they will have different personalities and comfort levels. The goal is that over time these relationships will grow and everyone will become comfortable. Please be patient. Try to find common ground or similar interests to get the conversations going. The icebreaker activities are a great way to do this, along with asking your protege questions about her own life, interests, and family. Sometimes it also takes sharing about your own life in order for your protege to feel comfortable sharing about hers. The expectation is that every protege attends each session, however, things can come up which may result in your protege being absent for a session. If this happens, please join another group for that session and after the session contact your protege regarding her absence. This provides another way to build accountability into the mentorship relationship. Most importantly, showing up on time for every session is an essential way to build trust and show your commitment to this relationship. If they see that you are invested in being there and in them, they will, over time, become invested as well!

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Communication with your Protege ●

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Over the course of the spring semester, it is expected that the mentor/protege teams will meet five times. RTSWS will work with schools and volunteers to select mentoring dates. Make note of the dates of the subsequent mentoring sessions with your protege. Establish how you will each remind the other of the upcoming meeting, whether by phone, text message, or email. If you’re unable to attend a session due to a work conflict or unforeseen emergency, schedule a time to meet with your protege over Skype, Facetime or a similar form of video conferencing.

Best Practices for Meetings ●

RTSWS and the school will establish a mentoring schedule where mentors will meet with their proteges at school during the predetermined time. Face-to-face meetings are most certainly the best way to foster the mentor/protege relationship. When schedules go through a hectic period, though, mentoring can be accomplished via video chat using free online platforms such as: !! — FaceTime !! — Google Duo ! — Skype ● RTSWS and the school will set up a routine meeting place such as an empty classroom, guidance counselor’s office, library or auditorium. ● Each mentor will connect with her protege on LinkedIn and our RTSWS professionals’ group. Type this title into LinkedIn, Rock The Street, Wall Street - Professionals, and connect. It is a mandatory requirement that all proteges join our LinkedIn group for students. Have your protege type this title into LinkedIn, Rock The Street, Wall Street - Students and Alumnae, and connect, assuming that your protege is over the age of sixteen. ● Your proteges will be advised that even if their mentor is not in one of their current fields of interest, she can still provide general knowledge about savings and investments, college life, and how to focus their interests. ● Conversations don’t have to be solely career-focused. ● For Freshmen and Sophomores, if possible, meet once after the final mentorship session has ended or in the summer for a job shadow. For Juniors and Seniors, if possible, help set-up a summer internship at your organization or connect her/help her research another internship or job shadowing opportunity. If you should do this, please let us know so we can survey these students before and after those opportunities, as we are collecting data on this. These are great ways for the relationship to continue and to further support students on their career paths. ● The intention of this component of the RTSWS program is for the mentoring relationship to continue beyond this academic year.

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Topics for Discussion Mentors and proteges will discuss ways to improve the protege’s high school, college, and career path. Some common subjects for conversation include: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Academic development and ways to improve the path toward college Student/Teacher/Professor roles and interactions Studying practices Guidance/recommendations on resources Stock/bond market performance Entrepreneurship Saving and investing Contacts and referrals Goals and progress toward goals Networking Job shadowing

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Responsibilities of Mentors Typical mentor responsibilities include, but are not limited to: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Acting as a resource for information about the financial profession and savings and investment concepts Establishing the meeting agenda Helping the protege identify and reach specific goals Establishing trust with the protege and maintaining confidentiality Listening actively Challenging the protege to think and analyze options Sharing unique professional experiences Serving as a sounding board for ideas Providing college and career guidance (However, she is not expected to be a college counselor.) Providing encouragement for building selfconfidence and stronger self-esteem Serving as a solid role model Offering constructive and meaningful feedback and critical analysis

Benefits to Mentors Serving as a mentor offers the following rewards: ● ● ● ● ●

The personal satisfaction of giving back to her community A legacy of personal knowledge, insight and experience Professional enhancement, higher visibility and prestige Expansion of her community network Expansion of her professional network

"Volunteering with RTSWS was a really rewarding experience. It was really cool because normally every day you come into work and you do a job and you don’t always see that tangible impact you are making on someone but when you come into the classroom and you interact with these girls you can see right then how you are making a difference in their lives.” — Sacramento volunteer

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Responsibilities of Proteges Each protege is expected to: ● ●

● ● ●

Stay in contact with her mentor Attend the scheduled sessions and notify her mentor 24 hours in advance if she will be absent from school and needs to change the meeting date/time or format (to electronic) Help to establish the meeting agenda Maintain confidentiality at all times Respect her mentor’s time

In addition to the responsibilities above, the protege is expected to: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Be receptive to feedback and coaching Assess her own individual needs Openly share successes and failures Take advantage of opportunities presented by her mentor Follow through on commitments and goals set during the mentoring sessions Admit mistakes and take responsibility for them Have a personal vision, specific goals and a good grasp of her own reality Not be afraid to tactfully and respectfully disagree with her mentor Actively participate in the mentoring relationship

Benefits to Proteges The protege gains the following benefits from being mentored: ● ● ● ● ● ●

Assistance in defining college and career goals, strategies and options. (But keep in mind that RTSWS mentors are not college counselors.) Help in building confidence to grow beyond the usual expectations Personalized attention geared toward specific needs A sounding board for ideas and approaches Referrals to experts with specialized industry knowledge Recommendations for helpful articles and texts

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“Why Women Must Mentor Other Women in Finance” by Marguerita Cheng, Financial Advisor, Dec. 4, 2018 Nobody seems to be denying that the lack of female advisors in the financial planning industry is, at the very least, problematic. Women are slated to control nearly two-thirds of the wealth in the United States over the next decade, yet only 23 percent of CFP professionals are women. That’s a problem when an estimated 70 percent of women seeking financial advice say they would prefer a female advisor to a male. For women who currently have an advisor, 73 percent report they are not happy with the one they have, and 87 percent say they don’t “connect” with their advisor. Another 71 percent say that Wall Street is not in touch with women’s financial needs. That’s concerning. The financial planning industry is not ignoring the problem. In 2013, the CFP Board launched its Women’s Initiative (WIN) under Nancy Kistner, CFP to “address the ‘feminine famine’ in financial planning.” Since then, CFP Board has actively sought to address the issue. And though there has been a slight increase in the number of women entering the financial planning field, it’s not an easy problem to solve. It’s a paradigm shift. Most of the leadership positions within the financial planning profession are still held predominantly by men, who are generally failing to provide what’s needed to attract and train female talent. According to a 2014 report by the Center for American Progress, “women make up 54 percent of the financialservices labor force but only 12 percent of its executive officers and 18 percent of its directors.” If we’re going to bring in more female advisors, we need more female voices speaking about the place of women in our industry. Woman-to-woman mentoring opens a channel for that to happen. It connects accomplished female advisors with aspiring female advisors to address the essential role women play in the traditionally male-dominated financial planning industry. Mentoring operates where initiatives, incentives, and programs can’t go alone. Women Mentors Can Attract More Women To The Financial Planning Industry By: 1. Sharing their journey Mentoring provides a platform where women can empower other women by sharing their journey to CFP certification. A one-on-one mentor who understands the personal, educational and professional investment necessary to become a successful female advisor has considerable insight for those either starting down the path or considering it. Not only can they answer their questions, but they can provide the inspiration, vision and confidence mentees need to take the next steps in their education or careers. 2. Becoming role models Mentors are role models. They’ve completed CFP Board’s course requirements, attained the certification, and done the hard work to succeed in the financial planning profession. Seeing other women prospering in a male-dominated industry is encouraging because it makes a career as a financial professional seem achievable and provides a reference point for success. Aspiring female advisors relate to their mentors as living and breathing examples of what they can accomplish.

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3. Demonstrating a work-life balance Women have a lot to offer the financial planning industry. They tend to be more communicative, empathetic and in tune with the concerns of female investors, but the industry also has a lot to offer women pursuing careers as financial advisors. Financial planning is an extremely flexible and rewarding career. Women mentors can help their mentees see how being an advisor allows them to invest in people’s lives in ways that few other professions do while providing the flexibility that few other careers can. Mentors offer a vital model of work-life-balance that demonstrates how women can flourish in their careers without sacrificing the needs of their families. 4. Defying stereotypes Women do not need to act like men to be financial advisors. They just need to demolish the stereotype that only middle-aged men can be financial advisors. Mentoring does that. Successful female mentors show that women are impacting the industry with uniquely feminine insights and making important contributions of their own. So, when a young woman finds herself facing a panel of middle-aged men in an interview, she’s not intimated by antiquated attitudes but empowered by confidence in what she as a woman has to offer. 5. Exposing young women to the financial planning industry Mentoring isn’t academic, but it works well in academic settings because it exposes young women to opportunities in the financial planning field while they’re still in college. By hosting seminars on what’s on the horizon for female advisors, mentors can attract and nurture talented future female advisors. Those with senior positions in financial planning can also be instrumental in creating mentorship programs that allow able female students to interact and develop relationships with seasoned female advisors. Mentoring allows female advisors to increase awareness about financial planning while addressing common misconceptions and developing communities that strengthen the industry. 6. Inspiring confidence Knowledge inspires confidence. Mentors can provide a voice in our schools and culture at large that encourages women to develop strong mathematical skills, technical competencies and awareness about financial planning. They can also help educate girls and young women in the art of financial planning and applications of mathematics by sponsoring workshops and financial planning career days. By helping the next generation of women understand money and math and finance and business, mentors can empower them to move confidently into the world of financial planning. 7. Advocating for our industry Mentors are advocates, and established female advisors participating in mentoring relationships are advocating both for women and the future of our industry. Everybody agrees that we need more female advisors to accommodate the growing number of women investors. Mentoring allows us to address that need by increasing the visibility of female financial planning professionals.

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Women mentors can advocate for aspiring female advisors in our industry by developing and leading mentoring networks, supporting companies subsidizing apprenticeships, and encouraging women to take positions in firms with subsidized entrance costs. They can also establish their presence as a viable voice within the industry through social media, online and in-person forums, community and professional events, and by positioning themselves as thought leaders within the industry through publishing and public speaking. Through WIN, the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning is encouraging firms to create a more welcoming profession for women, including promoting woman-to-woman mentoring as part of its solution to the industry’s “feminine famine.” As a mentor, I’ve seen the impact women-to-women mentoring is having on women pursuing careers in the financial planning field. We are establishing a female presence within the industry and are actively engaging a new generation of female advisors.

Marguerita Cheng, CFP, is CFP Board ambassador and CEO of Blue Ocean Global Wealth.

Article referenced from: https://www.fa-mag.com/news/why-women-must-mentor-other-women-in-finance-42197.html?section=3

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Outline for Discussion Implement the following for each mentor/protege session. Please still allow for conversations to take a natural course as you approach each subject. Session Date

Topic

Tasks

Session 1

Networking & Social Media Etiquette

● Take a selfie ● Ice Breaker ● Social Media Etiquette Activity ● LinkedIn Activity ● If your protege is 16+, help her sign up for LinkedIn.

Session 2

Resume Building

● Review protege’s LinkedIn profile ● Discuss the importance of a resume ● Assist your protege in creating her resume

Session 3

Resume Review & Career Assessment

● Review protege’s resume ● Protege completes the career aptitude test ● If time permits, research career choices based on results

Session 4

Career Choices & Interview Skills

● Discuss the results of protege’s Holland Code Assessment ● Planning for Life Beyond High School Activity ● Practice Interview ● Practice a firm handshake and eye contact

Session 5

Women in Finance

● Use the questions in the Notes section to discuss more about your (mentor’s) career path ● LinkedIn Connections Activity ● Reflection Activity

If at any point during the sessions you’re at a loss for conversation, consider asking your protege the following questions*: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

What does success look like to you? What is the outcome you want? What do you want to be different in three to five years? What are the obstacles you’re facing? What can you control? What are the options you’ve come up with? Tell me more. What are you reading?

*Question list referenced from https://www.fastcompany.com/40543989/the-best-mentors-ask-these-8-questions

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Session 1: Networking & Social Media Etiquette Meeting Date, Time & Location: _______________________________________________________ Notes

Tasks ● Take a selfie with your protege and send it (please include your names and the school name) to RTSWS at pictures@rockthestreetwallstreet.com. ● Ice Breaker (5 min) ● Social Media Etiquette Activity ● LinkedIn Activity ● If your protege(s) is 16 years old or older, help her sign up for a LinkedIn account and join the RTSWS Students & Alumnae group ● If your protege is not yet 16 years of age, discuss the benefits of LinkedIn and brainstorm what her LinkedIn profile should look like when she is old enough to create one.

● Her LinkedIn username: ______________________________ Protege Tasks to Complete Before Session 2: 1. Watch the 2-minute overview video on LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/RTSWS_MH_1 2. Explore LinkedIn from your profile. 3. Complete 2-3 sections from the LinkedIn Profile Checklist. 4. Mentor and Protege complete the survey from RTSWS to provide feedback and help us improve the program.

Icebreaker Activity Icebreakers play a significant role in forming relationships by connecting over similarities and interesting differences between mentors and proteges. Please allow the conversation to get deeper by intermittently asking “why” to learn even more about each other. You may continue to try out new icebreakers if you see fit at the beginning of other sessions. Remember to have fun and enjoy building this meaningful relationship! Funny Questions 1. Who was your childhood crush? 2. What song gets you most energized in the morning? 3. Have you ever been told you look like someone famous, who was it? 4. What is your favorite television show? 5. What would your dream house be like?

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Thought-Provoking Questions 1. What’s your favorite family tradition or holiday? 2. Say you’re independently wealthy and don’t have to work, what would you do with your time? 3. If you had to delete all but 3 apps from your smartphone, which ones would you keep? 4. What is your favorite magical or mythological animal? 5. What is something you want to be remembered for? “Would You Rather” Questions 1. Would you rather live in the ocean or on the moon? 2. Would you rather travel back in time to meet your ancestors or to the future to meet your descendants? 3. Would you rather lose all of your money or all of your pictures? 4. Would you rather have invisibility or flight? 5. Would you rather live where it only snows or the temperature never falls below 100 degrees?

Social Media Etiquette Activity Discuss social media etiquette using this document (please pull up on your phone or computer): http://bit.ly/RTSWS_MH_2

LinkedIn Activity For freshmen or sophomores, you may need to lead the conversation by asking what your protege(s) may know about LinkedIn and why it is important. What is LinkedIn? LinkedIn is a social media network designed to connect business professionals. It is a way to connect with potential employers, school alumni working in your ideal career fields, teachers, and college recruitment teams. Why is it so important to create a professional social media presence in high school? ● ● ● ●

To stand out from the college competition To set yourself up for career success To take control of your own online narrative To start professional networking early

List provided courtesy of https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-tips-high-school-students-judy-schramm/

Creating a LinkedIn Profile Activity Directions: 1. Go through the checklist on the folllowing two pages with your own LinkedIn profile. (Your LinkedIn doesn’t need to be perfect — this is just an example for the proteges!) 2. Then, if your protege is 16 years or older, help her sign up for a LinkedIn account.

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Checklist provided courtesy of: https://university.linkedin.com/content/dam/university/global/en_US/site/pdf/LinkedIn_Sample_Profile_onesheet-David.pdf

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Session 2: Resume Building Meeting Date, Time & Location: _______________________________________________________ Notes

Tasks ● Review and give feedback on the items your protege(s) added to her LinkedIn profile since Session 1. (Remember to refer back to the Checklist when needed.) ● Explain to your protege how her LinkedIn profile and resume will be similar, but she will need both. Discuss the similarities and differences. ● Discuss the role of a resume and work with your protege to help her create her own resume. Use the sample resume on the following page as a guide. On a piece of paper, brainstorm ideas to put into her resume. (If she already has a resume have her show you this and discuss how she can improve it.)

● The Rice University Center for Career Development has a detailed resume guide for high school and college students at: http://bit.ly/RTSWS_MH3 Protege Tasks to Complete Before Session 3 1. Protege should complete her resume and continue adding to her LinkedIn profile. 2. The protege should connect on LinkedIn with her mentor and RTSWS Founder, Maura Cunningham. If you as the mentor have not connected with Maura as well, please do so! 3. Mentor and Protege complete the survey from RTSWS to provide feedback and help us improve the program.

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image courtesy of Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, www.mass.edu

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Session 3: Resume Review & Career Assessment Meeting Date, Time & Location: _______________________________________________________ Tasks

Notes

● Review your protege’s resume with her and provide suggestions on how she can improve it. ● Complete the career aptitude test “Holland Code Assessment” found at https://www.123test.com/ career-test/. You will need a phone, tablet or laptop. This should take no more than 10 minutes. After answering the 15 questions, indicate the level of education your protege(s) intends to pursue after high school, and make a note of her results. Encourage your protege to send the test results to herself and/or others via email, text message or social media so she can access them in the future. ● If time permits, research career choices based on your Holland Code Career Test results.

Protege Task to Complete Before Session 4: 1. Review a “Practical Guide for Kick-Starting your Career”: http://bit.ly/RTSWS_MH_4 2. Mentor and Protege complete the survey from RTSWS to provide feedback and help us improve the program.

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Holland Code Career Test Results Her personality type (percentages):

Her Holland Code is:

● Realistic: _________

______________________________

● Investigative: _________

Her top 5 suggested occupations are:

● Artistic: _________

● ________________________________________

● Social: _________

● ________________________________________

● Enterprising: _________

● ________________________________________

● Conventional: _________

● ________________________________________ ● ________________________________________

Holland Personality Types and Sample Careers

Graphic referenced from: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/04/10/education/edlife/10Coach-Graphic.html

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Session 4: Career Choices & Interview Skills Meeting Date, Time & Location: _______________________________________________________ Tasks

Notes

● Discuss the results of your protege’s Holland Code Assessment. (You may want to revisit her report with her in her email, text or social media accounts.) ● Planning for Life Beyond High School Activity ● Engage in a practice interview with your mentor by asking her common interview questions and providing her with feedback on the answers she gives. ● Work with her on a firm handshake, and making good eye contact.

Protege Tasks to Complete Before Session 5: 1. Please review the document “Interviewing for Students and Recent Graduates”: http://bit.ly/RTSWS_MH_5 2. Mentor and Protege complete the survey from RTSWS to provide feedback and help us improve the program.

Planning for Life Beyond High School Using the results of your protege’s Holland Code Career Test, begin to discuss the careers your protege may be interested in from the list provided. (Ask these questions to your protege/ help her answer these and take notes for her. Email these notes to your protege after Session 4.) ● Which career or careers jump out to you as the most interesting? Why? ● Are there any careers on the list you are not interested in? Why? ● Are there any careers that you are not sure what they are? (Please explain these careers to your protege and research further if needed.) ● What level of education is required to achieve the career you are most interested in (e.g.. certification program, 2 year degree, 4-year degree, or graduate degree)? ● What companies are potential employers for this career? ● Where are these companies located? Is there a certain city or state that will have more job opportunities for the career you are interested in (e.g. Los Angeles for acting/producing, Nashville for music/songwriting, or New York for finance/Wall Street)?

Practice Interview After learning more about potential careers, it is time to share interviewing best practices with your protege. This is a time to teach your protege how to truly stand out by answering questions effectively, giving a firm handshake, and knowing the value of her skillset and background. Whether she is RockTheStreetWallStreet.com | Moving Girls Forward in the Field of Finance


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interviewing for an internship, college, job, or a volunteer opportunity, she must be prepared. Please ask your protege the questions below (You will provide feedback for your protege after so please take notes): ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Tell me a little more about yourself. Why should we hire you? What is your greatest strength? What is your greatest weakness? What are your salary expectations? Why do you want this job? How do you handle stress and pressure? Describe a difficult situation and how you overcame it? What are your goals for the future? Tell me a time you have experienced conflict. How did you handle it? What questions do you have for me? (Always have 3 questions prepared and memorized!!)

When giving feedback to your protege, use these sentence starters: When giving positive feedback: ● “What really impressed me was…” ● “Your answers displayed confidence in…” ● “The best part of your interview was…”

When giving constructive criticism: ● “Consider changing…” ● “I think a better choice of words would be…” ● “I was wondering if…”

Please provide feedback for your protege based on her answers. Use this website to provide specific feedback on these questions: http://bit.ly/RTSWS_MH_6

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Session 5: Women in Finance Meeting Date, Time & Location: _______________________________________________________ Notes

Tasks ● Use the questions in the Notes section to discuss more about your (mentor’s) career path. ● LinkedIn Connections Activity ● Reflection Activity

If you haven’t already discussed some of the following questions about yourself with your protege, consider these for your last session: ● What are the most important aspects of your role? ● What do you enjoy most about your job? ● What do you enjoy the least? ● Who do you partner with in your role? ● How does this partnership help you be more effective? ● How do you balance your personal and professional lives? Protege Tasks to Complete After Session 5: 1. Another awesome resource for proteges to check out is “Job Searching for Students and Recent Graduates” (part 2 of the other LinkedIn resource documents we provided): http://bit.ly/RTSWS_MH_7 2. Mentor and Protege complete the survey from RTSWS to provide feedback and help us improve the program.

LinkedIn Connections Activity Use the following LinkedIn suggestions to help connect your protege to professionals in the roles she’s interested in, companies, organizations, public figures, colleges, and teachers in her community who may be able to write references for her in the future. ● If she has not done so already, have her connect with you and Maura Cunningham, RTSWS Founder and CEO. ● Join the LinkedIn group, Rock The Street, Wall Street - Students and Alumnae. Former RTSWS members from all of our different cities have already been utilizing this networking group to find job opportunities and get advice from peers about their career path. ● Joining this group and participating in RTSWS sets you apart when applying to colleges and from other job applicants. RTSWS is a unique wall street experience that gives you a set of skills to bring to the campus and add to the community/organization. ● Help your protege connect to her high school’s LinkedIn and any of her high schools’ alumni who may be working in fields she’s interested in. ● Help your protege connect to any volunteer groups and/or organizations she belongs to or may be interested in joining. Help her also connect with any colleges or public figures she is interested in. (You can also suggest strong female role models to connect with.)

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● Show her how to follow companies she may be interested in working for and explain why this looks good to future employers. Help her analyze the community partnerships the organization has, if any high school alumni work for them (found by clicking “See all employees on LinkedIn”), and what jobs they currently have available. ● Help your protege search for professionals in the types of roles she’s interested in. If she knows what city or cities she is interested in, look for professionals in that city or those cities. ● Remember to show your protege how to connect with people who are not in her network yet. Click on the person’s page, click “more”, and then click “connect”.

Reflection Activity The mentor and the protege should end the session asking each other the following: ● What have you learned about yourself as a mentor or protege? ● How will you take what you’ve learned and apply this to your life and future ventures? ● What have you learned about building a relationship with a protege(s) or mentor? ● How will we continue to foster a mentor/protege relationship beyond these five sessions? — Does your company/organization offer job shadowing or summer internship opportunities? If so, please let Rock the Street, Wall Street know. — If not, do you know of or can you help your protege search for job shadowing and summer internship opportunities? If so, please let Rock the Street, Wall Street know. — What are other ways you will continue to foster this relationship? (e.g. You could both volunteer with another local organization together, or meet up for coffee/lunch.) Please be honest and transparent in this moment. Do not overextend yourself if you will not have time. This will remove the trust you have worked so hard to build.

Thank you for your outstanding commitment and persistence as a mentor! You have made a lasting contribution to your protege’s life.

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Extension Activities and Ideas for Returning Proteges If your protege is returning for a second year this is an amazing opportunity to spend extra time speaking with your protege about her career goals, plans for the future, what she is involved in at her high school, her interests, and any challenges she is facing in order to cater this mentorship experience to her specific needs. Please see below for optional extension activities for returning proteges.

Session 1 ● If your protege created a LinkedIn profile previously: — Help her update her profile and improve her written content. The LinkedIn checklist activity is new this year so this is a great activity to engage in with your returning protege. — Show her how to job search on LinkedIn and explain in detail about the importance of making connections on LinkedIn. — Make sure she is connected to the RTSWS student group: Rock The Street, Wall Street – Students and Alumnae. — Help her search within this group for young women in jobs/roles, colleges, organizations, or cities your protege is interested in. Have her connect with those young women and if she’s comfortable set-up some informational interviews. Talk to her about the benefits of networking and how these connections will be essential in the future. — Talk to your protege about what she should make sure to add to her profile in the future so that she can stand out on college and job applications – especially RTSWS. ● With extra time, review these LinkedIn videos and resources with your protege at this link: http://bit.ly/RTSWS_MH_1.

Session 2 ● If your protege created a resume previously: — Help her update her resume and improve her written content. — There are many free resume templates for high school students online. Help your protege input her resume into a modern template. — If your protege’s resume is more than two pages help her to condense her resume to be one page with the most relevant and important information. ● With extra time, review the resources below on how to craft cover letters. Then help your protege create a general cover letter template she can use as a foundation for different job applications. — http://bit.ly/RTSWSCV_1 — http://bit.ly/RTSWSCV_2 — http://bit.ly/RTSWSCV_3 ● Preparing for the next session: ask your protege if she already took the Holland Code Assessment last year. If so, there is another career assessment she can take either before the next session or during the next session at this link: https://www.assessment.com/. Also, if you were not able to complete the changes to your protege’s LinkedIn, resume, or cover letter during the previous sessions, have your protege finish these changes before session 3 so you can review them together.

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Session 3 ● Review and give feedback on any additional changes your protege made to her LinkedIn profile, resume, or cover letter since Session 2. ● If your protege has already taken the Holland Code Assessment previously, she can follow this link to another career assessment: https://www.assessment.com/. This assessment takes about 22 minutes. Review the results with your protege after she is finished to see what career paths or job types match her results. ● If your protege already took this assessment in preparation for this session, review the results with your protege to see what career paths or job types match her results. ● Based on these results or your protege’s career interests, help her research colleges/majors/ minors that are a great fit for her career interests, organizations that match her career interests, and female role models in her field or fields of interest. Make sure she connects on LinkedIn with any people, colleges, or organizations derived from this research.

Session 4 ● There are two new activities added to this session: Planning for Life Beyond High School and the Practice Interview. Please engage in these activities with your protege. ● With extra time, take this opportunity to switch roles for the practice interview. Have your protege interview you so she can take notes on exemplar answers to these questions. Afterwards, interview your protege again so she can try out her new and improved answers. ● If there is still time left, review this online resource for interview tips in order to make a great impression: http://bit.ly/RTSWS_IT

Session 5 ● There are two new activities added to this session: The LinkedIn Connections Activity and the Reflection Activity. Please engage in these activities with your protege. ● With extra time, discuss with your protege any summer internship or job shadowing opportunities at your organization and how to apply. If this is something your organization does not offer, then help your protege research other opportunities for summer internships or job shadowing experiences she could partake in to build her skill set and experience.

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Connecting through Online Tools Within a mentorship, electronic communication can be just as relevant as face-to-face time. Emails and text messages, as well the other online tools listed below, will be important parts of your ongoing relationship and participation in the program.

Reminder Text Messages and Emails RTSWS will send reminder texts to proteges and mentors about their monthly meeting with their mentors.

Survey Monkey Please complete the post-session surveys that we send you via text message. This should only take a few minutes.

LinkedIn All mentors are required to join our LinkedIn group, Rock The Street, Wall Street Professionals. All proteges are required to create a LinkedIn profile and join the LinkedIn group, Rock The Street, Wall Street Students and Alumnae. This allows for the mentors and students to gather electronically via a professional site so that the proteges can grow and learn from the mentors. RTSWS periodically posts articles relevant to the RTSWS curriculum and encourages students to connect with other RTSWS students from around the country. We know of students who have already reached out to other members of the group for job opportunities in cities away from home.

Pinterest All proteges are strongly encouraged to follow the RTSWS Pinterest boards. There are 14 boards with over 4,000 pins. Mentors and proteges can create their own boards and pin articles that are of particular interest to them.

Other Social Media Follow RTSWS on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for articles, blog posts, and news from RTSWS around the country. Be on the lookout for contests on RTSWS social media platforms throughout the semester.

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CareerGirls.org Career Girls is an online platform with video clips of diverse women role models sharing career and educational advice to inspire young girls to expand their horizons, improve their academic performance and dream big about their futures.

Knowledge @ Wharton High School This website, affiliated with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, provides high school students with a deeper understanding of business and personal finance. RTSWS students are introduced to this site during their classes. Find it at kwhs.wharton.upenn.edu.

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