​Mentoring 101

Consider where you are in your career:

• What advice can you offer those students and alumni whose career is a stage or two behind yours? How can you help?
• What information and advice do you need as you consider your own next professional steps? Where do you need help?

Types of mentoring
Mentoring can occur in many different formats and types of interaction.

1. Role Modeling
Passive observation

Mentee: Who do you wish to emulate? Why? Who can you readily observe? Who do you admire?
By observing your role models, you can learn the basics of a new job, practice, tactic, etc.
Scan your environment for role models to observe, browse LinkedIn for role models to follow, and read alumni profiles to learn about their success.

Mentor: Recognize what you do well and share with individuals and groups at your company, in professional organizations, and through social networking sites.

2. Crowd Mentoring
Short and quick interactions happening often in the 1 to many environment of events or online discussions

Mentee: Learn from the personal experiences of others. Think about the information you wish to gather when you are going to professional meetings and ask targeted questions. These conversation can happen as you are waiting for a speaker to start or during meals. Similar questions can be posted to online social networking sites.

Mentor: Respond to questions and invitations to network. Think about the information that you can share about what is going well and what has changed or is changing. Volunteer for panel discussions, round table discussions, resume review and mock interview programs through professional association and University groups.

3. Session-based
1-to-1 interaction on a single topic in a single session 

Mentee: Decide on the topics where assistance would provide the most support and guidance (Career path review, mock interview, company information, negotiation skills, functional informational interview) and the types of mentors who could best answer your questions.

Mentor: Identify subject matter and career information areas of expertise. Utilize resources and aids offered by the program’s sponsoring organization.

4. Traditional
1-to-1 interaction can vary from short term regarding a specific goal (i.e. skill development) to long term coaching

Mentee: Define your objectives and goals and seek out people who possess the proficiency that you are looking to develop or who have the expertise and insight you need.

Mentor: Think about the areas of expertise and the skills that you are proficient in. Work with mentee on developing and charting progress toward a specific goal

Getting Started
Contact the college or department from which you graduated to see what opportunities are available for mentors and mentees. Even if you aren’t an alumnus from a particular program, if you feel your knowledge and experience would benefit a current student, introduce yourself to that college or department.

Since, most university sponsored programs usually focus on the student as mentee, if you are an alumnus looking for a mentor, consider your company, professional associations in your field, and community groups as sources for a possible mentor.

Being a Mentee (video)
Being a Mentor (video)

Adapted from material that originally appeared in the University of Illinois Alumni Association's Virtual Career Center
© 2020, Julie L Bartimus Consulting, Naperville, Illinois