Mentoring Tips For Mentees

Glad you asked! A mentee invests in her future. She seeks feedback, both positive and  constructive. She is committed to demonstrating professional growth and advancement within her development plan.

As a mentee, you will work toward building your skills and achieving your goals with the help of your mentor. You will lead and manage your mentoring partnership. All meeting scheduling chores and follow-ups are your responsibilities.  

We will support you in every step of the way! After you read the mentoring guideline, please check out our learning center for book and video recommendations. You will also receive bi-monthly newsletters and event invitations to sharpen your mentoring skills. Please join our MentorWIN group to stay in touch for updates.

We have a world of suggestions in our program mentoring guideline but here is a short list for you to simmer on.

Do's:

• be committed to this new relationship
• define your goals early
• have a written outline or an agenda for your meeting
• be clear about your needs
• be willing to learn from others
• be open to receiving feedback
• be ready to step outside the comfort zone
• respect your mentor’s time
• consider all advice your mentor provides
• learn about your mentor’s goals, career, professional development
• show appreciation
• ask for feedback
• keep your relationship professional

Don'ts:

• expect mentors to solve your problems
• expect your mentor to define your goals
• expect mentors to do your work
• expect hands-on operational support
• expect that you will be provided training or coaching services nor technical business advice
• assume that your mentor has unlimited time for you
• be defensive
• talk negatively about your mentor
• bring another person to your meeting with your mentor unless it is mutually agreed ahead of time

Yes, we do! 

• Read the mentoring guideline!
• Make sure your mentoring meetings take place within the framework of the EMCC Global Ethics Code.
• Add "This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." to your safe list to receive our emails in a timely way. You will get event invitations and more!
• Be prepared for your first meeting with your mentor. Prepare the agenda, how you will present yourself, and your mentoring objective.
• Communicate your expectations to your mentor. What would you like to accomplish? What is your mentoring objective?
• Lead in defining your relationship boundaries (meeting agenda, communication channels, meeting dates, defining what makes this relationship safe for you, work style, etc.)
• Learn the expectations of your mentor from you and your mentoring relationship.
• You are in the driving seat of this relationship. Follow up on meeting dates and set the meeting agenda to support your development plan.
• If you have questions about this mentoring journey or milestones, please ask them to your mentor or the TurkishWIN team.
• Discuss and execute your mentoring agreement in your first meeting with your mentor
• Discuss your relationship's confidentiality principles with your mentor.
• She will be sharing her personal experiences with you. Assure her that you will not share this information with anyone.
• Make sure to be on time and fully present at your meetings.
• You are the lead and responsible party for scheduling your mentoring meetings and for all the relevant follow-ups. If you need to change a meeting's date, please do so with a reasonable lead time and explaining the reason for the change.
• Share your development goals and your strengths with your mentor.
• Take advantage of your mentoring journey by sharing your goals, asking for feedback, and reflecting on the next steps.
• Ask questions to your mentor for inspiration and new perspectives. You can ask her about her development areas and her strengths.
• Set SMART goals. Make your goals specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.
• Your mentor's role is to guide you find your way to your mentoring goal.
• She will not tell you what to do. She will listen to you actively, ask you questions and encourage you to find your way. Always remember this.
• Make sure you speak more than your mentor at your mentoring meetings:-) Your mentor will share her experiences- yes. Your active participation is key in the discussion.
• At the end of each mentoring session, make sure you have identified actionable steps and most importantly your next step:-)
• Be kind to yourself and enjoy this awesome experience. .