June 2006

Career Mentoring 101

By Vern Johnson

Whether you're interested in becoming a career mentor or seeking an opportunity to meet with a mentor, it's important to understand the basics of mentoring.

What is a career mentor?

Aspiring professionals need exposure to role models, preferably in a mentoring capacity. Guidance from a respected mentor, who has already survived what the aspiring professional (mentee/protégé) is attempting, has no substitute.

Mentoring is related to teaching, but it focuses on imparting procedures and ways of thinking. Author and educator Dr. Laurent Daloz calls mentors guides who lead others along the journey of life¹. Jung says that mentors appear where "insight, understanding, good advice, determination and planning are needed but cannot be mustered on one's own."²

Why are mentors needed?

Mentors can assist aspiring professionals in numerous ways, including:

• Encouraging mentees to formulate career and learning plans

• Receiving and reviewing mentees' progress reports and helping them resolve issues

• Providing career information and ideas

• Making referrals to company and professional society programs and services

• Helping mentees understand the company's various systems and expectations

Aspiring professionals should identify a potential mentor who is, at the very least, willing to receive, review and respond to a mentee's progress reports.

What can mentees expect from career mentors?

Mentees should expect mentors to³:

• Take an interest in their career plans

• Challenge their assumptions. People often make career decisions based on assumptions rather than accurate information. Mentors should challenge the assumptions upon which these decisions are based.

• Provide a better understanding of the professional and corporate worlds

• Identify opportunities for mentees to gain enhanced career experience

• Write informed, effective letters of recommendation to prospective employers on behalf of their mentees

In addition to these specific items, mentees expect mentors to:

• Accept them for who they are without conditions or reservations

• Focus on their strengths and potentials rather than their limitations

• Respect confidential information

• Share ideas and opinions, but not impose them. Mentors should not try to make decisions for mentees, but they can be sympathetic listeners and offer various alternatives for mentees to consider.

What should mentors expect from mentees?

Mentees should come to the mentoring meeting prepared to present a progress report. Successful mentees are frank about which career activities have gone well, and which need improvement. Together, the mentor and mentee should outline the areas where assistance is needed, along with plans for the near future.

During the meeting, the mentee should take the initiative. Rather than asking, What should I do to improve my oral communication skills? The mentee might say something like, "I've decided to volunteer to make a presentation at a local professional society meeting in a few months to help me improve my oral communication skills. What do you think?"

The mentee should rehearse progress reports prior to presenting them, and be prepared to respond to questions or ideas that the mentor may offer. The more the mentee plans for this meeting, the more likely it is that the mentor, a busy person with a heavy workload, will take the time and effort necessary to be effective and helpful.

How do mentors respond to mentees' reports?

In general, mentors should recognize progress and offer constructive feedback to help mentees maintain the correct focus and direction. Mentors will spend most of their time listening. Then, when the mentee is finished, the mentor can respond to the mentee's presentations as follows:

What went well? Mentors should make general, positive statements complimenting mentees and helping to celebrate the their successes. It isn't necessary to repeat the details already presented.

What needs improvement? Unless mentees ask for it, mentors need not address areas that need improvement.

Issues — Mentors should respond to mentees' issues with advice and assistance. Mentees need help, but mentors should not take over; nor should they expect mentees to follow all of the advice given. Mentors should help mentees cope with their issues in the best way possible. For example, if mentees are confused about how to find an enhanced career experience, mentors can help them or direct them to where they can find help.

Plans — A mentor should review what needs improvement and the issues and determine if the mentee has the right plans in place to overcome each of them. If not, the mentor might recommend that the mentee consider revising his or her plans. As appropriate, mentors can make comments or offer advice regarding mentees' plans and progress.

How much time does mentoring involve?

Mentoring sessions occur once or twice each year. Mentors need to allow only 10 to 15 minutes for receiving a progress report, but they should allow a total of about 30 minutes for the meeting so there will be time for them to respond to the presentation. Meetings should be scheduled to meet the mentor's availability.

What about you?

Well, that isn't too hard, is it? The mentor/mentee relationship can be an exciting and valuable interchange between two individuals who are willing to share experiences, issues and advice. Why not seek an opportunity to involve yourself? Someone might be out there waiting to interact with you.

______________________

1. L.A. Daloz, Mentor: Guiding the Journey of Adult Learners, Jossey-Bass, 1999.

2.  Jung, 1958.

3. S. Underhill, "The Truth About Career Mentoring," Symposium, 2(1), 1996, pp. 10-11.

Vern R. Johnson is Associate Dean Emeritus at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., and is IEEE-USA's career activities editor. This article is adapted from materials in his book, Becoming a Technical Professional (Kendall/Hunt Publishing, Dubuque, Iowa, 2003). Comments may be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.