This list will help you get started and plan ahead for your first meeting with your mentee.
Before you meet
Respond to their initial request
Potential mentees will send you a request to be matched and you can then view their profile in the mentee directory to assess whether you think you can support them with what they’re looking for in a mentor match. You can then say yes to their request and get in touch to arrange a first meeting.
Prepare to meet your mentee
You can read over your mentee’s profile, to get an understanding of where they are at in their career. They also have the option of including their LinkedIn profile which can also be a great way to prepare before you first meet.
The first meeting
Ask open questions
Good questions that will help you find out how you can support your mentee can include:
- Tell me about your relationships at work.”
- “How did you get to where you are?”
- What key challenges do you face in your role?”
- “What are your career goals over the next three years?”
Identify goals
Ask your mentee how they’d like to use your sessions together and what they’d like to achieve by the end of your six month match. Discuss their longer term goals and how you can support them to work towards these.
Set boundaries
It’s important to mention confidentiality early on in your first meeting to help your mentee feel comfortable. Discussing what you both want out of the process, and your mentee’s expectations of what mentoring is, can help to establish your working relationship.
For example, explain how you think you can help meet their goals, and any limitations in terms of what you can offer.
Discuss practicalities
Allow time to discuss things like how often you will meet, how long for and put some dates in the diary.
Following the first meeting
Assess chemistry
A good match feels natural, comfortable and honest. Ask your mentee if they want to continue to work with you at the end of the first session. Suggest they send you, or CharityComms, an email if they change their mind and try not to take a ‘No’ personally.
Follow up
Suggest your mentee sends you a follow up email clarifying what was discussed and what they want to talk about next time. This will help them set their own agenda.
Check in with CharityComms
Let us know how you’re getting on or if there’s anything we can do to suppot you. If the match doesn’t feel right for any reason, get in touch and we can discuss options.