Professional Mentoring PROGRAMME GUIDE
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University of Winchester Careers • Professional Mentoring
CONTENTS Introduction and welcome
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Purpose of mentoring
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How mentoring began
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Mentoring at the University of Winchester
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Benefits of mentoring
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Commitment required
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Role of mentor
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Role of mentee
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Mentoring tips for success
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Mentoring skills
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Problems and possible solutions
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Expenses for mentors
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Careers & Opportunities Hub
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Contact us
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Contact the Careers Team Visit us in the Careers & Opportunities Hub in SAB303 Find jobs, advice and book appointments through CareerConnect Use the Careers Intranet pages @_UoWcareers @uowcareers @universityofwinchestercareers 01962 827310 careers@winchester.ac.uk
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INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME Thank you so much for your interest in the Professional Mentoring Programme at the University of Winchester. The aim of this guide is to provide you with information about mentoring, explain the roles of mentor and mentee, provide an overview of how the programme works and outline some useful tips to support you during the process.
PURPOSE OF MENTORING
HOW MENTORING BEGAN
The purpose of the mentoring programme is to assist final year students to develop understanding and skills required to enter the graduate labour market, through the opportunity to work with a professional who will enable them to gain an insight
Many people have appreciated the support of a mentor including those who have achieved huge success in arts, sport and politics. Famous contemporary mentoring partnerships include Dr Benjamin E Rays as a mentor to Dr Martin
into the world of work.
Luther King and Christian Dior as a mentor to Yves St Laurent.
The University of Winchester sees mentoring as a powerful tool, providing a “professional friend” to act as a mentor during a student’s final year. A mentor will listen and get to know their mentee, share their experiences, successes and lessons learned. The relationship is informal, mentee-centred and unbiased. It should help the mentee to gain “insider” understanding and knowledge, which is important for their future plans and success.
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The term “mentor” first appeared in The Odyssey by Homer, where Odysseus went to fight the Trojan wars and entrusted the care of his son, Telemachus, to his friend, Mentor. From that time ‘mentor’ came to describe an experienced and trusted adviser, friend and counsellor.
University of Winchester Careers • Professional Mentoring
MENTORING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER Mentoring is primarily about giving mentees the opportunity to discuss their future ideas and any issues they have about working life after university. It’s about helping them become more aware of their potential, the demands of the business world, the options open to them and networks which might help them achieve their goals.
I was given sound industry advice which made me feel much more confident. I have learned a lot from my mentor. Mentee 2021
The aims of mentoring can be split into three main themes: Exploring mentee’s career plans and ideas
PERSONAL AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Mentee’s experience and skills, their confidence or lack of Mentor’s career path and experience, lessons learned Strengthening application, CV and interview skills Sharing mentor’s knowledge and experience of the world of work
WORLD OF WORK
Mentor’s roles, career path, where they have worked Exploring together likely opportunities and options Researching together company requirements and recruitment processes Helping mentee to understand the power of connections
NETWORKING
Mentor to introduce mentee to colleagues Mentee to have a virtual or in person tour of work premises Mentee to experience virtual company events
Mentees may be given the opportunity to talk to professionals at events, or at their mentor’s business premises, giving them invaluable work place experience and insights. However, each mentoring relationship will be unique, and mentor and mentee will work together to agree how best to achieve the most out of the experience.
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BENEFITS OF MENTORING FOR MENTEES
FOR MENTORS
The most common benefit is the chance to focus on their own personal or professional development with an impartial person outside of their day-to-day networks. Mentors are often professionals from an organisation or business external to the University and, as such, can provide credible and authoritative advice and feedback to their mentees about the world of work.
Mentors will have the opportunity to practise coaching, leadership, advice and development skills and have contact with people who may be from a different culture or background with a range of ideas and views. Taking part in the programme also enables mentors to improve their communication skills and reflect on their own journey, and in this way provides an excellent opportunity for personal and professional development.
Feedback from students has highlighted a range of benefits to having a mentor:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Success in achieving graduate work Finding career direction Improved academic grades Confidence for attending interviews Contacts with professionals and networking experience
6. Developing an industry focused CV 7. Increased awareness of the world of work.
It was really obvious that my mentee wanted to take something away from the programme. They allowed me to be open and honest and always took on the feedback that was given. It has been wonderful getting to know them, they have made being a mentor so easy and enjoyable. Mentor 2021
The support that I have been given and the knowledge gained will support me for years to come as an employee and potential future leader. I am very thankful to my mentor and to the programme for growing my opportunities and helping establish the true career goals that I have. Mentee 2021
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University of Winchester Careers • Professional Mentoring
COMMITMENT REQUIRED An important part of building a successful mentoring partnership is the commitment you both give to make the relationship work and help mentees to achieve their goals. The programme will take place from the autumn and we recommend that you meet approximately once a month. The University of Winchester asks that you both:
1. Attend an induction workshop in October, which will probably be virtual. 2. Decide together when to meet and what you will cover in the meetings. 3. Agree your preferred method of communication between you, and share contact details, email is well suited as it is a common means of communication in graduate roles.
4. Aim to meet once every three to five weeks during the programme. 5. Keep meetings durations to 45 mins - 1 hour. 6. Be flexible as you can when arranging times and dates to meet. 7. Keep in contact with each other and give plenty of notice if you need to rearrange. 8. Keep in contact with us and attend the celebration event in May or June.
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ROLE OF MENTOR
ROLE OF MENTEE
Your role as a mentor is to focus on your mentee’s career readiness and any questions or issues they want to talk to you about. In your conversations you will help them develop their ideas, confidence and skills. You will be sharing your experience and lessons learned. Following the three “Es” to encourage, enable and to evaluate, can help keep you on track.
Please take full advantage of this opportunity to learn. Your commitment, courtesy and enthusiasm will be key to the success of the mentorship. Think about your expectations and hopes for the programme. We will support you to do this during the induction. To get the most out the programme, please undertake the following:
1. Identify skills, knowledge, and/or goals that you ENCOURAGE
want to achieve. Communicate them to your mentor and bring up new topics that become important.
Mentors are there to encourage and motivate Recognise their skills, ideas and potential Explore ways to help your mentee develop themselves
2. Agree a plan and work with your mentor to set up developmental activities and time frames.
3. Work with your mentor to seek resources for learning; identify people and information that might be helpful.
Actively listen and ask questions Gently challenge assumptions and encourage realism Celebrate successes
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Additionally, please remember that your mentor is volunteering their time and the University is fortunate to have many organisations willing to work with us on this programme. We want to build these relationships and introduce them to your potential, talent and enthusiasm for their support.
Mentors can help mentees to Investigate likely opportunities and options Understand company requirements and recruitment methods Look up influential contacts and resources
EVALUATE A significant part of the mentor role is to support mentees to Identify their strengths and learning points Assess their current situation and agree development needs Use job descriptions to help your mentee assess their skills Discuss positive attitudes and those in need of development
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University of Winchester Careers • Professional Mentoring
MENTORING TIPS FOR SUCCESS TIP 3
TIP 1 Attend the induction to fully inform yourself of the process
Aim for a minimum of six meetings
The induction is your chance to learn more about mentoring, how to make the most of it and gives you a forum in which to air any concerns or ideas that you have about being a mentor or mentee, as well as a chance to meet other participants.
TIP 2
We suggest you aim to meet every month, but this is down to the agreement between mentor and mentee. Every mentoring partnership is different so meet as regularly as suits you, as long as this enables the mentee to access the full benefits of the process.
TIP 4
Agree together on location and times for meetings
Include workplace settings where possible, appropriate and manageable by both parties
A location should be a safe and comfortable place for both of you and as your working relationship progresses, the location may change. If possible, meet online via a professional meeting platform such as Microsoft Teams or at the mentor’s place of work. Alternatively you may meet at campus if it is convenient for both of you.
Meeting at the mentor’s workplace means the mentee experiences a professional working environment. Where possible, the mentor will use this opportunity to show the mentee around, introduce them to colleagues and explain what they do in the context of the wider organisation.
TIP 5 Have an agenda to discuss when you meet Aim to agree an initial agenda in advance of or at the start of each of your meetings. New discussion points may come up but it’s good to have a plan of what you would like to cover. Reflect together as the mentoring relationship progresses to ensure the plan of what to discuss is evolving each time to address the most relevant areas for the mentee’s development.
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MENTORING SKILLS Taking part in a mentoring programme is a great way to develop and practise skills that will be relevant in most work places, and is an excellent addition to any CV, as it demonstrates use of initiative, organisation skills and leadership attributes. There is the potential for both mentee and mentor to have a positive impact on each other’s development. You may both find it useful to draw on the following key mentoring skills during your interactions:
LISTENING When people feel listened to, it is more likely that they will share important details about themselves, their ideas, plans or concerns. The ability to listen is vital for both, but it takes energy and attention.
QUESTIONING Careful questioning will give mentors and mentees the opportunity to open up about a subject. Aim to ask open questions (Tell me about…) which usually elicit fuller answers.
GIVING, SEEKING AND RECEIVING FEEDBACK
SUMMARISING, INTERPRETING AND EXPLAINING Summarising at the end of meetings will give clarity and confirm learning points. It gives an opportunity to check that you are both at the same point and understanding each other. You may wish to make notes to reflect on later.
KEEPING AN OPEN MIND Being “impartial” and not making judgements is far easier said than done! Your role involves exploring ideas and learning in a respectful and nonjudgmental environment and making the most of your time with your mentor or mentee.
It is vital for mentors to be free to offer constructive feedback and for mentees to receive it in a positive way. It can be helpful if you actively seek feedback from your mentor or mentee (How are you finding these meetings so far?) This will encourage and motivate each of you to explore solutions and ideas.
Giving and receiving feedback
Listening, empathy and understanding
Mentoring Skills
Summarising and explaining
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University of Winchester Careers • Professional Mentoring
Questioning, probing and challenging
Keeping an open mind
PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS While nearly all partnerships are successful and positive for both, sometimes a problem may arise. The Mentoring Team will endeavour to work with you to resolve any questions or issues as we want to ensure the success of your partnership. If you need to discuss anything, please do contact us at the Careers and Opportunities Hub.
EXPENSES FOR MENTORS As most mentoring relationships will be taking place virtually, in the workplace or at the University, we do not envisage that expenses will automatically be incurred. However, we very much appreciate that professional mentors are volunteering time freely to support our students at the University of Winchester and we are keen that you should not incur personal expense through involvement in the programme. Mentors are therefore able to claim back reasonable ‘out of pocket’ travel or subsistence expenses from the University, if these are not already claimed back through your organisation. Similarly, if you would like to invite your mentee to attend a professional development opportunity that will incur a cost, please encourage the student to speak to us about reclaiming reasonable expenses. TRAVEL EXPENSES Travel expenses claimed to or from the place of mentoring must be the cheapest reasonable form of public transport or if claiming mileage this will be at the rate provided by HM Revenue and Customs. SUBSISTENCE EXPENSES We will only cover claims for light refreshments, to a maximum of £6 per mentoring session. This cannot include the purchase of any alcoholic beverages.
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CAREERS AND OPPORTUNITIES HUB We are thrilled to have you as part of this programme and hope you both enjoy it and find it beneficial. The Mentoring team are part of the Careers and Opportunities Hub and are always happy to meet or talk with you. We’re a friendly and professional team, dedicated to helping students plan their futures, to find work or postgraduate study, develop connections and skills, go freelance or start their own business. Students and mentors/ employers are welcome to drop into the Careers and Opportunities Hub or contact us.
Contact us Visit us in the Careers & Opportunities Hub in SAB303 Use the Careers Intranet pages Find jobs, advice and book appointments through CareerConnect @_UoWcareers @uowcareers @universityofwinchestercareers 01962 827310 careers@winchester.ac.uk
