For a first time mentor, the mentor role may feel intimidating. Being a mentor is not about having all the answers or providing a job for your mentee. Being a mentor is about encouraging your mentee to focus on their goals and guiding them through finding their own solutions.
There is no perfect formula for what makes a successful mentoring relationship. If you have mentorship experience, you may notice that sometimes a mentee will need more guidance, personal connection, or examples than another. Be open and allow your mentoring relationship to find the right balance for you and your mentee.
What is Expected of Me?
Your role as the mentor is not to provide a job but to support the mentee’s career and job search through advice, teaching, and guidance.
As a mentor you are expected to:
- Understand the Canadian workplace culture and the job market of your profession
- Listen to the mentee and provide honest and helpful feedback
- Keep anything the mentee tells you confidential
- Give the mentee an outside perspective to their ideas and challenges in their job search
- Hold the mentee accountable for the goals you set together
- Share stories and advice based on your experience to help mentees with decisions and challenges
- Provide contacts from your network who may be able to help the mentee
As a mentor you are NOT expected to:
- Provide the mentee with a job
- Do the work for the mentee to meet their career and job search goals
- Force the mentee to complete tasks
- Solve challenges or make decisions for the mentee
- Have all the answers
What Can I Expect from My Mentee?
A mentee is not a passive participant in the mentoring relationship. The mentee should expect to play an active role in their learning and their job search.
Your mentee should:
- Value the time that the mentor gives
- Prepare for their mentorship meetings
- Invest in their own success and do the work needed to meet their goals
- Be honest with their mentor about the challenges they face
- Listen to and evaluate the advice provided by their mentor
Your mentee should NOT:
- Expect the mentor to do the work for them
- Be expected to automatically follow all advice given by their mentor
Want to Know More? Learn some Tips for New Mentors or read about What to Do in Your First Meeting.