Information for Mentors

What am I expected to do? Mentors are expected to provide their mentees with about one hour of support and interaction per month. Most of this interaction will take place via email and other web-related tools (for example, instant messaging) or face-to-face, as appropriate. Mentors should work with their mentees to determine what kind of support will be most useful—specific feedback related to finding jobs, general career advice, information on higher studies, technical information, personal encouragement, and so on.
How long will the commitment be? We ask our mentors to make commitments of at least six months to ensure that the mentee can fully benefit from the relationship. If a mentor must leave the relationship early, we request at least one month's notice to search for a replacement mentor with a similar background.
Are there any potential risks to me professionally? No. It is not appropriate for mentors and mentees to engage in any business transactions; instead, the relationship should only involve the flow of general information and advice.
The relationship is not going well or I am concerned about mentorship, what to do? We encourage letting the mentee know about the situation and contact the Mentor Me Team immediately. We will provide our full support to resolve the situation positively and satisfactorily.

COMMIT AT LEAST ONE INTERACTION/HOUR OF SUPPORT per month.
Take responsibility for initiating the relationship.
Set aside time for the mentoring process and honour all appointments.
Invite the mentee to meetings or activities, as appropriate. Schedule meetings with planned topics.
Be flexible on meeting times and places.
Arrange frequent contacts through telephone, email, fax, face-to-face, etc., as appropriate
Respond to emails from your mentee within 2 days of receipt.
Keep information that your mentee has shared with you confidential. If something concerning the mentee needs to be discussed with others, it should first be discussed within the mentoring relationship.
Establish open and honest communication and a forum for idea exchange.
Foster creativity and independence. Help build self-confidence and offer encouragement.
Provide honest and timely feedback to your mentee.
Provide opportunities for the mentee to talk about concerns and ask questions.
Above all, LISTEN.

Try to advise on everything.
Encourage the mentee to be totally dependent upon you.
Provide your personal history, problems, animosities, successes, failures, etc unless they are constructive contributions.
Be too busy when the mentee needs your friendship or your support. If you do not have time, give the mentee a heads up, so that they know when they can reach you.
Criticize.