A step-by-step guide explaining everything you need to know to be the best mentee you possibly can be.

Listed in this resource are PushFar’s guidelines for being mentored in your career. These are recommendations collated together with review, insight and advice from some of the world’s leading HR directors, organisations and mentoring programmes. They are designed to help you make the most of your mentoring experience.

Whilst there may be some variation in your mentoring relationship, these guidelines are a great place to start if you have not been mentored by anyone before. Equally, for those more experienced mentees out there, reviewing guidelines from time to time can be a valuable way of ensuring you are staying on track with your mentoring.

Finding a mentor is the first step to mentoring and it is important to get it right. To work out who the right mentor is for you, first consider what your goals and objectives over the next 6-12 months are. This will help to guide your decision as to who can be best suited to help you reach such goals through mentoring support.

Finding the Right Mentor

Typically, we would recommend a mentoring relationship that does not overlap with management responsibilities. We would suggest finding a mentor in a slightly removed role from yours, who has more experience (typically between 3-5 years more experience) and has progressed their career in a similar way to the way you wish to develop your own career.

As the mentee, you should be the one to reach out to a mentor and request them. There can be a tendency to request the most senior individual available. If you are tempted to do this, stop and consider why you are doing so and question whether they are the most suited individual to help you in your career. Often, the most senior professionals will not be the most helpful mentors as they will not be able to provide you with the most relevant and useful guidance. A mentor is not there to promote you or facilitate a pay increase; they are there to support you in your career development and growth.

Once you have found a mentor who you think has the necessary experience to help you with your goals and objectives, request them and let them know where you are with your career and what your goals and objectives for the months ahead are. This will help your mentor to consider whether they feel truly able to help and be an effective mentor.

Be aware that a mentor may decline a request and will give a reason as to why. While receiving a declined notice to a request can feel disappointing, it is important not to take it personally and to understand that it is simply their decision and may well be led by their feeling unable to support you effectively or feeling they do not have the necessary capacity to help.

The Introductory Meeting

Once you have found the right mentor, it is time to have the first meeting with them. Whether over a phone call, video call, or in-person meeting, an introductory meeting is an essential first step for mentoring. The introductory meeting should cover the following points:

• How often should you both meet or speak?
• How long should the mentoring relationship last?
• What can the mentor offer?
• What is the mentee looking for?

Do not be afraid to set expectations at this stage – it makes the entire mentoring process a lot easier and you will be starting on the right foot. The meeting can last however long both parties wish for it too; we would recommend at least 45 minutes in the first meeting, as this can help both parties to get to know one another and discuss the objectives for the mentoring relationship. If you are conducting the mentoring relationship virtually, we would always recommend video calling when possible. Video calling adds a more personal approach to the relationship and helps you to begin to build rapport straight away.

It is important to set expectations at the start of a mentoring relationship, ensuring it thrives and is seen as a success for both the mentor and mentee. As a mentee, your mentor must know about your background, experience, and goals, but they should also disclose what level of support they are willing and able to offer you.

Ongoing Learning and Reflection

As a mentee, you must take time to reflect on what your mentor is telling you. Remain curious throughout the mentoring relationship, and ask your mentor questions about their career, the challenges they may have faced, and how they might approach the goals you have set. The mentor’s job is to share their experience and help guide you in your career development.

Your mentor may encourage you to stop and reflect on what they are telling you during the mentoring meetings. Be sure to listen carefully, take notes, and take time to reflect, both in the meetings and afterward. During meetings, there may be periods of silence between you and your mentor; that is okay. Silence can help you to consider how you can develop your career.

As well as listening to your mentor’s advice, you should be responsible for setting actionable and realistic goals that you can work towards. Break down your overarching objectives into smaller, manageable goals that you can complete weekly or monthly to help structure your mentoring meetings.

Regularly speaking with your mentor once or twice a month is recommended. Some relationships work best with longer catch-ups every quarter, but most will see both parties meeting and speaking on a video call monthly. During these meetings, discuss what you have achieved, where challenges have been, and how your goals are being met.

Ending the Mentoring Relationship

Knowing when to wind down and end a mentoring relationship can often be tricky. Instead of simply stopping meetings, have an upfront conversation if you feel your mentor is not engaged or unable to support you further. Reflect on what you covered during the mentoring relationship, and discuss where you began and where you stand now.

At the end of a mentoring relationship, take time to provide constructive feedback. As a mentee, you should offer feedback that your mentor can take with them into future mentoring relationships. Encourage your mentor to provide feedback on how you could improve your mentorship experience in the future. Consider aspects like:

• Did your mentor offer effective support?
• Was their experience valuable and aligned with your objectives?
• Were they punctual, engaged, and responsive to your goals?

Join us each month for live mentoring training workshops. Each session is one hour long and open to everyone across the world. We host three sessions monthly to help train mentors, mentees, and organisations about the expectations of mentoring, best practices, and using the PushFar platform for career development and goal setting. The workshops cover:

• Basics of mentoring
• Benefits of mentoring
• Starting your mentorship
• Sustaining momentum in mentoring
• Common pitfalls in mentoring
• Leveraging PushFar for meetings and goals.