Mentoring 101: (1) How to Find a Mentor (2) How to Be a Mentor Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

Mentoring 101: (1) How to Find a Mentor (2) How to Be a Mentor Tracy Camp Colorado School of Mines

What Is Mentoring? When someone offers support and professional expertise to a less experience colleague

What Is a Role Model? One can be a role model without any direct contact

What Is Mentoring? 1-to-1 relationship Encourages Guides growth Helps you succeed Nature of relationship is adapted to individuals

What Does a Mentor Do? Acts as a role model Advises Advocates Coaches Makes connections Protects Provides letters Supports

Formal vs. Informal Mentors Formal: someone asks you to be a mentor Informal: someone asks you for advice/help

Research on Mentoring Research shows that those who are mentored achieve greater career advancement and higher work satisfaction than those who are not mentored.

What Does a Mentor Do? Acts as a role model Advises Advocates Coaches Makes connections Protects Provides letters Supports

What Does a Mentor Do? Acts as a role model Advises Advocates Coaches Makes connections Protects Provides letters Supports NEED MANY MENTORS

Mentoring Tip #1 Build a TEAM of mentors with varying expertise/experience

Mentoring Tip #1 Build a TEAM of mentors with varying expertise/experience at every stage of your career

Mentoring Tip #1 Build a TEAM of mentors with varying expertise/experience  good investment in yourself and your career

A Few of My Mentors

My Early Mentors

Mentoring Tip #2 YOU need to be in the driver’s seat. (1)decide your goals (2) find mentors

How to Find Mentors?

Academic Mentoring Ladder Chairs  Full Full  Associate Full/Associate  Assistant Faculty  M.S./Ph.D. students Faculty  Undergraduates Ph.D. students  M.S. students M.S. students  Undergraduates Undergraduates  High school students

Where to find a mentor? Look everywhere! - In your department at your institution - Outside your department at your institution - In your field outside your institution - Outside your field outside your institution

Mentoring Tip #3 Find GOOD mentors

Attributes of a Good Mentor Interest Supportive Patient Knowledgeable Competent Accessible Helps you figure out how to use your strengths Helps you figure out how to overcome your weaknesses

Attributes of a Good Mentor Listens, listens, and then listens some more Asks powerful/probing questions Is NOT a ‘know it all’ Shares ALL possibilities, w/o judgment Respects privacy Has positive personality characteristics humor, honesty, empathy, compassion, …

Mentoring Tip #4 Meet frequently, especially early on.

In a New Mentor Relationship Build trust Express commitment Set expectations (e.g., # times to meet/month) Set limits Create goals (in writing) Every mentoring relationship has phases, … including an end to formal mentoring

Goal: Mentor Relationship Ends

Mentoring Tip #5 Terminate a relationship that isn’t working

Discussion Topics Mentoring Tip #6

Discussion Topics Departmental & Institutional Culture

Discussion Topics Negotiation Skills

Cost of NOT Negotiation

Discussion Topics Imposter Syndrome

Who’s Most at Risk? Students People working in jobs considered atypical for their sex First generational professionals … and five others

Questions to Ask Do you attribute your success to being a fluke, or “no big deal”? Do you secretly worry that others will find out you are not as bright/capable as they think you are?

Imposter Syndrome Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects. Woodrow Wilson

Discussion Topics Hone Elevator Pitch 3 minutes 7 minutes 15 minutes

Discussion Topics Share CVs

Discussion Topics Remember When? what did you want (need) to know then?

Tip #7: Be a Mentor

Benefits of Being a Mentor Facilitate another’s accomplishments Renewed enthusiasm for job Confidence Give Back

What Do Students Need? Academic advice Career information Graduate school info. Personal assistance Encouragement Moral support

Mentoring Tip #8 Be friendly and helpful. But don’t be a friend.

Discussion Topics

Pitches Imposter Syndrome Negotiation Skills

Discussion Topics Resume Review Remember When?

Career Planning Ask: how do you want to spend your day? Ask: what gets you out of bed in the morning? Discussion Topics

MentorNet 1-to-1 e-mentoring > 90% would recommend

Discussion Topics Summer Opportunities

Research Opportunities REU: Research Experience for Undergraduates CREU: Collaborative REU DREU: Distributed REU

Discussion Topics Graduate School

Should your mentee go to graduate school?

Yikes! Learn what student services offers

Recommended Reading

Ms. Mentor's Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia By Emily Toth

Recommended Reading ADVISER, TEACHER, ROLE MODEL, FRIEND On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering National Academy of Sciences National Academy of Engineering Institute of Medicine National Academy Press Washington, D.C. 1997

Questions?