Mentoring − a student guide

We expect your Sussex Connect mentoring relationship will be conducted primarily online through email (e-mentoring) and other digital channels (such as Skype/webchat), or via phone, as agreed with your mentor. You may also have the opportunity for face to face meetings as agreed with your mentor if you are conveniently located in the same town or city.

Where we refer to meetings in this document we assume these to be e-mentoring, virtual online meetings / video conferences/telephone calls rather than face- to-face meetings.

Be professional

At your initial introductory session, you will be asked to sign a mentoring contract and code of conduct. This states the responsibilities of both the alumni mentor and student. It’s important that you have an agreement in place so you both know:

when it’s convenient to contact and when it isn’t
what your goals are
what you both want to get out of the relationship. If you are e-mentoring across time zones, then time difference may also be a factor to consider. See further guidance on E-mentoring below
mentors are often business leaders and experienced managers who are giving up their time freely to support and inspire students, so it is vital that you start or arrive at the agreed time for your meeting and treat the relationship with your mentor in a professional manner (wear appropriate dress if attending a video conference; shake hands on arrival if face to face; use appropriate language etc.)
you will be representing the University of Sussex at these meetings so please bear in mind our statements around conduct and discipline that you can find on our website.

Be prepared

Come to meetings (video chat/webchat/phone/face to face) prepared. Think about what you want to achieve at the end of the mentoring session. You might have a particular issue to talk through and problem solve; or some specific advice or information you wish to gain.
Don’t show up expecting your mentor to do all of the work, although they will certainly guide the structure of these meetings to some extent. Review your notes from the last meeting, including action items. Bring items to discuss (e.g. interesting article you’ve read, ideas you've had from lectures that were of particular interest to you - these may also be of interest to your mentor)

Set goals and objectives

Make sure you set goals and objectives for your mentoring relationship. Your mentor can only help you if they know what your goals are. Spend time establishing your longer term career goals and aspirations (where do you want to be in five years?) and then discuss with your mentor what your near term objectives are for getting there.
Having a mentor can help you in many ways. You can gain valuable advice, insights into your dream job, practical job hunting and interview techniques, time management and study skill tips, to even how to finance your education. Listen to other UK University students talk about their experiences of being a mentee.

Ask questions

The best way to find out about your mentor’s experience is to ask open questions about their career, the sector they work in, and their plans.
Ask your mentor about his/her goals. While much of the focus of mentoring is on you, your mentor probably has career goals as well and you can learn a lot about career progression from their experiences and plans.
Your mentor’s goals may give you new ideas for your own career path.

Build business connections

There is no expectation that mentoring will lead to a job or placement with your mentor. However, it can be a great opportunity to build your network and get known in a particular sector before you graduate.

Ask your mentor about their membership of professional bodies and find out if exhibitions/conferences may be open to non-members and students too. Your mentor may be able to recommend online forums or campaign groups that focus on an area of interest to you. These can be great ways to help you build business knowledge and connections.
Build your LinkedIn profile; and ask your mentor if you can join their LinkedIn network. This is a great way of finding work, building up business contacts and keeping up-to-date with industry specific news.
Join the BMEc LinkedIn and University of Sussex LinkedIn groups too if applicable.
Give feedback
Give your mentor constructive, professional feedback. Your mentor will be much more effective if he/she knows whether his/her mentoring is effective for you.
Don’t waste your time or your mentor’s if things aren’t going how you would like - speak up and let them know how they can best support you.
If things are going well, let your mentor know what is working.
Remember to thank your mentor for their time and agree the next time you will meet and stick to it.
If you feel you have learned enough and don’t require a further meet up then say so.

E-mentoring - benefits

Key benefits are:

mentors and mentees have more thinking time to reply to emails, so fewer mistakes happen
all conversations are logged so you can go back and read through what you have spoken about in previous emails, so you don’t have to keep logs of what you have spoken about
you can express yourself more clearly; if you get nervous about meeting your mentor/mentee, email allows you to plan everything you need to say
there are no cost implications to the mentor/mentee
if you have mobility issues and/or find it hard to get about and travel.

E-mentoring works even better for:

overseas mentoring/remote pairing
where face to face is impossible, as the members are so few and far between or due to geographic location
pairings where there is a language barrier; things can be explained better over email and when members can take time to prepare what they want to say
pairings where there is a time difference; when sending an e-mail, members do not expect an immediate response and mentors or mentees can therefore respond when it’s convenient.

E-mentoring - Do's and don'ts

Do:

ensure all emails are read and understood before replying to each other. Respond to emails in a timely and professional manner
be clear and precise at all times
check your spelling and ensure what you have written will be understood by the recipient
use the recipient’s name in each email.

Don’t:

ask too many questions in each email
forget that your mentor may have different opinions and feelings from you - so pause for thought before replying
go months without emailing, this isn’t good on the relationship and could damage what you had. It’s all down to respect for the other person. If you are going to be busy for a prolonged period of time or unable to make contact, even by e-mail, then do your mentor the courtesy of letting them know and advise when you will make contact.

When communicating by email, all you see is the screen. You don’t have the opportunity to use facial expressions, gestures and tone of voice to communicate. Ensure that your emails contain as much meaning as they would if you were face to face with the person.