What to Do After Becoming a Mentor

Summary: Being a mentor is a great opportunity for you and your mentee. There are several things you can do to make the relationship worth while.

You’ve been asked to be a mentor from someone outside your work that was referred to you or an employee approached you as part of an employee mentoring program. If you were mentored, then becoming a career mentor is a great way to pay it forward. You are able to support the growth, development and progress of someone else in your industry by sharing any knowledge, skills and experience with the person. Mentoring is also a great way of networking. Now learn what to do to effectively mentor someone.

1. Start by setting a goal to determine the outcome of the relationship.
2. Create an action plan that involves career related activities.
3. Discuss challenges that the mentee has dealt with and the outcome. If needed, brainstorm alternate ways to overcome that challenge.
4. Participate in role play to practice skills needed to overcome the challenge.
5. Invite the mentee to attend a meeting of yours where they will have the opportunity to learn or network.
6. Continue networking by introducing them to one of your contacts that would be a valuable professional network contact for them.
7. Observe your mentee in a meeting or presentation of theirs and give any feedback on their performance.
8. Provide written feedback on a presentation, report or document of theirs.
9. Read a book or article related to your field where you can discuss any thoughts about it together.
10. Take turns sharing your career histories by explaining how you got where you are today.
11. Exchange and review each others resumes to see if there are differences in how you each sell yourself.
12. Suggest books, blogs, articles, or other resources that the mentee should read.
13. Network together at a local industry, professional networking, or educational event.
14. Invite your mentee to write a vision statement that captures their plan for the next five years and what they want to be known for, then review and discuss it together.
15. Discuss their strengths and ways to develop skills further. Pinpoint potential problems that can happen from over-reliance on them.
16. Review and discuss progress toward the career goals regularly.
17. Work on any interpersonal skills that your mentee struggles with. Develop strategies for effectively working with the type of people that they find difficult.
18. Discuss their weaknesses and ways that they can strengthen them.
19. Suggest a volunteer or community based group where they can work on their skills.
20. Prepare for the mentoring relationship to end by evaluating lessons learned and what still needs to be accomplished.

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