Being a mentee should be an engaging and worthwhile experience. Here’s how to make the most of it and be a great mentee:
- Be honest – Be open and honest with your mentor about your reasons for joining the scheme, talk to them about your needs, goals and aspirations.
- Set your goals – Develop and own the action plan, set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) goals to help you achieve your goals.
- Have a prepared agenda – Think about the content of each communication and meeting and let your mentor know the purpose or what you want out of it so they can provide the right advice and feedback.
- Take responsibility for your own development – Commit to tasks and objectives that you’ve agreed with your mentor.
- Be available - If you use a separate communication channel for your mentor communications check it on a regular basis, and maintain contact with your mentor at least once a month.
- Be open – Don’t be defensive with feedback and suggestions, your mentor is trying to help you with constructive advice and feedback.
- Develop trust – Be respectful and don’t ask for a job. Your mentor is a volunteer, someone who can share advice, experience and ideas with you.
Finally, don't forget to enjoy the experience!
Do you need a career mentor?
If you're a Cranfield MBA alumnus who graduated after 2018 or later, you can join our alumni to alumni career mentoring pilot. This is your opportunity to learn from a Cranfield graduate who has ‘been there and done that’. Whether you are looking for your next role, trying to understand how to move up the career ladder or even thinking about taking a change in direction – you’ll be able to benefit from the insights and experience of fellow alumni.
You can find full details of the mentoring programme, including answers to the most frequently asked questions and a mentee handbook, on the alumni mentoring web pages.
You can also view our short video and find out about the Career mentoring programme in general on our Career mentoring web pages.
