A mentoring relationship is designed to help you gain insight from someone with a wealth of experience who is willing to share their experiences. A mentor might be helpful to you, if you:

• Could use a boost in achieving your professional development goals
• Are facing a career transition
• Are struggling to balance your career and personal life
• Are taking on a new job role or moving to a supervisory role
• Want to increase your impact
• Need some help improving working relationships or building effective teams
• Need to work more effectively with other departments in your organization
• Have relocated from another area and need help adjusting to a new culture

Mentees have opportunities to interact with mentors in a confidential, non-judgmental and non-threatening environment. Mentees receive guidance and encouragement, which increases motivation, acquire knowledge and skills, and receive one-on-one feedback. Mentees can test ideas and talk openly to a mentor, something they cannot do with most managers. As you enter the relationship, consider:

• Any specific skills you would like to acquire or develop
• Any industry specific learning goals you may have
• Do I want to advance or change my career path?
• Am I ready to respond positively to suggestions that my mentor might make?
• Am I willing to spend 1-2 hours a quarter to develop a good relationship with a mentor?
• How can I take an active role in my development throughout the mentoring relationship?

As a mentee, it is your responsibility to take ownership of your learning and development needs. Prior to the start of the relationship, you should assess your areas of strength as well as what you consider to be your development needs.  This lets you establish a mentoring plan and make it easier for a mentor to undersand your goals.

Mentees are expected to:

• Initiate and drive the relationship
• Allocate time and energy to the relationship
• Be clear about what you hope to gain from the relationship
• Take an active role in your learning
• Seek and be completely open to any feedback that you receive
• Follow through on commitments or renegotiate appropriately
• Clarify points of agreement before dealing with disagreements
• Achieve personal performance and learning objectives
• Maintain frequent communication
• Actively consider all advice you receive
• Assume the relationship will be strictly professional

Mentees are not expected to:

• Be the expert
• Know all the questions you should ask
• Get things right the every time
• Fit all learning into one mentoring relationship
• Look to the mentor for all answers about your work
• Be passive in your relationship
• Develop a close, personal friendship with the mentor
• Assume your mentor has unlimited time for you.
• Neglect to share the outcome of your mentor’s guidance.