MENTOR GUIDELINES

This page is designed to be a reference guide.

1. PURPOSE AND GOAL OF THE EMPOWERING MENTORSHIP PROGRAM ACCOUNTING CLUB

The purpose and goal of the Empowering Mentorship Program Accounting Club is to provide an opportunity for students to develop a mentoring relationship with firm representatives who can offer advice; provide a window into today's business realities within a specific sector; share experiences and provide career guidance.

2. PREPARING FOR YOUR ROLE IN THE MENTORING RELATIONSHIP

Plan to share with your mentee your experiences, perspectives, and approaches to developing your career and gaining the skills and qualifications to become successful in your field of work. An exploration of critical incidents can be particularly valuable. Consider sharing some of the key challenges you were confronted with in terms of job search, acquiring and developing your skills, important career decisions, etc.; the options you identified for resolving the problem; your decision-making strategy; the actions you took; the outcomes you obtained; and your analysis of your results.

2.1 Assist Your Mentee in Clarifying Interests and Needs
Mentee's will be encouraged to consider questions they may have about such areas as job search strategies, industry knowledge, career paths, time management, or work/life balancing.

Mentee's may have difficulty anticipating the kinds of questions they could be asking, given an opportunity of this kind. Prepare to assist your mentee by giving some advance thought to what your own lessons of experience have taught you. Think about key learning experiences and important insights you have gained. What aspects of the job search were particularly challenging for you? What support were you given that you can now pass on to your mentee? What discoveries did you make on your own, and how can you ease the path for your mentee?

2.2 Recognize the Value and Limits of the Relationship
Like any relationship, this match involves an active process in which the uniqueness, individuality and expertise of each member of the pair needs to be respected. You are not expected to respond to all of a mentee's needs. Be thoughtful in how you spend your time together and clarify the ways in which you will choose to be of support. While sharing your expertise, refrain from telling a mentee what to do. Recognize that one size does not fit all and that your mentee's personality, gender, background, or style may preclude him/her from achieving the results you obtained, using your particular techniques or approach. Assist your mentee in recognizing the options available for action and selecting the one that will work best for him/her. Recognize that some advice you offer may seem irrelevant to your mentee at this time, but may prove to be useful later on. It will ultimately be your mentee's choice as to how he or she will integrate the insights gained into his or her own evolving style, methods or approach. Your guidance and wisdom will nevertheless be invaluable. Look for opportunities for your own enrichment, as mentors often find value in the questions or fresh perspectives of mentee's.

3. YOUR FIRST MEETING

It can be helpful to structure the first meeting because both partners often begin a mentoring relationship with high expectations and some uncertainty about how to proceed. Give some thought as to how you would like the meeting to go.  You may want to consider the following ways in which you could contribute to the first meeting:

• Show genuine interest in your mentee.
• Share your professional background along with personal information, as you feel appropriate, and your interest in participating as a mentor in this program.
• Review the aspects of your professional role and identify ways in which you feel you could be particularly helpful.
• Help your mentee develop a focus and agenda for your next meeting.
• Suggest other resources, as appropriate, in preparation for your next meeting.

3.1 Checklist for the First Meeting
In preparation for your first meeting, it may help to review some of the facts about your mentee:

• Set aside an hour for the first meeting with your mentee. Review his/her resume prior to this meeting so that you already know pertinent professional information. Use this hour to get to know other aspects of your mentee. Is he/she married? Any children? Any hobbies? Share similar information about yourself. You may want to conduct this first meeting away from the office.
• Either set up a regular time to meet or set the next meeting at the conclusion of this meeting. Plan to meet once a month with your mentee (not only limited to face-to-face meetings).

3.2 Sample Questions to Ask your Mentee:

4. MANAGING THE MENTORING RELATIONSHIP

Your mentee will be asked to take the responsibility for setting up the first and subsequent meetings. If, however, you do not hear from your mentee for over a month, please initiate the first contact to ensure the relationship gets underway. Your mentee may contact you by e-mail, or phone.

4.1 Clarify Confidentiality
Some mentee and mentor pairs will feel a need for complete confidentiality in their relationship, others will not. It is critical that you and your mentee clarify the limits of confidentiality in your relationship.

4.2 Commitment

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