The future is yours
Welcome Mentors!
Welcome to your resource and information guide
You have so much to offer those coming up behind you and the future of your industry.
Your experience and your perspective are your greatest gifts.
Why Email
86% of employees cite poor professional communication skills for workplace failures
Stronger communication leads to better outcomes.
Our program uses the most common workplace tool—email—to help mentees build professional communication skills. As a mentor, you have a unique chance to lead by example and provide kind, specific feedback that turns email from a hurdle into a career advantage.
Ways to be a better mentor:
1 Be Curious
Ask about their goals. Using questions in your responses helps your mentees reflect and see things from other points of view.
2 Meet Them Where They Are
No two students are the same. Each mentee is on their own journey, and they are navigating it with the programming they’ve grown up with. Reflecting on where they are on that journey can help them recalibrate what they need to accomplish and how to best use your time together.
3 Do the Homework
Check them out on LinkedIn, review their portfolio, scan through their resume, and other social media. Make some notes before you talk so you don’t lose track on what your first impressions were, since those will likely be the same for hiring managers.
4 Be a Bridge
Your gift is your perspective as a potential hiring manager, but showing up only as that can reinforce the divide. Help your mentee to understand the other side of the table by stepping out of the role of hiring manager and into the role of trusted mentor. Sit with them on their side of the table and discuss what you both see.
5 Set Expectations
Help your mentees by letting them know what they can expect from you. Introduce yourself and highlight areas that they may not know about you, but could benefit from. We request that you aim to reply to mentees emails within 3 days to enforce good communication practices and keep up with the weekly schedule.
6 Share Examples
Answer emails and questions with examples from your experience. Even when it’s about their own work, tying it to real-world examples can give them a perspective they haven’t thought of. Whenever possible, leverage your role as a potential hiring manager. Your perspective of how they show up is your biggest gift.
7 Make it Specific and Say Why
Feedback is best when understood personally and from 10,000 feet. Students often lose sight of context even if they’ve worked in the industry before. Using specific examples, but also providing general rules or guidelines they can follow, can be a huge help long-term.
8 Reflect and Report Back
Your best advice might not come to mind right away. That’s ok. Reflect on the whole of your conversation each week. You can build on common themes, circle back on old comments, and send an addendum to a previous email.