Mentoring Program FAQs

Mentoring Program

How are Young Professional (YP) and Experienced Professional (EP) defined?
A Young Professional is typically 0 to 10 years into their career and an Experienced Professional is typically someone with more than 10 years combined since beginning their professional career.
 
How are mentee/mentor matches made?
Mentees begin the process by reviewing the mentor profiles at the secure link provided and then submitting an application which includes their top three selections from available mentors.  Availability for each mentor is listed within their profile.  Program administrators will review the application submissions and matches will be made on a first-come, first-served basis.  Confirmation of mentee match will be within 10 business days.  If all three mentee choices are already matched with others, the mentee will be requested to submit another round of selections.
 
What makes an effective mentoring relationship?
For mentors:
  • Be committed to the entire term of the mentoring cycle and maintain frequent contact with your mentee.
  • Provide inspiration.
  • Be present and listen actively.  Avoid any distractions such as emails, texts, phone calls, etc.
  • Connect through similar experiences and showing personal interest in your mentee.
  • Present corrective feedback in an encouraging manner.
  • Start by focusing on your mentee’s areas of strength and confidence.
  • Keep appointments and be open to availability (within reason and to be mutually agreed) outside of the formal mentoring sessions.
  • Coach your mentee on accountability to commitments and goals.
  • Be aware of your mentoring style and be open to adjustments if/as needed. 
For mentees:
  • Be committed to the entire term of the mentoring cycle and maintain frequent contact with your mentor.
  • Communicate what you are looking to gain from the relationship as well as any goals you have established or wish to achieve.
  • After each mentoring session, develop a summary of the discussion with a list of action items to be completed before the next session.  Share the summary with your mentor for any comments.
  • Plan ahead to ensure the meetings are productive.
  • Be present and listen actively.  Avoid any distractions such as emails, texts, phone calls, etc.
  • Keep appointments.
  • If the progress in your mentoring relationship stalls, try to determine if your approach needs changing.  Take responsibility for driving the success of the relationship.
 
What are some tips for effective online communication?
  • Utilize meaningful subject lines to ensure your message’s importance is understood and the topic you want to discuss is clear.
  • Message bodies should be clear and concise to allow for maximum comprehension in minimal time.  Review before sending to ensure the message relays your intended ideas and is written in a professional tone.
  • Mutually agree on the terms of communication - when, where, how, and how long to expect a reply.  More than one mode of communication can be used.
What if my mentor/mentee doesn’t respond to emails or communications?
First check your email spam filter to see if the email was re-directed there and if so, add the sender to your contacts and/or trusted sender list to try and avoid any future re-direction. Business email users may need to go a step further and involve their internal IT department to see if an enterprise-wide spam filter is active.  If there is no response at all to communications, even after several attempts, contact the program administrators at mentoring@sut-us.org for assistance and re-matching if needed.  Unresponsive participants will be excluded from the program.
 
What if my mentee doesn’t know what to talk about?
Mentees sometimes may not know how to interact within a mentoring relationship.  Below are some suggested topics to help initiate discussion:
  • Share your professional experiences, successes, challenges.
  • Offer guidance to how your mentee can overcome their challenges.
  • Discuss upcoming SUT activities and events and encourage your mentee to participate when they can.
  • Provide your mentee with suggested resources for reading or research related to their interests.
  • Provide your mentee with guidance on professional development and goal setting.
  • Discuss your mentee’s career path interests.
What if I am not a compatible match with my mentor/mentee?
Contact the program administrators at mentoring@sut-us.org for assistance.  Please advise the details as to why you believe you are not compatible.
 
What do I do when the mentoring cycle is complete?
Upon completion, all participants should receive a brief survey. Mentees may submit selections for another mentor or request to continue the relationship with their current mentor. If a continued relationship is mutually agreed between the mentee and mentor, the program administrator will confirm, based on a review of other mentee selection submissions for the next cycle, if the relationship can continue.
 
Mentoring Program Applications Open Now


Mentors Application
Mentees Application

For any other questions not addressed herein, please contact us at mentoring@sut-us.org.


SUT Houston on Facebook SUT Houston on Twitter SUT Houston on Linkedin