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How do you best match mentors and mentorees?
The quick answer to this question is that mentors and mentorees are best matched when they choose each other. However, some support from the formal program structure is necessary to enable it to be an informed and appropriate choice.
Experience and research continues to emphasise the importance of individual choice in as many aspects of a formal program as possible. Part of this is the choice of whether to be a mentor or a mentoree within the program.
Voluntary participation in the program can be, and often is, accompanied by encouraging some individuals who may have specific required skills to be mentors or those who can especially benefit (such as members of disadvantaged groups) to be mentorees. This does not detract from the voluntary nature of their participation.
Having established empowerment and choice as a key feature of the mentor program, the sequence of activities will be something like this:
by Imogen Wareing
Development of criteria to let people know what sort of mentors are required
Open invitation across the organisation (and externally if appropriate) for volunteer mentors
Call for mentorees and provide guidelines to assist their definition of what they need a mentor for
Select mentors if too many volunteer (a rare requirement!)
Biodata provided to program coordinator from mentors and mentorees, eg
- qualifications
- summary of work history
- key skills required/offered
- why they want to be in the program
All Biodata provided to all participants
Joint mentors/mentorees training day (as well as a separate mentor skills development day). This is not the only way to bring them together, but combined with a social event at the end of the training day, is an effective vehicle for networking with each other.
Mentorees contact one or more potential mentors over the following week or so and a meeting time is agreed.
Decision is made after first meeting on whether to proceed with mentor relationship or not.
Imogen Wareing is the Director of The Growth Connection.
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