Be proactive
- Think about the areas that are most important for you to address and bring those topics to your mentor
- Consider your own professional and personal goals, and share those goals with your mentor
Be open to feedback
- Listen to suggestions or feedback with an open mind, and take advice given by your mentor seriously
- Take notes and follow through with any plans made during meetings
- This does not mean that your mentor will make decisions for you, or that you must follow their advice.
View your mentor as one facet of your support network
- No one person can meet all of your needs, so seek out a variety of perspectives.
- Ideally you will build a network of colleagues who can provide guidance and advice on a wide variety of topics.
Communicate
- Your mentor can only help when they know what your needs and questions are
- Your mentors have agreed to take part in a mentorship and expect that you will contact them. Don't be afraid to reach out when you have questions or need support.
Adapted from the Faculty Senate's Faculty Mentoring Guide and the UM ADVANCE Program's Giving and Getting Career Advice.
