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Guidelines for Mentees

HOW TO ENGAGE WITH ALUMNI MENTORS

Alums who have joined the Political Science Mentoring Initiative have agreed to allow you to contact them for professional advice to help you learn skills and information leading you to success in your career journey. This means you can contact them for an initial one-on-one visit via phone, zoom, or in person for mentorship.

Student Guidelines and Best Practices for Engaging Alumni

  • Be proactive in reaching out to and scheduling 1:1 meetings with your mentor.
  • Create a simple agenda (What goals do you have for meeting with them?)
    • Include expectations, interests, questions.
    • Send it to your mentor in advance so they can be prepared
  • Respect your mentor’s time as you do your own
    • Respond to messages or calls promptly when scheduling meetings
    • Notify your mentor no fewer than 24 hours in advance if you need to reschedule
    • Respect the agreed-upon length of each meeting, arrive on time, do not extend the time
    • If you have questions that you were unable to ask when the meeting ends, request a follow up conversation.
  • Strive to be a receptive and active listener
    • Be curious and ask great questions!
  • Seriously consider all advice or suggestions you receive
    • Ask for honest feedback
    • Don’t respond defensively
    • Express appreciation and thanks for every interaction and advice offered
  • Provide positive feedback to your mentor, and do not disparage your mentor to others

Expectations

  • Meetings should be at the mentor’s place of business or somewhere public (coffee shop, library, etc.) or over the phone; do not meet your mentor at your home or their home.
  • Confirm the best method of contact with your mentor (email, phone, text, all of the above, etc.)
  • Do not ask mentors for a job or an internship, and do not expect them to share their network contacts.
  • Assume the mentoring relationship will be strictly professional
  • If at any time you feel uncomfortable concerning a particular situation with a mentor, please report it to Dr. Shaw (Carolyn.shaw@wichita.edu)

Wrap Up

  • Your mentor has committed to engaging with you once a month for one semester. If you are both agreeable, that relationship might be extended, but do not plan on an extension.
  • Complete the post-engagement survey when you receive it so we can continue to improve the initiative.

Additional tips on how to be a good mentee:

 

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