Mentorship Program
Programs > Mentorship Program > Mentorship Program Tips

The First Meeting/Conversation 

This is the most crucial moment of any mentorship relationship. The overall vibe of this meeting will determine if the relationship will continue and/or at what speed it will progress. Both parties need to come out of it thinking, “Okay, I can share my experiences with this person. And they’re not crazy.” Here are some pointers for making this happen: 

• Be a professional and a person. Sure, the point of this relationship is professional development, but sharing personal tidbits gives your colleague a better snapshot of you. Plus, offering appropriate personal information makes the environment more open.
• Be honest. Great mentors and mentees have several traits in common, but the most important is self-awareness. Be clear about your professional strengths and weaknesses, your career goals, and how these tie into your overall goals for the mentorship experience. This is a give-and-take relationship, so be upfront about what you can give and what you hope to take away.
• Be proactive. Plan weekly or monthly meetings, keeping in mind holidays and work deadlines/obligations. The more frequent and regular your meetings, the more comfortable you’ll feel contacting each other.

Activity Ideas

• Review each other’s résumés.
• Review each other’s cover letters.
• Review each other’s clips.
• Hold mock job interviews.
• Hold mock story interviews.
• Hold mock pitches.
• Have breakfast/lunch/dinner meetings.
• Critique each other’s work.
• Critique the paper or the evening news.
• Swap networks by exchanging one contact every month.
• Tour your mentor’s newsroom, meet their colleagues, attend an editorial meeting, etc.

Other General Tips for Mentors & Mentees 

• Understand yourself and your potential areas of growth.
• Make yourself accessible and respond to one another in a reasonable timeframe.
• See constructive criticism as a confidence booster.
• Be open to new ideas.
• Talk and listen, but don’t be a psychologist. There is a professional line in every mentorship relationship that should never be crossed.
• Repeat: “There are no dumb questions.”
• Be respectful and appreciative of each other’s time.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
• Make reasonable requests of each other.
• Realize that all good things eventually come to an end. Over time, your professional strengths and weaknesses will change, and so will your mentorship relationship.
• Have fun.