Mentee Guidelines
- Commit to honest and open communication. This relationship could last throughout your career if maintained well. Be ready to learn and receive feedback.
- You are responsible for maintaining the relationship with your mentor. During your first meeting, discuss the frequency and means of communication with your mentor. Share your professional goals and challenges.
- Set clear expectations for each meeting.
- Be on time. If you have to cancel a meeting, please contact your mentor as soon as possible. Use the mentor’s time and counsel effectively.
- Document your progress on your goals. Keep a written log, file, or journal.
- Ask questions to get to know your mentor:
- Tell me about your practice.
- What is a risk you are glad you took or one that didn’t work out?
- What is your favorite part of your career?
- What would you tell yourself when you were in school?
Mentor Guidelines
- Serve as a teacher, guide, counselor, facilitator and professional colleague. Be available and committed to making a difference. Ensure confidentiality.
- Be engaged and actively listen during meetings. Repeat the concerns the mentee is sharing to make sure you have understood him or her. Provide coaching and real feedback throughout the course of the relationship in areas such as job performance, communication, leadership, work/life balance, professionalism, etc.
- Be a source of information and encouragement. Provide personal and professional guidance. Help develop creative and independent thinking. Students are sometimes intimidated by meeting professionals and will see you as an example of others they will meet in the future.
- Check in. The mentee is responsible for initiating ongoing meetings, but establish guidelines to check-in to make sure that they are still interested.
- Ask questions to get to know your mentee:
- What do you love about your life right now?
- What are your expectations of this relationship/what do you want to get out of this?
- What are your interests are beyond landscape architecture (hobbies, etc.)?