A good way to gauge the interest and success of the program is to survey the participants during the program. Are both parties satisfied with their roles? Do they feel they are teaching/being taught enough? Are they both gaining knowledge and/or insights?
Going further, the mentors need to provide feedback to the mentees, inform them when milestones have been reached, and guide them towards fulfilling the specific and planned outcomes of the program.
When I mentor interns, part of the process includes me providing them feedback on the work they completed and showing them examples from other projects I have completed. I also ask them if they have any other questions about the project or what they observed and what else they would like to learn. Many times we put together an agenda for our discussions that includes “feedback from mentor” and “feedback from mentee.” By sharing past stories of situations I have encountered, mentees can learn from my mistakes. Also, I find when they ask me questions, I have to really think about how to handle the new situation they pose, which is a learning opportunity for me.
One project that was very exciting for the interns was reviewing resumes. That gave them the chance to see good resumes compared to bad resumes, which gave them some great tips for their own resumes.
Here are some good articles about mentoring:
- Seven Ways To Be An Effective Mentor (Forbes Magazine)
- Mentoring Basics – A Mentor’s Guide to Success (National Center for Women in Information Technology)
- 10 Tips for Starting a Successful Mentoring Program (Chronus)
Questions? Contact me today!
