Mentoring: meeting guide

Getting started

The mentee should contact their mentor and set up the first meeting. We encourage you to have your first meeting within 4 weeks of being matched. The first meeting is an opportunity to:

• Get to know each other
• Discuss your expectations of the programme and each other
• Agree how your partnership will work (frequency of and location of meetings, methods of communication)
• Talk about how you'll track progress
• Sign the mentoring agreement.

Mentee preparation

• Decide your expectations of the partnership
• Consider your career goals and objectives
• Think about any known areas for development
• Think about any current obstacles or opportunities you want to pursue 

Mentor preparation

• Decide your expectations of the partnership
• Reflect on why you're chosen to be a mentor
• Consider your own development needs and what you want to take away from the partnership
• Think about your career, including key milestones and challenges

Your meetings

The focus for the second meeting is the mentees’ action plan. This is where you’ll discuss goals and objectives and options to progress towards achieving these.

At each subsequent meeting you’ll want to discuss your reflections, progress towards agreed goals and any new actions.

You’ll need to be prepared for each meeting and think about how you give and receive feedback.

As a mentee, you need to remember that the feedback you are getting comes from a place of experience and good intention. Actively listen, clarify to understand, try not to get defensive and own the feedback you are given.

As a mentor, you need to provide constructive feedback and advice and remember that your mentee might still be learning how to take on board the feedback you are giving. Be specific, be sensitive, think about how you will deliver it and make it timely.

Next step: tracking progress