As a mentee, you’ll participate in a range of activities designed to support your growth. This guide will help you understand expections, build a strong relationship with your mentor, and get the most out of the program.
Our mentors have been selected based on their life and work experience. They have all expressed their motivation to share their journey and the knowledge they have acquired along the way with our students. Our mentors understand the difference that a mentoring relationship can have in positively influencing the future direction of our students, most having been mentored themselves during their career.
It’s important for you and your mentor to set expectations with each other as to what you both hope to gain through the process and what your mentor can offer in terms of time and advice.
You should be clear about what you hope to achieve e.g. seek career advice. Be open to new opportunities and have a willingness to learn from your mentor.
Your responsibilities include:
The role of the mentor is to inspire you to think about the range of work options available to you during and at the end of your degree. The mentor will share their knowledge and experience to equip you to meet challenges faced in starting and developing your career.
Your mentor’s time and experience are valuable and there may be occasions when they are not immediately available.
Responsibilities include assisting you to:
Program activities will guide your experience from meeting your mentor, through ongoing reflection and skill-building, to engaging with your peers as you progress through the program.
At our launch event, you'll meet your mentor for the first time. There'll be an opportunity to introduce yourself and have a chat about what you both hope to achieve by being involved in the program. You'll also meet other Econ Pathways mentees and mentors.
You are expected to meet with your mentor at least once a month – you can meet more often if you and your mentor have availability to do so. It's your responsibility to contact your mentor to set up meetings at a venue that is convenient for both of you.
This guide offers suggested topics to help you start the conversation, but it is not prescriptive. To get the best from mentoring, you need to understand what it is that you want out of it. Do you want to know what careers are open to you? Or are you looking for guidance around what skills you need and how to develop them?
We suggest spending time getting to know your mentor in your first meeting. Find out more about their life and work experiences - how did they get to where they are? Your mentor will also be interested in you so reflect on how your own story and aspirations fits with their bio and achievements. Remember, it's a conversation, not an interview.
Reflection is an important part of the mentoring program, and you'll be expected to keep a reflective journal, completed after each visit with your mentor. Your journal isn't assessed, but is integral to getting the best experience possible from the program.
Use your journal to note down key information such as advice from your mentor, resources, and contacts. It's also an opportunity for reflective analysis of your thoughts and responses to your experiences during the program.
We'll provide advice around writing a reflective journal and some examples at your briefing session. You can also find more information by searching online.
In August, you'll be required to attend a special developmental workshop with your fellow mentees all together as a group. This session is designed to supplement your mentorship with valuable practical insights into core employability skills. This includes skills in interviewing, constructing a resume, networking, and much more. This will also be an opportunity to share insights as a group, hear about the experience of your peers, and develop a sense of community within the program.
If accepted into the program, we'll provide guidance on potential discussion topics and directions to take your mentoring sessions. Ultimately, the agenda you set for each meeting is up to you and will depend on what you hope to learn or get out of the program. An example of topics you could cover are:
Learning about your mentor’s career journey and what their experience can teach you about the direction you take.
What are the different career options available to you? Which might you be most suitable for? What careers should you pursue to best achieve your long-term career goals?
How can you go about gaining the requisite experience and skills to make yourself an attractive candidate for your dream job?
Everything you need to know about how to practically succeed in getting your desired job post-study - resumes, applications, interviews etc.
Once you have the job, how do you put your best foot forward when entering the workplace? How do you progress in your career? And how do you build your own personal brand?
