At Mentorloop we encourage mentees to take ownership for drive the mentoring relationship forward, however, mentors should still strive to make a good first impression and take an active role in ensuring a positive mentoring experience. This checklist will help you navigate the start of your mentoring relationships and be a great mentor.

If you haven’t already:

• Peruse your mentee's digital professional profile
  Check out their LinkedIn profile or any other social media accounts or blogs they have shared.

• Send through a quick bio or intro via the Mentorloop chat in your 1:1 Loop.
  Give them a bit of background on your career and some insight into yourself to break the ice.

• Ask them to introduce themselves

  If they haven't already, ask your mentee to send you a short bio and tell you which areas they'd like your help with.

• Consider your own experience and strengths

  Have a think about what you can bring into this relationship. Most of the time, we have more to offer than we initially think.

• Consider what you want to get out of this relationship

  Mentoring is always a two-way street and there are many benefits of being a mentor.

During your first meeting:

• Set the parameters

  Get the housekeeping out of the way early. Talk about how often you're available to meet, how you prefer to communicate, where you'll meet etc.

• Introductions

  Give your mentee a more in-depth overview of your experience and career highlights and ask them to do the same.

• Why are you here?

  Let your mentee know why you're offering your time and share how mentors have helped you along the way.

• Make sure you're getting it right

  Make sure you come away with a clear idea of what your mentee is looking for so you can start planning how you can best guide them.

After your first meeting:

• Review and reflect

  Consider what you discussed, review your mentee's meeting notes and send some additional feedback if applicable.

• Share some resources

  Now that you have some idea of what your mentee wants and needs, share some relevant blogs or podcasts to get them started.

• Encourage your mentee to schedule your next catch up

  If your mentee hasn't tried to schedule your next meeting after a few days, they might be feeling a bit shy - reach out and ask them to do so!

A little preparation goes a long way. And demonstrating that you’ve given this meeting some proper thought ahead of time will put your mentee at ease.

We have an entire section in our training course for Mentors and Mentees dedicated to helping you adopt a mentoring mindset. Navigate to the Mentorloop Academy to learn more!

Want to print this checklist and keep it for easy reference? Download the PDF version by clicking the image below: