At Mentorloop we encourage mentees to take ownership for driving their relationship with their mentors forward and in doing this you make it as easy as possible for your mentor in the experience. This checklist will help ensure you can get your mentoring relationship off to a positive start and be a great mentee. 

If you haven’t already:

• Peruse your mentor’s digital professional profile.
  Check out their LinkedIn profile and any other social media accounts or blogs if they have them.

• Send through a quick bio or intro via Mentorloop chat in your 1:1 Loop.
  Give them a bit of background on your career, where you want to go and how you're hoping they can help you get there.

• Consider your goals for this mentorship.
  Although your mentor can help you set goals, it's helpful to think about this prior to your first meeting.

• Help them help you.
  Consider your needs and be open with your mentor about them to help them support you better.

• Who, what, when, where, how…
  Think about the logistics of your mentoring relationship - How often do you want to meet? Will you meet in person or online? 

During your meetings: 

• Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel

  You are responsible for driving this relationship. Let your mentor know how you'll be tracking your progress - and do it!

• Clearly present your goals
  Set some realistic timelines and be prepared to discuss challenges. Your mentor might help you amend this, but it's best to come prepared.

• Seek feedback
  Check in with your mentor and ask if there's anything you could do to make the time more valuable for the both of you.

• Pick up the tab or split it!
  Meeting in person? Shoulder the coffee. Or if meeting virtually, make sure to send a thank-you email afterwards.

After your meetings:

• Follow up with a summary email and get connected!
  Include your meeting notes and actions, share your availability for the next meet-up (or schedule a recurring meeting!) and send them a LinkedIn invite.

• Reflect on some actionable items
  Have a think about some easy wins you can grab and try to do them before your next meeting.

• Be grateful and pay it back.
  Thank them for their time and don't forget to ask if you can help with anything. The best mentoring relationships are reciprocal.

Things to remember:

• A mentor is not a therapist.
  Try to avoid conversations that veer away from your goal or objectives.

• They’re not a recruitment agent either.
  Avoid the temptation to ask them for a job. 

• And they’re definitely not your parent.
  They’re not here to solve your problems for you.

• Don’t be too clingy.
  Contacting your mentor every time you have an issue is a quick way to kill the vibe. 

It’s as easy as that. Not rocket science, but a little preparation goes a long way. And demonstrating that you’ve given this meeting some proper thought ahead of time will put your mentor 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!

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