PREPARE FOR YOUR MENTORSHIP SESSION

If you have already been accepted to become a CEC Mentee, then congratulations for making it to this stage. Now it’s your chance to make the most of your CEC Mentorship session and use this opportunity to leverage the work you are doing and overcome your challenges.

 

Before the session:

  • Upon acceptance, you will be introduced to your CEC Mentor. From that moment on, you drive the process! So be prepared and proactive.
  • Introduce yourself to your mentor – send a short professional bio so they know a bit more about where you’re coming from.
  • Send your mentor all of the project details in advance in a succinct manner (a high-quality 1-page explanation about your project is encouraged). It will help them to understand the full background to frame your discussion together.
  • Be sure to read your mentor’s bio and LinkedIn profile in detail. These will give you an idea of your mentor’s past work and what they can offer to your discussion.

 

During the session:

  • Your responsibility is to drive the conversation
  • Your mentor should push your thinking and challenge your ideas. Get comfortable with this – it’s what helps you grow.
  • Draft agenda for the sessions:

MENTORSHIP SESSION AGENDA

 

2 mins – Thank your mentor for his/her time. And add some ice-breakers (e.g.: where are each of you based at the moment, what are is he/she working on at the moment)

3 mins – Mentee pitches their project that he or she would like advice on.

5 mins – Mentor asks any clarifying questions about the project and/or mentee’s role.

10 mins – Discussion to address the first question.

10 mins – Discussion to address the second question.

10 mins – Discussion to address the third question.

5 mins – Mentee summarises the conversation and notes next steps.

 

After the session:

  • Follow up with your mentor to say thank-you and let them know what you’ve done to take action on their suggestions
  • Write in about 2-3 months to schedule the next session if need be
  • When you complete your sessions, write to the CEC Mentors Coordinator who will send you the LinkedIn badge to show that you are an official CEC Mentee

 

 

MENTEE TESTIMONIALS