FAQs

After completing your profile, the system’s matching engine will generate a list of Suggested Mentors who match your criteria. These mentors can be requested directly from your home page. Should your Suggested Mentors not meet your requirements for whatever reason, you are then able to search for an alternative mentor from our database, modifying the search criteria to your specific needs.

Once you have identified a mentor you would like to work with, you can request them by clicking the 'Request Mentor' button at the top right of their profile. This will automatically open an email message to the mentor. Please construct your request thoughtfully, including some information about yourself, what you are studying, career goals etc; as well as what about the mentor's profile stood out to you and what you hope to learn from them.You can use the Mentor Request Template found on the Program Resources page as a guide. Once this message has been sent, your mentor request becomes official. Most mentors will reply within three days. If you do not hear from your prospective mentor within this timeframe, please contact the IMP staff.

We have deliberately limited the career field categories because too many choices can hamper the matching process. For instance, if the career fields were more extensive, then fewer mentors on average will match the criterion and show up on the "results" list of students. Please select the career field that is the closest match to yours, and specify your occupation in more detail in your profile.

Select "forgot password" by the login button on the homepage. You will receive an email allowing you to reset your password.

You may only request one mentor at a time, and be matched with one mentor only in each mentoring session.

Thanks for signing up! We are immensely grateful for your willingness to assist students by sharing your experience and expertise. It could take some time before you are matched with a student, as our registration process is ongoing, while our Program cohorts are aligned with study periods. Additionally, as this is a student-driven program, requests will be impacted by the disciplines and mentoring priorities of students in the mentee pool at any given time.

Mentors usually have at least three years of experience in their chosen field. The most effective Mentors are good listeners who enjoy helping emerging professionals fulfil their potential and are excited to share their expertise with students and recent graduates.

As a general rule, it is recommended that mentors and mentees meet for approximately six one-hour appointments or equivalent, over the duration of the Program (March-May and July-September).

Students are requested to attend meetings at or near the mentor’s place of work.

We point out to all students that while work experience is one possible outcome, it should not be an expectation and mentors may not necessarily be in a position to offer it. The key feature of the Program is the opportunity to interact with a professional from their field (the mentor) as well as other professionals (the mentor’s colleagues and contacts). Some mentors do however offer students work experience, and if this work experience is unpaid, the University offers insurance coverage for these students. In order for insurance cover to be activated, the details of the work experience need to be set down in the Mentoring Agreement, which is then signed by Mentor and Mentee, then uploaded to the Documents section of the Mentee's Xinspire home page. Mentors may wish to note that unpaid work experience needs to conform to the requirements of the Fair Work Act.