Suggested Mentoring Activities

You may know as a mentoring pair what you want to do during your time together. But if you need some ideas on what to do, the following list is a great place to start.

Development/ Career Conversations
- Discuss the mentor’s background and the various foundations that help to prepare in your field. i.e. Education, work experience.
- Talk about current events or issues in the mentor’s field.
- Schedule some shadowing opportunities if appropriate.

Job Search Process
- Review the mentee’s resume and/or cover letter.
- Lead the mentee through a mock interview.
- Discuss how best to look for jobs/internships in the mentor’s field.

Transitioning to more senior roles
- Share what the mentor learned about navigating transition to more senior roles.
- Discuss how the mentor worked with more senior leaders, mentors and colleagues during that transition.
- Talk about how the mentor prepared for the transition to more senior roles and what support they required.

Tell your story
- Discuss how the mentor has balanced personal life and career and what to expect.
- Discuss what the mentor could have done differently and career lessons learnt along the way.
- Talk about how the mentor has dealt with personal or professional challenges.

Networking Pursuits
- Introduce the mentee to colleagues or industry contacts.
- Attend a professional association meeting or conference together, if possible.

Goal setting and career Strategy
- Ask questions to assist the mentee to clarify short or long term career goals.
- Discuss how those goals might be achieved in the context of the mentoring partnership.
- Monitor progress made towards goals, guide mentee to determine next steps.
- Reflect on outcomes with your mentee and provide feedback.