Industry Connections Mentors

As a mentor, your role is to help your student gain valuable professional development through meaningful interactions and real-world experiences. The Industry Connections program should help students create strong connections with industry leaders, enhancing their ability to compete successfully in the workforce after graduation.

Who Is In Charge?

Students are responsible for initiating contact with their mentors. The first connection will take place in November after matching. You and your partner should commit to being in contact a minimum of twice a month during the program. Email is one way to connect, but it’s not a substitute for real-time conversations. Try to connect in person, on the phone, or over a video chat as much as possible. Scheduling a regular meeting day and time that works for both parties can be a great way to build a strong connection.

Students are expected to take a leadership role in the process. At times, letting a student take the lead can feel awkward to a mentor, especially if the student struggles to set goals, guide the conversation, or prepare an agenda. We encourage you to allow the student to work through this, as it can be a valuable learning experience. If the student continues to struggle, feel free to provide guidance.

Maximizing the Mentorship Experience

Set Your SMART Goals

A mentoring partnership only works if both the student and mentor are on the same page about their goals and expectations. Work with your partner to complete the SMART Goals Agreement and evaluate your progress regularly.

Active Listening and Feedback

Listen actively to each other’s perspectives and experiences and provide constructive feedback that is specific, actionable, and supportive. Encourage an open dialogue where both parties feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas.

Receiving feedback that is candid and delivered in a thoughtful and constructive way is a skill that can be hard to learn. It’s important that students be open to receiving feedback and that mentors model good behavior through open discussion.

Celebrate Achievements and Milestones

Acknowledge and celebrate the progress and accomplishments and reflect on milestones and lessons learned throughout the mentorship. Use these achievements can be great motivation for further development and setting new goals.

Continuous Learning and Adaptability

Encourage a mindset of continuous learning and growth. Be open to adjusting the mentorship plan as goals evolve and new opportunities arise.

Honor Commitments

Occasionally, you or your partner may need to cancel a meeting or conversation. It is expected that you and your partner will do your best to communicate in advance of the cancellation and reschedule your conversation.

Evaluate

In order to ensure that we continue to build a strong program that is beneficial to both students and mentors, we require that participants complete an evaluation survey at the end of the program.

Concluding the Mentorship

As we come to the end of the program make plans to attend our Industry Connections Celebration, the official end of the program. This is also the time to thank your partner for their time over the year and to redefine your partnership and set new ground rules and boundaries for future interactions. 

Some mentoring relationships continue long after the formal program ends, but others do not. Do what makes sense for you and your partner.