Mentorships

Find A Mentor (Students)

To find a mentor, you can reach out to the Graves Center staff, inquire with faculty, search alumni  through our LinkedIn groups or reach out to your personal network for individuals in professional fields of interest.  A mentoring relationship could include correspondence addressing specific career/professional questions, informational gathering interviews, shadowing opportunities, mock interviews and even internships.

Tips for Mentees

1. Choose your mentor based on his or her professional and life experiences and make your selection based on similarities.
2. Do your research. Learn more about your mentor’s career industry and organization before you contact him or her.
3. Provide a brief introduction about yourself in your initial contact with your mentor. By sharing your ideas and feelings about your career path with your mentor and letting your mentor know how he or she can help you, he or she will have a better understanding of your expectations.
4. Get a clear understanding of the level of your mentor’s commitment at the beginning of the relationship. Does he or she want to be contacted frequently or once a month? What method of correspondence is preferred – telephone calls, face-to-face meetings, emails?
5. Be respectful of the privacy of your mentor.
6. Respond to your mentor in a timely manner and be on time for all meetings. If a scheduling conflict occurs, contact your mentor in advance to reschedule.
7. Suggest topics you want to discuss with your mentor prior to face-to-face meetings.
8. Be honest.
9. Say “thanks” often!
10. Remember that your mentor is a person, and like you, he or she wants to be liked and respected.