FAQs & Resources

What is Mentor Match?
Mentor Match is the latest addition to an expanding line-up of our services to support members’ professional development needs. It is an online tool – including a searchable database – that facilitates the establishment of mentoring relationships. It is user-driven, allowing registered Mentees to search among registered Mentors using specified criteria to find individuals whose experience and expertise match areas in which they wish to be mentored. Likewise, registered Mentors can search for and identify potential Mentees.

Is there a fee associated with using Mentor Matching?
Mentor Matching is a benefit of membership and is available only to members. There is no extra charge to use this resource.

How are Mentors and Mentees matched?
Members must first enroll as a Mentor, Mentee or both. During the enrollment process, members will select preferences for various demographics to establish their personal criteria.

A registered Mentee will visit the “Find a Mentor” page and fill in their search criteria to search for possible Mentors. The Mentee will click the names of the potential Mentors to view their profiles. Once the Mentee has decided on a Mentor, they will click on the Mentor badge (seen below the registered Mentor's profile picture) to request that person as their Mentor. An e-mail will be sent to the Mentor alerting them that they have been requested to be a Mentor. The Mentor will be able to accept or decline the request.

A registered Mentor will visit the “Find a Mentee” page and fill in their search criteria to search for possible Mentees. The Mentor will click the names of the potential Mentees to view their profiles. Once the Mentor has decided on a Mentee, they will click on the Mentee badge (seen below the registered Mentee's profile picture) to request that person as their Mentee. An e-mail will be sent to the Mentee alerting them that they have been requested to be a Mentee. The Mentee will be able to accept or decline the request.

How do I become a Mentor?
If you are a member, click here to enroll as a Mentor. You will be instructed to choose your preferences for various demographics and also to complete your member profile

Who are the Mentees?
Mentees are other members who need you to help support their careers.

Can I have more than one Mentee?
While there is no limit to the number of mentoring relationships you can establish, we recommend that you be judicious in selecting only Mentees who are most suited to learn from your expertise and experience. You can limit the number of Mentee requests you are willing to accept on the Mentoring enrollment page.

How do I find Mentees?
Once you have enrolled as a Mentor, go the "Find a Mentee" page and select the criteria you want to use for your Mentee search. Click on the Mentees'' names to view their profiles. Once you have found a good match, click on the Mentee badge (seen below the Mentee's profile image) to send the Mentee an email request.

How will I know if a Mentee has selected me as their Mentor?
You will receive an e-mail from the Mentee requesting you to be their Mentor. You will be prompted to accept or reject the request.

Is it okay to reject a request?
Yes, but there should be a good reason to do so. We encourage you to at least have an initial conversation to explore whether the relationship would be mutually fulfilling. If a potential Mentee has misinterpreted information in your profile, you may find him/her to be an inappropriate match. If you want to decline a request, go to the "My Mentoring Relationships" page and check the “decline” button next to the specific request.

What if I’m going to be on vacation or unavailable for a period of time?
Go to the "Mentor Enrollment" page, click the “Mentor Status” link then click on the check-box next to “Temporarily Not Participating.” Doing this will indicate that you are not accepting any Mentee requests at the moment, and your mentoring profile will not be included in a Mentee’s search for a Mentor.  It is your responsibility to communicate your availability to your existing Mentees.

How do I end a mentoring relationship?

If the mentoring relationship is complete, go to the "My Mentoring Relationships" page and mark the relationship as “Finish Relationship.”

If the mentoring relationship isn't working out, please kindly discuss your decision to end the relationship with your Mentee. Go to the "My Mentoring Relationships" page and mark the relationship as “Finish Relationship.”

What are the expectations for participating Mentors?
We expect that you will fulfill your commitment to develop at least one mentoring relationship, providing good faith information and guidance to your mentee. We expect you to respond to initial requests from Mentees in a timely manner, and that you communicate with your Mentees as agreed upon by both you and your Mentees.

How much time will I need to invest as a Mentor?
We recommend that you and your Mentees agree on a schedule that works best for both of you. The most important thing is to discuss your mutual expectations about time and communication at the start of your relationship. Keep in mind that mentoring doesn’t necessarily require large amounts of your time. Even brief phone calls or e-mail exchanges with you can make a big difference to your Mentees.

What benefits do I receive from the organization if I participate as a Mentor in the program?
All Mentors are volunteers. As an active program participant, you will receive a ribbon identifying you as a Mentor.

How do I become a Mentee?
If you are a member, click here to enroll as a Mentee. You will be instructed to choose your preferences for various demographics and also to complete your member profile

Who are the Mentors?
Mentors are other members who have volunteered their time to support other members' careers.

Can I have more than one Mentor?
While there is no limit to the number of mentoring relationships you can establish, we recommend that you be judicious in selecting only Mentors who are most suited to your mentoring needs. Please keep in mind that Mentors have limited time to offer and may have other Mentoring relationships.

How do I find a Mentor? Once you have enrolled as a Mentee, go the the "Find a Mentor" page and select the criteria you want to use for your Mentor search. Click on the Mentors' names to view their profiles. Once you have found a good match, click on the Mentor badge (seen below the Mentor's profile image) to send the Mentor an email request.

What should I do if I don’t hear from the Mentor I requested?
If you don’t hear from the Mentor within one or two weeks, feel free to contact them using the contact information found on their profile page.

What if the Mentor isn’t the right “fit” for my needs?
Sometimes, regardless of the information provided, Mentors and Mentees don’t always "fit."  If this happens, we suggest that you discuss your decision honestly and kindly with your Mentor; thank them for their time then start a new Mentor search.

Where can I meet with my Mentor?
It is up to you and your Mentor to decide how, when and where you want to pursue your mentoring relationship. It is likely that most of your communication will occur by phone or electronically.

How long does the mentoring relationship last?
We recommend that you and your Mentor agree on a schedule that works best for both of you. The most important thing is to discuss your mutual expectations about time and communication at the start of your relationship.

Address a Mentee Challenge
Spend some time discussing how your mentee dealt with a challenging situation. What was the outcome? If needed brainstorm alternate ways to overcome the challenge.

Role Play
Role play how to address a challenging situation to practice skills. ie, an upcoming interaction that the mentee is unsure about or would like guidance for.

Job Shadow
Invite your mentee to sit in on a meeting of yours that will give them an opportunity to learn or network. Debrief afterwards.

Provide Networking Opportunities
Introduce your mentee to one of your contacts who could prove to be a valuable professional network contact for them.

Provide Oral Feedback
Observe your mentee on a meeting or presentation and give them feedback on their performance.

Provide Written Feedback
Review and provide feedback on a presentation, report or document that your mentee has prepared.

Read Up
Read a new business/professional book or article and discuss your thoughts about it (if reading a book, you may want to discuss one chapter at a time).

Share Career History
Invite your mentee to share the “story of their career”, explaining how the got to where they are today.

Review your CVS
Exchange, review and discuss each other’s resumes. How are key achievements represented? Are there differences in how you “sell yourself”?

Suggest Other Reading
Suggest books, articles and blogs or other resources for your mentee to follow/read.

Team Up & Network Together
Attend a local industry or professional networking or educational event together. Debrief afterwards.

Create a Vision Statement
Ask your mentee to create a vision statement that captures where they want to in five years and what they want to be known for.

Focus on Strengths
Discuss your mentees strengths, ways they can further develop these skills an potential problems that can result from over-reliance on them.

Interpersonal Skills
Talk about the types of people your mentee finds most difficult to work with and strategies for more effective interactions with them. Talk about the types of people your mentee most enjoys working with and review why.

Target Weaknesses
Discuss your mentees weaknesses, ways they can strengthen their skills in these areas and the potential advantages they can provide.

Consider Volunteer Opportunities
Identify a volunteer or community based group activitywhere your mentee can practice desired skills, then debrief on the experience.

Trade Shows
Meet up with your mentee at an industry trade show and walk the floor together sharing your perspectives on what you see and how you approach getting the most out of a tradeshow.

Go Back to School
Let your mentee plan to teach you something that they are knowledgeable about and let them teach it.

Unwritten Rules
Discuss some of the unwritten rules each of you had observed or learned about success in your organization. How has this differed from other organizations? What other lessons can be learned?

Select a Supplier
Invite your mentee to attend a meeting where you are evaluating the capabilities of a new supplier for a project. Discuss what the criteria for evaluating a supplier are and how to assess their capabilities from a technical as well as a business perspective. If possible, have the mentee attend a plant tour in conjunction with the evaluation.

Plan a Project
Have your mentee present their technical plan for a project they are working on. Provide perspective on the technical aspects of the project as well as provide insight into the relational aspects of the project (who are the key stakeholders and when to engage). Perhaps share a checklist of tasks to be considered in developing a new package.