Professionals Network

Mentor Me

The annual Mentor Me program connects mentees with a mentor and guides participants through building a structured mentoring relationship. Participants have access to specialised training, activities, seminars, networking events and ongoing support from the UQPN Executive Team. Participants will learn more about themselves, advance in their career, develop new skills, expand their network and connect with their peers. 

Our 2024 program is currently in progress and new applications are closed.

Please direct any queries to: mentorme@uq.edu.au

 

  • Passing on your experience 

  • Career reflection opportunities 

  • Leadership skill development 

  • Improve your active listening skills 

  • Pick up new perspectives 

  • The buzz of unlocking another’s potential 

  • Personal fulfilment 

 

 “I thoroughly enjoyed the MentorMe program… [my Mentee] is a wonderful person and open for suggestions and wants to learn. We have decided to keep up the mentor - mentee relationship as we both feel that we are not finished yet. Thank you, UQPN volunteers to make this all possible!!!.”
– Liane Spencer, Senior Business Analyst, oDVCRI

 

“I enjoyed the program and think I was well matched to a mentee, I'm hoping I made a positive impact.”
– Des Minton, Senior Manager, Student Affairs

  • Relevant advice and inspiration 

  • Career progression opportunities 

  • Enhanced self-confidence 

  • Career guidance from someone who has walked the path 

  • New skills and capabilities 

  • A healthy dose of personal growth 

  • Guidance from a senior role model 

 

“I realised that by sharing you boost your confidence and feel empowered to try different things.”
– Anna Efstathiadou, Administration Officer, Medicine

 

“Overall the experience has been useful and I have gained a lot of confidence in understanding my strengths and planning a way forward... I found the reminder to set goals was useful for keeping the relationship on track and on topic.”
– Sally Martin, Facilities Manager, School of Biomedical Sciences.

 

Can anyone be a mentor? 

Yes, as long as you get excited about helping others grow, can commit to the time required and have relevant experience to the challenge your Mentee has set themselves, there is no reason why you can’t be a Mentor. 

  • What am I expected to do?  Mentors are asked to provide their Mentee with a minimum of one hour of support and interaction per month, but you can decide together what works best for you. Most of this interaction will take place via email and other web-related tools (for example, instant messaging) or face-to-face, as you see fit. Mentors should work with their Mentee to determine what kind of support will be most useful—specific feedback related to finding jobs, general career advice, information on higher studies, technical information, personal encouragement, and so on. 

  • How long will the commitment be?  The Mentor Me program runs for six months and we ask our mentors to make a commitments for at least that time to ensure that the mentee is able to fully benefit from the relationship. If the match works really well, you can stay connected as long as you like! 

 

Mentor DO's 

  1. Commit to at least 1 hour of support and engagement per month. 

  1. Take responsibility to initiate the relationship. 

  1. Set aside time for the mentoring process and honour all appointments. 

  1. Invite the Mentee to meetings or activities, as appropriate. Schedule meetings with planned topics. 

  1. Be flexible on meeting times and places. 

  1. Arrange frequent contacts through telephone, email, face-to-face, etc., as appropriate 

  1. Respond to emails from your Mentee within 2 days of receipt. 

  1. Keep information that your Mentee has shared with you confidential. If something concerning the Mentee needs to be discussed with others, it should first be discussed within the mentoring relationship. 

  1. Establish open and honest communication and a forum for idea exchange. 

  1. Foster creativity and independence. Help build self-confidence and offer encouragement. 

  1. Provide honest and timely feedback to your Mentee. 

  1. Provide opportunities for the Mentee to talk about concerns and ask questions. 

  1. Above all, LISTEN. 

 

Mentor DON'Ts 

  1. Try to give advice on everything. 

  1. Encourage Mentee to be totally dependent upon you. 

  1. Provide your personal history, problems, animosities, successes, failures, etc unless they are constructive contributions. 

  1. Be too busy when the Mentee needs your friendship or your support. If you do not have time, give the Mentee a heads up, so that they know when they can reach you. 

  1. Criticise. 

Questions Mentees often have: 

  • What if I don’t know what to be mentored on? 

Perhaps you’re not quite ready to start then. It really works best if you have somewhat of an idea about where you think you need some help or where you’d like to progress your career, skills or experience. Do a bit of research and thinking and formulate a clear question. If you get stuck, you can always contact the Mentor Me Program Team. 

  • How do I choose a Mentor?  

First complete your profile on the Mentor Me platform with information on what help you are looking for. Then browse through the list of Mentors and create a mentoring request. 

  • How long will the Mentors be available?  

We ask our Mentors to make commitments of at least six months to ensure that a mentee is able to fully benefit from the relationship. 

  • What if my Mentor and I don’t work out? 

No worries, it happens every now and then. Just contact the Mentor Me Program Team and we’ll see if we can find a better match. 

 

Mentee DO's 

  1. Take a pro-active role in shaping the relationship 

  1. Understand what you want from the professional mentoring relationship and communicate your goals and aspirations to your Mentor.  

  1. Set aside time for the mentoring process and keep all scheduled appointments with your Mentor and display professional behaviour. 

  1. Put your time with your mentor to good use. Come to meetings prepared with planned topics, questions and insights. 

  1. Respond in a timely manner to your Mentor's feedback. Respond to emails from your Mentor at most two days after receipt. 

  1. Be open and honest with your Mentor about your challenges and weaknesses, they can help you best if they know where you struggle and are there to help you 

  1. If something concerning the Mentor needs to be discussed with others, always try to address it with your Mentor first. If that doesn’t work, reach out to the Mentor Me Project Team. 

 

Mentee DON'Ts 

  1. Ask for advice on everything. Have a purpose in each request. 

  1. Blame the Mentor if his or her advice doesn't work out. 

  1. Expect the Mentor to know all the answers. 

  1. Commit yourself to obligations you cannot keep. 

  1. Cancel meetings/visits with your Mentor at the very last minute (unless unavoidable).