Film-style poster for the A Year Together presentation

A guide for mentors: A Year Together

How to make a year of mentoring with a matched member worth both your time.

English

What this guide covers

The match is a start

The relationship matters more than the match

In formal pairs, the quality of the relationship decided the career outcomes.

The match opens the door
The relationship decides the outcome
Source Ragins & Cotton, 1999

A conflict check

Check for conflicts in the first meeting

Say out loud if you compete, trade or could hire each other.

Before we startConflict check

Do we work for competitors?NoIs one of us a client or supplier of the other?NoCould one of us hire the other?YesWill you ask about my employer?No Said in the first meeting, written in the agreement

Confidentiality both ways

Agree what stays between you

Confidentiality protects you both, and its limits are said at the start.

What we discuss stays between us
That holds for both of us
Except a law broken or someone at risk
No selling services to each other

Goals from the profession

Tie goals to your profession’s competencies

Pick two or three competencies and agree what would show progress in each.

From your profession's competency framework

Technical leadership Lead one design review Q2

Professional ethics Present a case at the branch meeting Q3

Communication Write one article for the journal Q4

The phases of a year

Expect the year to change shape

A mentoring year moves through phases, and a planned ending keeps it useful.

Start trust and goals
Growth the main work
Ending review and thanks
Afterwards peers in the profession

Referring on

Refer what is outside your expertise

Legal, financial and health questions go to someone qualified, not to a guess.

Should I sign this contract? Ask a lawyer; I can share my experience.
How did you handle your first big client? That one is mine to answer.

Doing it on Mentornity

Set up the year on Mentornity

Your program holds the agreement, the session titles and a private place for notes.

Read the program agreement

You confirm it when joining, and it stays in Program details.

Plan the meetings

Use your program’s session titles, or plan from their profile.

Keep a hidden note

Only you and the program team see it; no email is sent.

Message between meetings

Every message also reaches your mentee by email.

Certificates at the end

Your program team publishes them when the year closes.

Read the program agreement

You confirm it when joining, and it stays in Program details.

Plan the meetings

Use your program’s session titles, or plan from their profile.

Meetings

3 of 4 meetings done

3Mar Kick-off & expectations Tue · 14:00 · 45 min
10Mar Strengths & skills Tue · 14:00 · 45 min
12Mar Goal setting & career mapping Thu · 14:00 · 45 min Meeting scheduled Schedule a meeting Confirm and book
Networking plan Schedule a meeting

Goal setting & career mapping

Thu, Mar 12 · 14:00–14:45 Join video call

Mentor sees

Mentee sees

Ask about their top three goals and help them pick one for the next 90 days.

Pre-meeting questions

What do you already know about their goals?

Post-meeting questions

Which next step did you agree on?

Bring your top three goals. You will leave with one to focus on for 90 days.

Pre-meeting questions

Which goal do you want to focus on?

Post-meeting questions

How confident are you in your plan?

Keep a hidden note

Only you and the program team see it; no email is sent.

Meeting notesEmily P.

Visible noteEmailed to the participants at once Emailed

Agreed: lead the next team update, rehearse on Thursday.

update-outline.pdfUp to 10 files

Hidden noteOnly you and the program admins

Message between meetings

Every message also reaches your mentee by email.

Certificates at the end

Your program team publishes them when the year closes.

1Read the program agreement

2Plan the meetings

Meetings

3 of 4 meetings done

3Mar Kick-off & expectations Tue · 14:00 · 45 min
10Mar Strengths & skills Tue · 14:00 · 45 min
12Mar Goal setting & career mapping Thu · 14:00 · 45 min Meeting scheduled Schedule a meeting Confirm and book
Networking plan Schedule a meeting

Goal setting & career mapping

Thu, Mar 12 · 14:00–14:45 Join video call

Mentor sees

Mentee sees

Ask about their top three goals and help them pick one for the next 90 days.

Pre-meeting questions

What do you already know about their goals?

Post-meeting questions

Which next step did you agree on?

Bring your top three goals. You will leave with one to focus on for 90 days.

Pre-meeting questions

Which goal do you want to focus on?

Post-meeting questions

How confident are you in your plan?

3Keep a hidden note

Meeting notesEmily P.

Visible noteEmailed to the participants at once Emailed

Agreed: lead the next team update, rehearse on Thursday.

update-outline.pdfUp to 10 files

Hidden noteOnly you and the program admins

4Message between meetings

5Certificates at the end

Book the first meeting this week

Bring the conflict check and your profession’s competency list, and set two goals together.

Sign in to Mentornity Read the guide