Film-style poster for the Not Sure Yet presentation

A guide for mentees: Not Sure Yet

How to use your first meetings when you do not have a goal yet.

What this guide covers

What this guide covers

What this guide covers

No goal yet

You do not need a goal yet

Bring three possible directions to your mentor instead of one answer.

  • Something you enjoy
  • Something you are good at
  • Something you are curious about

Why steps matter

Tie each future to a step

Students who linked future selves to concrete steps did better at school.

264 students: linking future selves to strategies raised grades and test scores, for two years Oyserman, Bybee & Terry, 2006

Ask someone

Talk to one person per direction

Ask someone who does that work for twenty minutes; most people say yes.

48% how much people underestimate how often others agree to a direct request Bohns, 2016

Five questions

Five questions for that talk

Ask the most important one first, in case time runs short.

  • What does a normal week look like?
  • What do you like least about it?
  • How did you get here?
  • What should a student try first?
  • Who else should I talk to?

Small tests

Try it before you choose

Pick one small test per direction that you can do in two weeks.

  • Watch join someone for a day or a call
  • Do a short task or free course
  • Meet one event, club or meetup

Back to your mentor

Compare the three with your mentor

Say what pulled you in and what put you off; then pick the next test.

  • Pulled me in what I want more of
  • Put me off what I can rule out
  • Next test one step, one date

Mentornity in Claude and ChatGPT

Use Mentornity from Claude or ChatGPT

Ask in your own words; your assistant plans meetings, fills in tools and drafts messages.

Connect it once

Add Mentornity in Claude, ChatGPT or another MCP app, then sign in.

Ask in your own words

Plan meetings, fill in a tool or form, find a mentor, reply.

A preview before every change

The assistant shows what will happen; nothing changes until you say yes.

Disconnect any time

It sees only what you see; Settings shows what it did recently.

Connect it once

Add Mentornity in Claude, ChatGPT or another MCP app, then sign in.

Ask in your own words

Plan meetings, fill in a tool or form, find a mentor, reply.

A preview before every change

The assistant shows what will happen; nothing changes until you say yes.

Disconnect any time

It sees only what you see; Settings shows what it did recently.

Your goals and the Academy

Set goals, learn, earn a badge

Track your goals in My development and learn in Mentornity Academy, in your language.

Set your goals

Write what you want to reach and rate it at each check-in.

Badge courses for mentors

Seven skills with short practice, then a 20-question exam.

Guides for mentors and mentees

Research-based guides, a deck for every tool, and decks for your program.

Add your badge to LinkedIn

Pass the exam and share the badge page, valid for two years.

Set your goals

Write what you want to reach and rate it at each check-in.

Badge courses for mentors

Seven skills with short practice, then a 20-question exam.

Guides for mentors and mentees

Research-based guides, a deck for every tool, and decks for your program.

Add your badge to LinkedIn

Pass the exam and share the badge page, valid for two years.

Sources

The research behind this presentation

  1. Oyserman, D., Bybee, D. & Terry, K. (2006) Possible selves and academic outcomes: How and when possible selves impel action Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91(1), 188-204
  2. Bohns, V. K. (2016) (Mis)understanding our influence over others: A review of the underestimation-of-compliance effect Current Directions in Psychological Science, 25(2), 119-123
  3. MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership (2015) Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring, Fourth Edition MENTOR, Boston

Write your three directions tonight

One line each, shared with your mentor before you meet.

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