MENTORINGHANDBOOKGUIDEFORMENTORSANDMENTEES

TEM-MENTORINGPROGRAM2018ROUND2(AUG2018–AUG2019)

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Contents INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................1

KEYMENTORINGDATES..............................................................................................................................2

BENEFITSOFAMENTORINGPROGRAM.....................................................................................................3

1.1BENEFITSTOMENTOR........................................................................................................................3

1.2BENEFITSTOMENTEE........................................................................................................................3

ROLESANDRESPONSIBILITIESOFMENTORSANDMENTEES.....................................................................4

2.1MENTORRESPONSIBILITIES................................................................................................................4

2.2MENTEERESPONSIBILITIES.................................................................................................................4

2.3MENTORINGAGREEMENTS................................................................................................................4

THEMENTORINGCYCLE..............................................................................................................................6

PHASE1:INITIATION................................................................................................................................6

PHASE2:DEVELOPMENT.........................................................................................................................7

PHASE3:MATURITY.................................................................................................................................7

PHASE4:DISENGAGEMENTANDREDEFINITION.....................................................................................7

MENTORSKILLSANDQUALITIES.................................................................................................................8

ISSUESINMENTORING................................................................................................................................9

7.1MENTORINGCOMMUNICATION........................................................................................................9

7.2TIMEMANAGEMENT..........................................................................................................................9

7.3BOUNDARIES......................................................................................................................................9

APPENDIX1–SUGGESTEDMENTORINGAGREEMENT/GUIDELINE.........................................................11

APPENDIX2–IDEASFORDISCUSSION.....................................................................................................13

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INTRODUCTIONTheTransportEngineersatMonash(TEM)committeehasputinitsbesteffortstooffercivil/transportengineeringstudentsapoolofmentors,withexperienceintransportengineeringandplanning.Exposuretotheexperiencesofprofessionalscanassistourmenteesinthetransitionfromstudytoemploymentwithinthesefields.SuchaninitiativewouldnotbepossiblewithoutthesupportofITEANZ,whohavepromotedthementoringschemewithitsmembersandhelpedinidentifyingsuitablementorsfortheprogram.Thereareseveralkindsofmentoringprograms.• Somearecentredbasedinworkplacesanddealwithhowanemployeecanadvancehisorher

careerwithinthecultureandbusinessprioritiesofabusiness/agency/institution.o Theseprogramsusuallybeginwithanintensivetrainingprocess,forbothmentorsand

mentees.o Thegoals,performanceindicatorsandactionsareoftenreflectedinindividualwork

performanceplans.o Ourmenteescanexpecttobesubjecttomanyofthoseprogramsastheircareersdevelop–

whetherinthepublicorprivatesectors.• Otherprogramsarefocussedontheindividualmenteeandroleofthementorasasupporting

adviserinaparticularphase(orphases)ofthementee’scareer.o Thesetypesofprogramsarelessformalandmoreorganicandoften,thebestmentorsare

thosethatofferempathyratherthanprofessionaldirection(althoughknowledgeoftheprofessionanditslinkswithothercareerpathsareaddedbonuses).

Mentoringisavoluntarytaskinwhichanolderorexperiencedindividualcontributestothetransitioningofayoungerorinexperiencedperson,intotheirrespectiveprofessionallife.Boththementorsandmenteeshavetheopportunitytolearnfromoneotheranddeveloplonglastingbonds.Thisprogramisalearningexperienceforboth,inwhichthecommitteehopes;willhelptodevelopmorejobreadygraduatesinthefuture.Thecommitteewouldliketoremindthementeesthatthisaveryvaluableopportunitytobeinvolvedin.Ourmentorsarejugglingallmentorshipcommitmentsontopoftheirrespectiveprofessionalwork,sopleasekeepanopenmindaboutopinionsandbeunderstandingofthebenefitsthatcanbederivedfromtheexperiencesofallmentors;shouldamenteenotbeallocatedher/hispreferredmentor,thecommitteeisconfidentthatthepoolwillprovideavaluablealternative.

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KEYMENTORINGDATESFortheTEMITEMentoringProgram,theKeyMentoringDatesareasfollows:

TIMELINEFORMENTORINGPROGRAM:

EVENT TIMELINEMentoringInductionNight 16August2018MentorandMenteePreferenceFormsOpen

17August2018

MentorandMenteePreferenceFormsClose

20August2018

MentorsandMenteesMatched 23August2018ITEStudentLeadershipSummit 21September2018TEMLunchtimeTalk(Mentees) 4October2018WorkshopbyITE(Mentors) 25October2018CatchUpSession 28March2019Workshop May2019GraduationCeremony August2019

FortheIndividualMentee/MentorMeetings,itisrecommendedtoorganiseameetingonceamonth.

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BENEFITSOFAMENTORINGPROGRAM

Somebenefitstothementorandmenteeareprovidedbelow:1.1BENEFITSTOMENTOR

Ø DevelopcommunicationandcounsellingskillsØ SatisfactionofhelpingotherindividualsmoveintotheirprofessionallivesØ Sponsorandintroduceher/hismenteetoprofessionalnetworksØ Anopportunitytoreflectonher/hisowncareergoals,experiencesandlessonslearnt

alongtheway.

1.2BENEFITSTOMENTEEØ Learnfromsomeonewhohasbeenthroughthestagesyouarecurrentlyinorwillbe

goingthroughØ Receiveprofessionalguidanceandsupportinconsideringthechangeandchallengesas

youmovefromacademiatoprofessionalworkenvironmentsØ DevelopyourcommunicationskillsØ GetusefultipsonjobhuntingØ Offersopportunitiestobeintroducedtoprofessionalnetworksfortransportengineers

andallieddisciplines.

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ROLESANDRESPONSIBILITIESOFMENTORSANDMENTEESWhetheramentoringprogramdevelopsaroundastructuredframeworkorevolvesorganically,thereareanumberofprinciplesthatapplytoensurethatbothamentorandmenteehavearewardingexperience.

1. Goodmannersandrespectfulbehaviourtowardseachotherareessential.

2. Keepallconversationsconfidential.Thisisimportantinestablishingon-goingtrustbetweenmentorandmentee.

3. Beingontimetoscheduledmeetingsandadvisingofanychangesinplansassoonaspossible.

4. Avoidcancellingscheduledmeetingtimes,itdiscouragesboththementorandmenteeleadingtodisengagement.

5. MakeuseoftheTEMmentorcoordinatorandtheITEANZmentorcoordinatorifdifficultiesarise.

2.1MENTORRESPONSIBILITIESMentorsneedtobeawareoftheirresponsibilitiesforasmoothmentor-menteerelationship.Theyarelistedbelow.1. Beingasourceofinformation,moralsupportandprovidinginsighttothementee.

2. Itisimportanttobean“activelistener”byallowingbackandforthcommunicationtoflow.Itisquiteeasytofallintothetrapofnotlisteningtothementee.

3. Amenteemightnotalwaysfollowtheadviceofthementor.Insuchcases,itisimportantthatthementorrespectsthementee’schoicesanddoesnotbecomejudgemental.Thereisoftenmorethanonepathtosolvingaproblemandthementor’ssupportiscriticalinbuildingtrustforthelongterm.

4. Atthefirstmeeting,amentormustensurebothmentorandmenteeareworkingtowardsthecommongoal.Ausefultoolcanbeawrittenmentoringagreement.

2.2MENTEERESPONSIBILITIESMenteescangainsupport,knowledgeandmanyotherbenefitsprovidedtheystayengagedwiththeprogram.Responsibilitiesofthementeeinclude:

1. Atthefirstmeeting;workwithyourmentortoidentifythecommongoal2. Activelyengagewiththementortomakethemostoftherelationship.3. Takeresponsibilityforthedecisionsmadeandtheactionstobecompleted.4. Followthementoringpartnershipagreementwheneverpossibleandmaintain

confidentialityinthementoringrelationship.

2.3MENTORINGAGREEMENTSAMentoringAgreementcanbehelpful,particularlyformentorsormenteeswhohavebusyworkingorstudylives.Itallowsforboundariestobediscussedandgoalstoberecorded.Afewtipswhenestablishingthementoringagreement

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1. Determinethelengthofrelationship,frequencyofmentoringsessions,confidentiality,rolesandresponsibilities.

2. Discussandclarifyexpectationsforbothparties.3. Discusswhenandwhereyouwillmeetandhowtocommunicate.4. Definethepurposeorgoalsoftherelationships.

Formentor-menteepairswhomaybeinterested,asampleagreementformhasbeenattachedtowardstheendofthisdocument.

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THEMENTORINGCYCLETherearefourstageswhenmentoringorgettingmentored,thesestagesarelistedbelow.Oneormoreofthesestagesmaycoincidewithoneother.Knowingthesestagesmightguidethementor/menteethroughtheprogram.

PHASE1:INITIATION

Thisisthephasewhereonegetstostarttoknowabouttheotherperson,theirinterests,experiencesandcommitments.Whattodo:

• Talkaboutyourselves,yourinterests(bothprofessionalandsocial),somehighlightsandlessonslearnt.Learnabouteachotherandestablishempathy

• Clarifyyourvaluesandmotivationsasamentorormentee• Understandinghoweachotherlearnsandthinks(respondquicklyortakesometime)is

importanttoformagoodrelationship• Identifyingtheareaswherethementeewantsimprovement.Thiscouldinclude

personal/professionaldevelopment,skilldevelopment,academicguidanceetc• Determinebroadgoals.Thinkaboutgoals,suchas:

o Developingacareerentryplano Gainingandeeperunderstandingoftransportengineeringacrossallmodesandits

relationshipstoassociateddisciplines,suchastownandregionalplanning,localgovernmentadministrationandprojectapprovalanddeliveryprocesses,butalsotothebroadercommunityinterests

• Agreeonmeetingtimesandpreferredmethod/sofcommunication

DiscoveringyourMatchThereisaninductionprogramforallselectedmenteestoattendwhichprovidesthementeestheopportunitytoselectapreferredmentor.Eachmentorwouldgiveashortpresentationoutliningtheircareergoalsandexperiences.Amenteecanpreferamentoriftheircareerorlifeexperiencesmatchthementee’spersonalgoals.

RealisticExpectationsMenteesmustbeawarethattheirmentorsareeagertohelpandarefreelyvolunteeringtheirtimetohelpeachmenteetodevelopbothpersonallyandprofessionally.Askingmentorsabouttheircareerpathsandtheirexperiences,andhowtheyachievedtheir

InductionNight

CatchUpSession

GraduationCeremony

Workshops Workshops

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goalswillprovideanawarenessoftherangeofissuesthatcaninfluenceamentee’scareeraswellasareasforfurtherdevelopment.

PHASE2:DEVELOPMENTThisisthestagewherelearninghappens,trustdevelops,andgoalsareactivelyworkedon.Whattodo:

• Specifyobjectivestoachieveproposedgoals,consideringtheSMARTprocessasaguide.

Ø S-Specific:Whatwillthegoalaccomplish?Howandwhywillitbeaccomplished?

Ø M-Measurable:Howwillyoumeasurewhetherthegoalhasbeenreached?Ø A-Achievable:Isitpossible?Willmeetingthegoalchallengeyou?Ø R-Relevant:Whydoyouwanttoachievethisgoal?Ø T-Time-bound:Doesthecompletiondatecreateapracticalsenseofurgency?

• ConsiderdevelopinganActionPlantoclearlysetoutexactlywhatyouwanttodoandhowyouwilldoit

• Undertakeactivitiestowardsachievingthegoalssetout

PHASE3:MATURITYThisisthestagewherelearninghaspeaked.Theobjectivesoftherelationshiphavebeensatisfied,andthementorbecomeslessinfluential.Whattodo:

• CompleteyourActionPlan.Checkthatalltheobjectivesareachievedoracknowledgethattheyarenot.

• Evaluatesuccessandsatisfaction.Itisimportanttoconsidershortcomingsasopportunitiesforgrowthinthefuture.

• Decidewhetheryoubothwishtoendorcontinuethementoringpartnership.

PHASE4:DISENGAGEMENTANDREDEFINITION

Thisisthestagewherethementee/mentormightfeelthatalltheobjectiveshavebeenachievedandmightthinkaboutendingtherelationship.Redefinitionoftherelationshiphappenswhenmentoringpartnersmightchoosetocontinuetomeetandworktogether.

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MENTORSKILLSANDQUALITIESMentorsareindividualswhocouldhelpnewstudents“learntheropes”.Mentorscanbecomerolemodels,whohaveexhibitedbehaviour,skillsandstyleswhichthementeewishestoemulate.Mentorscanreflectonyourqualitiesandskills.Evenifyou’renotamentor,itishelpfultoknowwheretoimprove.Quality/Skill:

• Interpersonalskills-Howwellyoucanrelatetopeople• Communicationskills-Beingabletoclearlyexpressyourselfandlistentoandunderstand

others• Transportindustryknowledge-Informationyoucanshareaboutyourinvolvementwiththe

industry• Counsellingandadvisoryskills-Howwellyoucanguideandnurturepeople• Technicaladvice-Yourknowledgeandskillsinyourareaofexpertiseandhowthey

generallycontributetothetransportindustry• Willingnesstoprovideadvicetohelpsomeone’sgrowth• Reversementoring-Yourwillingnessandabilitytolearnfromamentee• Patienceandtolerance-Willingtounderstandone’sviewpointandaccepttheirpersonality• Leadership-Thequalitiesandskillsyouhaveandexhibit,thatmakeyoualeader

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ISSUESINMENTORING7.1MENTORINGCOMMUNICATION

Choiceofwordsusedbyboththementor/menteeisveryimportantinsteeringtherelationship.Listeningisalsoveryimportant.Itiseasytogetlostinnarratingone’sexperiencesandsuggestions,andnotlistentotheother.Tryandavoidwordsthatcansometimesnotbewellreceivedbytheother

• Right/wrong.• Agree/disagree.• Believe/notbelieve.• Like/notlike.• Good/bad.• Insteaduse‘GenerousListening’andaskgreatquestions

Suchas…• Whatarethepossibilitieshere...• Howcouldwemakethishappen…• Howcouldwemakeadifference…• Isthereanotherwayofconsideringthis...

Thiscanbeharder,sinceaconsciouseffortneedstobemadetolistenandreactthoughtfully,butitwillultimatelyincreasethementee’slearningandmentoringexperience.Amentee’sconfidenceandmotivationcanbeenhancedthrougheffectivecommunication,forexample,bypraisingachievementsandhelpingtosetmeasurablegoalsandsteps.Providingcriticisminasensitivemannercanalsoreinforcethesefeelingsofconfidenceandmotivation.Itisimportant,however,togivehonestfeedbackbutremembertobeconsiderateofhowtheothermightfeel.

7.2TIMEMANAGEMENTTimemanagementisoneofthebiggestissuesformenteesandmentors.Sinceitisaone-on-onemeeting,itcanbetemptingtocancel.Ifamentor/menteeconsistentlycancelstheirmeetings,itcanmaketheotherpartyfeelundervaluedornotrespected.Poortimemanagementcanalsomakementors/menteefeelstressedandmakethemlesseffectiveatmentoring.Workingontimemanagementandprioritisationskillswillhelpbothpartiesgetthemostoutofyourpartnership.

7.3BOUNDARIESAlthoughthereawiderangeofmentoringrelationships,amentorisgenerallymoreseniororolderthanthementee.Assuch,mentorstendtohavemoreauthorityandinfluence,makingitimportanttomaintainappropriateboundaries,particularlywherethementorandmenteearewithinthesameorganisation.Asthisprogramisfocussedonthetransitionfromstudytoprofessionallife,mentorsandmenteesshouldbehaveinabusiness-likemannerasiftheywereinabusiness-orientatedenvironment.Somesocialbehavioursmaybeinappropriate,dependingontherelationship,includinghugging;handshakesareencouragedasgoodmannersinabusinessenvironment.

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CONTACTDETAILSIfyouhaveanyissuesorsuggestionstoraiseinregardstotheMentoringProgram,pleasedonothesitatetocontactTEMorITE:TEMMonashJeyashivrajParthibantem.monash@gmail.comITEMarianneRichardsm.r.richards@optusnet.com.au

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APPENDIX1–SUGGESTEDMENTORINGAGREEMENT/GUIDELINE

Topic Meeting number Date and time

Mentor’s experience and career progression – Career story to date – Day-to-day work schedule – Training and further study – Feedback and possible changes – Work changes over time – Work-life balance – Long-term goals – Key challenges – Motivations

Career opportunities – Employers’ expectations of graduates in this field – Remuneration in the field compared with other fields/careers – Further training to advance career options – Required knowledge and skills as a graduate in your field – Personal strengths compared with those required for your field

Securing a job – Most effective strategies for gaining employment in your field – Jobs in your field – Finding jobs that are not advertised – Optimising the content, formatting and presentation of a resume and cover letter – Best way to approach prospective employers – Typical format for an interview

On the job – Structure of a specific organisation – Organisational culture – Particular ways of doing things within an organisation – Ways of conveying an organisation’s goals and objectives to staff – Description of a typical day or week on your mentor’s job – Your mentor’s likes or dislikes about his or her work – Main misconceptions people have about your mentor’s work or role – Managing office politics

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Topic Meeting number Date and time

Career development / professional development – Career goal setting – Additional skills required for career progression – Professional associations to join – Networking opportunities and professional network development – Journals or other publications to read – Professional development opportunities – Volunteering opportunities

Issues in the field – Present changes and future trends – Current and projected employment opportunities – Technology and transformations in your field

Other topics (as agreed upon)

We acknowledge each other’s rights and responsibilities and agree to maintain confidentiality of all information and opinions that are discussed as part of the mentoring relationship. Information will only be shared with the express permission of the other party.

Mentor Mentee

Full name Full name

Signature Signature

Date Date

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APPENDIX2–IDEASFORDISCUSSION Possible Discussion Topics It can be difficult knowing what to discuss with your mentor / mentee. Below are some suggestions of topics and possible questions. Discussing your mentor’s experience • Careerpathways• Biggestlessonslearnt• Whatemployersreallywant• Biggestchallenges• Jobinterviewsuccessesandfailures• Networking• Worklifebalance• Whatreallymatters• Governmentversusprivateemployment• Pathways,choicesandcareerprogression• Skills&personalqualitiesthatenablethis Sample Questions: • How/whydidyoudecidetopursuethecareerinwhichyouareworking?• Howdidyoubecomeinterestedinthisfield?• Whattraining/educationhaveyouhad?Howdidithelpprepareyouforyourcareer?• Describeyourcareerpath.Whathavebeenthemajormilestones?Howdideachjobleadyouto

yournextposition?• Ifyoucouldstartalloveragain,wouldyouchangeyourcareerpathinanyway?Why?• Wheredoyouseeyourselfgoingfromhere?• Whohasinspiredyouandmentoredyouinyourcareerandhow?• Whatinspiresyouatwork?• Whatareyourmainprojectsandresponsibilities?• Whichcriteriawouldyourecommendforevaluatingemployers?• Whatareyourstrengthsandhowhavetheseinfluencedyourcareerprogression?• Whatskillsdoyouusedaily?• Whatwerethekeystoyourcareeradvancement?Howdidyougetwhereyouareandwhatare

yourlong-rangegoals?• Consideringallthepeopleyou'vemetinyourlineofwork,whatpersonalattributesareessentialfor

success?• Howdoyouapproachsituationsandscenariosatworkthatyouhaven’tencounteredbefore?• Whatsortsoftrainingandlearningexperienceshaveyouhadthroughoutyourcareer?• Howdoesyourorganisationsupportyourcareerdevelopment?• Arethereanyprofessionalresourcesyoucanrecommendassistingmetogainfurtherinsight?

Books,blogs,news,websitesetc.• Whatbooks,people,experienceshaveinfluencedyourideasandthoughtsthemost?