Guide for Mentees

The goal of the any Mentoring Program in physiology is to encourage and support young physiologists who are still in training or beginning new positions in academe or industry.  Consequently, to better serve our mentees and mentors, APS has become a partner in the MentorNet Mentoring Program (http://www.mentornet.net). To sign up as a mentor, please visit their website.

One of the key factors in achievement in graduate studies and success in postdoctoral, first faculty, or industrial positions is having productive relationships with mentors. 

Experienced mentors can provide valuable information and advice on how to make the most of your graduate and postdoctoral experiences and what to expect in a new faculty or industrial position. While mentors at your home institution may provide much of this critical information, it is important to have a balanced perspective from the larger scientific community and even from outside your specific discipline.
 

 It is anticipated that the mentor with whom you have been matched will share with you his/her experiences and advice on such topics as:

• career advancement
• grantmanship
• publishing
• teaching
• enhancing professional visibility
• networking with other scientists and practitioners
• overcoming barriers to career success

This advice pertains in particular to careers in physiology, because you may (and should) have other mentors locally to guide you for other needs, such as requirements for your dissertation or the tenure process at your particular university. However, mentors can often help in dealing with other topics such as meshing career and personal life and changing career paths.

Successful mentoring involves a dynamic process whereby each participant learns to respect and trust the partner's commitment, expertise, and individuality. A firm commitment to the mentoring process and a willingness to invest time and energy are the most important components for a successful relationship.

Mentoring is in many ways an elusive concept and an individual process. Every colleague pair is unique because each person's experience, personality and professional development track is different. Although both people involved begin the process with expectations about how the relationship will develop, it is often wise to consider establishing a discrete time period as a trial basis for you and your mentor. A specific time frame will enable the two of you to determine whether the mentoring relationship is working and may help minimize any misunderstandings. Following are some guidelines for mentees to consider in fostering an effective mentoring relationship.

Suggestions
Ask for advice and welcome constructive criticism. Oftentimes people are hesitant to offer advice when they do not know you very well. Be as specific as possible when asking for advice. For example, instead of asking what goes on at national scientific meetings, it would be more beneficial to know whether you should dress differently when you are presenting your poster or receiving an award. A good mentor will offer both constructive criticism and suggestions for your work, so be open to both.

Be considerate of your mentor's time. Mentors are by definition more established in their careers. This means that they have more demands on their time than they have time to deal with them. However, they have chosen to participate in this program and to be your mentor. You can expect quality time from them, but, in return, you need to be considerate of their time. Return phone calls and emails promptly and be on time. Be sure to ask how much time your mentor has to spend with you and abide by that request. Let your mentor suggest taking extra time if needed. You might even discuss setting aside a particular time each few weeks to talk.

Listen to what your mentor has to say. Mentors, having been there, know what you’ll be facing in your future career. Although sometimes their advice may seem less relevant to you at the moment, often it’s that very information that becomes critical at a future date. Take all the advice your mentor has to offer on all aspects of your career.

Seriously consider the advice given to you by your mentor, even if your immediate reaction is not positive. A mentor seldom offers advice or criticism lightly. They’ve been in your shoes. It’s very reasonable to ask for time to consider their advice and then get back to them with your response. While you certainly don’t have to follow their advice, remember that they do have experience and skills that you haven’t mastered yet.

Show appreciation for the time and assistance given to you by your mentor. Mentors need encouragement too, and constructive feedback will help your mentor guide you in the most effective way. Let them know how their advice worked in your situation.

Make only positive or neutral comments about your mentor to others. If, after a period of time, you don't believe that either you or your mentor are able to participate in an effective mentoring relationship, then don't be averse to discussing this with your mentor and possibly ending the relationship. If this occurs, MentorNet can assist in placing you in a relationship with a different mentor who may be a better match. If the relationship does end, if at all possible, try to end it on professional terms. It is no reflection on either of you if a particular pair isn’t suitable.

Keep the door open with your mentor. You never know when you may need his or her advice or assistance at some point in the future. And later, when the formal mentoring relationship is no longer needed (for example, you have obtained tenure or other official recognition of career advancement), consider staying in touch to provide "progress" reports. You never know when a situation will come up that you can use some good advice.

Tips on Interaction
When setting a date for the first meeting or contact, both members of the newly matched pair should arrange to exchange copies of their curriculum vita beforehand. The mentee's CV is helpful for the mentor so that he/she can review the junior colleague's career at that point and to suggest some goals for the immediate future. The mentor's CV provides a base with which the mentor can point out key steps in his/her career that were particularly valuable along the career path, such as research awards, types of grant funding, quality of publications, service and committee appointments, etc.

Second, the mentor should ask the junior colleague to share his/her goals for the upcoming year as well as more long-term goals, as another point for discussion.

The exact nature of subsequent meetings, including their topic and duration, will vary from pair to pair. For the majority of people, phone or email will be the most effective, regardless of where the two people live. In most circumstances, email probably will be the most effective way for mentor and mentee to stay in touch with a minimum of formality and time spent. However, it is important to also set aside a specific time or times to interact during appropriate scientific meetings (e.g., Experimental Biology), both because it may be a rare opportunity to interact in person and because this provides the junior colleague an opportunity to network with other scientists through the mentor's tutelage. Poster sessions and events such as receptions or dinners are good ways for the mentor to introduce the junior colleague to other scientists with whom the mentee may not normally have the opportunity to meet and interact with. It is important for the mentee to realize that the mentor has other demands on his/her time, including mentoring his/her own students and postdoctoral fellows, during the meeting. This is why specifying ahead of time a particular time and place for at least one face-to-face meeting is important.

Potential Pitfalls
There are at least three areas that need particular attention in any mentoring relationship.

Limited Time - Studies have found that finding the time and energy for mentoring pairs to get together is a great obstacle. Take advantage of email, fax, telephone, etc., as ways of staying in touch. Email especially allows for relatively short but more frequent contact between the participants.

Lack of Knowledge/Skills - After a senior colleague has accepted a role as a mentor, he or she may discover that there is not really the common ground between the two that was expected or that the junior colleague wants assistance in an area in which the mentor does not feel particularly competent to advise. In this situation, the mentor can either contact someone else or assist his/her mentee in locating others whose expertise may be more helpful for a specific need of the junior person. Be open to finding another person yourself to get another point-of-view in a particular area.

Over-dependence - Over-dependence can go in either direction in a mentoring relationship. However, it is not wise for a junior person to become over-dependent on his/her mentor. It is helpful for mentors to encourage their junior colleagues to have other mentors and to eventually anticipate the end of the formal mentoring relationship. It should be everyone’s goal to eventually become full-fledged colleagues, although it’s always nice to have someone to go to, who knows you, for advice at any time in the future.

It is important that both mentees and mentors always consider whether a mentoring match may have served its useful purpose. It is better to part company on amicable terms than to struggle with a relationship without a firm foundation. MentorNet can assist in reassigning pairs upon request.

More Information

For more information on the MentorNet program, please see their website.

See also:
Mentoring Guide for Mentees
Triple Creek Associates, Inc.

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This page last updated on May 20, 2008
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