Information for students

Now in its 9th year, the RMIT Career Mentoring - Melbourne program continues to foster meaningful connections between current RMIT students and industry professionals. With RMIT's strong links to industry, students receive instant access to a powerful and diverse network of industry leaders - both locally and globally. The program is open to all students from every discipline, at VE, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels.  The connections made in this program help prepare students for a successful future beyond RMIT.

Sign up today to become a mentee.

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The RMIT Career Mentoring – Melbourne program is designed to be easy and flexible and makes it possible for students to connect with mentors in a variety of ways. You can invite a mentor to meet for a coffee or connect remotely over email, phone, or video chat. All mentoring connections start off with a one-off meeting, with an opportunity to continue the connection in a longer-term, 3-month partnership.

Program details

Mentoring meetings Mentees send meeting requests to mentors for a one-off connection 
Mentoring partnerships Once a mentee and mentor have had their mentoring meeting, they may choose to continue their connection in a more formal, three-month mentoring partnership, if both parties agree
Registrations Registrations open year-round
Number of connections Mentees can connect with up to five mentors at a time

 

The mentoring opportunity

The mentoring partnership will provide mentees with a valuable opportunity to obtain advice and guidance from an industry professional on a wide range of industry, skills, and employment-related topics such as soft skills required in the industry, advice on how to find an internship, job search skills, and career paths.
 

Time commitment
 

Mentoring meetings The time commitment for mentees is minimal, with an average meeting duration of 1 hour.
Mentoring partnerships If you decide to continue the connection in a 3-month partnership, you will meet a further 3 times over the partnership, e.g. 1 hour per month, over 3 months. 

 

 

The connection process

Step 1: Finding a mentor
Browse the profiles of mentors recommended to you or use the search filter to find a mentor whose profile stands out to you. Once you’ve found a mentor, you’ll want to send them a meeting request and introduce yourself. You can send up to 5 mentors a meeting request at any one time.

If you're having trouble finding a match or would like some assistance, contact the RMIT Mentoring team and we can help find a match for you!

Step 2: Meeting your mentor
Once the mentor has accepted your meeting request, it’s time to prepare for your upcoming meeting. Before your meeting, think about your career goals and write down any initial questions that come to mind for your mentor to answer. You may even like to send your questions through to your mentor before you meet, so they have some time to prepare their answers. You will find a range of helpful resources and topics to discuss with your mentor in the ‘Mentee Resource Guide’.

Step 3: The 3-month partnership opportunity
Post-meeting, you can choose to continue the connection in a 3-month partnership if both parties agree. Complete the post-meeting survey, which will notify the RMIT Mentoring team of your request. From there, the team will create the partnership for you.

Repeat the connection process
Continue browsing and connecting with new mentors each month to build your professional network!

Note:
At any stage throughout this process, students can contact the RMIT Mentoring team to help the mentoring experience.
Email: mentoring@rmit.edu.au
Tel: (+61 3) 9925 7370

 

FAQs 

Here are some answers to questions you may have about the mentoring program.

What happens once I've signed up and my application has been accepted?

We will recommend the best mentors for you based on your preferences and profile information, so make sure that your profile is complete and up-to-date! You can also browse our community of mentors by industry, organisation, location, and more, by using the search filter.

How many mentors can I connect with at the one time?

You can connect with up to 5 mentors at any one time.

Who can see my profile information?

Your profile is visible to mentors, however, other mentees cannot see your profile.

A mentor has accepted my meeting request. What do I do next?

If you have not already done so, let your mentor know how you would like to meet (phone, email, video chat, face-to-face, etc). Before your meeting, think about your career goals and what you would like to share about yourself. Write down your initial questions that come to mind for your mentor to answer. You may even like to send your questions through to your mentor before you meet, so they have some time to prepare their answers. If you are unsure of what questions to ask your mentor, check out the 'Resources Pack' for some suggestions.

What if I can no longer make the meeting time or date I have arranged with my mentor?

We know life can get busy, so if you need to reschedule your meeting with your mentor for whatever reason, that is perfectly ok. We just ask that you would be considerate of your mentor’s time and provide them with as much notice as possible, ideally at least 24 hours prior to your meeting as a minimum. Remember, our mentors’ time is precious and they are volunteering their time to help you, so please only reschedule a meeting if you absolutely must!

I sent a meeting request to a mentor and have not received a response. What should I do?

Once you send a meeting request to a mentor, they have 10 days to accept your request before it expires. If we can see that your mentor has not responded to your request after 5 days, we will send them a reminder email about your pending request.

If your meeting request expires, or your mentor declines your meeting request, we encourage you to reach out to other mentors. If you’re still having issues connecting with mentors, feel free to reach out to our team for assistance.
Email: mentoring@rmit.edu.au

How do I get the most out of this program?

Be active, ask questions, reach out to a variety of new mentors, and make sure to check out the resources! Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone new. Remember, our mentors are waiting for you to connect with them. Our mentoring community is here to support you in your career journey.

What if my mentor is based in another city or country?

If you connect with a mentor who is located outside of Melbourne, there are still plenty of ways to connect remotely! You may like to meet via a video conferencing platform, such as Skype, Zoom or WhatsApp, or have an exchange of emails, or a phone call.

What if I'm concerned about an aspect of my meeting or partnership?

We encourage you to discuss this with your mentor first. Identify the areas of concern regarding your partnership. If you are unable to resolve a partnership issue, you can seek advice and guidance from the RMIT Mentoring Team. We will provide our full support to resolve the situation in a positive manner for both parties.
Email: mentoring@rmit.edu.au

 

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