Information for Mentors

A tailored program that connects students who identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community with LGBTQIA+ industry professionals. The program gives Pride Mentors the opportunity to connect, network and share stories around personal and career journeys with their Mentee. This program is managed on a strictly confidential basis.  

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Program details

Duration Recommended minimum of 1 hour per month over 3 months
Start dates Beginning March & August
Registrations Registrations open year round
Matching process Partnerships manually created by Mentoring Team

 

Who can be a Mentor?

This program is open to Industry Professionals who typically have three or more years of professional workforce experience, that are members of or contribute to the LGBTIQ+ community.

Mentor guidance

Mentees are expected to drive the relationship as they may have different mentoring needs such as:

  • Soft skills needed in the industry
  • Seeking and finding an internship
  • Job search skills
  • The career path

The first meeting offers the perfect opportunity to discuss the Mentee's specific needs and expectations. The Mentoring Agreement lists potential mentoring topics and offers a good starting point and structure the discussions.

Professional Development opportunities

Benefits for students who are provided with direct industry connections and guidance in the Mentoring partnerships are unparalleled. There are also many benefits and opportunities for Mentors including:  

  • Providing an avenue to access graduate talent for recruitment purposes.
  • Further developing coaching & leadership skills
  • Growing professional networks and knowledge via RMIT Professional Development events

Time commitment

The number of agreed mentoring meetings is flexible, but there is a recommended minimum of one hour per month over the 3 month partnership. You can agree with your Mentee to meet more frequently or decide to email, or have phone or Skype contact between meetings. If both parties agree, the partnership may be ended early if all questions are answered.

 

The Mentoring partnership process

Career mentoring

Step 1: Mentor Matching
Immediately after the Mentor/Mentee partnerships are created, Mentors have the opportunity to review the Mentees profile. 

Women@RMIT mentoring

Step 2: The ‘Partnership Agreement’ and preparing for the mentoring experience
A partnership agreement template will be sent to the Mentor and Mentee. This lists a number of topics (examples are listed above) that may be of interest. There are also a wide range of resources in our 'Mentor Resource Guide' section to help structure the meetings.

Pride mentoring

Step 3: Connect and meet with the Mentee 
Now it's time to connect with the Mentee via the Mentoring platform. Here the Mentor and Mentee will arrange the first meeting and clarify any questions related to the partnership.

At any stage throughout this process, Mentors can also contact the RMIT Mentoring team to help the mentoring experience.
Email: mentoring@rmit.edu.au
Tel: (+61 3) 9925 8146
 

 

FAQs for Mentors

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

Mentor and Mentee are not located in the same city - what are the options?

If your Mentee is located outside of Melbourne, you may want to connect with them through “remote mentoring” via email or video conference technology such as SKYPE or Google Hangouts. 

Will Mentors be inundated with requests from Mentees?

Students will be allocated to a Mentor at the start of each university semester. If for any reason Mentors are unable to mentor a student, they will need to inform the Mentoring team to adjust the Mentor's availability. Students may also approach Mentors for one-off meetings or discussions; however, Mentors have the ability to control their availability to connect with students for one-off connections. 

What if Mentors are concerned about an aspect of the partnership?

We encourage Mentors to discuss this with their Mentee in the first instance. Mentors need to identify their areas of concern regarding the partnership. If they are unable to resolve an issue within the partnership, they can seek advice and guidance from the RMIT Mentoring team: email mentoring@rmit.edu.au or phone 03 9925 8146.
We will provide our full support to resolve the situation in a positive manner for both parties.

Can Mentors work with more than one Mentee at a time?

Yes. All Mentors have their maximum partnerships set at "1", but this can be easily changed by editing your availability through your profile.

 

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