CONNECT is a Penn State Behrend Black School of Business mentoring program that matches business students and professionals for a semester.  The goal of this program is to introduce students to life after college by allowing them to network with a professional and to learn about their mentor’s professional experience.

CONNECT

Mentoring Program

CONNECT is a Penn State Behrend Black School of Business mentoring program that matches business students and professionals for a semester.  The goal of this program is to introduce students to life after college by allowing them to network with a professional and to learn about their mentor’s professional experience.

What is a Mentor?

Mentors come in all shapes and sizes.  They are not necessarily older than you or have higher positions in a company than you do. People can learn from many different people, but good mentors share two qualities: they are experienced and trusted advisors.

• Experience: A mentor will be able to share their professional and personal experience with you so you have learn from their experience by asking them questions that matter to you in order to reach your own career goals
• Trust: In order for a mentoring relationship to be successful, both parties have to be able to trust one another.  Without trust, little learning will happen.

Week 1: Get Started

Before you meet with your mentor, you will need to work on a few things. It is important that you understand your role as a mentee in order to set yourself up for success. 

• Self-reflect: Understand what areas you would like to work on with your mentor.
• Learn to become a good mentee Understand what it means to establish a mentoring relationship.
• Prepare to make a good first impression: Learn tips to make a good first impression to create a long lasting mentoring relationship.
• Find a Mentor: Make connections to find the right person for you.

COME PREPARED

• Learn as much as you can from your mentor and their company (e.g. Company’s website, LinkedIn, Google)
• Schedule a meeting with your mentor: in person or a semi-formal email/LinkedIn message and ask if they are interested available.

Week 2: Plan Together

Now that you have made a first contact with your mentor, it is time to plan ahead to start building a strong and trusted relationship:

• Get to know each other: Ask questions, be curious but not nosy, what can you find about your mentor or the company that you did not learn on the company’s website or on their LinkedIn profile.
• Manage your expectations: Figure out what your goals (e.g. Internship) are and what you will do for each other (mentoring is a two-way relationship).
• Manage your time: Establish a schedule (e.g. how and when will you communicate, will you meet in person, on zoom)
• Craft an agenda: Decide how your meetings will be conducted (e.g. 1. any news this week 2. discuss agreed topic 3. questions 4. wrap up and plans for next meeting)
• Review and sign the Mentoring Agreement​: This agreement will help you both stay on track and know what to expect from the program. Please return it to ssp15@psu.edu.

Come Prepared!

• Reflect on your strengths and weaknesses: What are you good at? What do you need help with? (e.g. resume, networking, choosing the right class, certifications information…)
• Review your career goals: Where do you see yourself after graduation? If you don’t know, how could your mentor help you figure it out

Weeks 4-14: Discuss

Now that you are acquainted and you have decided upon a plan you are ready to start discussing specific topics.

• Personal Branding: Work together to define your personal brand.
• Networking: Find out how connecting with people could help you move ahead in your career.
• Interviewing: Learn the best tips there are to acing your next interview.
• Teamwork: It is important to understand what it means to work as part of a team.
• Leadership: Learn to be a good leader wherever you are.
• Planning for the Future: Start thinking of work-life balance or financial planning…

TIPS

• Ask for homework at the end of your meetings, your mentor could suggest something to do, an article to read or a podcast to listen to that is relevant to your discussion
• Make sure to do the homework that was assigned.  It would be a great starter to your next conversation!

Week 14: Wrap Up

As the semester is coming to an end, it’s time to wrap up.  Whether you decide to stay in touch with your mentor or move on, it’s time to acknowledge the time they took out of their busy life for you and appreciate what they have done:

• Thank your mentor: A personal note, a small gift, an invitation for coffee… All of that will go a long way.
• Determine your next steps: Whether your plans entail an internship or a first job, put into action all you have learned in this program.
• Share: Consider sharing your experience with others, talk to fellow students or become a mentor after graduation.