Mentors assist with their mentees' stated goals and with their advancement, offering advice and feedback, asking questions, encouraging reflection, building connections, and helping to create a supportive environment.  

For Mentors 

Aim less to be the omniscient “senior” faculty member and instead to be an active listener who asks questions, celebrates achievements, connects the faculty member to resources, and offers guidance.

Be honest and genuine. A trusting relationship is essential for effective mentoring. Be open to sharing your own experiences, including challenges you have faced and how you dealt with them.

Be prepared to “run” the first mentoring sessions, as the mentee may not know what to expect from the relationship. In the first sessions, aim to get to know each other and let mentees reflect on what they want out of this relationship. You can ask the mentee about their teaching and research interests, their goals for the semester, their adjustment to the area, what they are enjoying so far, etc. Meet outside of one’s office when possible.

Mentoring relationships are more likely to be successful if the mentor and mentee meet early in the mentee’s career and on a regular basis. It is best to not wait to establish the initial meeting. Mentors should schedule tmeetings with the mentee preferably twice a semester.

Ensure that meetings, even if short, take place on a regular basis rather than conveying that you are available if the mentee requests to meet.

Consider this relationship as a two-way street and be open to learning new things in the process.

Help hold the mentee accountable for the person's plans and goals, such as by checking in outside of meetings. Mentees will find the relationship worth investing in if they sense that it is having an impact and that the mentor cares.

Rather than framing the meeting as simply “mentoring,” which can seem vague, frame the session as a means to discuss a key challenge the mentee might be facing (and celebrate any achievements). Common concerns for new faculty include navigating college bureaucracy, connecting with resources and people, how to establish protocols for class enrollments and office hours, what to expect at annual conversations, the reappointment and tenure process, feeling overwhelmed by the multiple tasks, worrying about making mistakes, time management, wanting a sense of belonging, work/life balance, imposter syndrome, learning the formal and informal “rules” of the college, the job market (for visiting faculty), and more.

Ask the mentee what motivates the person's work. For instance, if the mentee wants to influence policy, ask them what the person's goals are and what the ways of accomplishing them might be.

Be mindful and open about your own identity and background, to the extent comfortable, so as to facilitate connections and conversations. Mentors should make sure that the mentee knows that the mentor cannot guarantee full confidentiality. Do not inquire into personal information.

Invite the mentee to accompany you to college and Five-College talks or the like that you are attending, as that helps build a more natural relationship.

Invite someone to join a meeting if useful for the mentee’s planned agenda, with the mentee’s approval.

Exchange CVs in order to better understand each other’s research interests and background.

For Mentees 

See the mentor not as having all of the answers but instead as a resource to assist you in getting the information you need and as a person with experiences to share. Consider what guidance you want from your mentor and what you might find elsewhere.

Be open about what you are appreciating and finding challenging at that moment. It will help to be specific on what you want feedback and guidance on at each session. You can ask yourself, “What do I need now?” Don’t share only what you think the mentor can solve, but also topics that might not have simple solutions. Sharing your accomplishments, not only concerns, is also welcome. Plan for your meetings and send an agenda, however brief, in advance. This will help the mentor come with more helpful comments.

Meet regularly and stick to the meeting, even if there is nothing seemingly important to discuss. Effective mentoring depends on building a trusting relationship, which meeting regularly facilitates. You can discuss things other than work.

If the mentor does not schedule meetings at least twice a semester, you should reach out to the mentor and should also feel free to contact the chair (for the Department Mentor) or Pawan Dhingra, associate provost and associate dean of the faculty, Pawan Dhingra, associate provost and associate dean of the faculty (for the College Mentor).

You should share when you are hearing conflicting advice from faculty members or the administration.

Keep a mentoring journal that you revisit.

At the start of each semester or year, articulate your goals for that time period. Be open to feedback on the goals and to the process to reach them.

End each session expressing something helpful from the session.

Share your journey and motivations into the academy.

Meet outside of one’s office.

If a mentee you are eceiving conflicting feedback, you should express that to the College and Department Mentors, with the goal of finding a resolution to the disagreement. Mentees should be encouraged to discuss issues of concern with their chair and/or the provost.

Sample Questions to Ask Mentees

  • What are your most pressing needs this month?
  • What is something you’ve accomplished recently that you are proud of, whether professional or otherwise?
  • Newer faculty often over-prepare. How do you prepare for classes, and how much time do you spend?
  • What is your approach to teaching and how did you come to that? What can I learn from your approach?
  • What is a challenge you are facing in the classroom? Would it help to hear aboutchallenges I have faced and how I dealt with them?
  • Building connections is helpful for new faculty. Tell me more about what you’re interested in, and I can see if I can connect you to someone relevant.
  • Are there people or spaces on campus or people in the profession that I can help connect you to?
  • How are you doing in terms of time management? Do you have a strategy for yourself?
  • What are your research goals for the year? Tell me where you are in your progress and what obstacles you’re facing.
  • Have you considered your goals for the year? Would that help you set priorities? 
  • Sample Questions to Ask Mentors
  • What are things you wish you had known when you were starting at Amherst?
  • How did you become interested in the academy and decide to be a professor?
  • I feel I should be having office hours daily. Given how many students come to me, how should I handle that?
  • Can I and should I volunteer for committees and if so, which ones?
  • How do I decide between different publishing venues for my work?
  • I feel like I’m writing a book because I have to for tenure, but I’d rather be working with students. What are your thoughts on that?
  • What advice do you have for visiting faculty who need to stay on the job market while at Amherst?