Becoming a Mentor

Guidance for Mentors

Effective mentors have the ability to do the following:

• Build rapport
• Listen and accurately ascertain meaning
• Ask questions and encourage others to explore issues
• Structure conversations
• Encourage and allow the mentee to take the initiative
• Provide feedback that is both challenging and empathic
• Offer knowledge and advice with care
• Offer fresh perspectives
• Maintain professional boundaries and confidentiality
• Commit sufficient time and mental energy to the research mentoring relationship

Thinking about becoming a research mentor?

• Talk to others who already are mentoring
• Think about your own experiences of being mentored – what worked and what didn’t
• Assess your suitability using the self-assessment form.
  

Once you have decided you have the attributes, the time and energy to become a mentor and have completed the self-assessment form, you should contact CATO to look into attending a mentoring for research briefing session. 

Generic guidance for mentors can be found in the 'Further resources' section of the Imperial College staff development web page. If you'd like some more specific guidance and information about the Imperial College AHSC Mentoring for Research Programme, please contact the CATO team.

How to become a mentor in the AHSC

• We actively advertise for mentors at specific times of the year or in response to a specific uptake in research mentoring requests.
• Generic information on the benefits of mentoring for research and the role of the mentor and mentee can be found on the Imperial College Website. 

The process of becoming a mentor consists of:

Stages to becoming a research mentor:

• Complete the self-assessment form: As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete the Self assessment form to consider some of the attributes of a mentor. If your score shows you have the relevant skills/attributes please contact the CATO team to register for a mentor briefing session.

• Attend a Mentor Briefing Workshop: These workshops are designed for mentors, to equip them with the knowledge, skills and practical tools used to build and sustain effective mentoring relationships. During the session, we look at what mentoring is (and isn’t); focus in turn on each of the key phases of the mentoring relationship (beginning, middle and ending) and become familiar with some practical tools that can help facilitate the mentoring process. Any queries about the research mentor workshop should be directed to the CATO Team.
  

• Complete a Mentor profile: Once you have attended a workshop, you will be asked to complete a profile indicating the areas you feel comfortable to provide mentoring in. This information enables us to make an appropriate match with a mentee.

If you have been a mentor for many years and think it unnecessary to attend the workshop please contact your local mentoring coordinator to discuss how to progress.