Establishing expectations

In the initial stages of establishing a mentoring relationship, it is important to establish expectations by having a conversation about some key topics, including:

• Mentee's prior knowledge as it relates to the project

• Outcome or objective the mentee wants to accomplish, for example:

  • What the mentee wants to learn

  • What skills the mentee wants to gain

  • What purpose this experience will serve for the mentee

• Timeline for the project, including:

  • What should be accomplished

  • How long each part should take

  • What happens if a particular deadline is not met

  • Goals for the project

  • Activities involved in the project

Be sure to summarize back to your mentee your understanding of their answers and to ask them to do the same regarding your outline of expectations. The latter can be prompted by asking the mentee, "okay, so tell me what do you understand so far?"

• Ask your mentor for clear goals, including:

  • Project timeline

  • Training required with timeframe expected

  • Deliverables, like data, analysis, and group presentations including any design, layout, or formatting requirements

• Ask your mentor for plans for regular assessment. Options might include:

  • Daily assessment of progress in training

  • Daily assessment of experimental plans, calculations, and/or data

  • Weekly assessment of progress relative to timeline

  • Weekly or bi-weekly presentation of project results by mentee

• Be a good listener

  • Take notes

  • Speak up and ask questions on things you are unsure about

  • Request clarification, more detail, or more explanation for points or concepts that seem vague

  • Verify your understanding by paraphrasing back to your mentor what you heard them say

  • If desired, send an email summary of your meeting notes to your mentor to help with keeping track of progress