But what then? What topics should you discuss in a mentoring programme?
According to a recent study by IME France, mentoring has a positive impact on participants, with over 82% expressing an increased sense of belonging and self-confidence. These benefits are observed in both mentees and mentors. This trend can be explained by the growing recognition of the need for personalised advice and support in achieving professional success.
Here are 5 types of programme to launch to meet your members’ expectations:
- Academic guidance
- Expatriation
- Your areas of training
- Expertise, skills development and reorientation
- Leadership and Management
- Bonus: Why not ask your members?
Academic guidance in mentoring: making the right educational choices for your career plan
Academic guidance is crucial for students. During their studies, they have to choose educational paths that are in line with their professional goals. And who better than your alumni to share their experiences and give ideas?
Mentoring discussions on this theme enable students to explore the different courses of study and understand the associated career opportunities. This enables them to develop training plans that are more consistent with their ambitions. Alumni can share their inspiring experiences and guide young students towards the best choices.
These exchanges help members of the community to maximise their academic potential and prepare effectively for their future careers.
Expatriation: preparing for future expats’ departure abroad with mentoring
The experience of expatriation or moving abroad is a stimulating but complex challenge, and often… a little stressful! Leaving your comfort zone for an unfamiliar country or city takes preparation.
Your network is made up of expatriate graduates who have made a success of their experience, and young people who want to pursue a career abroad. Putting them in touch via your mentoring programme is a win-win situation!
You’ll be consolidating your community in cities and countries all over the world, and offering an additional service to future expats. Give priority to subjects such as administration and logistics. Also discuss the cultural, professional and personal challenges associated with living in a new environment.
The mentors provide advice on finding accommodation, administrative formalities and offer invaluable support for successful integration in a foreign country.
Your training areas at the heart of your mentoring programme
You know the areas of expertise of your courses better than anyone. Whether general or specialised, your teaching also needs to be confronted with the reality of the field.
Ask your alumni to share their specific knowledge of specific business sectors. For example, topics such as CSR, AI or digital transformation.
Your programme will enable your members to explore the latest trends, debate ethical and societal issues, and acquire cutting-edge skills in forward-looking areas. Specialist mentors provide invaluable insight into these complex and fast-moving subjects. They encourage the development of critical and innovative thinking within the community.
Expertise, skills development and reorientation
To progress in your career, it is important to develop skills in self-analysis, change management and problem solving. These skills are essential for adapting to the changing demands of the professional world and for seizing new career opportunities. The mentoring relationship offers an ideal framework for exploring these areas, providing the mentee with the tools and support they need to make a success of their reorientation and professional development.
It is essential for the mentee to distinguish between hard, job-specific skills and soft skills, such as teamwork, communication and problem-solving, which are transferable and valued in many professional contexts.
Once the key skills for your project have been identified, it is important to draw up a structured action plan for developing these skills. This may involve taking part in training courses, work placements or on-the-job learning. Mentors are an invaluable source of knowledge for people looking for answers.
The mentor plays a crucial role in this process. On the one hand, by sharing their expertise and experience, but also by guiding the mentee to identify their skills and create a development plan. Through dialogue and active listening, the mentor can help to recognise underdeveloped skills and suggest resources or strategies to improve them.
Leadership and Management
Developing your management skills is vital for anyone aspiring to develop professionally. Mentoring provides a framework for this. It not only enriches the mentee in terms of skills and knowledge, but also enables them to expand their professional network. This development process helps to forge leaders capable of inspiring and motivating their teams.
Mentoring also offers significant benefits for the mentor. One example is the practice of reverse mentoring, where the mentor learns from the mentee. This is a recognised method of enabling mentors to familiarise themselves with new technologies and current trends. This interaction also promotes better understanding and support between different generations within the network. Through mentoring, mentors consolidate their experience and stay in tune with current management practices.
In conclusion, mentoring in management is a valuable investment for both the mentee and the mentor. It creates a mutual learning environment where both parties can explore, learn and grow together. As a result, both can strengthen their leadership skills and develop their careers.
Bonus: get the members of your network to talk to each other about the areas they want to work on
Before launching your mentoring programme, set aside some time to prepare it and find out what your community wants.
Ask students, graduates, your business partners, teaching staff, etc. Are they open to giving their time and sharing their knowledge? What do they most want to talk about? What do they want to gain from a mentoring experience? The more you know about the needs and aspirations of the members of your network, the more you’ll be able to provide concrete answers.
To go further:
Want to find out more about mentoring and the benefits of the alumni network? Here’s our best content to meet your needs!
- Why launch a mentoring programme?
- How can mentoring help students make the right career choices?
- 3 ways to involve your members in your mentoring programme
