Mentoring
The mentoring programme of the JMU Research Academy and the University's Alumni Office brings scientists together with experienced national and international scientists and managers from business and society. According to the respective question, we select a suitable mentor from the ranks of JMU alumni for each potential mentee. Fortunately, we have a very large number of people in this alumni database who would like to become mentors.
In the following, we describe the two different types of mentoring we offer as well as the usual process of a mentoring partnership:
- Short mentoring (duration: usually 1 meeting)
- Mentoring for scientists (duration: usually approx. 1 year)
Approach: Short-Mentoring
Usually, mentoring relationships are established to last for a certain period of time (in many cases about a year). However, we have found that there are always issues that one would like to discuss with a mentor (= someone who is already a few steps further along in his or her career/life path and can potentially offer support), but which, on the other hand, are so clearly delimitable that a longer partnership is not necessary. Instead, in many cases, an intensive one-time conversation can suffice.
We try to address these situations with the concept of short-mentoring and try to find you a suitable and competent dialogue partner for an exchange. In some cases, this short-term exchange can result in a longer mentoring relationship, which we will of course continue to support.
In a short-mentoring session, you can
- discuss your concerns and questions with an experienced sparring partner in an appreciative atmosphere.
- benefit from the experience and networks of your mentor.
- gain insights into a professional field that interests you through your mentor.
- get to know new perspectives.
- The first step is to register for mentoring via the Alumni Portal. To do this, you will need a current curriculum vitae. You will also be asked to briefly explain your motivation for participating in mentoring.
- We will then contact you directly and clarify further questions in order to get a comprehensive idea of your goals and wishes. Based on this information, we will search the alumni database for a suitable mentor.
- As soon as we have found a suitable match and obtained the alumni's consent, we will send you the contact details of your mentor.
- Now it is your task to make contact and arrange a first meeting. The main purpose of the first meeting is to get to know each other, to identify possible topics and to test whether you would like to work together. The " chemistry " is not right? That is no problem. We will make a new attempt.
- After a successful placement, we will hand over responsibility for the further process to the mentoring tandem. However, we will always be available to answer questions and provide assistance.
Approach: Mentoring for scientists (duration: approx. 1 year)
You have a specific question and hope to gain new input from an exchange with someone who has perhaps taken a similar path or completed a similar education as you. We will look for this person in the alumni database and put you both in contact. If the "chemistry" is right, you will work together as a mentoring tandem on your issue in a self-determined mode for about a year. If necessary, the academic staff development and the alumni office will support you at any time.
In a mentoring session, you can
- discuss your concerns and questions with an experienced sparring partner in an appreciative atmosphere.
- benefit from the experience and networks of your mentor.
- gain insights into a professional field that interests you through your mentor.
- get to know new perspectives.
- The first step is to register for mentoring via the Alumni Portal. To do this, you will need a current curriculum vitae. You will also be asked to briefly explain your motivation for participating in mentoring.
- We will then contact you directly and clarify further questions in order to get a comprehensive idea of your goals and wishes. Based on this information, we will search the alumni database for a suitable mentor.
- As soon as we have found a suitable match and obtained the alumni's consent, we will send you the contact details of your mentor.
- Now it is your task to make contact and arrange a first meeting. The main purpose of the first meeting is to get to know each other, to identify possible topics and to test whether you would like to work together. The " chemistry " is not right? That is no problem. We will make a new attempt.
- After a successful placement, we will hand over responsibility for the further process to the mentoring tandem. However, we will always be available to answer questions and provide assistance.
