Tips from mentors

Be open and kind

Be open and kind

Be clear about what is desired on the part of the mentee.

Be clear about what you can give as a mentor.

A mentor-mentee agreement might be worth considering.

Be flexible and adjust the agenda based on the actual need you see.

Listen to mentee first, and confirm their demand, and also make recommendations based on possible issues mentee will meet.

Be a good listener and share your insights only in a dialogue, not monologue.

Do not hesitate to engage your actor. Open the variety of ways that you may be able to help your actor.

Use this opportunity to brainstorm and walk alongside a fresh-minded individual during a part of their career journey.
 

Stay curious, ask questions, seek information, and support others with your strengths

Finnish comments translated:

It was positive to agree that the mentee prepares the content for the meetings.

A plan for the meetings is important; the mentee should do the work.

Be proactive yourself. Even though the mentee should lead, they may hesitate to “take the lead,” so encourage them and suggest preparation topics for next time.

It’s best to avoid remote meetings.

Be open to mentoring a student whose field of study doesn’t fully match your own—it can be eye-opening and enriching.

Join with a positive attitude; you have nothing to lose and can gain great insights into the world of younger researchers.

It’s wonderful that people are willing to mentor, so I think it’s a great decision. However, be prepared to guide the discussion to some extent, as many mentees may be younger and less experienced in this area.

Establish clear goals and direction with the mentee right away to make the remaining meetings as fruitful as possible.

Be proactive and sometimes take the initiative to schedule a meeting with your mentee. It feels good not to always be the one who has to send the first message.

Set clear ground rules with your mentee so meetings have a clear agenda/topic and stay on schedule.

I recommend mentoring because you learn about yourself, and young people always bring energy and ideas.

Sometimes it’s good to meet face-to-face and have a meeting “without an agenda,” or at least a relatively open one.

Take time to get to know your mentees.

Always put the next meeting in the calendar before you leave the current one.

Openness and genuine interest in the other person help especially in the first meeting. The mentee may be nervous about meeting someone with a long career, so a friendly atmosphere helps. Listen to the mentee and don’t give too much advice