How to get the best out of your mentoring program: a guide for mentees
Mentoring can help you develop skills, learn something new and answer questions that crop up in self study. But how do you make sure you get the very best out of the experience? Keep reading to find out…
I’ve always wanted to improve my research skills, and as a product designer at Just Eat Takeaway.com, our mentoring program was the perfect way to do so. The program helps people reach career goals, skill up and self-develop, and for designers like me, provide a way to learn more about research and develop their skills in this space. In addition to my new research skills, I now know how to get the very best out of a mentoring program — here are my top tips on how to make it work for you.
About me
I’m Parnian Moghaddam, a product designer at Just Eat Takeaway.com. I have been working as a product designer for more than 5 years. I joined Just Eat Takeaway.com about 7 months ago. As a product designer, I know how to do user research, but I’ve always wanted to improve my research skills. I also found it hard finding the time and keeping myself motivated, and didn’t know where to start. I always ended up learning a little bit of everything, not getting deep into the subject.
About the program
After two months of working at Just Eat Takeaway.com, I heard about the company’s mentorship program. In this program, all employees can sign up as a mentor or mentee. Each volunteer fills out a form, stating the area they want to be a mentor/mentee in. Then the organisers connect people to the right person.
I signed up to have a mentor in UX research. After a few weeks my mentor Alice contacted me. She is a UX researcher at Just Eat Takeaway.com. She seemed very friendly and supportive. I explained to her that I want to work on my research skills and how it would enhance my career as a product designer.
Top tips for mentorship success
Make it formal
Alice sent me a mentoring contract. In the contract we wrote my goals, steps to achieve these goals, meeting frequency, what to expect from the program, duration, etc. There is also a termination clause which we agreed on, where if either party finds the program unproductive, they can request termination.
We filled out the contract together and discussed the sections. This was particularly helpful because it formalised the program and helped create a sense of commitment. It also helped us stay on the same path and stay aware of what we wanted to achieve. During the program, remember to give and ask for feedback whenever you need to. Feedback is the key to success!
Set Smart Goals
Alice asked me to set SMART goals. But what is a SMART goal?
Specific — Specific goal to be accomplished
Measurable — Establish criteria for the achievement
Action-Oriented — Specific actions that will lead to reaching your goal
Realistic — Something attainable given the constraints and resources
Timely — Reasonable time to complete each goal
I wrote down my goals considering the duration of our mentoring program. I understood that we could not focus on everything so I chose a few of the user research methods that I wanted to learn more about. Then we set actions for each chosen research method.
I chose a few research methods that were of higher priority for me, such as usability testing, in-depth competitive analysis, heuristic evaluation and focus groups. The measure for evaluating the progress is the result of the research using that specific method, meaning that if I would be able to use that method in a project and present the results, then we can move on to the next method.
Considering the duration of the program and our resources, we had to adjust some of the goals.
Work according to what suits you and your mentor
My mentor and I decided to have our sessions every two weeks. In the two weeks between the sessions, I try to achieve one of the goals that I chose, working through the actions we set. Based on your goal, you might need to take different actions and use different methods. In my case, we chose one research method that I wanted to learn more about. I read about it, used that research method for a real or hypothetical project and prepared the results for our next mentoring session. I find that I learn better through projects but you can do it differently — whatever works best for you and your mentor.
In our sessions I ask my questions about that research method, the challenges I had and things I wasn’t sure about. The mentee should expect to lead the conversation. Coming prepared with a list of questions is always great. Try to be as specific as possible with your questions, leaving an opening for the mentor to provide actionable feedback.
Alice answers my questions, gives me advice and feedback, shares articles or suggests books for me to read on the subject that I’m interested in or having trouble with. She shares example projects which include the method I was trying to learn about, so I can see real examples.
As a busy product designer, there are times when it wasn’t possible to complete all my mentee tasks in the two weeks between sessions, and then other times I was able to work on multiple actions at once. Mentoring programs are flexible and can be paused if need be. Just be sure to communicate with your mentor so they know what’s going on.
Be your own motivation!
My mentor encourages me to keep trying. She points out the places where I could improve. The way she always believes in me and the progress that I’m making keeps me motivated.
“There is no right or wrong, it is a learning experience anyway and the most important thing is that we are doing our best and that’s all that matters.”
This quote from my mentor was very inspiring to me and helped relieve any stress.
I always find that when my mentor cheers me on, I feel even more motivated. Self study and skilling up is usually done individually so people might feel demotivated. When you have a mentor who sees you trying your best and who encourages you, I bet you’ll feel the same motivation I did.
Having a mentor is a great opportunity to ask questions and learn from their experience. However, a mentor can only guide you, not direct you. If you go to every session without any preparation, you’ll not get a lot out of that program!
Remember that your mentor is not Google! Do not expect your mentor to have everything ready and at hand for you. They might not know something or might need time to find the answer to a question. Don’t wait for your mentor to give you books or resources. Find them yourself and then ask your mentor if they recommend those resources, or ask for their help in talking through anything that’s unclear.
A mentor helps you, tells you where you are making mistakes and guides you to the right path but only if you take a step towards that path.
At Just Eat Takeaway.com there are a lot of talented and experienced people working and making an impact every day. Mentoring allows people to meet people from different departments, learn from each other and share their valuable experiences.
Just remember to keep yourself committed to the program by making it formal and write down SMART goals to stay on track. Tailor the program to suit you and your mentor — that way you’ll be more likely to stick to it. Finally, don’t forget that however knowledgeable and supportive your mentor is, it’s down to you to be your own motivation.
—
Just Eat Takeaway.com is hiring! Want to come work with us? Apply today
