The process for matching mentees to mentors should be carefully considered and appropriate. Application forms (if used) should be fully accessible for mentors and mentees and should ask for similar information to aid the matching process. This consistency also helps with reporting and analysis.
Application information could include:
- General information: name; contact details; role; career stage; craft or department; online presence, membership of professional organisations; access requirements
- For mentors: what they can bring to mentoring, skills, knowledge, expertise; the role or career stage of their ideal mentee
- For mentees: what they want to gain from mentoring, skills, knowledge, expertise; their top three achievements; a personal statement about how they would use the mentoring opportunity
- Location and willingness/access to travel and/or willingness to meet virtually (e.g. video call, phone)
- Depending on the purpose of the mentoring programme, any personal data you want to collect - refer to current data protection regulations and guidelines for collection, use and storage of personal data
- Terms and conditions, such as agreement for the mentoring manager/team to use the application details for mentoring matching, how the data will be used and stored, and who will have access to the data.
Create a timeline for all stages of mentoring and contact points, so people know what to expect and when it will happen. This should include introducing mentors and mentees; the start and end of the mentoring partnerships; training; check-ins; requests for feedback; any additional events or training.
Where there are deadlines, be clear about your expectations of mentors and mentors and give them reminders.
Matching can be done by the mentoring programme manager based on:
- General experience and skill in a field/sector e.g. visual effects; hair and make-up; production management
- Specific skills within a field/sector
- General career development
- Diversity, under-representation
- Career stage
Mentoring matches could also be made where there are no common areas in order to broaden horizons, increase understanding across boundaries etc. for both the mentor and the mentee
Mentees could form a shortlist of mentors who have written a statement about their experience and what they can offer to mentees, or vice versa.
You could run a mentoring event for mentors and mentees giving them the opportunity to meet as many people as possible and identify who they would like to be their mentoring partner.
If you decide to match on specific skills and expertise, mentors can list all/key areas of skills, knowledge and expertise they have to offer or make selections from a prepared list you have created.
If you ask mentors to list all their skills and then ask mentees to list what they are looking for, you run the risk of the skills not matching, and mis-managing expectations. It can be more tailored to the programme aims, ensure more consistency and manage expectations if the mentors and mentees select from a prepared list of skills or themes.
Where you are matching based on specific skills, you could ask the mentee to select what they want and to prioritise a maximum of up to a maximum number, e.g. eight. Be clear that you will aim to match on a minimum number, e.g. five.
If you are matching on a list of specific skills, it is unlikely that there will be a perfect match of eight skills on each occasion. By prioritising what they are looking for, the mentee is beginning to identify the focus of what they want from the mentoring partnership.
You may match mentors and mentees based on meetings, interviews or conversations you have with each of them. In this case you may base your decision on rapport and experience or knowledge of each.
This will involve a lot of your time but is likely to improve the chances of the mentoring partnerships being successful, and you have the opportunity to build a good relationship between you and the participants. You may want to consider having one or two meetings with the mentees to help them set suitable goals, before they meet their mentor.
Once the mentoring partnerships have been set up, consider running some events for mentors and mentees.
You may want to run a launch or induction session; mentoring training sessions; additional learning and networking sessions for both mentors and mentees which can be good to build connections; a graduation event.
It is good practice to offer structured and facilitated sessions for mentors to share experiences and to learn from each other. These encourage knowledge to be shared, a consistent approach and builds a community spirit between mentors.
