Mentoring Handbook

Introduction

The Ulster University Mentoring Programme is designed to connect current students and graduates with experienced mentors from our diverse alumni community. The programme aims to provide personalised support, guidance, and encouragement, helping mentees develop essential skills, build confidence and navigate their academic and professional journeys with greater clarity. By fostering meaningful connections, the programme empowers participants to unlock their potential and prepare for future career success.

The Ulster University Mentoring Programme aims to foster meaningful connections between mentors and mentees across our community. Its purpose is to support the development of effective mentoring relationships that promote both personal and professional growth. By providing a structured framework and practical guidance, the programme helps participants build valuable skills, gain insight into career pathway and achieve their full potential.

Gain informal career guidance on career options and routes into the profession based on a mentor’s experience
Gain support during graduate recruitment cycle
Discuss ideas for a dissertation research project (please note: it’s not expected from mentors to give you access to data collection or interviews as part of this scheme)
Advice regarding personal and professional skills needed in the industry
Expand your industry network and insights.

Offer informal career guidance, based on a mentor’s experience in the industry
Expand your industry network and insights
Offer advice regarding personal and professional skills needed in industry
Give back to your university through supporting current students

2. Mentoring Explained

Mentoring is a two-way process and offers an opportunity for mentors to reflect on aspects of their own practice and learn something new.

Mentoring is a one-to-one partnership between a more experienced person (the mentor), and someone who is less experienced (the mentee). The mentor will encourage the mentee to seek advice and information about their career direction and employment goals. The mentor will also share their skills, experience and insight whilst actively taking an interest in career plans. The relationship is built on mutual respect, trust, encouragement, constructive feedback, openness and a willingness to learn and share.

2.1 The role of the Mentee

Mentoring, like most opportunities, requires you to bring the willingness to develop and recognise that you are in control of your own educational and professional development. When you are matched with a mentor, you will want to ensure that you get the best out of this programme.

To get the most out of your mentoring relationship you should have the following characteristics:

Openness to new ideas, suggestions and feedback
Willingness to have a go and try out different things
Commitment to self-development and achievement of career goals
Ability to give and receive constructive and honest feedback
Willingness to take initiative, communicate needs, desires and expectations

Agree your development goals with your mentor
Agree on a regular, mutually convenient contact schedule
Tell your mentor if you are unable to attend scheduled meetings
Maintain confidentiality and personal/professional boundaries
Explore your own strengths and weaknesses
Take up opportunities for networking and building professional relationships

At first, you may feel unsure about what to talk about with your mentor. You may wish to think about ‘telling your story’ to your mentor to help them understand what your mentoring needs might be.

For example, describe your current circumstances:

How you got to where you are now
What are your strengths and weaknesses
What work experience are you looking for or already have
Your knowledge and skills
Your personal and professional circumstances
Any other aspects that might be a factor in self-development
Where you want to go in future

Your mentor will provide friendly support to help you feel safe to identify and reflect on learning, so it is important that you are as honest as you can be about your ‘story’. It will be difficult for them to provide constructive support if you misrepresent your situation, as they will be giving support to the fictional person whose situation you described, rather than to you.

Contributing to the mentees’ learning and development is a rewarding and enjoyable experience. A mentor can fulfil a number of roles, depending on the stage of the relationship and the type of support the mentee requires.

Provide insights to industry, the work environment and career opportunities
Provide an outside perspective different from tutors or family
Listen confidentially to the concerns of the mentee
Share your own experience of both failures and successes
Give friendly, unbiased support and guidance
Act as a sounding-board for your mentees ideas
Challenge assumptions and encourage alternative thinking
Provide honest and constructive feedback
Facilitate decision making by suggesting alternatives based on personal experience
Empathise and share your experiences during stressful periods
Point to opportunities for networking
Be a role model promoting and encouraging positive behaviours
Motivate and encourage achievement of goals and boost morale
Inspire the mentee to realise their potential
Provide support and encouragement

Provide a counselling service
Provide a training service
Provide therapeutic interventions
Sort out all problems
Take the responsibility for the success of the student

3.1 Personal Safety

It is important for you to maintain personal safety during meetings with your mentor.

If you decide to meet your mentor in person arrange a meeting at times and places that are convenient, safe and appropriate. Meet at public spaces such as your mentor’s place of work (as long as they don’t work from home) or a public space such as a café.
Tell your friends where you are going and when you are planning to be back.
If you feel uncomfortable about anything, make a polite excuse and leave immediately and inform the UU Connects Team.
Take care of your own health and safety at all times.
The University accepts application forms from mentors in good faith and does not give any warranties as to their suitability and safety of their place of work. By accepting an invitation to meet with a mentor or visit their business premises, you do so at your own risk. If you have doubts about the suitability of your mentor, please inform the UU Connects Team

3.2 Maintaining Boundaries

Think about:
What might be the consequences of not maintaining an appropriate boundary? To avoid difficult situations, it is best to arrange a meeting, within a public space such a café or your organisation where other employees are present.

Mentors will need to be aware of when they feel they are being ‘pulled’ into overstepping a boundary. For example, if a mentee is overstepping the boundaries of the professional mentoring relationship e.g. starting to talk about personal issues or asking you to help them to complete their assignment.

What might feel difficult about this?
To manage this situation the mentor will need to be able to assertively interrupt, saying: ‘I don’t think I am the best person to help with this, why don’t you speak to... University Counselling Service, Student Support or your Tutor.’ Taking this approach will allow you to make sure that the mentee does not feel rejected and that they can feel reassured that they can get appropriate support within the University.

3.3 Confidentiality

Confidentiality of your mentoring relationship will need to be discussed at the beginning when setting boundaries.

The confidentiality within a mentoring programme include: Mentor, Mentee and the UU Connects Team. If a mentee or mentor has any concerns about the mentoring relationship, they should contact the UU Connects Team immediately.
It is important that you keep confidential any information your mentor/mentee may share about their organisation.
You should ensure that any information about your mentor/mentee, for example their contact details are kept safe and private.
The only exceptions of breaching confidentiality is when the mentor is concerned about their mentees wellbeing, if this is the case please contact the UU Connects Team.

3.4 Student Wellbeing at Ulster University

Information and support is available from the Student Wellbeing Team: à Email: studentwellbeing@ulster.ac.uk

Phone: 028 95367000
Website: Student Wellbeing

Out of hours support:

Inspire Counselling – 0800 028 5510 (open 24/7)
Email: ulsterstudents@inspirewellbeing.org (not 24 hours)

Important

Report any incidents occurring during your mentoring meetings as soon as possible to the UU Connects Team – mentoring@ulster.ac.uk

4. Conversation Guide

Starting a conversation can be tricky at the best of time, meaningful conversations are at the heart of a successful mentoring relationship. This section provides a framework to help both mentors and mentees navigate their discussions with purpose and openness.

4.1 First Session

During this first meeting it is important to focus on building the rapport, but also to establish it as a formal working relationship that is driven by the mentee. It should not be framed as a ‘chat’ nor a teaching session. The aim is that the mentee uses the mentor as resource for the duration of the relationship, so the bulk of the responsibility should fall with the mentee.

It is therefore important to focus discussion on setting goals for the mentoring sessions and exploring areas for growth and development that the mentee can work towards.

During the first meeting is it also an appropriate time to discuss the regularity and format of the mentoring sessions. It’s important that both the mentee and mentor agree and are happy with the chosen methods of communication, regularity, and format of the sessions.

4.2 Mentoring Agreement

Some mentors and mentees find it useful to have a mentoring agreement that they discuss and sign during the first meeting. An Mentoring Agreement template is available to download below.

Download Mentoring Agreement Template

Mentoring Agreement Template (opens in new window) (271.9 KB)

The questions outlined below are a guide to help both the mentee and mentor get the conversation started and ensure there is a purposeful structure to the sessions.

Building Rapport

What have been the key milestones in your career to date?
What has been your greatest achievement in your career so far?
What are your aspirations for the future?
What do you hope to gain from the mentoring relationship?
The Mentor could give a summary of their professional background and experience, sharing relevant information.
The Mentee could give a summary of their background and what they are hoping to gain from mentoring.

Establishing Boundaries

What do you both think mentoring is?
What is expected from each of us?
What is not part of the relationship?
What is confidential, what is not?
Role of respect and acceptance of difference?
How do both parties work best?
What channels of communication work best for getting in touch?
What are the rules for giving feedback?
What if you encounter issues or problems?

Agreeing Format

Who will arrange rooms?
What notice is required for cancellation?
Where will you meet and for how long?
Discuss role of personal responsibility and commitment.

Goal Setting & Motivation

What are your short-term and long-term goals?
What is your key motivation?
What drives you?
What skills or experiences are you hoping to develop?
What is your vision?

Growth & Development

What challenges have you faced in your career previously?
How did you handle it?
What skills helped you deal with?
Where do you see your biggest areas for growth?
How do you usually approach learning something new?
Who do you admire professionally, and what do you admire about them?
How do you like to celebrate your progress or achievements?
Is there a learning style or environment where you thrive best?

Reflection & Feedback

What’s working well in our mentorship so far?
Is there anything we should change to improve our conversations?
What feedback would be helpful for you right now?
How can I support you better?

Looking Ahead

What are 1–2 things you want to focus on before our next meeting?
What can you change now in how you approach challenges in future?
Think about practical steps you can take to implement what you have learned through mentorship.

5. End of Mentoring Relationship

The length of mentoring relationships can be varied. However, it is expected that all successful mentoring relationships will come to an end. The mentor and mentee may wish to stay in touch informally, which is appropriate and encouraged if that is useful for both the mentor and mentee. That is something you will agree within your mentoring sessions.

5. 1 What you need to do next

When a mentoring relationship comes to an end, we are grateful of you could please notify the UU Connects Team. We will make a note on your alumni record that you have completed the mentoring programme.

Please contact us via email: mentoring@ulster.ac.uk

5.2 Feedback

The UU Connects Team will then send both the mentor and mentee a short online evaluation form to complete. It’s important that you complete this as we are always eager to gather feedback to continue to make improvements to the Mentoring Programme.

5.3 Further Support

At this stage, you can also speak to the UU Connects Team about further support. For example, you may wish to mentor another student, you may wish to connect with another mentor, you may want to find out more about UU Connects events and opportunities. There is no limit on the amount of support you can receive; our UU Connects Team are happy to discuss these possibilities with you.