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Mentee Manual
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Career Mentoring Program
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Phone: 718-281-5612
E-mail: CTE@qcc.cuny.edu
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Mentee Manual
I.
Benefits of a Mentor ..................................................................... P.2
II.
What Is Mentoring All About? .................................................. P.3
A.
What Is a Mentor .................................................................................... P.3
B.
Why Do People Become Mentors? ................................................... P.3
C.
What Is a Mentee? .................................................................................. P.3
III.
Your Responsibilities As a Mentee .......................................... P.4
IV.
Getting Started ............................................................................... P.5
A.
Questions You Need to Ask About Yourself ................................... P.5
B.
Questions You Might Ask Your Mentor ........................................... P.6
C.
Questions Your Mentor Might Ask You ........................................... P.6
D.
A List of More Ideas ............................................................................... P.6
V.
Making Your First Contact ......................................................... P.7
A.
Drafting Your First E-mail ................................................................... P.7
B.
Calling Your Mentor ............................................................................... P.8
VI.
As Your Relationship Evolves ................................................... P.9
Adapted from the E-mentee Training Course, Copyright 2002, MENTOR/National Mentoring
Partnership. For additional mentoring resources, please visit: www.mentoring.org.
Shea, Gordon F. Making the Most of Being Mentored. Boston: Thomson, 1999.
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BBeenneeffiittss ooff aa M
Meennttoorr
 Benefit from another person’s vision, experience,
and learning
 Gain insight into organizational culture, appropriate
behaviors, attitudes, and protocols in your field
 Talk with experienced people in your field
 Focus on career plans and career exploration
 Become energized by achievement, mastery, and
personal growth
 Grow in personal power and ability
A Mentor will be your own private source of objective advice, someone with
experience in setting and achieving goals, and someone who wants to share
those abilities with you.
A Mentor:
 Helps you learn from his or her experience.
 Can be a fantastic resource for investigating future
colleges, careers, and your community.
 Provides advice to help you evaluate your options and
make better decisions.
 Helps you access to a new world of ideas and
experiences.
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W
Whhaatt IIss M
Meennttoorriinngg AAllll AAbboouutt??
What Is A Mentor?
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Someone who's there for you.
Someone who has been there and knows how you feel.
Someone who takes the time to listen.
Someone who can help you see the possibilities.
Someone who can help you identify and reach your goals.
someone who sees your vision and can help you find ways to realize it.
Why Do People Become Mentors?
Everyone has his or her own reason for becoming a Mentor. Perhaps it’s the opportunity:

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To help someone.
To enjoy people and their ideas.
To share his/her experience.
To give to the college community at Queensborough.
What Is a Mentee?

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A person being mentored by another person or persons.
One who makes an effort to assess, internalize, and use effectively the knowledge,
skills, insights, perspective, or wisdom offered by the mentor.
A recipient of a mentor’s help, especially a person who seeks out such help and uses
it appropriately for developmental purposes whenever needed.
By choosing to become a Mentee you've already made a special commitment to
yourself and to your Mentor to define and reach your goals based on your vision
of the future. Wherever you want to go, a partnership with your Mentor will help
to get you there!
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YYoouurr RReessppoonnssiibbiilliittiieess AAss AA M
Meenntteeee
As a Mentee, you should:
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Pay attention to your Mentor's e-mails.
Respond to your Mentor's e-mails in a timely fashion.
Share your ideas and feelings about your career path with your Mentor.
Take an active role in working with your Mentor.
To help make your mentoring relationship work, you need to do several
things:
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E-mail your Mentor regularly.
Say "thanks" occasionally.
Suggest topics you want to discuss.
Let your Mentor know how he or she can help you.
Be honest.
Share your education and career goals.
Express your feelings.
Tell your Mentor if something about your relationship is bothering you.
Remember that your Mentor is a person, and like you, he or she wants to be
liked and respected.
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G
Geettttiinngg SSttaarrtteedd
Questions You Need to Ask About Yourself
Your Mentor can provide the best support and guidance once he or she understands “who you
are.”
Before you begin to work with your Mentor or start to develop your list of education and career
goals, it will be important to stop for a moment and think about who you are today and where
you see yourself in the future.
As a Mentee it is your responsibility to yourself and to your Mentor to present a clear picture of
“who you are today” as you work towards your dreams of “who you want to be in the future.”
Take a few minutes to think about the following questions. Write down your answers. Don't
worry. This isn't a quiz! There are no right or wrong answers, and only you will see the answers.
This is just one way of identifying useful information about yourself.
1. What is your greatest gift? What are your strengths?
What are some of the things you do really well?
2. Who is your best friend?
Why is he or she your best friend?
3. How would others describe your best characteristics and qualities?
4. What do you like to do the most?
5. What do you not like to do?
6. What is the most important lesson about life you have learned?
7. What is the biggest mistake you have ever made?
What did you learn from it?
8. List five people you admire and respect, and tell why.
9. What part of your future are you most worried about?
10. What do you believe will be the most important factors that will shape the future?
There are lots of possibilities! Now think about the following important areas. (Again, write your
answers so you can refer to them later. You will find this particularly helpful.)
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What is your specific career goal?
What is your plan to reach this goal?
By when will you reach this goal?
How will you monitor your progress?
What will you do to reward yourself for reaching this goal?
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Questions You Might Ask Your Mentor
Here are some questions you can ask to find out about your Mentor:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
What did you do after you graduated from college? Would you do that again?
What do you like most about your work? Least?
What kinds of things do you do at work in an average week?
In what ways did your education prepare you for your career?
If you could go back to college, what would you do differently?
Why are you interested in being a Mentor?
How did you choose your career path?
How do you define success? What do you think is most important for success?
Did you, or do you, have a Mentor? How did that person help you?
Questions Your Mentor Might Ask You
Here are some questions your Mentor might ask you -- and some tips for how to answer
them!
1. “Tell me about yourself . . .”
 Keep the focus on yourself, not your family or friends.
 Concentrate on your strengths and goals.
2. “How is school going/what classes are you taking?”
 Mention classes, subject matter, grades, and activities. Be specific.
 Try to balance negative experiences with positive steps you are taking.
3. “What do you plan to do after you graduate from Queensborough?”
 Express your thoughts even if you are not certain and/or are considering several
options.
 Be specific if you have definite plans.
4. “Where do you hope to be next year/in five years?”
 State your goal, if you have one. Be realistic -- five years isn't that far away!
 Focus on your academic or career plans. If you are comfortable with the idea, you
can include your personal life.
 You might also want to ask your Mentor the same question.
5. “How can I best help you?”
A List of More Ideas
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Discuss career options.
Work on your resume.
Discuss questions that you may expect during a job interview.
Talk with your Mentor about his or her job.
Find out how your Mentor got his or her job. Did he or she have to train for it? What
classes did he or she take?
Have your mentor describe what he or she does specifically. Ask if this is different
than what he or she planned on doing when he or she was in college.
Ask whether your Mentor worked while in college, and what he or she learned from
those jobs.
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M
Maakkiinngg YYoouurr FFiirrsstt CCoonnttaacctt
Drafting Your First E-mail
Okay! You’ve been matched with a Mentor, and you have worked through some ideas on
what to talk about. Now you are ready to e-mail for the first time. This is an exciting event,
but it can also be a little frightening! Here are some tips:

Introduce yourself and give your Mentor some background information like your
age, your family, and your major.

Don’t feel like you have to write about everything all at once. You have lots of time
to get to know your Mentor. There is so much to communicate to your Mentor, but
you don’t have to do it all in the first e-mail. So relax, tell your Mentor about
yourself, ask a few questions, and remember, you will have more opportunities to
communicate in the future.

You may be a little nervous about contacting your Mentor. Believe it or not, your
Mentor is also nervous about e-mailing you! Everybody worries about being
accepted and liked. Share with your Mentor why you are glad you are in the
mentoring program.

Follow e-mail etiquette:
o Use proper grammar and spelling.
o Do not use inflammatory language.
o Do not use capital letters.
o Think carefully when wording an e-mail; read it aloud to ensure it reads well.
o Ask no more than two to three open ended questions per e-mail.
o If you have ongoing questions about the same issue, ensure your next e-mail
builds onto the previous one, to show you have understood and reflected on
the previous communication.
o If you are offended by the content of an e-mail, ask to have it clarified
because the meaning may be very different to how you have interpreted it.

Send a copy of your first e-mail correspondence to: CTE@qcc.cuny.edu.
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Your first e-mail might look like this:
Hi! My name is _______. I am enrolled in Queensborough’s Career Mentoring Program
and am very excited that we have been matched together. I am really looking forward to
our getting to know one another. There’s a lot I’d like to ask you.
(Now refer to what you wrote in response to the questions under “Getting Started” on
pages 5 and 6. Pick one or two issues that are most important to you, and start by asking
your mentor about them.)
I usually check my e-mail (for example, once a day, once a week, on weekends). Looking
forward to hearing from you soon.
Thanks,
(Your name)
Calling Your Mentor

Introduce yourself. It’s important. For example: “Hi!” My name is (your name). I am
enrolled in Queensborough’s Career Mentoring Program.”

Refer to your notes. Refer to what you wrote in response to the questions under
“Getting Started” on pages 5 and 6. Pick one or two issues that are most important to
you, and start by asking your mentor about them.

Listen well. Try saying something like “Let me make sure I understand,” and then
summarize what you think your mentor is saying. Don’t make assumptions; listen for
points of view that are different from your own.

Use polite language; don’t interrupt; practice clear thinking by stating your points clearly
and simply.

Be clear on what you and your mentor agree to do next, and when you will connect
again.

End your call politely.
For example:
“It was a pleasure speaking with you.”
“Thank you for your time.”
“I look forward to talking with you again.”
 Be responsible. Always follow through on what you said you would do, or let your
mentor know why you cannot.
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AAss YYoouurr RReellaattiioonnsshhiipp EEvvoollvveess
Please note: All face-to-face contacts are to be made on campus or at the job
site only. No personal meetings should take place outside the campus or job
site. Contact our office if and when you would like to set up a face-to-face
meeting with your mentor.

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
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At the end of a semester you and your mentor should discuss whether or not you
would like to continue the mentoring relationship. Whether you are continuing your
education at Queensborough Community College, transferring to another college, or
starting a new job, your mentoring relationship doesn’t have to end.
If you decide to continue the relationship, notify the mentoring program coordinator
that you are continuing the relationship.
If you decide it is time to end the relationship, then your goal should be to make the
ending positive.
Write to your mentor and emphasize what has gone well - ways your Mentor has been
helpful and ways you've benefited.
Say thank you for your Mentor’s time, effort, and interest.
Here is one example of what your letter might look like:
Dear (place Mentor’s name here),
I am writing to thank you for your time and effort this past semester.
I greatly appreciate the insight and information you have provided me.
(Cite a few examples of how you have been helped and ways you’ve
benefited.)
I hope you have also valued this experience.
Best regards,
(Your name)
The communication and working skills that you will be developing with your
mentor will stay with you for a lifetime.
Choose to make this an opportunity for personal growth.
9
Arlene Kemmerer
Phone: 718-281-5612
E-mail: CTE@qcc.cuny.edu
This program is made possible in part
through the generosity of
The JPMorgan Chase Foundation
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