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Mentor stories

What half an hour sounds like.

Mentors are running sessions on mentorhero every week. We do not publish invented quotes, so this page sets out what a live session involves and what mentors tell us in their own feedback.

Session length
30 minutes
Preparation
Read one question
Mentoring
Live now
Inside the session

The half hour, minute by minute.

  1. 01

    First five minutes

    The mentee restates the question in their own words. Almost always it is sharper than the written version.

  2. 02

    Ten minutes of context

    The mentor explains how the thing actually works in their industry, not how the careers page describes it.

  3. 03

    Ten minutes on the decision

    Options narrowed to two or three, with the trade-off of each said out loud.

  4. 04

    Last five minutes

    One agreed next step, written down. That note is the part mentees come back to.

The questions that come up

Real asks, taken from session topics.

  • Is a further degree worth the debt in this field?

  • How do I explain a two-year gap without losing the room?

  • I got the offer and I am not sure. What am I not seeing?

  • What does the first year in this job actually feel like?

  • I keep reaching final round and stopping. Why?

What mentors say

Three things we hear repeatedly.

It is shorter than expected

30 minutes with one clear question turns out to be enough, because there is no room for small talk.

The obvious is not obvious

Things a mentor considers common knowledge are frequently the whole answer for the person asking.

It makes you a better manager

Explaining your industry clearly to a stranger is practice you cannot get inside your own team.

Questions

The things people ask first.

Why are there no named testimonials here?

Because we will not publish a quote nobody said. Named accounts go up once mentors have written and approved them.

Can I share my own story?

Yes, and we would like that. Send it through the contact page and we will ask before publishing anything.

Are session contents private?

Yes. What is said between a mentor and a mentee stays between them, unless a safeguarding concern is raised.

The next story could be yours.

Give one session, see what a half hour does, then tell us about it.