What boundaries should a mentor keep?
Boundaries are not coldness. They are what makes it possible to be genuinely open for 30 minutes without either person ending up uncomfortable.
- Read time
- 4 minutes
- Module
- Harder conversations
- Session length
- 30 minutes
What good looks like.
Keep contact on the platform. Personal phone numbers and private social accounts create obligations neither of you agreed to and remove the safeguards that protect you both.
You are not obliged to review documents, make introductions, or pass CVs to your employer. Offer only what you will genuinely do.
If a mentee asks for something outside the scope, say no once, clearly, and move on. Repeating a soft no reads as a maybe.
A sequence you can follow.
- 01
Decide in advance
Know what you will and will not offer before you are asked.
- 02
Keep it on the platform
All contact and file sharing stays here.
- 03
Say no once, kindly
That is not something I can do, but here is what I can.
- 04
Report anything persistent
Use the safeguarding route rather than handling it alone.
What to avoid.
Giving out your personal number to be helpful
Promising to pass a CV to your hiring team
Letting a one-off session drift into unpaid ongoing coaching you resent
Extra tips
Small things that make the half hour better.
Do not move to personal channels
Keep contact on the platform; it protects both of you.
Promise only what you will do today
An unkept introduction hurts more than a declined one.
Say what you can offer next
"One more session in a month" is a boundary, kindly stated.
Decline early, not late
Turning down a match costs a mentee nothing; cancelling on the day costs a lot.
Take this guide with you.
Download a printable version of this guide: the short answer, the steps, the extra tips, the mistakes to avoid and the questions mentors ask, to read before your next session.
The things people ask first.
Can I connect on LinkedIn afterwards?
Only if you are comfortable, and never with an under-18 mentee.
What if they ask for a job?
Be honest about what you can and cannot do. Most mentees accept a clear answer.
Next: When emotions come up.
Redundancy, rejection and burnout arrive in career conversations. Be ready.