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Mentor Academy · Getting started

How does mentoring on mentorhero actually work?

Most people picture mentoring as a long relationship with monthly meetings. That is not what happens here, and the difference changes how you prepare.

Read time
4 minutes
Module
Getting started
Session length
30 minutes
The short answer

What good looks like.

  • A session is 30 minutes on video. It is free to the mentee and funded by our partners. You are matched because of the job you do, not where you sit, so the person on the other end may be in another country and another time zone.

  • Each session stands on its own. Some mentees come back; most take one conversation and act on it. Treat every session as if it is the only one you will get, because usually it is.

  • You are not there to find them a job, review forty documents, or become their manager. You are there to give them the thirty minutes of insider knowledge they cannot get from a search engine.

In practice

A sequence you can follow.

  1. 01

    Accept a match

    You see the mentee's field, their question and their level before you agree to anything.

  2. 02

    Read the note

    Every mentee writes a short line on what they are stuck on. Two minutes of reading changes the whole session.

  3. 03

    Turn up on time

    The clock is short. Starting five minutes late costs a sixth of the conversation.

  4. 04

    Close with one action

    End by naming the single thing they should do this week. That is what they remember.

Common mistakes

What to avoid.

  • Treating the first session like an introduction and saving the substance for a second one that never happens

  • Talking through your own career history for twenty minutes

  • Promising introductions or referrals you cannot follow through on

  • Assuming the mentee knows the basics of your industry

Extra tips

Small things that make the half hour better.

Set a 25-minute alarm

It gives you five minutes to land the session instead of stopping mid-sentence.

Check the time zone twice

Most missed sessions are a diary error, not a no-show.

Say what you are not

Naming early that you are not a recruiter saves the mentee ten minutes of hoping.

Take a second match in the same field

The second conversation on a topic is always sharper than the first.

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.

Questions

The things people ask first.

How many sessions do I have to commit to?

None. You take the matches that fit your diary and decline the rest.

Do I get paid?

No. Mentoring is voluntary. Sessions are free to the mentee and funded by our partners.

Can a mentee book me again?

Yes, if you are open to it. Plenty of mentors do one session and nothing more, and that is fine.

Next: Your first session.

A structure for 30 minutes that works even when you are nervous.