RTC Mentor Guide

Welcome to the RTC Mentoring Program! We are grateful for any time and expertise you are willing to share with RTC women interested in making a career in tech. Please read this guide to learn more about the program, mentor role, and basic tips to help ensure successful meetings and relationships.

RTC Mentoring Program Overview

Knowing that our Mentee’s needs and timelines fluctuate throughout the year, we have purposefully designed a flexible program so that Mentees can reach out to connect with a Mentor at times one is most needed. The Mentor and Mentee will make decisions about timing, cadence, location, and the length of the relationship that works best for them. A Mentee may request a single, purpose-driven meeting or may desire a longer-term mentoring relationship in which RTC recommends committing to no more than three months at a time. This offers a length of time rapport can be built and goals achieved, but also provides a clear end that will allow for a conversation about completing or continuing the mentoring relationship.

What is Mentoring?

Mentoring is a reciprocal and collaborative at-will relationship where one person shares their knowledge, skills, and experience to assist another in progressing in their own life and career. A Mentor serves as an objective sounding board and an experienced person whom the Mentee can look to as a role model and source of knowledge. The role of the Mentor is to assist Mentees in professional and personal development, prepare them for their job search, and guide them on their career path. It is NOT the Mentors role to get a Mentee a job, and Mentees should never go into a relationship with that expectation.

Who are Your Prospective Mentees?

A Mentee could be any current RTC Member between their first year in college (Student Members) to their fifth year in their tech profession (Early Career Members).

RTC Mentor’s Role and Expectations

The mentor’s role can include the following:

• Help the Mentee set developmental goals and promote enrichment based on their current needs.
• Transfer technical as well as formal and informal industry-related and career-focused knowledge.
• Review Mentee’s resume, coach on developing effective networking skills, practice interviewing skills, and provide feedback.
• Identify resources and connections to help Mentees enhance personal development and career growth. 
• Share your experiences!

Mentor expectations:

• Add a minimum of 1-3 hours of scheduled appointment times per month using the teamRTC My Mentor Appointments feature.
• Respond to any Mentee outreach within 48 business hours.
• Always behave professionally through actions and communication when interacting with a Mentee.
• Although most meetings will be virtual, in-person meetings are expected to occur in a public space.
• Notify RTC of any inappropriate behavior on the part of the Mentee.

Guidelines on Self-Promotion and Solicitation

Rewriting the Code is dedicated to fostering a community that is free and accessible to all our members. We believe in the power of shared knowledge and collective growth, and our community thrives on the free exchange of ideas, resources, and support.

In alignment with our core values, the following guidelines have been established to govern self-promotion and solicitation within our community.

No Direct Solicitation:

• Members and mentors are not permitted to solicit other members for services or sessions that require payment. This includes advertising paid products, services, or events within the community channels.

Offering Services:

• If a mentor is interested in offering a service or hosting a session, they are encouraged to do so in a manner that is free and accessible to all community members.
• Those interested in hosting a session with Rewriting the Code can fill out our Request for Presenters form.

Follow these instructions to

Add appointments:

• Log into your Mentor account.
• Using the menu on the left, scroll down to the Mentoring tab and drop down to My Mentor Appointments.
• Click on the +Appointment in the upper left-hand corner.
• Choose the area(s) of discussion for which this appointment is slotted. Resume reviews and interview practice/tips are very popular in the late summer through fall.
• Title your appointment. For example, specify this in the title if this time is for interview practice/tips. “Mock Coding Interview” or “Behavioral Interview Practice” would be good titles that let the mentee know what you are offering. If you have selected multiple topics in which a student can choose to talk to you about, name the appointment “General Mentoring.”
• Choose your appointment date.
• Choose the duration. Here you can schedule one meeting time or multiple back-to-back sessions. Choose each session’s start time and duration and the number of sessions you want to schedule in this block. Note that all times you list are in EASTERN STANDARD TIME, so make that adjustment before scheduling your appointments.
• Include a short appointment description.
• Note that all virtual appointments will be hosted in the teamRTC platform.
• Choose the populations you’d like to make eligible for this appointment. You may choose Students, Early Career (up to 5 years in career), or both.
• Set the date when Mentees can begin signing up and when it ends. Please note that the end sign up date is also the deadline for a Mentee to cancel that appointment, so we suggest making this at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting so that a mentee cannot cancel last minute.
• Be sure Visible to Members is toggled to YES.

View/make edits to your appointments:

• Log into your Mentor account
• Using the menu on the left, scroll down to the Mentoring tab and drop down to My Mentor Appointments
• Click on the appointment you want to view/edit
• Click on Edit in the menu at the top of your screen
• Perform any edits needed for that appointment

Cancel/Reschedule an appointment:

• Log into your Mentor account
• Using the menu on the left, scroll down to the Mentoring tab and drop down to My Mentor Appointments
• Click on the appointment you want to cancel.
• Scroll down to the timeslot you need to cancel. 
• Click on Remove Signup and then Email to send a message to the Mentee to reschedule.

How to attend your meeting:

• Log into your Mentor account
• Using the menu on the left, scroll down to the Mentoring tab and drop down to My Mentor Appointments
• Click on the appointment and scroll down to the specific timeslot
• Click on Start Video Call to begin the session

How to report a no-show:

• Log into your Mentor account
• Using the menu on the left, scroll down to the Mentoring tab and drop down to My Mentor Appointments
• Click on the appointment and scroll down to the specific timeslot of the no-show
• Click on Not Attended to report this to RTC
• You can also use the Notes feature to share feedback about the session. Set the notes to Public to share with RTC admin , and Private if you want to keep the notes to yourself. Notes are never shared with the Mentee

Meetings with Your Mentee

We understand that seasoned Mentors often have their own styles and frameworks. Mentors should feel empowered to do what works for their style. If you are new to mentoring or need suggestions on how to frame your meetings, below are some suggestions on items to cover at a high level during your first, middle, and last meetings.

First Meeting: 

Your first meeting is important because you will not only be getting to know each other, but you will be setting the expectations and priorities for the relationship. We have told the Mentees to come prepared to discuss these important things:

• Build rapport. A mentoring conversation is short, usually no more than 1 hour, and you have much to achieve within that time frame, but taking time to break the ice sets a positive tone for the rest of the meeting. Building rapport helps you get to know the person better and gives you important clues into the person’s interests and perspectives. Write down at least four questions to help you get to know your Mentee better.
• Goals and how are those prioritized. Discuss the goals your Mentee has for the mentorship. Suggest that your mentee make a list and prioritize these goals before your first meeting. Help guide your Mentee if they are having trouble articulating what they need.
• How often should you meet, when, and how? Answering these questions is important to define what works for both of your schedules. Meeting every other week is a good place to start the conversation, although you might agree to a different cadence based on individual schedules and availability. One size does not fit all.
• Length of Relationship. It is important to discuss this from the beginning. RTC recommends Mentors and Mentees commit to a maximum of 3 months at a time. This allows an easy end if the mentorship is no longer productive. Evaluating the relationship and deciding if it makes sense to continue for another set amount of time is also a good point.

Ongoing Meetings Framework Recommendation:

• Establish rapport and ask for a progress update.
• Mentoring conversation or activity focused on Mentee’s goal/developmental area.
• During the final few minutes, summarize the discussion and review any action items you or the Mentee agreed to during the conversation.
• Decide on the next meeting, if not already planned.

Last Meeting:

Usually happening around the three-month mark, here are some items to discuss during this meeting:

• Acknowledge the three-month mark, debrief mentoring relationship by discussing key learnings and sharing feedback.
• Celebrate Mentee successes over the past three months.
• Discuss a plan for further development.
• Be open to discussing the mentoring relationships next phase. For example, your Mentee may ask for your continued Mentorship for the next quarter. Consider her goals and how you think you can best help her. If you no longer believe it’s a good fit, help her to identify the strengths/background she should look for in a future Mentor. Connect her with people you think could help her when possible.

Top 10 Tips for Mentors

• Be fully present. Mentoring requires excellent listening and your full attention. Set aside your daily challenges and pressures during a Mentoring session so that you can devote your full attention to your Mentee. Whether the Mentoring session is in-person, virtual, by telephone, or via email, this means making yourself unavailable to others during the Mentoring conversation. Not allowing interruptions will make your mentoring quality significantly more effective and productive for both of you. 
• Take time to make a personal connection at the start of the session. One of the pleasures of a Mentoring relationship is the sense of connection between two people. Before launching into the focus area for the day, spend a few minutes making a personal connection. “Small talk” often helps people relax and prepare for a deeper conversation. 
• Share the conversation rather than do all the talking. Sometimes, Mentors mistakenly believe their job is mainly to impart wisdom and expertise. If you find yourself talking at length, with little interruption or dialogue with your Mentee, stop yourself and reorganize the conversation by asking questions about the Mentee. Watch out for the tendency to “download” when someone asks the question you’ve been waiting all your life to answer!
• Listen with curiosity, not judgment. Be conscious of your own listening and strive for deep listening coming from your own curiosity rather than problem-solving. You will find that your Mentee faces issues that you have also faced. However, each person is unique and comes to their present moment from a different path. Listen to learn more about the person. If you find yourself judging the Mentee, self-correct by reminding yourself to simply “follow your curiosity” to learn more. 
• Ask direct questions to focus the session. Mentoring sessions often go all too quickly. To focus the session, ask simple and straightforward questions at the beginning of the session to ensure that the conversation is focused on the topics that are “top of mind” for the Mentee today. For example, ask, “What would you like to talk about today?” or “I’d love a quick update, and then let’s choose a topic for today’s session.”
• Try not to interrupt. Unless there is a need to manage time or focus on the dialogue. 
• Give helpful feedback. Provide constructive feedback that is specific, descriptive, and nonjudgemental.
• Tell your story. People often learn best through storytelling. If you have experiences related to the challenges your Mentee faces, check with the Mentee to see if she would like you to share the story of your experience. Make sure to focus on the aspects of your experience that are most pertinent. Telling your story should take no more than 10 minutes of a Mentoring session, though it may lead to a rich discussion that links directly to the Mentee’s situation. Try not to preach!
• Follow through on your commitments. Inevitably, you will find yourself volunteering the title of a book, a referral to one of your contacts, to review or pass on a resume or some other small service to your Mentee. Make a note of your promise and make it a priority to follow through. Dropping the ball can lead to confusion and mistrust in the relationship. Make commitments carefully, being realistic about what you can offer and when you can deliver it. You should ask your Mentee to prompt your follow-up with an email after the session. 
• Set and honor boundaries. Mentoring relationships work best when each person knows what to expect – and what not to expect. Establish how the Mentoring relationship will be set up during the first session. How frequently will you meet? Decide on the best form of communication (email, phone, text, etc.). How long will the conversations last? May the Mentee contact you by email or telephone in between Mentoring sessions? Be clear about how you would like it to work. Attention here early on prevents misunderstandings later on.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Jade Barricelli at jbarricelli@rewritingthecode.org.