VIETNAM ALUMNI MENTORING HANDBOOK

“When you ‘knock’, the door will open” – UEH Mentoring

 

The program creates a positive environment of Mentors and Mentees with activities that provide students with essential knowledge, skills and experiences. At the same time, it provides opportunities for alumni to fulfill their aspirations of connecting with and supporting students. As long as you have big enough dreams and passion, Mentors will help you achieve them.

LỜI MỞ ĐẦU

  • Youth (students/mentees) today will face a very different future compared to what their parents, teachers and mentors experienced.
  • With technological development, NEW job opportunities are created rapidly. Many current jobs didn’t exist 10 years ago and students/mentees need to be equipped to manage such change or even more complexity in the future. On average, a student may expect to change jobs several times, often in a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT field. Young people should expect a lifetime of continuous learning and skills updating.
  • Instead of preparing for a “Career for life”, we need to prepare youth for “A Lifetime of Careers”. The old adage of one career for nine lifetimes seems it may no longer be suitable. Young people need to make choices based on their desires and strengths, while also ensuring they don’t CLOSE any doors too early to OTHER career possibilities in the future.

THE ROLE OF ALUMNI

When alumni take on the role of Mentor, it means they will become guides who share their own experiences and accompany students throughout the mentoring process. Through this support, students have the opportunity to improve and develop themselves, reaching even further in the future. That is the mentors’ success.

MOTIVATOR

Express belief in mentees’ abilities and encourage them to challenge themselves with new things.

TEACHER

Provide guidance and advice to mentees on building good professional relationships; help mentees make new connections, learn about new places, and develop ideas.

SUPPORTER

Foster open and honest sharing from mentees. Listen to and address any concerns or issues mentees face.

COACH

Help mentees set goals, work effectively, and maximize their potential to achieve meaningful and realistic goals.

A SUCCESSFUL MENTORING PROCESS

The mentoring process is considered successful if the mentee and mentor actively interact, communicate openly, directly and respectfully, while staying true to expectations set early on. Ideally, both mentee and mentor develop this into a mutually beneficial relationship. Students will learn and gain knowledge and skills from their mentor, while the mentor has the chance to reflect on their own knowledge, skills and contributions.

What values do you gain from being a mentor?

We believe being a mentor will be a positive experience that enriches your experiences. Specifically, we hope you will:

SHARE OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE YOUNGER GENERATION
HONE YOUR COACHING AND ADVISING SKILLS
DEVELOP MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS WITH STUDENTS
CONNECT WITH YOUR ALMA MATER (OR A SCHOOL YOU WISH TO SUPPORT)
EXPAND YOUR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK WITH PEERS AND BEYOND

Requirements for becoming a Mentor

  • Spend at least 1-2 hours/week for online mentoring and 1-2 hours/month for in-person meetings
  • Agree with students on methods/frequency of contact
  • Help students identify and set goals, track progress, and drive change
  • Build an open, professional and respectful mentoring relationship
  • Contact program administrators to address any mentoring relationship issues

  • Provide timely feedback and facilitate professional discussions
  • Maintain and enhance professional conduct as needed
  • Support students’ personal and professional development

HOW THE MENTORING PROGRAM OPERATES

THE MENTORING JOURNEY

Each mentoring term will last one academic year (starting October and ending June the following year).

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REGISTRATION

Students register for the Mentoring Program at the beginning of each semester with the organizing team, submitting applications online.

SELECTION

The organizing team will select mentee students for that term after reviewing applications and interviews.

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The organizing team will match based on mentors’ areas of strength and students’ desired mentoring areas.

Mid-term review

A mid-term review will occur in January/February each year midway through the mentoring term.

During the mid-term review, mentors can decide to change mentees for the remainder of the term. Students can also request a mentor change with the organizing team if needed.

Completion

The Mentoring Program aims to continue developing mentoring relationships, so we encourage mentors and mentees to maintain their connections after the term ends.

Mentors can proactively choose:

  • The maximum number of students you want to mentor per term
  • To change the number of students per new term
  • To stop participating after any term
  • To stop mentoring at any time due to unforeseen circumstances, notifying the organizing team to arrange a replacement mentor ONCE A MENTORING RELATIONSHIP IS ESTABLISHED

The first meeting with the Mentee

Students are very excited for the first contact in the mentoring relationship which is established through the notification email from the program management board to both the mentor and mentee. We encourage students to send a self-introductory email to the mentor. However, in some cases, students are hesitant to contact the mentor first, so the mentor should proactively reach out to the mentee in this situation. If the student does not respond or if you have any other questions, please contact the Mentoring Program administrator.

My coaching story

What should mentors expect in the first meeting?

We highly encourage you to have an early direct conversation with your mentee – the fortunate person you are coaching. This initial interaction is very helpful in building an effective mentoring relationship.

Build rapport with your mentee by asking about their background knowledge and experiences they have gained through study and practice. An open/friendly relationship will provide a good foundation for the later mentoring process.

Demonstrate your passion for this mentoring program and your willingness to become their mentor. Conveying your enthusiasm will help the student feel assured and confident in the success of the mentoring.

It will be very important to discuss expectations and goals right from the first meeting. Note that the more detailed you plan for this initial contact, the more effective it will be.

MENTORING SKILLS

MENTORS SHOULD COME WITH THE MINDSET OF A FRIEND

Look for opportunities to learn from the mentee. DO NOT think of yourself as the one who GIVES, who TEACHES the mentee.

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SKILL OF ASKING QUESTIONS

You should ask open-ended questions, giving the mentee a chance to find their own answers.

BUILD TRUST WITH THE MENTEE

Build and establish a trusting relationship with the mentee so they can share their real issues. Understand the mentee’s circumstances and relationships around them.

CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE MENTEE

Proactively ask the mentee about needs for cross-mentoring or other topics they are interested in. The mentor can introduce or invite their friends, other senior mentors to participate in a mentoring session to give the mentee new perspectives and opportunities to expand their network. If the mentor cannot find a suitable person, please contact the organizing committee.

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LISTENING SKILLS

Firstly, be humble and let go of your existing knowledge in order to see things from the mentee’s perspective, then provide information to the mentee through stories or suggestions to help them REALIZE their own problems and PROACTIVELY find solutions.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES DURING MENTORING

Below are some ideas for activities between the Mentor and Mentee throughout the mentoring period. Mentors can expand and add other necessary activities depending on the specific case of each mentee and desired outcomes:

Discuss careers

  • Discuss the mentor’s knowledge background and how it has been helpful in their career – a form of sharing experiences and personal lesson
  • Talk about notable characteristics, development trends in the industry, pros and cons of the industry the mentor is working in (matching the mentee’s major)
  • If possible, arrange a visit to the mentor’s workplace, and the mentor can give an overview of the working environment

Job searching process

  • Review the mentee’s CV and cover letter, advise the best approach
  • Can conduct a mock interview with the mentee to help them experience a real interview, how to prepare and answer questions, as well as guide appropriate attitude during interviews
  • Discuss how to make the best impression when doing internships or working in the mentor’s industry/field

Advice for mentees wanting to pursue postgraduate degrees:

  • Share what the mentor learned from participating in a postgraduate program
  • Share how the mentor prepared for the transition from undergraduate to professional working environment

Mentor’s story:

  • Share how the mentor balances work and life as well as reasonable expectations
  • Discuss what the mentor would do differently if they could go back to school again
  • Share how the mentor overcame challenges faced in their career and life

Networking (if possible):

  • Introduce the mentee to colleagues and other connections of the mentor
  • Attend seminars and discussions on careers together
  • Guide the mentee on how to ask for information or research from various sources

Discussion topics

Short-term content
  1. Communication skills.
  2. Email and CV writing skills.
  3. Building and maintaining positive relationships
  4. Leadership and teamwork skills.
  5. English (foreign language) learning skills.
  6. Problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Long-term content

Desired job after graduation:

  • Discuss and ask mentees to think about and set direction as early as possible.
  • In cases where mentees have multiple options, mentors provide additional information on required skills, expertise, etc. for each job so mentees can continue to think through and make a final choice.
  • Encourage mentees to look for internship opportunities related to their desired career as early as possible, even in their freshman year. If needed, can post on the mentors group for other mentors to assist with recommending suitable internships.
  • Encourage mentees to make plans to strengthen professional knowledge, and accompany (discuss progress, follow up on implementing plans at each meeting) mentees in these plans.

Physical health:

  • Mentors should encourage mentees to choose a sport (running, yoga, badminton, soccer, etc.) based on interest and condition to practice daily, maintain health for success.
  • Update on health regimen at each meeting.
  • Encourage them to maintain this habit long-term.

Positive thinking:

  • Always think positively about people and things around you.
  • Take responsibility, admit mistakes when encountering problems.
  • Don’t let emotions affect work, focus on finding solutions to resolve work issues/conflicts.

Desired Outcomes

Gain self-awareness and apply self-management skills to achieve a happy and successful life
  • Identify career interests, skills, work values, and life goals.
  • Apply personal interests, abilities and values in planning and making decisions about education and career choices.
  • Understand the gap between current reality and future aspirations, and TAKE ACTION to close that gap.
  • Develop goals for the desired educational and career path.
Act with integrity and make responsible decisions that uphold your values
  • Understand the career planning process and apply decision-making skills to educational and career planning.
  • Identify short-term and long-term education and career goals.
  • Evaluate the impact and consequences of your decisions on yourself and others.
Be resilient and turn challenges into opportunities
  • Value the need for continuous improvement and lifelong learning in your own efforts to achieve education and career goals.
  • Apply FLEXIBILITY and LEVERAGE all available resources to move yourself closer to your education and career goals.
Confidence
  • Develop SELF-CONFIDENCE in your own ability to pursue life goals.