KEY DATES 2020
Official mentoring period:
7 July – 16 October 2020
A Guide for
Mentors A Good
Mentor…
THE COMMITMENT • Is willing to share their knowledge and career
experience
Mentors must be UNSW Business School and/or AGSM
graduates or UNSW Business School industry partners
and have at least five years of professional business
experience. Mentors are required to spend a minimum
of five hours with one mentee over the course of
fifteen weeks.
During this unique time for our community, UNSW is
committed to providing safe opportunities for alumni
and industry partners to connect, mentor and learn. This
year, the program enables mentoring sessions to be
conducted 100% online. Sessions can be held face-to-
face online via video (such as Microsoft Teams, Skype or
Zoom), or by phone, email and instant messaging (such
as WhatsApp). Meetings are arranged by the mentor and
mentee with no formal check-ins from UNSW Business
School, to allow the mentorship to develop organically.
Chartered Accountants Australia +
New Zealand partners with the UNSW
Business School to deliver the Career
Mentoring Program.
The mentoring program is a formal university
extracurricular activity that is included on students’
Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement.
Therefore, it is important you commit to the minimum
number of five hours to ensure your student meets the
requirements for their Graduation Statement.
You may wish to spread your meetings out evenly over
the fifteen weeks or conduct them all within a shorter
period. It is a good idea to work out a schedule with your
student during your first meeting.
Note: Normally we would prefer that mentoring sessions
are held in-person, face-to-face and expect to return to
this as the primary format of mentor-mentee meetings
for next year’s program.
• Listens actively and non-judgmentally
• Asks engaging questions that stimulate reflection and
makes suggestions without being prescriptive
• Provides thoughtful feedback and encouragement,
remaining accessible through regular meetings, emails
and/or phone contact
COMMUNICATE
Communication with your mentee may include a mix of
email and phone contact as well as video meetings.
If you need ideas for conversation starters think
about what would have made an impact on you as a
business student.
Strategies for starting the conversation include:
• Invite your mentee to an online business meeting
• Introduce your mentee to a professional business
colleague who can offer another career perspective (this
could be done online via video, phone or email)
• Provide suggestions for business reading materials
(e.g. books, articles, newsletters, videos)
• Suggest networking events through professional
associations and societies
• Suggest industry webinars your mentee could attend
• Do a mock interview to practice interview skills and the
types of questions asked
It is recommended that meetings with your mentee
are held during normal business hours and are
conducted with a professional business tone. We expect
all students to behave professionally but your guidance is
appreciated.