How to Be a Good Mentee?

Resources, best practices and tools to help you make the most out of the relationship with your mentor.

3 min readFeb 17, 2021

Mentorship can be an integral part of career growth and development. Simply finding a mentor, however, will not guarantee success in your career journey. This is why we put together a guide for all the learners to dive into the key aspects of maximizing the mentee experience.

In this guide we cover:

Improving your ‘mentorability’
Formalizing your mentee-mentor relationship
Enhancing reciprocity and ensuring accountability
How to ensure that the experience is gratifying
Additional Resources (articles, books, podcasts & more)

Are you mentorable? Ask yourself these questions to find out!

Do I understand the value of my mentor’s time?
Do I have a clear understanding of what I want out of this relationship?
Can I accept advice and criticism from a mentor?
Am I open to whatever I learn from my mentor?
Have I asked myself “Am I a good mentee?”

If the answer to any of the listed questions was no, shifting all your answers to a yes is the first step to becoming a good mentee.

Prepare and Formalize Your Relationship

Maintaining friendly rapport with your mentor is important, but it’s critical to agree to a structure that inspires both parties so that the mentorship is effective. Creating and agreeing upon a Mentorship Partner Agreement is a great place to start your journey.

Discuss how often you will meet and the preferred method and style of communication
Write agendas for your meetings and note action items
Make a list of topics you are interested in exploring
Keep a journal to record topics, plans and progress over the course of the relationship

Reciprocity and Accountability

Mentors are the Secret to Accountability — SET GOALS

Use the SMART method — Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound.
Check-in and discuss challenges, accomplishments and overall progress in every meeting
Engage in two-way feedback and criticism — do not hesitate to ask your mentor the tough questions about their own journeys and progress they have made on their own goals
Remember to ask your mentor “is there anything I can do to support you and your work?”

Gratification Results in Sustained Enthusiasm

While making progress on your goals will lead to personal gratification, it is important to ensure mentor gratification as well. Mentors are most gratified when 1) they feel appreciated and 2) they see your progress.

Follow up each meeting with a succinct thank you note
Be proactive about updating them on your progress and try to tie in how they helped you reach that stage

Extra Things to Remember

Have a conversation about confidentiality and how much of what you discuss with your mentor can be shared, if at all
Be sure to come to all mentorship meetings prepared so that you can make the most of your limited time together i.e write out questions and topics that you would like to cover and make sure they align with your mentor’s experiences
Make helping you minimally taxing for them e.g. if they are providing you with an intro, write the email for them.