The 13 Must-Ask Questions for Your Mentor by John Maxwell and posted by Douglas Raine Steven Spielberg, the genius behind movies like Jaws and E.T., once said, “The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” I love the wisdom in that statement. What are my research goals? Be as specific as you can about what you want to know. Good Questions to Ask a Mentor. A mentor can be many things. Does your mentor have children, a favorite charity she supports, or an addiction to a particular Mediterranean cuisine? Related: Research Assistant Resume Samples They might point you toward books that relate directly to … However, this isn’t always the case. Ask senior staff to designate mentoring facilitators. 12 Questions You Should Ask Your Mentor ASAP Don't waste your mentor's time--or yours. Do your research. “For mentors, the most important thing, really, is to ask questions, to be this guide on the side, rather than the sage on the stage,” she says. These types of questions can be difficult to ask. (Read more below to find out how to create and crosscheck your questions.) Do form a relationship with them, and use the opportunity to gain valuable insight into teaching and your own practice. Wherever you are on your career journey, from starting a PhD to your first permanent academic post or to taking those initial tentative steps as a manager, other people have been there before and are often willing to share their valuable advice and insight. You will impress the mentor and help them think more deeply about your project. Why have a mentor? You don’t want to be rushed, and you want plenty of time for the other person to ask you questions about your goals, etc. Here are some content-related questions you can ask about your survey questions. I'm also already involved in research and don't think I have time to get involved in any more projects, so a research-mentor relationship isn't likely. But setting up appointments with all the friends, professional acquaintances and corporate executives you can is just the first step. Ask your mentor if they have any book recommendations that they can share with you. • How does the mentor describe his/her mentoring and managing style? There’s no easy answer to this question as it mostly depends on what your career goals and objective are. Consider naming them, and listing some specific questions you’re wrestling with that they might be able to help answer. These questions are general guidelines; they are not a checklist. With luck, you’ll gain a great mentor. Do your research. Asking a question about yourself that you may not like the answer to, says a lot about your dedication to growth. Since evaluations are a department-level process, a 1:1 may not be the best place to ask logistical questions regarding evaluation or qualifying processes (‘quals’), but it is a good time to understand specific milestones, … Research assistants perform several vital tasks on the job, so preparing for the interview to demonstrate their qualifications for the role is vital. Here’s how it works: Before every meeting with your mentor, prepare one question from each of these categories: stories, situations, self-awareness, and skill building. 25 Mentorship Questions. By June Gruber, Jay J. 21 Questions to ask when moderating your next panel discussion. And while there is an almost infinite number of survey question combinations you can ask, we have compiled a list of our must-asks, so that next time you go to make those mentor-mentee matches, you have all of the right data to make the matching process a breeze. 40 Questions to Ask in an Informational Interview Knowing networking is critical to their search, most job hunters work hard to arrange face-to-face meetings with contacts. I was recruited by a university to work on a research project as a research fellow and have dedicated over 8 months to it. Write questions to ask your mentor about each topic and script your next meeting. Each student has also a seminar advisor who helps your student with the process, in particular with scientific writing, but typically is not an expert in the field of the student's research. They can sometimes be even more difficult to answer. Because of the mismatch, I'm not sure what my goals of this mentorship program could be or what kind of questions I could ask beyond the simple ones (how did you end up in your specialty, etc). Related: 9 Questions to Ask Your Mentor Here is a simple, but extraordinary, list of questions to use when talking with your mentor. It is important to identify a mentor for your research whose intellectual interests mesh well with yours. Once you’ve thought through your choice, you’re ready to ask someone to mentor you. Make sure they have a true understanding of your business and look them dead in the eyes with open ears. What questions would you add? Don’t bombard your cooperating teacher with all 25 questions while they’re trying to grab lunch and make copies all at the same time! Don’t be afraid to ask yourself and your mentor some tough questions. The research the faculty member works on should be of interest to you, and you should be able to both learn from and contribute to it. • What are his/her authorship practices? Prepare the facilitators to answer questions about the mentoring program, steer interested people to the mentoring program coordinator, and broker mentoring partnerships. Most people who ask for advice never take the time to build an authentic connection. While creating questions specifically for your panel is the very best way to make your discussion unique and engaging, sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start. If they think you’re serious and actually looking to act on their advice, they will usually give you the best advice.” Questions to ask a potential supervisor before starting your PhD. Get better advice by asking the right questions. 10 objective survey questions you must ask your mentors and mentees: (1) What’s your name? 15 Top Questions to Ask Someone about Their Career Path. For each question in your survey, you should ask yourself how well it addresses the content you are trying to get at. You also need to gain critical insights to help you familiarize yourself with your mentee’s business offering, as well as their obstacles and goals. Examine each question to see if you need to ask it at all and if you need to ask … Ask this question for one reason only — digging. This question is about expected research progress, and how your future advisor may judge if you are thriving or struggling (especially during evaluation periods). By James Hayton , August 17, 2015. But before selecting a mentor, you should first do some form of self-assessment and ask yourself some questions. Van Bavel Feb. 4, 2019 , 12:55 PM. The Harvard Business Review’s Guide to Getting the Mentoring You Need, introduces a mentorship framework comprised of five critical questions that every mentor must ask to help optimize the mentoring relationship. We’ll first look at good questions to ask a mentor, then questions for mentors to ask mentees. In this article, we explain why you should ask professionals about their jobs, advise on how to do it, provide a list of questions to ask and offer some tips for your conversation. Is the Question Necessary/Useful? We suggest you ask some--or all--of the following questions when you meet with a potential mentor. But sometimes you really want to go deep with the questions you ask your mentor. In your email: Schedule an initial conversation. • How much time does the mentor spend meeting with students and postdocs? If you are reporting on a study, READ IT first, take notes, and ask questions based on your notes during the interview. After you talk to your mentor, think about the discussion, and then go back and ask more questions. Ask your potential mentor if he or she can make time for an hour meeting with you. For others, it’s a person who provides support, knowledge and motivation. Therefore it is useful to have questions that you could ask should this moment arise. Search or ask the scientist in advance for links/PDFs of scientific papers they have written, or news clips about their research or their area of research. Top Questions To Ask Your Mentor. Did my undergraduate degree prepare me for grad school and this program specifically? Hereunder are 15 top questions to ask someone about their career path: How did you get involved in this field? As highlighted and discussed below by Anthony Tjan, CEO and founder of the venture capital firm Cue Ball, he notes, “These five questions, when asked in the order presented, … You are the research mentor of your student. You’ve been reading books and articles on leadership and have been following several influencers on LinkedIn. Explain what position you are in, and leave out all the fluff about how awesome you are. Here’s how to do it. Interviewing a mentor or industry leader you admire can lead to valuable insight for your own job trajectory. The opportunity to question someone about their career path does not happen every day. Don’t put all of your expectations on one mentor to meet your needs. Here are some fun, quirky questions to break the ice and get to know a different side of your mentor, one that might not be immediately apparent in his or her professional persona. Getty Images. By Young Entrepreneur Council @yec. Provide training and recognition for the mentoring facilitators. Approach the relationship with realistic expectations. Survey Research; Constructing the Survey; Question Content; Question Content. Here are some questions to ask admission offices or currently enrolled students. What experiences does this potential mentor have that are relevant to your journey? It’s best to find more than one mentor and capitalise on their individual strengths. “The biggest question to ask a career mentor is what they think you should do. In this article, we offer an array of common interview questions for research assistants along with a few questions with explanations and sample answers. For example, write something like, “Dear Dr. Locklear, I’m reaching out to let you know that I am fascinated with your work. Consider the following self-awareness questions to ask: How involved will the mentor be with you and your project? With the competitive nature of graduate programs, it would seem that an admission committee would only accept students they believe have the tools to succeed. by Theresa Bradley-Banta. What to ask your mentor? In my workshops and group coaching programs, I like to share those categories, and then ask the participants to compile their own questions to ask a mentor. As a mentor, you’re aware of the skills you have to offer, but you need to be able to assess how your expertise can be best applied. Questions to Ask a Potential Mentor • What are the mentor’s expectations (duties, research project, timeline, meetings, work hours, etc.)? To ace your Ph.D. program interviews, prepare to answer—and ask—these key questions. In my article 23 Fun Questions to Ask Your Mentor I list some questions that help lighten up the mentoring session. For some people, a mentor is someone who gives you the occasional helpful tip. Ask all the questions you can think of! To ask someone to be your mentor, start by sending the person a short, succinct email, which will be more likely to get their attention. When you apply for a PhD position, it’s likely that your main concern is whether or not they accept you, but you must also think about whether the supervisor is right for you. 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