CLS Mentorship Program
The CLS Mentorship Program is a career oriented program designed to help current student enrolled in the CLS Professional Programs meet professionals in a variety of laboratory-related professions and learn valuable information about the real working world. The willingness of the Mentor and Protégé to share their time is the key to the program’s success.Students:
Before you participate in the Mentorship program, you must have:
- Defined career goals.
- Researched various options within that career goal.
Why find a mentor?
- Refine your career goals and clarify expectations of the workplace.
- Actively prepare yourself to enter the workplace with confidence.
- Help to determine what you need to succeed in your major and to begin a career in your preferred field.
Mentors:
- Provide guidance based on past experiences. Share stories including mistakes.
- Create a positive mentoring relationship and a climate of open communication.
- Offer constructive criticism in a supportive way.
- Be honest about business associations.
- Be prepared to discuss career-related issues.
- Solicit feedback from your Protégé.
Roles mentors play:
- Role model
- Confidant
- Coach
- Leader by example
- Suggest
- Advise
- Encourage
- Build confidence
- Friend
Guidelines for Mentors and Protégés:
- There must be mutual respect and commitment by both parties.
- Identify roles the Mentor can play to help the Protégé achieve goals.
- Develop an action plan to achieve agreed upon goals.
- Determine level of structure in the relationship.
- Communicate on a regular basis.
- Set milestones to monitor the success of reaching goals.
- Set the agenda for each meeting/contact.
- If scheduling formal meetings, cancel only when absolutely necessary.
- Establish guidelines for phone calls, i.e. calls at home are or are not acceptable.
- Contact CLS Program Director if there is any concern with the mentoring relationship.