Posted January 2023
January is Mentoring month, a celebration of the people teaching and advising the next generation of industry all-stars. As BU alumni, mentoring the next generation of Terriers is one of the best ways to help rising professionals and connect with your Boston University community. BU Connects has made becoming a mentor easier than ever, and helped facilitate over 200 successful mentoring relationships between alumni and students in 2022 alone! If you’ve always wanted to become a mentor but don’t know where to start, we’ve put together a step-by-step guide on becoming a great mentor.
Step 1. Decide if mentoring is right for you
Becoming a mentor is a big commitment, but it also brings big rewards. Taking a fellow Terrier under your wing will allow you to give back to the BU community in a tangible way while also helping your mentee jump-start their career. The outcome is substantial, with mentorship leading to increased promotion rates and greater minority representation. Taking on the role of a mentor is as rewarding as it is impactful.
Step 2. Activate your BU Connects profile
If you aren’t already on BU Connects, activating your profile is the best place to start your journey to becoming a mentor. BU Connects is a platform exclusively for Boston University alumni, students, faculty, and staff that brings Terriers together for personal and professional networking on a global scale. Through an exclusive networking directory and industry/affinity groups, BU Connects is the best place to connect with and help Terriers looking for mentorship. Setting up your account is easy and can be done in seconds. Once you’ve logged in, keep an eye out for some brand-new mentoring programs launching on BU Connects in the coming weeks.
Step 3. Raise your hand to be a mentor on BU Connects
Joining the proud tradition of Terriers helping Terriers is as simple as raising your hand. By identifying yourself as a potential mentor on BU Connects, members of the BU community can reach out for career guidance and support. Whether you’re willing to offer one-time help, like looking over someone’s resume or helping practice for a job interview, or a long-term mentorship role is entirely up to you and easily communicated in your BU Connects profile.
Step 4. Foster a relationship with your mentee
It’s important to go into a mentor-mentee relationship with an open mind. By communicating, listening, and offering constructive criticism, you’ll be able to fill a vital role as an important role model in your mentee’s life. These relationships can have lasting impacts and, in some cases, can open the door to life-long friendships. Looking for some inspiration? Learn how Denise Schier (ENG’81) and Jorge Suarez (ENG‘20) engineered a lasting mentorship.
Have you made a meaningful connection through BU Connects? We want to hear about it!