sign postBecome a mentor or mentee

MCDA supports the professional development of its members and excellence in our field through an active mentoring program. Members can register to be a mentor or mentee, depending on their goals and level of experience, and our program coordinators do their best to match mentor/mentee pairs based on this information.

Benefits

Mentoring is a mutually beneficial learning and development relationship. For mentees, mentoring is an ideal opportunity to learn more about yourself and the various occupational fields within career development. For mentors, it’s a great way to build the profession and feel the satisfaction of helping others succeed.

Mentoring is a powerful learning and development experience because it is personalized and based on the topics and issues most relevant to each pair of learning partners. Both partners benefit from the opportunity to:

  • Share knowledge, experiences, and resources;
  • Widen your worldview by exploring new ideas and perspectives;
  • Make meaningful connections with other professionals in the field; and
  • Refine your goals and communication skills (mentee) or coaching and mentoring skills (mentor).

Mentee Qualifications

You’re a great mentee candidate if you:

  • Are new to the career development field
  • Are seeking to enhance your professional development through:
    • Deepening your knowledge and understanding of opportunities, challenges and resources within the field
    • Receiving support and guidance for your professional goals
    • Having a safe place to practice new skills and sound out new ideas
  • Are willing to be in charge of your own learning, which includes identifying your learning goals and setting meeting agendas with your mentor
  • Are a MCDA member To join, go to: https://mcda.net/become-a-member-2/

Mentor Qualifications

You’re a great mentor candidate if you:

  • Are an experienced career development professional (generally 5+ year’s experience in the field)
  • Are seeking to contribute to the development of the next generation of career development professionals by:
    • Sharing your knowledge and understanding of opportunities, challenges, and resources within the field,
    • Providing support and guidance for your mentee’s professional growth
    • Helping your mentee practice new skills, develop their ideas and make new connections
    • Are an MCDA member. To join, go to: http://mcda.net/become-a-member-2/
  • (Note – as a mentor, you are NOT expected to: offer jobs, be a therapist, or have all the answers!)

What time commitment is required?

The mentoring program is only as good as the relationships formed within it, and this requires an investment of time. To form mutually beneficial relationships, mentors and mentees must be willing to commit to:

  • Meeting for one hour every month (virtually via video platform or by phone) during the 6–month mentoring period that runs from October to November to April; 
  • Attending a Mentor Program Kick-off meeting (which also counts as your first mentoring meeting!); and  
  • Keeping the relationship a priority by following through on commitments and being responsive in your communications. 

What does it cost to participate?

Participation in the MCDA Mentoring Program is offered as a FREE benefit to MCDA members. You must be an MCDA member to participate. If you’d like to participate and are not a current member, you can check out our membership page here: https://mcda.net/become-a-member-2/ 

How do I sign up? 

You can register for the 2023-2024 program through Monday, October 30, 2023.  Just complete the registration this application formNote – If you were a mentor last year, you don’t need to fill out a registration form. Just email us to let us know you’re interested. 

MCDA Mentor Program Registration Form

(Access the form by clicking on the words above)

** Please note we need an accurate description of your experience to make strong matches. If your LinkedIn profile is not detailed and up-to-date, please include a current resume. Thank you! 

Questions?

Jennifer Rogers and Cindy Edwards are the Program Co-Coordinator for 2023-2024.  You can direct any questions to: MCDAmentor@gmail.com.