Committees > Mentorship

NetSAP-DC Mentorship Program 2005

The Network of South Asian Professionals of DC (NetSAP-DC) Mentorship Program provides a platform for South Asian Professionals to assist students/recent graduates in the Washington D.C. region in transitioning from college to professional life. The Mentorship Program has mentor volunteers from different professional backgrounds who are willing to help through their career expertise, academic credentials and/or professional contacts. Mentors assist mentees by answering questions about career choices, interviewing strategies, resume preparation, continuing education, internships, job searches and other forms of professional advancement.

A mentor's effort provides a mentee with valuable unbiased support and guidance. A mentor is extremely important in encouraging positive choices, promoting high self-esteem, supporting academic and professional achievement and also helping a mentee on the social and emotional development front. Needless to say a mentor takes back a great amount of happiness from this.

How It Works
If you are a NetSAP DC professional and decide to help out, simply download the mentor form here:
Mentor Registration Form. See the Mentor guidelines for more details.

If you are a graduating student or a recent graduate and are looking for career related advise from someone in your professional area, simply click download the mentee form here:
Mentee Registration Form

Please e-mail completed forms to mentorship@netsap.org

Guidelines for Mentor Volunteers

When contacted by a mentee, you will be expected to make the initial suggestions about a meeting place, date and time, and to outline the extent of your availability. Only one meeting is expected, and you can continue to advise the mentee either though further meetings/email/phone.

Offering information about your experiences can help put a mentee at ease. You may want to discuss specific skills (personal, technical) or post-graduate training that have enhanced your career successes. Since mentees are trying to learn as much as possible about your career path, providing a copy of your resume and position description would be helpful.

	Questions about the mentee's current academic program are appropriate. Connections that can be pointed out between coursework and practical applications are critical. In many cases, the mentee may not have even selected a major area of study, but is simply exploring career options.
	Many mentees may be asking for advice on how to refine their resumes, and since they are not required to turn in a resume to participate in this program, you may want to ask them upon initial contact, to provide you with one.
	Noting professional organizations that can further the mentee's career goals or referring them to appropriate individuals for further career guidance is valuable assistance.
	Trade publications or your corporate literature could be made available to the mentee. Company mission statements, policies and objectives, or planning documents that can be shared may be valuable to a student considering your field.
	Although you are not expected to help the student find specific employment, you may want to review the types of jobs that you are aware of in your profession, current hiring and industry trends, and procedural information about hiring that is unique to your profession.
	You may want to discuss extra-curricular activities or special interests that the mentee is involved in, or other career options they are exploring, to help them assess their motivations and career direction.
	Try to think of things you wish YOU had known before graduation that you know now. This may be discussed in terms of expectations vs. realities.
	You may want to give the mentee your business card and encourage further questions after your meeting, although this is not required.

Guidelines for Mentees

The purpose of the Mentorship Program is to help you gain insight into career fields and to begin to network with other professionals from the South Asian Community. These volunteers can be wonderful resources for you to learn more about what it is like to work in a particular career field, gain knowledge of a particular company/organization, or to start to make connections for the work world.

Please remember that these volunteers are here to share their insights about their career fields and offer advice, NOT to provide you with a specific job opportunity.

What Should You Expect from a Mentor? When you contact the volunteer-mentor, he/she will probably suggest a meeting place, date and time to determine a mutually agreeable appointment. Only ONE meeting is expected, so make the most of the time you spend with the mentor volunteer. It is very important that you follow through if you make an appointment to meet with a mentor.

Please do not contact a mentor volunteer unless you are sure that you are going to follow through with a meeting. Mentors are busy professionals making their valuable time available to assist/ guide mentees.

How to Prepare for your Meeting

	Prepare a list of questions before your meeting. Do some research about the company/organization at which Mentors work. Take a copy of your resume to share with the person about your background. Carry a notepad etc. to make notes during the meeting.
	Always send a thank you note after your meeting/conversation.

What you can get from your initial meeting !
1. Find out more about the mentor's profession:

	What a typical day at work is like
	Personal likes/dislikes of job/profession
	Frequently recurring problems in such an occupation/job
	Major rewards of occupation/job
	Skills most utilized in profession/job
	Employment outlook for the profession
	Professional associations he/she is active in and is recommended for occupation/job
	General salaries and benefits for profession
	Aspects of his/her education or other skills that helped most in the job

2. Get Advice:

	Share your background/goals with the mentor volunteer
	Obtain advice regarding your job search or selection of a career path
	Show the mentor volunteer your resume for advice if appropriate, and/or to hold for future reference.
	Ask for a referral to another contact person, if appropriate, to continue networking.
	Ask for job search advice or tips he/she can provide.

Questions?
For additional information or questions, please contact the NetSAP-DC Mentorship Committee Chair Shiv Ramanna at mentorship@netsap.org