Evaluating your mentoring relationship

Section 1 : Evaluation guidelines for mentees

Mentoring relationship evaluations are most important for the mentee, mainly because the mentorship is designed primarily for their benefit. If the relationship isn’t working, it’s their future, not the mentor’s, that hangs in the balance. It’s critical that mentees feel they’re receiving the support they need.

Here are a few questions mentees should ask themselves when considering the current value of their mentoring relationship. If you’re concerned about any of your responses, you should discuss them with your mentor to determine the best course of action. 

• Do you meet frequently enough to stay connected to your mentor? Are the meetings fruitful, or do they feel like a waste of time? Would a different meeting schedule/venue be more beneficial?
• Does your mentor offer constructive feedback that’s relevant to your needs and goals? Do you feel they have your best interests at heart?
• Do your values align with your mentor’s? Do you trust your mentor well enough to have an open and frank discussion about everything relevant to your mentorship? If not, does that trust seem likely to develop?
• Does your mentor push you to improve yourself? Does this pressure feel constructive or aggressive?
• Do you feel you’re making progress, however you define that? Do your goals seem more or less realistic than when you started? If you’ve achieved everything you set out to, do you feel there’s still room for growth?