APM Mentee guide and agreement

Please read carefully and submit the form below to continue with your chosen mentor

What is mentoring?

Mentoring is a process where one person offers help, guidance, advice and support to facilitate the learning and development of another. Mentoring is built on a relationship of mutual respect and openness. A mentor may be selected on the basis of their general experience or a more specific skill that is valued by the mentee. The role of a mentor can be described as being a ‘critical friend’, providing honest and constructive feedback whilst also providing support and encouragement.

What is the role of the mentor?

Good mentors are able to share life experiences and wisdom, as well as relevant technical expertise, to help another to develop and grow. They are good listeners, good observers, and good problem solvers. They make an effort to know, accept and respect the goals and interests of the mentee.

The mentor’s role can be to challenge and stretch the mentee in the context of the mentee’s personal and professional development. The mentor and mentee will decide how frequently to meet but there is an expectation on both sides for these meetings to be constructive and productive.

What are the behaviours of a good mentor?

• Listening to the mentee;
• staying neutral and avoiding blame;
• being willing to debate, constructively challenge and discuss;
• being prepared to give honest answers to questions;
• offering and providing guidance but leaving decision making to the mentee;
• demonstrating genuine interest and concern for the mentee;
• facilitating and empowering the mentee to develop;
• with agreement from all concerned, opening doors to the mentor’s network that would benefit the mentee;
• demonstrating expertise in their job;
• being challenging and focused on achievement of agreed goals and targets;
• being mindful of the commitment by both the mentor and mentee;
• keeping the relationship enjoyable for both; and
• being respectful of the mentee’s time, providing good notice of any unavoidable session cancellations and responding to messages within a reasonable space of time.

What are the behaviours of a good mentee?

• Being open and honest, telling your mentor about what you feel you need;
• being willing to step out of your comfort zone;
• preparing for all mentoring meetings;
• creating SMART goals that will contribute to your development and focus on achieving these;
• focusing on the future and your goals;
• asking for feedback; and
• being respectful of the mentor’s time, providing good notice of any unavoidable session cancellations and responding to messages within a reasonable space of time.

Good mentoring practice

Good mentoring practice includes:

• careful listening by both the mentor and mentee;
• building and maintaining rapport;
• mutual respect for each other’s commitment;
• good humour;
• keeping in touch;
• commitment to self-learning;
• proper emphasis on professional ethics when opportunities arise; and
• helping the mentee to achieve their desired outcome.

The mentoring process

1. At the first meeting establish expectations and ground rules

When first introduced to the mentee, the mentor should explain the mentor role and make the mentee comfortable by answering any questions the mentee may have about the mentoring process. Each of you might usefully share why you have chosen to be a mentor/mentee. It is important for both of you to talk about what you expect from the mentoring relationship so that there are no surprises later on. Share information that will help each of you to get to know the other. Give some thought together to how and when you may review the relationship together later on. APM has provided a template that you may wish to make use of, which can be found here: Mentee Assessment Form.

2. Confidentiality

Both of you should have a clear and shared expectation of confidentiality in relation to what is discussed at mentoring meetings. Agree what areas you are both comfortable to discuss. Do not be afraid to say if you do not wish to / are unable to discuss a particular matter.

3. Agree goals and set priorities

You should share with each other what you each hope to get out of the mentoring process – you might like to build this into your agreement. The mentor should ask the mentee what their priorities are in the mentoring process. You should then prioritise what you will address together first. You should both agree on how much time to devote to the initial issues and how much depth to go into. Much of the power of mentoring lies in its ability to promote self-discovery in the mentee. In some cases using a simple SWOT analysis may assist.

4. Set a contact schedule

Decide how often and by what means you will meet. Periodic face-to-face meetings might be helpful but you should make sure both are comfortable to do so and follow any COVID-related rules in force at the time. Agree an approximate length to meetings (for instance approximately 60 minutes for a meeting). If meeting remotely it will be helpful to have cameras turned on. Set clear time boundaries about availability and response times that are suitable to and agreed by both parties.

5. Safeguarding

APM is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all members, staff and contractors. APM believes that people, whatever their age, gender, disability, ethnic origin, religious belief, marriage/civil partnership and sexual orientation, have the right to protection from abuse. This includes all forms of abuse, including physical, emotional and sexual harm.

APM expects that both mentor and mentee will act with complete integrity and that relationships will be entirely professional.

Any concerns about the safety or security of a mentor or mentee and any allegations of abuse must immediately be reported. Further detail can be found in the APM safeguarding policy.

6. Be accountable to each other

If either of you promise to look into an issue or provide a resource or undertake a task, do so according to the terms of your commitment. Expect each other to meet their pledges.

7. Chartered Project Professional

If the mentoring process includes a discussion about an aspiration to become a Chartered Project Professional, please see the information available here. Remember, the purpose of the mentoring scheme is to offer encouragement and support, it is not to act as a tutor.

8. APM’s involvement

APM will provide the mentor and mentee with contact details for each other, through the APM Community platform. All activities after that are to be agreed between the mentor and mentee. APM accepts no responsibility for any exchange of communication, information or advice between the mentor and mentee, but is ready to provide assistance if required. Any reliance placed on such communication, information or advice received by the mentor or mentee is strictly at their own risk.

For the avoidance of doubt, this Scheme is not intended to create any kind of contractual relationship between APM and either the mentors or the mentees. APM does not grant mentors any authority to undertake actions on behalf of APM, and no actions taken within their role as mentors are taken on the instructions of APM. All liability for any actions by APM or facilitated by APM is excluded to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, including any implied terms.

APM will not consider any appeal in respect of the outcome of any assessment, examination or qualification which is based (or partly based) on anything arising out of or in connection with the mentoring relationship; that is not the primary purpose of this scheme.

9. Other questions and support

If you have any questions, issues or problems relating to the mentoring process, please contact Sarah Slater, volunteering manager.

10. Personal agreement to scheme terms

Both mentor and mentee must review and agree to the terms below as a condition of participating in the APM mentoring scheme. This is not a contractual relationship, but is a clear personal commitment and demonstration of agreed behaviours and expectations:

1. I will adhere to the above guidance and any additional or replacement guidance and/or reasonable instructions regarding the mentoring process issued from time to time by APM.
2. I confirm that after reading the APM Mentoring Guide and Agreements I understand the role and required commitment of a mentee and am happy to proceed.
3. I understand and acknowledge that APM does not grant me or my mentor the authority to undertake any actions on behalf of APM, and that none of the actions taken by myself or my mentor are taken on the instructions of APM.
4. I understand that APM will not be liable for any actions undertaken by my mentor, and I acknowledge that my mentor alone will be fully responsible for meeting any liabilities arising in relation to my role as mentee. As such I confirm and agree that I will not attempt to make any claims against APM for any actions undertaken by my mentor.
5. I understand that I may withdraw from the scheme at any time, but I will endeavour to honour my commitments and complete the process with my allocated mentor. If I do need to withdraw, I will give at least one month’s notice to APM and my allocated mentor.
6. I will keep confidential all information and disclosures made to me by my allocated mentor except where authorised to disclose the information by the mentor or required to disclose the information by law.
7. I understand that APM reserves the right to withdraw me from the mentoring programme at any point. 

Please note, you only need to sign and submit this agreement once, at the beginning of your mentoring journey. It remains active for the duration of your time in the mentoring programme.