You can mentor on anything that can be shared. Share knowledge, experiences, general advice, specific domain advice, encouragement, questions, connections, and more.
the crucial things that cannot be found in books/online
stories
anecdotes
Examples
One of my favorite things I’ve done is speak at organizations like Girls Who Code. I shared how in my journey to tech, there were times when I asked myself: do I belong, am I good enough, am I passionate enough. Hearing how some felt the same way too and feeling encouraged from my stories was motivating.
🗣
General advice
Talk about the broader topics, such as:
career advancement
performance reviews
relationships
entering an industry
growing in an industry
navigating office politics
people-side of things
speaking
leveling up in a role
negotiation
🛠
Specific domain advice
specific frameworks/concepts
languages, tools, testing, architecture, and more
technical
product, business, design, UX
management
Examples
I personally enjoy mentoring those entering/switching to the tech industry. As well as applying psychology in our daily day. On the other hand, I have a friend who can talk for hours on anything related to serverless. Another friend makes herself available to new joiners when they’re learning her team's codebase.
🤗
Encouragement
solidarity
accountability
active listening
positive, good vibes
frequent and regular encouragement
via emails, messages
remind them of how strong, amazing, remarkable they are
Examples
Music and active listening
I was helping someone apply to jobs. She felt apprehensive because she thought her background in music would be looked down upon. We brainstormed strategies and I reminded her that her skills would speak for themselves. And that her background was actually a big plus.
Really, I was just actively listening, providing encouragement, and helping build her confidence. She did all the hard stuff. She’s now happily employed.
❔
Questions
You do not have to have all the answers. Questions can be powerful.
insightful questions that spur additional critical thinking
questions that challenge false assumptions
question that inspire further reflection, introspection, and action
🤝
Connections
Connections can be people and resources.
connect people to one another
share your favorite books, articles, resources
Examples
I was asked for advice on deciding between to job offers. I connected him with a friend who previously worked at one of the companies he was looking at so he can an extra point of reference.
The intention of trying to help is important and valuable as well. I was asked if I knew any people in Berlin tech industry. I didn’t, so I reached out to friends of friends. Unfortunately, I haven’t found someone yet, but the intention was there.
Often, when I meet people who do not know each other, but I think they should, I ask each if it's okay to connect them. Wonderful, now you've connected two worlds!