University of California San Francisco

Selecting a Mentor

Below are selection and matching criteria-mentor descriptions. 

Qualities Desired in a Mentor

  • Interest in career development
  • Commitment to mentoring
  • A match with professional and personal needs
  • Professional competence
  • A successful track record in mentoring
  • Good communication skills
  • Provides networking opportunities
  • Is institutionally savvy
  • Expresses interest in you as a person
  • There is potential for reciprocity 

Look for the Three C’s 

Competence

  • Professional knowledge and experience
  • Respect
  • Interpersonal skills and good judgement 

Confidence 

  • Shares network of contacts and resources
  • Allows protégé to develop his/her own terms
  • Demonstrates initiative, takes risks
  • Shares credit 

Commitment

  • Invests time, energy and effort to mentoring
  • Shares personal experience 

Mentor Descriptions 

Academic/Research Mentor 

  • Responsible for the overall research and/or scholarly career guidance and support
  • Help faculty member create and execute a plan for developing expertise and achieving excellence within the mentee’s area of primary interest.
  • Advise on design of academic development plan
  • Review grants, manuscripts and abstracts before submission
  • Identify appropriate professional activities
  • Actively participates in the development of the creative and independent research careers of their mentees.

Career Mentor

  • Play a key role in helping the faculty member negotiate their long range professional goals
  • Help mentee understand and navigate UCSF as an institution • Review overall academic progress
  • Service as the mentee’s impartial career advocate 

Clinical Mentor

  • Advise on how to built your practice
  • Monitor clinical development/or coaching
  • Provide opportunities in national societies/committees
  • For research faculty, advice on translational and collaborative research opportunities