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