Mentorship Program

Mentoring is an active partnership between committed AAPC members to foster professional growth and career development. For participants to have an effective and successful relationship, both individuals must understand the expectations and considerations of the partnership. A successful mentoring program requires both the mentor and mentee to be active and committed participants. Additional information on the AAPC mentorship experience can be found in the FAQ below.

Mentor Expectations

Has at least 5 years of experience in the applicable field of expertise
Learns about mentee, including career and personal goals, strengths and weaknesses, etc.
Guides mentee to create clear goals and steps to achieve these goals
Asks questions to help mentee devise their own solutions instead of telling mentee what to do
Shares reliable, career-related resources
Is NOT responsible for personal introductions, job placement/interviews, or training

Mentee Expectations

Takes lead on the relationship, driving their own development
Clearly explains desired ultimate objectives to mentor to facilitate goal-setting
Seeks feedback often, taking suggestions and constructive criticism with humility and appreciation
Understands that mentorship is about meeting goals toward professional growth and does NOT fundamentally include personal introductions, job placement/interviews, or training

Mentor and Mentee Expectations

Contribute the necessary time to foster a successful mentoring relationship
Actively listen to each other to appropriately fulfill respective roles
Communicate clearly, positively, specifically, and succinctly
Set healthy boundaries from the beginning regarding length of relationship and meetings, acceptable times and forms of communication, and regular meeting schedule
Maintain confidentiality and respect each other's privacy
Keep commitments
Evaluate the mentoring relationship regularly, communicating needs and updating goals accordingly

Thank you for reviewing the guidelines of mentorship. Please continue to our mentoring program partner: MentorCity.

FAQ

How does the Mentorship Program work?

AAPC has partnered with a third-party mentoring software platform, MentorCity, to provide free online mentoring matching to AAPC members. At different stages of your life, you will need advice on diverse topics, depending on your personal life, career path, and specific projects. At other times, you may be perfectly positioned to help someone else by sharing your expertise and experience. MentorCity creates a community that enables these mentoring give-and-take relationships. The website offers matches of mentees to mentors based on your selected filters of priority, including specific industry positions, job functions, geographic locations, languages, genders, and/or preferred meeting formats.

How do I sign up for the Mentorship Program?

Follow the above MentorCity link to create your profile with MentorCity and start matching with potential mentors/mentees. The fastest way to create a MentorCity profile is to import your information directly from LinkedIn.

Why should I become a mentor?

Expertise grows stale and complacent without opportunities to use it. Exercise your leadership and professionalism by sharing what you've learned with those who are still learning it. This process will help you grow more than you thought possible, and your positive influence will help shape the workforce of tomorrow.

When your mentor profile is complete with MentorCity, you may start receiving invitations to become someone's mentor.

Why should I become a mentee?

Set yourself apart by honing your skills and receiving honest feedback from a great mentor. This process will require growth, which can be challenging, but the more positive change is made, the greater the reward.

When your mentee profile is complete with MentorCity, you can search for mentors that match criteria that are important to you, such as specialized skills/development areas, industries, job functions, languages, locations, etc. Once you find a potential match, you can invite the mentor to an initial meeting through the MentorCity platform.

Which party is responsible for the goal-setting process in a mentoring relationship?

Mentees take the lead in the relationship and therefore should drive the goal-setting process. Mentees also own the responsibility for the fulfillment of their goals. However, mentees will often require their mentors' guidance to understand the goals they must achieve along their journey to be successful in their ultimate objectives.

How do messages work within the Mentorship Program?

Within a specific mentoring relationship, both the mentor and mentee can add messages that both parties can see. Once you create a message, an email will be automatically sent to the other party.

The mentoring relationship page can also be used throughout your mentoring relationship to complete a mentoring agreement outlining the expectations of the relationship, post agendas, set goals, ask/respond to questions in-between meetings, record time spent, upload files, have in-person meetings or video and audio calls through Skype, take notes, review content on how to have successful mentoring relationships, or fill in a program evaluation at the end of the mentoring relationship.

How do I report any issues with the Mentorship Program?

At AAPC, we always welcome your feedback! If there are specific concerns with functionality of the third-party platform or dealing with a specific mentor/mentee, your issue will be resolved fastest by working through MentorCity directly at info@mentorcity.com. Please call AAPC (800-626-2633) for any issues regarding the Mentorship Program member benefit, AAPC website concerns, or if you feel the need to escalate a mentoring matter involving another AAPC member.

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