Working with a Mentee
Postdoctoral training is a time when you can work to develop and improve your skills as a mentor to graduate and undergraduate students. Learning to mentor is not only an important part of your professional development—research demonstrates that mentors also benefit from relationships with mentees, developing an increased sense of contribution and accomplishment (Fogg 2003), a revitalized interest in their work (Murray 2001) and personal satisfaction (Johnson-Bailey & Cervero 2004).
Some resources to help you work with your mentees are included below. Postdocs who would like to develop additional skills they can use to improve their mentoring relationships are encouraged to attend the Mentoring Up + Down workshop series sponsored by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
- Mentoring: A Guide for Faculty, from the University of Washington, includes information on mentoring students from diverse backgrounds
- How to Mentor Graduate Students: A Guide for Faculty, from the Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan
- Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine