2: Mentoring

What is mentoring?

We offer postdocs and senior researchers (SICSS members, all genders) the opportunity to take advantage of a mentoring program. Mentoring is a voluntary, free and personal relationship between a more experienced person (mentor) and a less experienced person (mentee), based on confidentiality and mutually agreed framework conditions. Mentoring is suitable both for the academic system and for non-academic career paths of postdocs. It aims to support the mentee in his/her personal and professional development. The focus is on the exchange of experience and know-how as well as providing contacts and access to professional structures in the academic or non-academic system (i.e. economy or industry), sources of information and networks. 

We recommend and accompany a mentoring program for the duration of one year. The mentor and mentee are of course free to continue their mentoring relationship for longer on an informal basis with mutual consent.

What advantages does mentoring have for me as a mentee?

• Advice and support to individual needs and questions
• Important supplement to support from PI through objective perspective by a mentor from an “external” (academic or non-academic) organization
• Feedback on academic profile (CV-check) and on applications for jobs and third-party funding
• Feedback on individual strengths, skills and competencies
• Tips for the development and sharpening of the academic profile
• Acquisition of or insight into implicit knowledge in the academic system ("academic rules")
• Access to relevant contacts in the academic context ("scientific network") or in a non-academic context

What advantages does mentoring have for the mentor?

• Networking and access to the latest (specialist) knowledge
• Insights into processes and working methods of other organizations
• Training of social skills and knowledge transfer
• Commitment to the promotion of young scientists
• Possibly expanding the network to other mentors

How does the mentoring work?

1. Inquiry from the interested mentee to Véronique Slomski or Alexandra Franzke.
2. Kick-off meeting between SICSS team and mentee to clarify expectations, needs and wishes regarding the mentor(ship)
3. Research of potential suitable mentors (2-3 persons) by mentee inclusive list of favorites (We highly recommend an independent and objective person working outside the UHH. The mentor may work in academia or in a non-academic context.
4. First approach to initiate a mentorship with the favored mentor by the SICSS team
5. If the favored mentor accepts the mentorship (matching), the mentoring process can begin
6. Implementation of the mentoring process
   1. Organization of a meeting by the mentee to get to know each other and exchange expectations
   2. Subsequent planning and organization of the meetings (frequency, duration, schedule and content) are the responsibility of the mentee and mentor
   3. Support/advice and assistance from the SICSS team is possible at any time (also in the event of problems, mediation or the need of a mentor change, etc.)
7. For the completion of the mentoring program (we recommend a one-year period), we conduct a final meeting with the mentee to evaluate the mentoring process