Who is eligible to apply for the formal Program?

Any permanent AFM employee, in any location, may apply to be either a mentor or a mentee. Everyone has something to gain as a mentee, and to offer as a mentor, regardless of grade level or profession. A senior manager may apply as a mentee to get feedback on communications skills, for example, or a Branch secretary might offer to help a clerical employee get off on the right foot.

How long does the Program last?

Pairs will meet formally for one year.

How many people can participate?

Because AFM has committed itself to following and supporting the pairs all year long, the numbers are limited to 15 pairs. This means we will be recruiting 15 mentees and 20 mentors, so there will be five mentors at large to be available to any mentee who wants to do an informational interview, or to fill in as rematches are needed.

If more than 15 mentees provide complete applications, they will be chosen by lottery so that half of the participants are from the field, and half from Headquarters.

What can mentees expect from the Program?

This is NOT a structured program to facilitate promotion or career change. It is simply an opportunity for pairs to meet and plan career strategies. It is up to the mentee to carry those out successfully.

What is expected of mentees?

The mentee is responsible for defining a goal and a career strategy with the help of their mentor, and working hard to pursue it. At the logistical level, the mentee is responsible for meeting or speaking with the mentor up to an hour a week for the year of the Program, developing a contract with the mentor and sending it to the Committee on time, responding to the Committee’s calls to ensure that the pair is on track, evaluating their progress in writing at mid-year and year-end, sharing information with other mentees through brown bag lunches and informally, and sharing what they learn with others at their work site. Most mentees also have homework assignments to work on each week, such as revising their resumes, conducting interviews with people in fields that interest them, exploring organizations they might join, learning more about the systems that affect them, and so on.

How do mentors benefit from the Program?

Apart from the satisfaction of helping someone else and seeing them reach toward goals they’ve set, mentors see the world from a different perspective, learn about another organization, become aware of their own paths and values, and often go through a reflection process similar to the mentee’s. As they help someone else evaluate their career issues and goals, mentors often find themselves doing some worthwhile soul searching as well. In the process of being a mentor, many find that it is so valuable that they seek mentors informally for themselves, or reach out to their employees in a new way.

What is expected of mentors?

Mentors are asked to dedicate regular time to meeting or phoning their mentees (up to an hour a week), to listen, be a resource for career exploration and planning, and to provide the mentee with objective and positive information, contacts, and support that will help them make sound decisions. The mentor is there to provide structure, suggestions, and accountability for the mentee.

How is the matching done?

The AFM Mentoring Committee will sit down with the stack of mentor and mentee applications, and do their best to match what the mentor has said they can offer, and what the mentee has said they are looking for. The only strict rule is that matches will not be made in the direct chain of command. Every mentee is guaranteed a proposed match, but not every mentor.

No match is final until the two people have sat down together and checked it out. Then both of them, separately, notify their Advisor on the Mentoring Committee whether they are comfortable going forward or not. It’s a "no fault" process to ensure that everyone starts the program with a match they feel enthusiastic about.

What if I know someone I’d like to be matched with?

Both people must apply. Please indicate on both of your application forms that you would like to be matched. The Committee doesn’t absolutely guarantee the match, since it has to consider the needs of the group as a whole, but will do its best to accommodate you.

What if I’m not comfortable with my proposed mentor/mentee?

Please tell us! The purpose of your first meeting is to see whether the two of you are compatible, and the match isn’t final until you have both approved it.

Your Committee Advisor will be checking in with you every month to see how your relationship is going, and whether you are moving toward the goals you set. Tell us frankly if things aren’t working the way you had hoped. If you haven’t already talked directly with your partner, do so. Often, it will be a question of miscommunication which can be cleared up. The next step is to talk with your Committee Advisor; occasionally, it’s time for rematching (which we are willing to consider until the 6 month mark).

How much time can I spend with my partner?

You are allowed up to one hour a week of official time to meet. It’s up to both of you to negotiate the exact timing with your supervisor to ensure that mentoring does not interfere with your job; if there is a problem, you will have a Mentoring Committee Advisor to assist you in working out an agreeable schedule.

How will the long distance matches work?

Long distance matches have some big advantages; they help both people learn what it’s like "on the other side of the fence," and provide exposure that you just wouldn’t get otherwise. A long distance match works well if both parties are committed to meeting regularly by phone or video, as well as exchanging e-mail. A minimum of contact every two weeks is recommended. Experience shows that regular contact is even more important when people cannot meet in person.

You will meet in person at least twice, once at the beginning of the year, and once after six months. The Committee will ask you to meet with several people at the time of initial training. At the end of your session you and the other parties will report back to your Committee Advisor, and the final choices about matches will be made with "the greatest good for the greatest number" in mind.

What will my mentor do for me?

The mentor is a coach and counselor, but is prohibited from advocating for mentees, or offering any assistance that goes beyond the networking they would offer anyone else. It is up to the mentee to take the initiative and make a success of themselves. Mentors offer information, support, feedback, contacts, and ideas – but the mentee has to take it from there. Mentors are specifically prohibited from meeting with your supervisor. Mentors will coach you to develop your career yourself, but will not intervene for you. The Mentoring Program is not an Upward Mobility program, nor a structured program with progressive steps for advancement. It will not get you a promotion or anything else that you do not work for yourself.

How are supervisors involved in the Program?

Supervisors benefit by having people participate in the Program as either mentors or mentees. Mentors develop stronger coaching and counseling skills, and expand their networks through the training provided and by meeting with the mentees.

Mentees have a stronger sense of direction and often show more motivation on the job when they have a goal, whatever it may be.

Because the relationship between mentor and mentee is confidential, it is up to the mentee to communicate with the supervisor. A program groundrule is that mentors do not contact supervisors, nor vice versa. At the end of the year, supervisors will be recognized along with the mentors and mentees who are their employees.

What training will be provided?

Mandatory training is the foundation of the Program, so that both mentor and mentee are starting the Program with realistic expectations, an understanding of how the process works, and specific goals they can work toward. When you apply, you agree to attend training if you are selected. Mentees have a full day to help them develop a specific goal and other background information for their first meeting with their mentor, and mentors spend half a day to touch on the skills needed to make a successful relationship.

How will the Program be evaluated?

Each pair will define its own goals in a contract at the beginning of the year, and is responsible for evaluating whether they are making progress toward those goals. The Committee Advisor will provide support by checking in frequently, and offering resources when they are needed.

In addition, the Committee will ask you to evaluate how the Program is working, both at mid-year and at the end.

Program Manager
David L. Carter
USDA - ARS
5601 Sunnyside Avenue
Mail Stop 5108, Room 3-2161
Beltsville, MD 20705-5000
301 504-1007
dcarter@ars.usda.gov

Last Updated: 01/12/2004