Bristol and Bath branch: Mentee guide

It is not a summary of the overall programme, which is documented elsewhere.

It covers the following areas:

• Admin - where to sign up, web links, info on university timetables etc
• EDI aspects
• How to write a good profile
• How to be a good mentee
• Feedback required from mentees
• Expectations of professional behaviour

Admin

The BCS mentoring programme already exists - this pilot simply extends it so that students can be mentees.

In general, both mentors and mentees will be BCS members, and while this is still true for the pilot programme, BCS membership fees for mentees are waived for the course of the programme.

EDI aspects

We deliberately want to use this programme to address the disadvantage and under-representation of various groups of people in our industry and in society.

BCS already has five Specialist Groups that are relevant here:

• BCSWomen
• Digital Divide
• EMBRACE
• NeurodiverseIT
• Pride

If you are interested in learning more about these groups, please do follow the links to find out more - as a BCS student member, you are able to join as many of these groups as you like, and to get involved as you like.

Formally signing up to any of these groups might well be valuable in general, but it is not a requirement for the programme, and it is not a requirement for seeking a mentor who can be useful in any of these areas.

Additionally, if you are associated with any of these groups, or are interested in finding a mentor who might be, you may want to consider that when selecting a potential mentor, and even consider mentioning it in your profile.

How to write a good profile

Bear in mind that your profile is not a CV, and it is not simply a way of highlighting your best aspects; in fact, quite the opposite might be true - in order to find a mentor who can be of the most value to you, it might be useful to share areas where you could do with some help or guidance.

How to be a good mentee

We understand that student mentees in this programme will be inexperienced compared to others in our industry, and so might not yet quite be in a position to take a lead in the mentoring relationship.

However, you will get more out of the experience if you commit yourself to it.

• Spend some time deciding what you want to get from your mentor
• Be proactive in setting up meetings
• Prepare for discussions
• Be prepared to give feedback about the programme

Feedback required from mentees

While we expect feedback from mentors, it is worth being clear that we are looking for feedback on the programme itself, not on individual mentees.

Similarly, we will look for feedback from mentees on the programme, but not on mentors.

Expectations of professional behaviour

While we do not require our mentors to be professional members of BCS, they may well be; what that means is that they have signed up to our Code of Conduct, so you can expect them to behave accordingly.

While we do not, of course, expect a mentor on this programme to behave unprofessionally, we do provide a means for you to report any such behaviour if you witness it, regardless of whether or not they are professional members.