Would you like to see if you (or your mentoring program participants) are sufficiently knowledgeable about the new mentoring to do an effective job?

The following “quiz” items may be useful to check for understanding. Feel free to use it as is or adapt it to your mentoring approach. (Note that suggested answers are at the end of the article.)

1. List the top two key things a formal mentor does.
   
   
2. Who should drive and own the mentoring partnership?
   
   
3. Name two benefits mentors receive from the mentoring they do.
   
   
4. What are two benefits to mentees?
   
   
5. What are two benefits to your organization?
   
   
6. Is chemistry between participants important in a formal mentoring relationship?
   
   
7. What seems to be the minimum mentor-mentee contact time that helps a mentee achieve her/his objective(s)?
   
   
8. What’s one way to fail as a mentor?
   
   
9. What’s one way to fail as a mentee?
   
   
10. Who decides whether or not the mentee’s manager should be involved in the mentoring partnership?
    
    
11. Name five topics to negotiate in a mentoring relationship.
    
    
12. What are three typical challenges faced in mentoring relationships?
    
    
13. What are two things to do to build the relationship?
    
    
14. What’s one thing mentoring is not?
    
    
15. How many years older should the mentor be?
    

Suggested Answers:

1. Helps mentee identify goal(s) and build competencies (knowledge, skills, attitudes) to reach the goal(s)
2. The mentee (but the mentor should help him/her successfully do this)
3. Chance to reciprocate for past mentoring, opportunity to learn, satisfaction from seeing someone achieve, help organization (with retention, knowledge transfer, productivity, succession planning, etc.), get some of his/her own work done, receive recognition, leave a legacy
4. Increased skills and knowledge, chance to observe role model, increased self-confidence, opportunities to meet others who can help
5. Increased loyalty and retention, greater productivity, recruiting edge
6. It’s nice to have but not necessary. What’s needed is respect, the mentor’s having something valuable to share with the mentee, and the mentee’s willingness to learn.
7. 1-2 hours per month
8. Say, “Call me if you need me.” (Not schedule specific contact time.)
9. Not have specific objectives; not drive the relationship
10. The mentee and his/her manager (although the mentor can provide suggestions)
11. Role and expectations of each partner; logistics (when and where to meet);
    confidentiality; role, if any, of mentee’s immediate manager; how to give each other feedback; limits and preferences; help the mentor will give
12. Time and energy constraints, what objectives to work on, resentment from persons who aren’t in relationships, keeping momentum going
13. Get acquainted, tell career history, share information about interests, ask questions, tell why interested in the relationship, talk about past mentoring experiences
14. Counseling, psychotherapy, gripe sessions
15. A trick question. The mentor can be the same age, older, or younger

For the complete quiz, send us an email to info@mentoringgroup.com. For more ideas on planning, implementing, and evaluating a mentoring initiative, see The Mentoring Coordinator’s Guide by Dr. Linda Phillips-Jones, listed in Products.