Baku Eurasian University | Guided Mentoring Programme
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
The Career and Internship Center at Baku Eurasian University was established in 2023. Despite being new, the Center has actively started to run. Mentoring Service is operated under Career and Internship Service at BAAU. The main purpose of this mentoring service is to help young professionals, undergraduates plan, start their careers, and support them in their career orientation, depending on their particular study and life situation. Predominantly, female employees (administrative and academic) and female students seem to take advantage of such a chance. The female mentees have the opportunity to learn from the experiences of the mentors for their upcoming career start, to exchange ideas and to network with the participants in this program in the long term. The program is also accompanied by coaching and workshops that are tailored annually to the interests of the participants. Through such workshops female students are more likely to build better network, learn from other's experiences to make their future career path much easier and effective. Since the expectations of each person will vary, the job of the mentor is to encourage the positive development of the young girls. By sharing useful activities and conversation, a mentor encourages positive choices and promotes high self-esteem. Thanks to such useful seminars and workshops, Mentoring service has significantly contributed to a career life of female students and employees. One of the aims is to establish Guided Mentoring Programme to link students with working professionals who are willing to share their experience and expertise. It must be taken into account that work placements, internships or future graduate employment are not guaranteed as a part of the programme.
Predominantly, female students are highly encouraged to join this programme.
2. Structure of Guided Mentoring Programme is as following:
Mentors will apply using online form of The Career and Internship Center.
Mentees will apply using a special link in their Student Profile Platform.
The Career and Internship Center at Baku Eurasian University will identify suitable matches and liaise with prospective mentors and mentees to confirm the match.
Both mentees and mentors will be invited to attend an online induction training session.
Our guided programmes will run throughout a 4-month period. It is expected that mentors and mentees will meet for approx. 60 minutes on 4 separate occasions over their mentoring period.
Meetings can be in person or online. If meetings are in person, please consult the Career and Internship Center for recommended venues.
In order to provide focus and support both mentors and mentees in making the most of their partnership, we have suggested a discussion topic for each meeting and have provided a set of questions for mentees to refer to (as below):
Meeting 1: Setting the scene/Exploring the job market and career opportunities
o What is recruitment currently like in your sector?
o Are there any in demand roles that might present more opportunities?
o Do I need work/relevant experience before I apply?
o What is the best way to break into your field?
o Entry level roles/training schemes/postgrad qualifications/additional training?
o Where are jobs advertised?
o Where are the opportunities based?
o What is the recruitment process like?
o How do you think your sector might change in the future/what opportunities might arise?
Meeting 2: Networking and making contacts
o How do you keep up to date with developments in your field – conferences? Networking events?
o Are there any useful networks or industry bodies that support networking – can I join as a student?
o Do you use LinkedIn? If so, how do you use it in a professional capacity?
o How would you advise that I approach someone to make a connection/ask about opportunities?
o Who have you found to be most helpful to have in your network, in terms of career progression or supporting you with career decisions?
Meeting 3: Articulating and identifying skills
o Which skills are valued most highly in your field? What skills do you feel make you successful in your role?
o When you left University, did you feel there were any gaps in your skillset that would have been valuable?
o When recruiting someone to your field, what qualities do you specifically ask/look for?
o What should I highlight on my CV/Application?
Meeting 4: Closing meeting – Review of mentoring partnership
o What have you found most useful?
o What have you learnt about the sector/organisation/role?
o Do you think you would consider following a similar career path? If not, has your mentoring experience help to guide your planning for the future?
o What decisions/actions might you take as a result of meeting with your mentor?
In addition to these meetings, both mentors and mentees are asked to complete an online survey mid-way through their partnership to check in on progress and identify any issues.
Also, mentors and mentees are asked to complete an end of programme online survey to evaluate the partnership.
3. Expectations
What do mentors gain by taking part?
There are a wide range of professional and personal benefits in applying to be a career mentor:
• It is an opportunity to give back to the University, as an alumnus, guiding the future ambitions of a current student by sharing your knowledge and experience.
• A chance to practice a broad range of skills including active listening, coaching, developing people and more.
• Brings you closer to the future talent for your sector and organisation, providing an insight into the current student/graduate employability mindset and landscape.
• Demonstrates a commitment to your own professional development.
No previous experience is required. An effective mentor will have good communication skills, be non-judgemental, be a good listener and have the ability to encourage and motivate.
What do mentees gain by taking part?
Some of the biggest barriers preventing students reaching their potential are understanding the breadth of opportunities open to them and having access to networks to gain these insights.
Securing a career mentor is an incredibly valuable way for students to develop their employability skills and make informed choices about their next steps.
The key benefits of working with a career mentor are:
• Improved contacts and expanded networks
• Better understanding of options
• A strong example of career planning/motivation for CV/Applications
• Opportunity to practice professional conduct
• Increased confidence in decision making and identifying opportunities.
4. Statement of Commitment
Please read this Statement of Commitment and contact [email protected] if you have any questions or queries before commencing your mentoring partnership.
• Participation in the Career Mentoring Programme is voluntary for both mentors and student mentees. • Mentors and mentees are expected to maintain regular contact with each other for the duration of the mentorship (suggested four meetings of approx. 60 minutes over a 4-month period). Mentoring meetings will usually be conducted in person or online. Face-to-face meetings should be arranged at the mentor’s place of work, at the University. The mentoring team can support in identifying suitable venues.
• Mentees are expected to take the lead in arranging, keeping track of and recording any actions from mentoring meetings.
• Mentors and mentees are expected to keep a record of all interactions for the purposes of the end-of-programme evaluation.
• Mentors and mentees are required to prepare for each meeting to maximise benefits from mentoring interactions.
• As far as possible, mentors and mentees should endeavour to reply to communications from their assigned mentor/mentee and from the University within 5 working days.
• Participants should inform their mentor or mentee of any major absences such as illnesses that limit their ability to respond to communications.
• Mentors and mentees will inform the mentoring team at the Careers Service immediately if they are unable for any reason to continue to participate in the programme.
• Participants are reminded that the mentorship represents a professional relationship. It is the responsibility of both mentors and mentees to conduct themselves appropriately.
5. Contact
You can contact the Career and Internship Center via [email protected]
Queries will be responded to during normal office hours, Monday – Friday.
You can expect a response within 2 working days.
