These mentoring guidelines were created to ensure mentees and mentors develop a mutual understanding of expectations from the beginning of their relationship. A mentoring relationship is a partnership, with both people showing respect and support for each other. Like any other relationship, mentoring creates expectations. Mentors and mentees typically enter their relationships with assumed expectations of each other. To prevent any disappointments the Mentoring Expectation Chart on the next page lists some common, reasonable expectations. In many cases, the expectations are similar or the same. Discuss these expectations early in your mentoring partnership. You may want to add other expectations the two of you identify together. 

Both mentors and mentees are responsible for keeping the content of every discussion within the mentoring relationship confidential. All your exchanges with your mentee–both personal and professional–are subject to the expectations of professional confidentiality. Although this confidentiality is legally limited, neither of you should discuss the contents of your discussions with anyone else without the written permission of the other. 

Mentors and mentees are responsible for determining how they are to meet with each other (conference call, video call, or in person) and how often. The program requires meeting once a month for a minimum of 60 minutes. Having more than one session per month and or meeting for a longer period of time is at the discretion of both the mentor and mentee. Scheduling more than one session a month is encouraged but is not required.  

Once the mentoring sessions have been determined, mentors and mentees are responsible for submitting mentoring reports to the Project Director. Mentors are required to review, and initial quarterly reports created by mentees, prior to submission. Both mentor and mentee are required to complete Mid-Year and End-of-Mentoring evaluations.