Staff Mentoring

At Monash, our focus on professional and career development is fundamental to the University’s drive to lift leadership and organisational capability, as outlined in the Strategic Plan – From Focus to Impact 2020-2030.

This flagship Staff Mentoring Program was introduced in 2021 to support the career progression of academic and professional staff. The program provides ongoing and fixed term staff with an opportunity for facilitated mentoring, globally across all campuses.

It seeks to match talented Monash staff with a more senior staff member to reflect on and build professional skills, more effectively navigate Monash, grow their leadership capabilities and enhance their potential for career progression.

Mentoring pairs will meet four to six times across the duration of the program and will be invited to additional networking opportunities. The program is delivered both online and face-to-face.

This mentoring program is proudly delivered by Talent Equity and Development as part of a broader strategic suite of professional development offerings.

Eligibility to be a mentor:

• employed at HEW 6 and above or Academic level B and above
• in an ongoing appointment or a fixed-term employment contract until at least December 2021, or Adjunct appointments
• employed at Monash University Australia or international locations including Malaysia
• any gender
• available to participate in the five-month program

You’ll complete an expression of interest to outline:

• details of your employment at Monash
• areas of strength/areas in which you feel confident to mentor others
• your motivation for being a mentor

Benefits of being a mentor:

• recognition of your professional abilities
• contributes to your own career progression
• demonstrates and develops your leadership and management skills
• develops your skills in coaching, modelling and listening
• increases your networks and organisational knowledge
• your sense of satisfaction in assisting a colleague to develop professionally
• increases your job satisfaction
• enhances your interpersonal skills

Eligibility to be a mentee:

• employed at HEW 4–10 or Academic level A-E
• in an ongoing appointment or a fixed-term employment contract until at least December 2021
• employed at Monash University Australia or international locations including Malaysia
• any gender
• available to participate in the five-month program

You’ll complete an expression of interest form to outline:

• details of your employment at Monash
• your mentoring goals and preferred mentor characteristics
• what you hope to achieve from the program

Benefits of being mentored:

• enhanced engagement and improved job satisfaction
• greater sense of organisational belonging
• develop new skills and knowledge
• identify areas for professional growth and developing strategies to accomplish these
• improve your understanding of how Monash University operates
• access to new networks and contacts
• increase your confidence in your professional abilities
• greater effectiveness in your current role
• explore opportunities for career growth

Participation in the program starts with an initial expression of interest. Once accepted into the program, mentees have a two week period to select their mentor through the online mentoring platform. Using a self-matching model, this program allows mentees to choose from a shortlist of suggested mentors who might best suit their mentoring goals. The platform will display the closest mentor matches based on the search criteria.

To enable the matching process, mentors and mentees both provide information about their areas of expertise, areas of learning and motivations for joining the program. Given the specific and unique nature of each individual's needs, not everyone will be guaranteed a match.

Mentees will send their chosen mentors a match request on the platform. When the mentor has accepted this, the pair will then complete separate inductions before the connection formally commences.

The mentee is responsible for arranging the first meeting to take place before the indicated date. At this meeting, the pair will discuss their respective expectations and agree on how they would like to communicate and structure their sessions for the duration of the five-month program. Online resources will be provided to assist with this process.

At the end of the program, the mentoring connection formally concludes. Mentoring pairs will receive support to reflect on their experience and continue on as colleagues.

Who is the Global Staff Mentoring program for?

Ongoing and fixed term staff at any Monash location can apply to be mentors (HEW 6 and above, and Level B and above) or mentees (HEW 4-HEW 10 or Levels A-E).

Should I express interest to join as a mentee or a mentor?

Many staff members will be eligible to join the program as either a mentee or mentor. Mentoring is a two-way partnership, where both mentees and mentors can benefit professionally and personally.

To decide which role best suits you, we encourage you to consider your personal circumstances and current career stage. To join as a mentee, you should be looking for guidance and advice, be open to learning and have a clear sense of what you would like to achieve through mentoring. To join as a mentor, you should be willing to share your experiences, to support members of the Monash community to thrive and be looking to develop your connections.

Can I join as both a mentee and mentor?

No, you can only choose one role.

What is the time commitment to be involved in the program?

Mentees and mentors will be expected to participate in a one-hour information session before commencing your mentoring partnership.

Program participants are expected to meet four to six times across the duration of the five-month program. Participants meet at mutually agreed times and locations. The recommended duration for a mentoring meeting is one hour.

Is mentoring included within work hours?

Mentoring is a Monash-supported professional development program. You can choose when to meet so long as it suits both your mentor/mentee and your job requirements.

Do I need my supervisor’s approval to participate in the mentoring program?

You do not require your supervisor’s approval to participate in the mentoring program, unless it were to impact on your work in some way. However, we encourage you to discuss your participation in the mentoring program with your supervisor as part of your career conversation.

How will I be matched?

Using a self-matching model, the mentoring program allows mentees to choose from a shortlist of suggested mentors who might best suit their mentoring goals. The online platform will display the closest mentor matches based on the search criteria.

To enable the matching process, both mentors and mentees provide information about their areas of expertise, areas of learning and motivations for joining the program. Given the specific and unique nature of each individual's needs, not everyone can be guaranteed a match unfortunately. You will be notified if this is the case.

Mentees will send their chosen mentors a match request via the platform. When a mentor has accepted a request, the pair will then attend separate information sessions before their connection formally commences. If you are unable to attend, these sessions will be recorded for you to view in your own time.

Will my conversations with my mentee/mentor be confidential?

Mentors and mentees will be encouraged to complete a mentoring agreement at the beginning of their connection. This facilitates discussions and encourages agreement on confidentiality, preferred communication methods and meeting frequency.

Conversations during mentoring meetings should remain confidential, unless there is a concern for either mentor or mentee wellbeing or the wellbeing of a third party. In this instance, please contact staff-mentoring@monash.edu for advice.

There are five easy steps to becoming a mentor or mentee on the Monash Alumni to Student Mentoring program:

1.    Click on the JOIN NOW button.

2.    Create an account or sign up using your LinkedIn account.

3.    Complete the registration form with your basic information, brief work history and areas of expertise.

4.    Submit your registration and wait until your alumni status is confirmed (approximately two business days).

5.    Once confirmed, we will communicate next steps with you..