Be Committed: Be an invested partner with your mentor. Be on time for meetings and responsive to emails. Spend the time to prepare, knowing what you hope to gain and what you hope to achieve with the mentor relationship.
Be Open: Be able to discuss your needs and objectives with your mentor. This means that you need to be introspective to identify areas that may need work and be able to share them with the mentor. The mentor should help you fill the gaps but they may not know all of the answers.
Be a Good Listener: You don't have to do all of the talking in your mentor relationship. A good mentee is a good listener but you should be prepared to ask about your mentor's background and to get to know your mentor. Realize that your mentor is at a different place in life than you and while you may not agree with all of their views, you should be accepting and think about how what they have said can be beneficial to you.
Be Patient and Flexible: Relationships take time to develop and the more communication the better the relationship. Realize that mentors have very busy lives. If you haven’t heard back from your mentor in a while, that’s perfectly normal, don’t take it personally. As the mentee reach out and if as a helpful hint, end the email with an open question so your mentor can provide meaningful assistance to you.
Be Aware: The mentor relationship isn't for the sole purpose of networking, obtaining an internship or employment. While this may occur over the course of your relationship, you should be seeking advice and taking initiative on advice from your mentor.
Be a Contributor: Mentoring relationships are a two way street. Ask if there is anything you can do to assist your mentor. Don't underestimate what you could contribute to the mentoring relationship.
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