My Profile
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
Mentoring is two-directional. Research shows mentoring can benefit the mentor as much as the mentee.
Mentee Overview
Your role is to ask questions, share your successes and any challenges you’re facing, and take the lead in learning how to enhance your professional career with the guidance of your mentor.
Qualities of a Good Mentee
- Internal drive
- Receptive to feedback and advice
- Seeks opportunities for continuous learning
- Learns from mistakes
- Appreciative
- Interest in personal growth and development
- Open to understanding cultural differences
Benefits for You as Mentee
- Acquire technical and career path knowledge
- Receive guidance
- Develop a sense of trust
- Gain a champion
- Have a sounding board
- Grow your professional network to include water leaders
- Grow your networking skills
- Start your career journey on a positive path
Mentor Overview
Your role is to offer advice, guidance, skill development, and career enhancement to your mentee. You don’t have to have any prior teaching experience. Just be yourself and share what you know.
Qualities of a Good Mentor
- Likes people
- Committed & makes time to mentor
- Consistent and confidential
- Patient
- Excellent listening skills
- Open to understanding cultural differences
- Willing to introduce mentee to other high-profile people as appropriate
Benefits for You as Mentor
- Share your successes and challenges
- Share insights
- Enhance your life skills
- Enjoy giving back
- Gain personal fulfillment and a new connection
- Discover new ideas and perspectives from the next generation
- Build a stronger, thriving wastewater profession
PROGRAM INFO
TIMELINE
- February-March: Apply and matching
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- Watch the Ask Dr. Mentor Webinar recorded in February 21
- Apply for placement using the application link
- Review/agree to the terms provided in the application
- A panel of experts will pair you with your mentor/mentee based on the responses provided in the application
- April: Orientation training
- Training will be provided once mentors/mentees are paired
- April-December: Two check-ins per month
- Answer follow-up surveys after relationship has been established
PROGRAM SUPPORT
MATCHING
This program is free and open to all CWEA members as one of the benefits of membership
Engineering, scientific, or trades. Plus, list your own preferences for a match.
RESOURCES
- Promo flyer (pdf)
- Guide to Mentoring and Code of Conduct (coming soon)
- Staff and experts available
- Check-in surveys (quarterly)
MEAL SUBSIDY
Want to meet-up together at a local section event? Or attend an AC23 meal together? We’ll cover your meal! Local section and CWEA meals only. Funds are limited, first come first served.
CONTACTS & SUPPORT
E-MAIL US
Megan Barillo
Staff representative
Communications Manager, CWEA
CWEA has on-call experts to assist you with a complex mentoring question or situation.
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS
PROGRAM FAQ
California water and wastewater agencies and firms are striving for retention, job satisfaction, improved morale, increased productivity, and cultivating successful leaders. Mentoring facilitates these goals.
Mentoring is a collaborative back-and-forth relationship that typically occurs between a senior and junior employee for the purpose of the mentee’s growth, learning, and career development. There is an emphasis on personal growth, culture, career goals, and advice.
Have you ever had a career mentor in your life? How did that person help and guide you to reach your goals?
Have you ever had a mentor in your personal life? Perhaps a high school coach, a Boy Scout or Girl Scout leader or a family member?
While there is some overlap, a coach is very different than a mentor. Coaching is shorter term and is usually instituted in a company to improve an employee’s job performance. The coaching may not be voluntary. There are expected outcomes. Mentoring, on the other hand, has different goals. Mentors support and guide a mentee’s personal career growth. It is voluntary on the part of the mentor and mentee. The pair decide together what they are going to do to enhance the mentee’s growth. It’s also fun!
Your role is to offer advice, guidance, skill development, and career enhancement to your mentee. You don’t have to have any prior teaching experience. Just be yourself and share what you know from your own experience. Be empathetic. Be a good listener.
Your role is to ask questions, share your successes and any challenges you’re facing, and take the lead in learning how to enhance your professional career with the guidance of your mentor.
This depends completely on the schedules of the mentor and mentee.
Meeting times and locations are left up to the discretion of each mentoring pair. In-person when feasible, via Zoom, Facetime, cell, text, and/or e-mail are all options. Mentors and mentees can opt for lunchtime, after work meetings, or on weekends. We ask that mentors and mentees meet at least twice per month for one year. There is also a minimum commitment to participate in quarterly check-ins with CWEA staff who will provide support to the mentors and mentees and provide training to prepare you for your experience.
PROGRAM STORIES
Ask Dr. Mentor: The Guides by Your Side
More than 40 years ago, the Harvard Business Review exclaimed in a front-page article that everyone who makes it has a mentor. Jack Welch wrote during his tenure as CEO of GE that a strong mentor- mentee relationship is the basis for forging tomorrow’s leaders. How has mentoring emerged as an important and powerful strategy…