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Getting Started as a Mentor

By April 26, 2019December 27th, 2023ACP, Resources

Thanks for stepping up to help your Protégé achieve personal growth and professional development. Mentorship is the most important aspect of our program, and we are so grateful you chose to take on this responsibility. This page explains everything you need to know about your role as an MVJ mentor.

It is your Protégé’s responsibility to reach out to you. We will provide him or her with your email address and/or phone number so you can coordinate and schedule your mentorship sessions.

We encourage you to hold a total of three mentorship sessions during the course of the next three months with your Protégé. Each session should last about an hour. 

Of course every Protégé is unique, but we have found the following topics make worthwhile lessons for just about anybody you might mentor through this program:

  1. Tailoring your resume for a journalism career
  2. Building a portfolio website
  3. Maintaining active and professional social media accounts
  4. Joining professional associations like NABJ or Overseas Press Club
  5. Exploring how college might help your Protégé. (Remember many of our members benefit from the Post-9/11 GI Bill.)
  6. Preparing for a job interview
  7. Negotiating a salary
  8. Getting promoted and planning a long-term career track
  9. Finding the right internship and/or job according to your Protégé’s stage of career development
  10. Expand your professional network (which you might be help by introducing your Protégé to other journalists) 

We have compiled a bunch of great resources to help you succeed at being a mentor. One of the most helpful at this early stage of your mentorship may be First Meeting Tips.

And here are good ideas for you if you are located far from your Protégé.

Long Distance Mentorships

Video Conferencing Guide

Remember, you aren’t alone in this. If you have questions, you can email [email protected] and we will be happy to reach out to you by phone or email. We have an all-volunteer staff of working journalists, so please be patient with our response time. We are committed to providing a great mentorship experience, and you are the key to fulfilling that mission.

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