The past few weeks have been crazy!! I haven't had any time to reflect or write. I have however, through out this whole process of organising documents for my visa interview, meeting with my supervisor, dealing with other day to day chores etc., had time to appreciate the practical skills learnt during the WOW training programme.
Blog posts from WOW 2007 team members who have started internships in the past few weeks, have reflected on the internship/mentorship process. For me the process began with that first session on ''What to look for in an intern'' with Gordon Freer (Insight Strategies). I felt under such pressure during that one month, but I realise that every single session added more knowledge, provided more options and gave practical solutions on how to approach the job market.
What the programme did for me was to give me better focus, taught me to prioritise effectively and also to manage my time better. It provided guidance on how to present myself to prospective employers and to network more effectively. These are things I thought I knew about, but it made a great difference to be taught these skills by professionals who have the expertise and knowledge.
Many things have been said about the mentor/mentee/intern relationship. My thoughts on this is that the mentee/intern has to set the pace, you have to decide what kind of relationship you want to build with your mentor and work towards it. You need to show your mentor those qualities that will make he/she be interested in giving you the professional guidance you need. How does your mentor recognise the potential you have and the skills you bring to the table if you don't make he/she aware of them?
5 comments:
Good for you, as they say. The nice thing is with such programs that they have long-term effects as they are not just a quick bang but address fundamental issues.
Thomas, my sentiments exactly.
So glad you came on the course. Was a pleasure meeting you. About the mentee - definitely up to you. And it's the same I think with most things in the work place.. an intern could sit there with nothing to do if they keep quiet. It's about showing ourselves!
Suse, I really enjoyed being in the same team as yourself. I look forward to building a 'friendship' moving forward. It is about 'showing' ourselves. We need to project who we are and what stuff we are made of!
Ijeoma, I agree with you.
However, I also believe that the mentors should be also as pro-active as the mentees in this regard (or maybe more).
Your mentor at the work-place or your supervisor at school (or at university) should push you a lot, even sometimes not giving you any options before you do your work.
Sometimes, this might sound as a "dictatorship" or "communism", but it brings about positive results.
I would rather call it "discipline".
As I said, it works. I know it from my personal experience.
Of course, the mentees should be clear as well of what they expect out of this relationship. But somebody should always push you a little bit, otherwise it is in our nature to delay things or get lazy with time.
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