“Having an impartial mentor gave me an opportunity to re-evaluate my whole life, it provided support at a difficult time, a new confidence in my working identity, an awareness of both my strengths and weaknesses, and practical methods to return to when I need to reflect and regroup. Now a year after the experience, I often think about the sessions we had and apply it to today's challenges”- Jess Joseph, Functional Analyst, University Information Services
Would you like to feel more supported in your professional development, more confident in your job performance, and more satisfied with your role? Mentoring can help.
Mentoring is a way for people to share knowledge and learn from each other. Both the mentor and the mentee benefit and can achieve more together than alone. This partnership helps them talk, think, take action, and grow.
A new mentoring SharePoint site has just been launched which holds all the information you need on mentoring across the University in one place; including details on current mentoring schemes, guidance, resources and training.
Mentoring for Professional Services
One of the University's largest mentoring initiatives is the Professional Services Self-Match Mentoring scheme. Since its launch in 2020, this program has grown to include over 550 participants. What sets it apart is its innovative use of Lookup, allowing mentees to find and select their ideal mentor independently. This 'self-match' approach empowers mentees to take control of their mentoring journey, fostering direct and meaningful connections without the need for intermediaries.
The impact of the scheme was evaluated in 2024 through a survey and series of in-depth interviews. The results clearly demonstrated the transformative effect that mentoring can have.
· 82% of respondents agreed that being in the scheme had enhanced their professional development.
“I am excited to say that I have landed my dream job with help from my mentor.” Mentee
77% that it had increased confidence in their job performance
Saying some of the things out loud that would fall into the category of doubting myself or being worried, and talking through that with my mentor really helped me be better in my role in the longer term, but also helped with my confidence.” Mentee
· 71% that it had improved overall job satisfaction.
From my perspective in terms of overall job satisfaction, having the opportunity to do things like this in the University is a very big deal for me. Mentor
If you would like to join the scheme either as a mentee or mentor, please complete this short form, or to find out more before registering, book on to our Self Match scheme: Welcome and Introduction
Listen to Freya Villis, Organisational Development consultant, discussing mentoring at Cambridge.
Mentoring for Academics
Given the success of the Professional Services scheme, a new pilot scheme for early career academics will be launching in Easter Term (funded by the Enhancing Research Culture Fund), increasing access to mentoring for academic staff at a crucial stage in their career progression.
The objective of the scheme is to offer additional support around professional development, leadership skills, career confidence and wellbeing. Mentees will be introduced to potential mentors from outside of their department and immediate area of work, offering them a safe space for additional guidance and support.
The scheme is now at capacity but information on alternative academic mentoring schemes is available on the SharePoint site.
If you have any questions about the mentoring, or would like your local mentoring scheme to be included on the site, please contact orgdev@admin.cam.ac.uk, Organisational Development | Human Resources.