Become a Mentor
Now in its 26th year, the Manhattan College Mentor Program is made possible by a loyal network of alumni professionals willing to volunteer their time on behalf of the College. Mentors introduce undergraduate students to a wide variety of career-related experiences and motivate students eager to prepare themselves for success with the help of fellow Jaspers.
The Manhattan College Mentor Program is a formal, cohort-based program where student mentees are paired with an alumni mentor in their desired field for a curated mentorship experience over the course of the academic year. Mentors tend to be good listeners, guides, advisers, advocates, non-judgmental friends and facilitators. The ultimate goal of the mentoring relationship is to advance the educational and personal growth of the student mentee. More than 175+ alumni, from various industries, volunteer for the program every year.
The Jasper Career Network is our web-based platform which hosts the formal “Manhattan Mentor Program” in addition to other tools- including a LinkedIn-like directory for students and alumni to connect for one-off flash mentoring opportunities. All students and alumni are encouraged to create a profile on the Jasper Career Network regardless of whether or not they are involved with the formal, cohort-based mentor program.
Why Mentor?
Mentoring gives you the extraordinary opportunity to facilitate a Manhattan College student's personal and professional growth by sharing knowledge you learned through years of experience. By mentoring, you will give students an "inside look" at career options and coach them on the skills that will improve their success. Aside from a virtual orientation, several milestone activities, and checkpoint surveys, all activities are up to the mentor-mentee pairs to fit their agreed upon goals and schedules.
Commonly Scheduled Activities
The Mentor Program is for one academic year; starting in October and ending in May. During the fall semester, undergraduate students are carefully matched with alumni mentors based on commonalities in their personal and professional profiles. Pairs are responsible for investing and scheduling additional activities to facilitate the relationship, here are some suggestions:
- Have lunch together to discussion the profession
- Review résumé
- Participate in a mock interview
- Discuss career goals, job expectations, and employment trends
- Develop a professional networking plan
- Job shadowing
- Attend a company meeting or worksite tour together
- Participate in a professional development workshop together
- Explore concerns about the profession
