Our employer mentorship program plays a unique role in our efforts to move Brownsville’s youth forward. As an employer, your contributions as a mentor are key in the developmental and educational experience of our mentees. In many ways, mentors are just as effective in helping students make connections between school and work, building social capital skills and developing critical thinking than teachers, parents and peers.

Mentoring tips

• Commit to being a mentor and be reliable
• Set clear, honest and realistic expectations for you and your mentee
• Project a professional image your mentee can look up to
• Promote your mentee’s understanding of the relationship between rigorous, relevant education and employment success
• Set high performance standards
• Help your mentee develop the skills and knowledge base necessary to make appropriate and informed career decisions
• Learn as much as you can about your mentee, their goals and the world they live in
• Provide an attitude and overall environment of positivity
• Encourage your mentee to think about long and short-term goals
• Share your own life experiences and professional struggles
• Provide exposure to different perspectives on various issues
• Coach your mentee on time management, problem solving and effective communication
• Be a role model and teach by example
• Talk to your mentee about work etiquette, accountability and ethics
• Invest time in nurturing and guiding your mentee and be consistent
• Help mentees identify reliable sources of information and aid (academic and financial)
• Introduce mentee to key people and help them network
• Keep an open line of communication with your mentee
• Keep conversations confidential and private

Employer mentor goals

By participating in the All In mentorship program you’ll help young students make a smooth school-to-career transition. Research shows that experiential learning promoted intellectual maturity, personal growth, career awareness and civic and social responsibilities, so as an employer mentor you’ll impact a student’s life beyond the workplace. There are many things you can achieve when you work one-on-one with a student, but the main three goals of our mentorship program are:

• To provide career advice and best practices
• To be a role model who shares personal and professional growth
• To guide student employees through their academic, social and cultural journey

If you don’t think mentoring is right for you there are other ways you can help a student, including:

• Offering informational interviews
• Conducting workplace tours
• Allowing job shadowing
• Carrying out mock interviews
• Participating in career or job fairs
• Visiting campuses
• Speaking at career-oriented conferences
• Critiquing cover letters and resumes

Benefits for employers

Mentoring is more than the transfer of advice, knowledge and insight. It is a reciprocal relationship. Aside from gaining personal satisfaction from sharing your skills and experience with a willing learner, mentoring also has some very tangible benefits for mentors including:

• Connecting with the Brownsville community
• Helping raise awareness of specific careers in your industry, helping secure your future workforce
• Motivating students to decide to pursue a career in your sector and even apply for a job within your company
• Gaining exposure to fresh perspectives, ideas and approaches
• Honing your own personal leadership and coaching style
• Sharing desired company behaviors and attitudes
• Engaging, retaining and developing performers
• Widening your contacts
• Recruiting talent at an early stage

Want to become a mentor?

At All In we are always looking for enthusiastic mentors from any industry who would like to contribute to our cause. Previous mentoring experience is not necessary, so why not join the movement and help us change Brownsville one student at a time? Contact us to learn more about our mentorship program and other ways to give.