Career Mentoring Program 2024
What is the Career Mentoring Program of CFA Society Switzerland?
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Career Mentoring Program (Mentoring Program) is a support program where an early or mid-career professional (Mentee) works on his/her professional and/or developmental goals through the support of a more experienced professional (Mentor) from outside his/her employer’s reporting lines.
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Duration: 9 months starting June 2024.
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Note, this is not an employment placement program.
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The application form will be available until 26 April 2024. We will then collect and match Mentors / Mentees and send out pairing notifications in early June. The official program will then run for 9 months, with approximately one meeting per month (video call, phone call, in-person meeting when appropriate).
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SAVE THE DATE! For accepted applicants, the program will officially launch with the Mentoring Kick-Off Event in Zurich on Monday 10 June, 18:00 - 20:00.
We will provide additional information on locations to the accepted candidates. It is important to attend this event to get information about the program and expectations of Mentees and Mentors who participate.
Conditions: to participate in the Mentoring Program, you must:
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Be a member or a candidate member of CFA Society Switzerland.
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Be available for one meeting per month (this can be a video call, audio call, or in person as appropriate). More frequent meetings or contact is up to the pair.
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Make yourself familiar with the resources available.
What is expected from a Mentor?
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Guide Mentee to identify realistic, attainable goals.
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Be willing to share experiences.
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Have effective skills in developing others.
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Build on Mentee’s strengths.
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Provide a proverbial “mirror”.
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Give constructive feedback including advice.
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Be friendly, but you don’t need to be a friend.
What is expected from a Mentee?
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You are committed to your career and professional development.
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Drive the relationship (be proactive in determining the pace and direction conducive to achieving the expected outcomes).
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Identify realistic goals and timeframes and share them with your mentor.
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Be prepared for each meeting (bring your agenda)!
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Communicate regularly and effectively with regular updates.
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Accept constructive feedback.
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Be open to trying new ideas and stepping out of your comfort zone.
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Follow through on commitments.
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Embrace a philosophy of on-going improvement.
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Know when to ask for help.
What is expected from both Mentor and Mentee?
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Abide by the confidentiality agreement that you have with your Mentor / Mentee. Be aware of possible cultural differences in the understanding of what is confidential.
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Ensure that expectations for the mentoring relationship are discussed early on and managed appropriately throughout the relationship.
What can a Mentor achieve from the Mentoring Program?
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Development of leadership skills that are portable across your career.
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Volunteer and contribute to the community in a direct and highly-rewarding way.
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Learn from the perspective of a younger professional.
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Personal gratification through helping another person grow and progress.
What can a Mentee obtain through the Mentoring Program?
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A platform where a more experienced member shares with you his/her knowledge and experience.
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Gain perspective, clarity and insights to help you navigate your career and achieve your goals.
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This is an opportunity: the more you put into this relationship, the more you will get out of it.
What are the next steps?
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You will be asked to answer some questions about yourself and your goals (Mentees) and what you can offer (Mentors).
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CFA Society Switzerland will match pairs of Mentors & Mentees. Both will be put in contact by CFA Society Switzerland via email.
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Both start the mentoring relationship and sustain and nourish it for 9 months, after which the official cycle ends.
What happens if it doesn’t work out?
If you feel that your counterparty is not committed enough for the relationship to be a success, we encourage you to discuss the issue openly and respectfully with him or her.
If the problem cannot be resolved bilaterally or the chemistry is simply not there, either party can request to be paired with a new Mentor / Mentee at any time. However a new matching cannot be guaranteed as it will be constrained by the availability of suitable matches.
Mentoring can be particularly beneficial for women’s careers, and we encourage women to apply both as a Mentee and Mentor.
