How you can be a more effective mentee

Issue 6: Practical tips to improve the quality of your mentorship sessions with better outcomes.

As a self-taught designer, I owe a lot to the mentors who showed me the ropes when I first started in design. Mentorship was a game-changer in my career.

Finding good mentors was pivotal, not just in refining my technical skills but in navigating career development.

Reflecting on my notes and conversations from 100+ hours of being a mentee, here’s what I learned:

Ingredients for an effective mentoring relationship

1. Open communication and collaboration

2. Setting goals and overcoming challenges

3. Exchange of knowledge

4. Active time investment

5. Role modeling

6. Building personal relationships

7. Mutual respect and trust

As a mentee:

Mentoring sessions are learning opportunities where you can discuss design problems, plan career aspirations, or grow your circle of influence.

No one can be as invested in your career as you. Use that agency to find mentors who will support you and your career. You can show your appreciation by asking thoughtful questions and listening to their advice. Be an active participant in the mentoring relationship, not a passive listener.

Product Design Career Progression Ladder

Pick the right mentor

All other steps will fail if you don’t get this right. Find mentors who are just a few steps ahead of you and who can relate to some of your struggles better than someone much further along in their design career.

Mentorship doesn’t have to be one person. Create a close circle of mentors. Think of it like a board of directors for your career.

1. Identify gaps in your skillsets and specifically seek out mentors who can address those.

2. What specific areas of product design do I want to grow in, and does the mentor have expertise in those areas?

3. What are my long-term career aspirations, and how has the mentor’s career trajectory aligned with these goals?

If you’re looking to develop specific craft skills, a skill matrix can help identify development areas.

The skill matrix I used with my team as a design manager.

Be prepared to lead

Nothing can be more frustrating for a mentor who dedicates time to helping you grow than to show up to a meeting and feel like they have to direct the conversation. The mentor is there to help and guide you, but this is your career, and you need to lead the conversation.

Define your goals

In your first conversation, come prepared with a clearly defined set of goals for what you’d like to gain from the mentorship.

By setting goals, you’re demonstrating your commitment and even giving the mentor an opportunity to see if they are the right person to help you. Use the SMART goals framework so they are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive for the best results from your mentorship sessions.

Some examples:

1. Skill Enhancement Goal: Within the next 3 months, I aim to improve my user interface design skills to create more intuitive layouts using auto layouts, variables, and variants in my projects.

2. Portfolio Development Goal: My goal is to develop and launch my online portfolio showcasing at least 3 of my best projects with case studies and user feedback by the end of this quarter.

3. Career Advancement Goal: By the end of the year, I plan to enhance my leadership abilities to step into a senior designer role, marked by leading a team project and receiving positive feedback from team members and management.

Connect often

Successful mentorships are not one-off calls. Like any relationship, they require nurturing, and frequent communication is vital to cultivating a strong connection with your mentor. Make sure to check in regularly. Most mentorships work best if there is a consistent schedule.

Set a regular time to meet (the first Monday of every month or a Wednesday every fortnight), which helps both of you work the meeting into your busy routines.

Increase self-awareness

There might be points when a mentor asks a question that might question your own beliefs. The key here is to reflect on every session and identify which feedback you want to work on.

Ask yourself:

• Why do I approach design the way I do?

• What are the underlying beliefs that shape my design choices?

• What recent feedback challenged my usual way of thinking?

• If I were to adopt one piece of advice from my mentor, what would it be?

By regularly engaging with these questions, you can cultivate a deep sense of self-awareness that not only informs your design work but also fuels your personal growth.

Ask for feedback, then implement it

When seeking feedback, approach it with an open mind and a commitment to growth. Start by asking specific questions rather than a general “Do you have any feedback for me?” For example, inquire, “How could I improve the presentation of my design concepts?” Once you receive feedback, take actionable steps to implement it. Let’s say your mentor suggests focusing more on storytelling in your designs. Dive into storytelling techniques, apply them to your next project, and share the results with your mentor.

Give back

Junior designers often believe they don’t have enough experience to contribute value, but that’s not true. Mentorship benefits both parties. As a mentee, recognize your unique skills and knowledge and share an article or take on a small project with your mentor. Pay it forward by sharing knowledge with others.

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The next time you meet with a mentor at work or schedule a call on

ADPList

remember to set expectations clearly, set your goals, establish trust, and be an active participant in your sessions

Massive shout out to Ivana Todorovski for reviewing and providing feedback on the early drafts of this essay.