Individual Mentoring
Mentoring relationships support early-career researchers across multiple facets of their professional and career development. However, establishing a mentoring relationship outside of a structured program requires careful consideration of several practical factors.
This website offers information and guidance on finding a suitable mentor, on initiating contact and on preparing for mentoring sessions. The accompanying handbook delves deeper into these topics and provides reflection exercises, templates and guiding questions to help you independently establish your mentoring relationship.
Mentoring at the University of Bern
Individual mentoring and structured programs
There are several ways to establish a mentoring relationship at the University of Bern. For example, a mentor can be designated within a Doctoral Agreement or Postdoctoral Agreement. Furthermore, many faculties offer structured mentoring programs that include workshops and peer events. Faculty-based mentoring programs
Steps involved
Find a mentor
Finding a suitable mentor starts with you. Think about the goals you want to achieve through mentoring and the areas you require the most support. A template is available in the handbook (chapter one) to assist with this.
The right mentor for you will depend on your goals. For instance, it may be beneficial to choose someone from your own institution or from a different one, or someone who has extensive or more limited professional experience. The checklist in the handbook helps you define the criteria for a suitable mentor and guides you toward finding the right fit (chapters two and three).
Take your time to select a mentor. Investing time into clarifying your goals and choosing your mentor carefully will help ensure a beneficial mentoring experience.
Contact a mentor
The manner in which you reach out to a potential mentor is largely a personal choice and depends on your preferences and the person you are contacting. The handbook provides practical guidance for your initial contact (chapter four). Depending on your choice of mentor, you can also ask your supervisors to facilitate this initial contact.
While interest in mentoring is generally high, some of your initial mentoring requests may be turned down. These responses are not personal, but almost always due to time constraints. Do not be discouraged by this; instead, proceed with contacting the next potential mentor on your list.
Meeting a mentor
A key success factor in any mentoring relationship is managing expectations. Clarify as early as possible the frequency, location and duration of your sessions, and whether you may contact your mentor between scheduled sessions. Setting these boundaries ensures clarity and aligns mutual expectations. It is advisable to document these details during your first session in an appropriate format. A template for a mentoring agreement is provided in the handbook (chapter five).
Thorough preparation will enable you to maximize the value of your mentoring sessions. Ahead of each session, think about the topics and specific questions you wish to discuss, focusing on the aspects that interest you the most. If you are unsure how to begin, the handbook offers guidance, including suggestions and possible questions across a wide range of topics (chapter six).
Download handbook
Contact
| Faculty | Contact person | Email address |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty of Theology | Karin Mykytjuk | |
| Faculty of Law | Isabel Perego | |
| Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences | Viktoria Supersaxo | |
| Faculty of Medicine | Svea Lehmann | |
| Vetsuisse Faculty | Nora Gassner | |
| Faculty of Humanities | Alina Zumbrunn | |
| Faculty of Human Sciences | Alina Zumbrunn | |
| Faculty of Science | Isabel Perego |