Become an actor
You are eligible to join the mentoring programme as an actor (mentee), if you are a master's or doctoral degree student and you are enrolled at the university when the programme starts. You can search for a mentor on the Aalto University Mentoring Platform 17th-26th January 2025!
We will organise an info session "What is Aalto Mentoring Programme and How to Join" 10 Jan 2025 - read more and sign up at Aalto JobTeaser (aalto.jobteaser.com/events).
Should I participate in the Mentoring Programme?
In Aalto University Mentoring Programme, mentoring refers to a long-term and goal-oriented conversational relationship, in which a working mentor acts as a sounding board, sparring partner, and supporter for the student being mentored, i.e. the actor.
The Aalto University Mentoring Programme is a six-month Programme running from January to June.
The Programme includes
- Briefing sessions for students (on campus) and for mentors (on Zoom)
- One-to-one mentoring meetings approximately once a month during January-June
- Halfway checkin survey and feedback survey at end of the Program
The topics discussed in mentoring are always based on the actor's personal needs and goals, and it is especially the actor's own development process.
With the help of mentoring, you can, among other things
- find and clarify your own career goals and dreams
- expand your knowledge of working life and alternative careers
- develop your professional skills and improve your job search skills
- develop your interaction and communication skills
- challenge yourself to encounter new ideas and views
- expand your network
To become an actor, it is essential that you are willing to develop yourself, you have an active attitude and you are ready to commit and take a proactive role in the mentoring process. Already when applying you should be ready to set targets for the mentoring and to your own progress.
In one-on-one discussions with your mentor, an actor should have courage to bring out their own views, to give feedback and even disagree with the mentor. It is actor´s role to make sure that the mentoring process progress with regular meetings once a month. Mentor’s role is to provide support and inspiration and to be a sounding board for the actor’s ideas. An actor should keep in mind that it is not the mentor’s task to solve actor’s problems but to help an actor to solve the problems by themselves.
Mentor, Aalto University Mentoring ProgrammeReflect on what you want out of Mentoring Programme and tell it to your mentor. The whole Programme is built for you.
What does it take to participate in the mentoring programme?
A mentoring relationship requires commitment and time. Before applying for the programme, consider whether you have the motivation to commit to mentoring alongside your studies and potential job. Apply only if you are motivated and willing to commit to the mentoring process. Remember, mentoring is for your benefit!
What we expect from you
- commitment to mentoring for the duration of the programme (January-June) - including during a possible exchange
- an active and proactive role in relation to your mentor
- open and confidential communication with your mentor
- setting targets and agreeing on practical issues together with your mentor
- understanding that your mentor is not expected to offer you a job offer or another placement
- responding to mentoring enquiries and providing feedback
- in case of problems contacting the mentoring programme leader
Who are the mentors?
Mentors are mainly Aalto University graduates, alumni, who have at least four years of working experience after completing their degree. The pool of mentors is very diverse; There are experts, managers, leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs, freelancers, newly retired, people who have changed their career path. There are also mentors have a degree from another university than Aalto.
Majority of mentors live in Helsinki region, but there are also mentors living outside capital area or abroad. What connects mentors is their willingness to help and support students with the concerns and questions students themselves have about working life and career. Mentors act in their role voluntarily, usually alongside to their day job.
Actor, Aalto University Mentoring ProgrammeYou get to know a new person and form a bond that you otherwise wouldn't. It opens new opportunities.
Apply to mentoring programme
The Aalto Univeristy Mentoring Platform will be opened in January 2025. You can register and search for a mentor candidate 17th-26th January on the Platform. You can send a mentoring request directly to a suitable candidate. The link to the Mentoring Platform will be published on this page as soon as the registration period begins in January.
Please read the information below carefully before registering to the Platform.
Due to the building of our new mentoring platform, the 2025 programme and registration will start slightly later than usual.
Schedule 2025
- Mentors sign up as mentor candidates 7th-16th January 2025
- Students search for a suitable mentor candidate and send a mentoring request 17th-26th January 2025.
- Briefing Sessions are organized for matched students Tue 28th January 2025 (on campus) and for new mentors Thu 30th January 2025.
The Programme runs for approximately 6 months from January to June, during which you will meet your mentor once a month.
You are eligible to join as an actor (mentee), if you are a master's or doctoral degree student and you are enrolled at the university when the programme starts in January.
Please note that this Program is not open to exchange students.
- Go through the mentoring programme website and instructions carefully.
Think about why you want to be part of the mentoring programme and what you expect from your future mentor. - Log in to the Aalto University mentoring platform and fill in your profile.
Be as specific as possible about your wishes and expectations, as the mentor will decide whether they could be the right mentor for you based on your profile. - Browse through the mentor candidates and check out their profiles.
- Send a mentoring request.
When you find a suitable mentor candidate, send them a mentoring request and wait for them to accept your request. You can send a request to one mentor candidate at a time. - Set up first mentoring meeting.
Once the mentor candidate has accepted your request, you will receive each other's contact details by email and you can arrange your first mentoring meeting. Please also sign up for the briefing session for new actors taking place Tue 28th January on campus. -
If the mentor candidate is no longer available or does not feel they are a suitable mentor for you, you will be notified and can return to look for a new mentor candidate. If the mentor candidate does not respond to your request, the request will expire within 3 days and you will be able to search for a new mentor candidate and send a new request.
The majority of students who want to join the mentoring programme will usually find a mentor they want through our programme, but please note that we cannot guarantee this.
We ask you about your studies, and your needs and expectations for mentoring.
Please note that all the information you fill in on the mentoring platform, except for your email address, will be visible to the mentor candidate to whom you have sent the mentoring request. Your email will be to the mentor candidate only when they accept you as an actor.
Mentor profiles contain information about the studies, career and professional skills of the mentor candidates.
Most of the mentor candidates are alumni of Aalto University (and its predecessor universities, Helsinki University of Technology, Helsinki School of Economics and University of Arts and Design Helsinki) or Aalto EE, but there are also come so-called Friends of Aalto who have completed their degrees elsewhere.
Mentors are classified into industry-specific categories. The division has been made partly based on the mentor's industry and partly on the basis of the job. It is clear that the mentor of many could be placed in several categories. We recommend you search a mentor from many different categories!
In the mentor profile, you can see in which language(s) the mentor is ready to mentor. There are some mentors that are only available to mentor in Finnish.
- Apply for a mentor with an open mind and look for mentor candidates also among candidates other than your own field. The mentor's background and experience do not necessarily have to be similar to yours. By browsing the mentor candidates, you will notice that among the mentors that have stayed advanced in their field and on the other hand, there are mentors who have ended up far from their original studies.
- Think about what kind of mentor you would get along well with and what kind of mentoring you need. Some of the mentors are experienced mentors and some are beginners in the role of mentor.
- Read the descriptions of the mentors carefully and trust your intuition when choosing a mentor candidate.
- Remember that mentoring is an interactive conversational relationship in which the mentor helps you find the answers to your questions. Mentor's purpose is not to be an all-encompassing information bank. Mentoring is primarily your development project!
Mentoring Programme: Frequently asked questions
Here you will find the most frequently asked questions about the mentoring programme. If you can't find the answer, please contact [email protected].
Reach out for more information
