SYP Micro Mentoring

IEEE CS SYP Micro Mentoring logo Mentors provide invaluable guidance by speaking with you and sharing wisdom and experience.

Coaches offer personalized support by speaking to you and offering advice and strategies for growth.

Sponsors advocate for your success by speaking about you and endorsing your talents and capabilities.

Among these roles, finding the right mentor is one of the most challenging yet rewarding tasks in a professional’s life.

IEEE Computer Society SYP Micro Mentoring helps you take the first step in the mentoring journey.

As a seasoned or first-time mentor, you get the tools, administration help, and a hassle-free platform to help entry-level engineers grow professionally.

Mentees can focus on actual mentoring and leave the hassles of searching for platforms to find mentors and setting up timelines and mentoring contracts.

What is Micro Mentoring?

The micro or μ represents short and focused mentoring – the micro version of mentoring

How the mentors and mentees support each other, stay connected and complete the mentoring relationship – just like the two verticals in the μ connected by the central strand. There are no disconnected independent individuals in a mentoring relationship, the mentors and mentees work together, making a bidirectional symbiotic relationship possible

The logo’s simplicity represents the formal structure and commitments the mentors and mentees possess

The gradient shows positive progress and growth in the mentoring relationship

Micro Mentoring combines mentoring features with the concept of micro or small. This means everything in Micro Mentoring is the same as traditional mentoring but occurs over a shorter time frame. Each mentoring relationship lasts about 3– 4 months and includes at least four mentoring sessions and a well-defined feedback system.

Micro (Greek letter μ, mu) is a unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of one millionth and comes from the Greek mikrós, meaning “small.” And we have Micro Mentoring!

It is short, focused, and packed with all the essence of mentoring. The μ in the logo stands for the elements of micro mentoring:

The micro or μ represents short and focused mentoring – the micro version of mentoring
How the mentors and mentees support each other, stay connected and complete the mentoring relationship – just like the two verticals in the μ connected by the central strand. There are no disconnected independent individuals in a mentoring relationship, the mentors and mentees work together, making a bidirectional symbiotic relationship possible
The logo’s simplicity represents the formal structure and commitments the mentors and mentees possess
The gradient shows positive progress and growth in the mentoring relationship

Call for new mentors and mentees is currently closed. Check back or email us if you'd like to get involved.

Mentoring is Noble

(a) You are a professional or an academic (teacher/professor) with at least eight months experience in your current role or (b) have a combined experience of at least one year after your graduation in your first degree (AND)

Not a student when you sign up unless you are a post-graduate research student (PhD) and satisfy part (b) of condition 1 (AND)

Have a passion to guide the next generation and support their career goals

A mentor in the program will:

Provide guidance and support, offer advice, share experiences, and help mentees navigate challenges.
Assist mentees in setting realistic and achievable goals and provide feedback on their progress.
Help mentees advance their careers by sharing their knowledge, abilities, and industry insights.
Introduce mentees to valuable contacts and help them expand their professional network.
Actively listen to mentees’ concerns, questions, and ideas, offering constructive feedback and guidance.

Being a Mentee Is a Commitment

Participate in the mentoring relationship, communicate their objectives and aspirations, ask questions, and seek advice.

Work with your mentor to establish clear and achievable personal and professional development goals.

Hold yourself responsible for commitments.

Be receptive to feedback and make action plans to learn, grow, and excel.

Conduct themselves professionally in their interactions with their mentor, respecting their time.

Mentee application submissions are now closed. We hold three mentorship cycles each year. Check back regularly for updates.

Meet our outstanding volunteers, mentors, and mentees—the dedicated individuals who uphold the highest standards of our program. Their exemplary efforts have made it a flagship initiative of the IEEE Computer Society's Students and Young Professionals Activities. We honor and celebrate their initiative, commitment to excellence, and exceptional volunteerism.

μResource Hub

Here are some resources to help you begin your mentoring journey. This curated list is periodically updated.

Video Resources to Watch

Resources to Read

The In’s & Out’s of Mentoring | Peggy Hutcheson
The Ultimate Upgrade Essentials – Book 4: Mentorship | Terence Yeoh
Tips for Young Engineers | Harry T. Roman (With Audiobook)
Volunteering: An Introvert’s Path to Conference Networking
Five Reasons CS Students Should Attend a Conference This Year
Develop the Right Soft Skills as an IT Professional
5 Reasons Why Computing Professionals Must Attend Networking Events
The Importance of Public Speaking as a Modern Software Developer

Find More Resources Here

Find resources, opportunities, and initiatives to kickstart your mentoring journey! Enable excellence through mentoring with the IEEE Student and Young Professionals (SYP) Community.