Our Mentorship Program is currently paused. Keep an eye out for updates on when the program will resume. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
What some participants said about MCN Mentorship Program:
“One of the best experiences of 2020!” – Danuta Sierhuis
“I can’t recommend this program enough. It’s an amazing opportunity to make a meaningful personal and professional connection for advancement and support, whether you come as a mentee or a mentor.” – Greg Albers
“This is an excellent program and resource for those in #musetech #musesocial & #museumed.” – Max Evjen
The MCN Mentorship Program offers a unique professional development opportunity whether you are a veteran or a newbie in the museum tech community. Participation in the Mentorship Program helps you expand your professional network, build and grow leadership skills, practice personal communication strategies, and much more.
Lasting only 9 months (January through November) but requiring a sustained commitment of time and energy, there is no better (or more fun) way to discuss and plan your career goals than with a trusted partner to support your process and give you quality feedback. The Mentorship program supports the development of three essential “soft skills” that are required to deal with complexity and change: leadership, working with others, and “getting it done.”
For additional information on how we define these soft skills for members at different career levels, see our Soft Skills Matrix.
Mentorship is an exclusive benefit of membership.
You will need to join or renew your membership or login in order to access the application to participate in the Mentorship program.
Membership Program FAQs
Do I need to be a member of MCN to participate in the mentorship program?
Yes, the MCN Mentorship program is an exclusive benefit of membership. You must be a current MCN member to participate and provide the email address attached to your Member Profile. You can join or renew HERE.
What are my chances of being successfully paired?
Mentors and mentees are selected through an application process overseen by the program’s chairs and representatives of the MCN Board. The program is competitive and the number of matched pairs will vary from year to year depending on the ratio of mentor to mentee applicants. Our goal is to pair as many of the applicants as possible. Making a compelling case and being as clear as possible about your interests and expectations in your application will help us achieve a good match.
How much time should I expect to devote to this program?
The program runs every year from January to November. There will be one hour-long orientation (via videoconference) at the beginning of the program to help set expectations and provide guidance for how to get the most out of your participation. Each mentor/mentee pair is expected to meet at least once a month for at least one hour. Both mentors and mentees should also build in time to prepare for meetings and reflect afterward. Finally, the program co-chairs will ask for feedback (usually in the form of surveys or a virtual conference call) two to three times over the course of the program. All participants are expected to respond and participate in these feedback opportunities.
Should I apply to be a mentor or mentee?
This is probably the most difficult question for potential participants who are mid-career professionals. With five or more years of experience, you feel as though you have a lot to offer someone who has only been in the field for a year or two. On the other hand, if you are considering a transition or looking to move forward in your career you likely feel like you could really use the advice of a senior-level mentor. There is no right answer but we encourage you to consider what you hope to accomplish career-wise in the next 1–2 years and decide which role will better help you achieve your goals. What is the difference between the mentee, mentor, and peer-to-peer roles?
A mentorship relationship is typically composed of two people: a mentor and a mentee. Mentors are generally experienced professionals with some years in the sector. Mentees seek out mentors for professional support, advice and guidance over one or more aspects of their job or career. Peer-to-peer mentoring pairs two people of similar experience and/or career stages so they can provide support and guidance to each other.
Will I be able to meet with my partner in person or will all of our meetings be online?
Because of the international range of the MCN community, most pairs will not be in the same city or even same geographic region (although we do try to pair people in the same time zones). As a result, you should plan on virtual meetings as your primary mode of communication with your partner. We do encourage you to check and see if you are attending the same conferences or meetings for a chance to meet in person during the program.
Do I get something tangible out of participating in the program?
While MCN provides a framework to pair members of the community to engage in this program, it cannot guarantee a specific outcome. The value for each participant will generally depend on their respective effort and be proportionate to the investment of time put into it. MCN will also provide a certification of completion for all participants who finish the entirety of the program, which we hope will be useful for professional development purposes.
Anything else I should know?
Participants in the MCN Mentorship Program are expected to comply with the general guidelines of MCN’s Code of Conduct and mentees are expected to create a list of goals that they plan to accomplish by participating in the program. Additionally, all program participants are expected to complete at least a mid-year and an end-of-program survey. These evaluations are intended to improve the program year to year.
For additional questions email us at: [email protected].