Constructive mentoring relationships require commitment and work. All our participants are busy people; mentors with professional commitments, mentees with study, jobs and other extra-curricular activities. Although we ideally seek mentors who live / work in Melbourne, mentors who are required to travel for their work or who are based in other states or even countries are no less committed to the program.

Mentors who are based locally often have excessive obligations or are required to travel frequently. Therefore staying focussed and motivated despite distance and/or commitments is important and the value of phone and email communication shouldn’t be dismissed.

It is possible to achieve a highly constructive mentoring relationship by distance, in fact many successful programs in operation around the world function purely via distance communication. Multinational organisations such as Microsoft and Hewlett Packard have an established and successful distance programs owing to the best mentor for an employee often being another employee based in an office on the other side of the world.

We encourage those who are dealing with distance to focus on the possible advantages of a distance partnership. Scheduled phone or video conference conversations can lend themselves to a planned, business-like approach; structured agendas can be useful for helping participants stay on track and use the allocated time effectively. Emails are a great way to keep track of planning and give forethought to the structure of communication. Mentees are able to plan and review their questions and documents; mentors are able to give considered responses with both parties having a permanent record of advice and feedback.

Tips for mentees: Distance and Communication

Sometimes dealing with distance – either because your mentor is geographically located outside Melbourne or because they might just be busy and difficult to get hold of – can seem like an unnecessary frustration. However these challenges are a reality of professional life and mentees should do their very best to work around and through any difficulties. Consider the following points:

Don’t give up! Your mentor has agreed to participate in the program and although they make be occupied with other things at certain times, they are expecting you to contact them.

If you are dealing with distance be persistent and organised; try and schedule regular phone calls at set times or agree to consistent intervals for emailing.

Focus on the positives and possible advantages; plan your communication, draft your documents and create agendas. Keep an organised file for your ongoing reference.

If you need to find a new approach to communication, contact gsbe-careers@unimelb.edu.au to make an appointment to discuss your options.