Applications welcome until 8 June

I have extended the application deadline to Monday 8 June. Please do apply for the mentoring scheme if you have a specific career goal in mind. You can access the application form here: http://www.thesyp.org.uk/mentoring/reg.php

What are the benefits of being a SYP 'student'?

As for the mentors, there are several potential benefits of participating in the SYP scheme as a 'student':

Creativity and problem solving: by bouncing ideas off mentors and receiving the benefit of the mentor’s experience.
Increased competence: by tailoring development to the student’s individual needs mentoring helps them acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes that are directly relevant to their job and will improve job performance.
Increased motivation and satisfaction: through the personal, relevant nature of the development.
Career development: by helping the student to set longer-term, realistic goals.
Improved employability: by enhancing their competence and inspiring them to take responsibility for their own development and career.
Moral support: through the mentor listening and acting as a confidential sounding board.
Increased networking opportunities and industry awareness: through the mentor giving or suggesting access to a wider network in other parts of the industry.
Time-effectiveness: by addressing the student’s needs on a one-to-one, individual basis.

Guardian Careers podcast

Suzanne Collier of bookcareers.com has kindly mentioned the SYP Mentoring Scheme in her Guardian podcast (around 14.30 in):

http://careers.guardian.co.uk/audio/careers-talk-are-you-prepared-for-a-publishing-career

Many thanks, Suzanne.

The mentors so far...

Suzanne Collier: bookcareers.com

Routledge
Taylor & Francis Group




These are some of the companies from which individuals have agreed to join the pool of mentors for the SYP Mentoring Scheme. I am sincerely grateful to all of the people concerned (you know who you are!).

I'm still recruiting mentors, so if you're interested in adding your name to the list of mentors, I would be delighted to hear from you: sypmentoring@googlemail.com

What are the benefits of being a SYP mentor?

There are several key benefits of being a SYP mentor:

Increased job satisfaction and motivation: from the satisfaction of knowing they have contributed greatly to another’s growth and development.
Feeling valued: by being able to share their knowledge and experience.
Personal development: by developing skills which are critical for effective leadership, and learning from the new insights, ideas and feedback provided by students.
Increased insider knowledge: especially about the industry (through meeting with a student from another company or business function).
Experimentation with new behaviours: through being able to try out new behaviours that it may be more difficult to do with direct reports.
Credit: by receiving recognition from their own employer that this is a critical and worthwhile role, which could improve promotional prospects.
Industry recognition: the SYP has over 500 members, many of whom are employees of publishing houses or intending to work within the UK publishing industry. It may be a good way of promoting your company.

10 ways to be a good mentor

I came across this list in February's Management Today. It's aimed at company schemes, but each item is worth considering for any mentoring scenario:

Commit to your role
Be approachable
Be a good listener
Empathise
Encourage ... don't intimidate
Act as a sounding board
Don't mollycoddle
Provide the company perspective
Play devil's advocate
Remember how you felt