Category Archives: Resources

I’d Meet With My Mentor, But I Don’t Know What to Talk About

Recently, we discussed the value in asking questions to keep a conversation going. What happens when you don’t know where to start? One common answer I’ve heard when I ask mentees if they’ve met with their mentors is, “I would, … Read More »

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Mentoring Skills Tune-Up–Reality Testing

As a self-proclaimed mentee, I’ve fallen victim to the unrealistic view that mentors have all the answers. On the flip side, as a mentor, I’ve had to resist the urge to blurt out solutions and answers to my mentee’s issues. … Read More »

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Mentoring Skills Tune-Up—Assessing Understanding

When I was a Postdoctoral Appointee I had the opportunity to mentor a summer student. My supervisor had cautioned that taking on a student could be a lot of work, but if I was up to it, she’d support me. … Read More »

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Curiouser and Curiouser! Asking Questions to Keep the Conversation Going

“Curiouser and curiouser!” Cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English).” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass This past year, I had the pleasure … Read More »

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Tip Sheets for Mentoring and Being Mentored

When the Postdoctoral Program Office started the Postdoctoral Mentoring Program almost seven years ago, one of the most common questions we would get was, “So, how does mentoring work?” While fundamental in nature, this is actually a good question. Some people are … Read More »

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Mentoring Compacts Can Be Useful Tools for Research Supervisors

Argonne’s Postdoctoral Mentoring Program is unique in that postdoctoral researchers report to a supervisor or line manager for their research and employment functions, and have a third party mentor outside of line management. This structure is to ensure that every postdoc … Read More »

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Questions and Points to Ponder for Mentors and Mentees

At  last month’s Making Mentoring Meaningful Workshop, facilitated by the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), we discussed ways mentors and mentees can foster a relationship that is equally rewarding to both. Participants were asked to write down one question … Read More »

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What’s a Mentor/ee to Do?

Recently, a colleague reached out to me for advice on how to get started in a mentoring relationship. He had been asked to mentor a junior employee and wanted to make sure he was approaching this new role in the … Read More »

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Mentoring as a Dialogue

“It seemed rather incongruous that in a society of super sophisticated communication, we often suffer from a shortage of listeners.”—Erma Bombeck  Lizabeth, a postdoctoral researcher in a molecular biology lab, was tasked with mentoring Susan, an undergraduate student, through her honors research … Read More »

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It’s the 4th Quarter. What’s Your Game Plan?

The fourth quarter of the fiscal year can bring many challenges. You may find yourself working feverishly to finish program deliverables or finalize budget requests. Supervisors may be thinking ahead to performance discussions with employees. Postdocs are gearing up for … Read More »

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