Cocoon job-market mentoring program update - part 1: mentor feedback

The past two years, Helen De Cruz (Oxford Brookes) and I have run the Cocoon's Job Market Mentoring Project, a program designed to provide job-market mentoring to all those in need (regardless of background) who cannot utilize the Mentoring Program for Women in Philosophy. This year our program provided mentors for 30 candidates in need, and over the past two years we have provided mentors to 55 candidates. We intend to continue the program again this year, and our plan is to open signups again on June 1st, so stay tuned!

With the aim of encouraging people to participate (we always have more mentees in need than mentors!), we would like to once again share feedback we received from mentors and mentees. For last year's feedback, see here and here. In today's post, I will share feedback we have received so far from this year's mentors - and I will update the post if when I receive more. In my next post, I will share feedback from this year's mentees.

FEEDBACK FROM MENTORS

Question #1: Types of mentoring provided?

"I first examined [redacted]'s application materials – copyediting, comments, feedback. We talked on Skype about between three and five times over the course of the job market. When we did talk we got along very well, and so tended to talk for more than two hours. We also sent each other random little emails, e.g. when I would email asking for updates. We planned to meet at the Eastern, but that was scuppered by the snow." - Anonymous Mentor  

"We met several times and I gave detailed feedback on his dossier. My mentee is also looking for jobs outside of the academy, so I looked at his non-academic resume as well. Because my aunt is head of HR at a major corporation and my mother taught resume writing at a non-profit for many years, I sent them his resume as well and forwarded him their feedback. I also offered to introduce him to a family member in the city he's moving to, in order to help with non-academic networking." - Anonymous Mentor

"I gave feedback on [redacted]’s dossier materials and was available to discuss interviews, etc., if he had any questions (which in the end he didn’t, at least ones to ask me)." - Anonymous Mentor

"Reviewing materials & answering questions about applications and interviews." - Anonymous Mentor

"Reviewing dossier materials, mock interview, general job market advice." - Bob Fischer (Texas State)

"I reviewed his dossier materials (some multiple times), advised him on skype interviews, advised him on campus interviews, and lent general encouragement." -  Anonymous Mentor

"Consultation on dossier materials and realistic job market possibilities." - Carlos Mariscal (University of Nevada Reno)

"dossier materials" - Anonymous Mentor

Question #2: do you have any feedback (positive or negative) on the program?

"This is a great program. Thank you for organizing it and keeping it going. It is a valuable service to the field." - Carlos Mariscal (University of Nevada Reno)

"[Redacted] seemed appreciative of the help, so that’s positive feedback!" - Anonymous Mentor

"I think that the program fills a definite need." - Anonymous Mentor

"Not really. I’m glad for the program, as it was great to meet [redacted]. I don’t know that there is anything that Helen or Marcus could have done to improve my experience, as that experience depended almost entirely on [redacted] being a responsive mentee who seemed so appreciative of my efforts on his behalf." - Bob Fischer (Texas State)

"I really appreciated your checking the identity of the proposed mentee with me first...I appreciated that the system started early. The Cocoon system told us of the pairing on 19th June. The “Job Candidate Mentoring Program for Women in Philosophy” paired me and my mentor on 18th Sept. In my view Sept 18th is too late. Some job market deadlines have passed! And the materials should already be ready. I really enjoyed talking with [redacted]. We got on extremely well, and I am sure we will keep in touch." - Anonymous Mentor

"He said I was a big help, though that might have been partly out of politeness. I definitely think I helped with his dossier materials. They were in rough shape to start off and it was clear he wasn’t getting advice from his program (or at least not good advice)." - Anonymous Mentor

"I didn’t participate as fully in the program as I might have. My mentee (for various reasons, some of them personal) shifted from pursuing tenure-track positions to postdocs/VAPS and didn’t actively utilize me as a mentor as much as he might have otherwise." - Anonymous Mentor

Question #3: would you recommend our program to other potential mentors?

"I would and I did. Seems like a great service for some folks in the profession." - Anonymous Mentor

"This is relatively light work for most professional academics, but important and well worth the effort." - Carlos Mariscal (University of Nevada Reno)

"Yes, mainly because it’s nice to feel as if one is able to help make the job market a little less terrible for at least one person." - Anonymous Mentor

"Yes. I appreciated the early start, and I appreciate that it isn’t gender-specific. I also learnt philosophy from my mentee, since we would talk about philosophical topics at length. Some of our interests were the same, and some were different. It was a fruitful combination." - Anonymous Mentor

"I think that it’s important to have programs like this for the sake of students who aren’t getting sufficient mentoring already. Of course, it’s just a Band-Aid, which is a bit discouraging. What’s more, although I’m glad to have helped, my efforts didn’t translate into a job offer for [redacted]. I felt guilty that, in the grand scheme, there was so little I could do for him. But we can’t control outcomes, only our efforts, and I don’t regret having tried to make a difference." - Bob Fischer (Texas State)

"I think the program is a good idea, particularly for Ph.D. students seeking a perspective beyond that of their own department.  I hope to be more involved in the next cycle." - Anonymous Mentor

"Yes, although it’s not really for the benefit of the mentor."  -  Anonymous Mentor

Question #4: Do you have any suggestions for how our program might be improved?

"No, I don’t think so. I was very concerned about how to talk to my mentee if nothing came through – how to negotiate that conversation. (It felt like something I wasn’t especially prepared for or well-positioned for.) But a postdoc came through, so I never confronted this. I am thrilled something came through, because I was really rooting for her! The other system sent an email in late Nov that addressed this worry. (I paste it below.) So perhaps something like this for the mentors would be helpful?" - Anonymous Mentor

"No." - Bob Fischer (Texas State)

"No, I think what’s needed by mentees will vary on a case-by-case basis. So as long as the mentors put in some effort, I think they’ll inevitably help." -  Anonymous Mentor

Comments

[Amanda]

I think you have a great program going. Something I want to suggest is that perhaps you might start a sister program for those considering leaving the academy. As you have discussed many times, it is terrible that grad programs offer almost no advice on this topic, considering 2/3 of grad students won't get TT gigs. It might be hard to find mentors - but I sort of suspect there will be a low sign-up rate of mentees too. I know a couple of people who might be willing to mentor. Anyway, not sure how plausible this is, but it seems a good way to promote an end that grad programs should be doing for grad students but are not.

Oh, and since I know someone will object about all the possible options outside the academy. I do think there is general information that a mentor might help with, such as how to turn a CV into a resume, how norms differ from the academy compared to the corporate or government world, etc,

[A]

Another suggestion for extending the program:
I am a graduate student who plans to go on the job market in two years. When my time comes, I will definitly apply for this program. If there aren't enough mentors to go around, it could be helpful to be paired with others in a similar situation so we could at least give each other feedback. There would be an element of the blind leading the blind here, but some outside perpective is better than nothing.

[Marcus Arvan]

Hi Amanda: We actually include mentoring for non-academic jobs within the program as it already exists, though I think we could be more explicit about it and you're right: those kinds of mentors are hard to find.

[Marcus Arvan]

Hi A: That's a great idea - you're probably the second or third person who has mentioned it. I will talk to Helen about possibly adding another question to the sign-up process asking whether participants would like being paired with another candidate if a mentor cannot be found.