How to opt in to being an IDS Mentor

1. Login and go to your profile page by clicking on your name to the right hand side of the home-page

2. On your profile page you can edit your details including adding a photo (essential for Featured Mentors) and your help categories (must include Mentor Relationship if you wish to be a Featured Mentor)

3. Clicking edit mentor status will take you to the settings tab of your profile where there are some extra controls for mentors that allow you to:

• Change 'how' you are willing to help (e.g. restrict your help to career advice only, or job interview prep only)
• Limit how many people you're willing to hear from at any one time (counts 'active' interactions only, any closed interactions will not contribute to the limit)
• Option to temporarily hide yourself from the mentoring programme for 30 days because you're busy or to permanently opt out of the programme and be hidden from the search results completely.

How does online mentoring & advice work?

Online members of the IDS alumni website (IDS students and alumni) are able to search for and find people to ask for careers support. When they conduct a search the results will show those who are featured mentors at the top of the list, then all other online mentors that match the criteria underneath this. The results will not show people who have opted out (temporarily or permanently), mentors who have restricted their number of interactions and who have reached their limit, or people who do not meet the search criteria.

If you match the search of an online member looking for help you will receive a personal message from them with a series of options of how to respond (example below).

By clicking on one of the links you will be able to communicate your decision back to the IDS alumni office. If you reply to say you can’t help either temporarily or permanently this will automatically change your settings in your alumni website profile.

Once you are opted in to being an IDS Alumni Mentor you are added to the Mentors Group for peer support and invited to join our mentors workshops held regularly across the year (essential if you wish to be a Featured Mentor). Check the events page or the Mentors Group for the next workshop date and time (you must be logged in to see the details).

If you have any questions about online mentoring please contact the IDS alumni office

Further Information:

• Find out how to be a Featured Mentor
• Find out how to search for a mentor
• Find out what mentoring isn't
• Read our best practice guide for mentors and mentees
• Watch useful videos (for both mentors and mentees)
• Download our Mentor/Mentee Codes of Conduct for alumni mentor to alumni mentee or alumni mentor to student mentee
• Download our suggested Mentoring Agreement to help you in your first meeting