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Building a Mentorship Program by Noel Rappin Mentorship is a great way for a newer developer to benefit from the experience of a more senior developer. While there are lots of available resources on how to be a good mentor or mentee, there are far fewer guidelines on how to set up a mentoring program within your engineering organization. I'm doing this now, and I'll share the process with you: why we decided to start a team-wide mentorship program, how we got volunteers and how we matched them, and how we followed up and what worked and what didn't. You'll get everything you need to start a mentorship program at your organization. __________ Noel Rappin is a Staff Engineer at Root Insurance. Noel has authored multiple technical books, including "Modern Front End Development For Rails" and "Rails 5 Test Prescriptions". He also hosted the podcast Tech Done Right. Follow Noel on Twitter @noelrap, and online at http://www.noelrappin.com.
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In the video titled "Building a Mentorship Program," Noel Rappin shares insights from his experience in establishing a mentorship program within his engineering team at Root Insurance. Rappin begins by discussing the significance of mentorship, particularly for newer developers who can benefit from the guidance of more seasoned colleagues. He expresses his personal discomfort with the term 'mentor' and outlines the main objectives and steps taken to implement a successful mentorship initiative. **Key Points: - Purpose of the Mentorship Program:** - The primary goal was to enhance career growth among newer engineers, particularly those with less than two years of experience at Root. - Acknowledgement of informal mentorships already occurring within the team, highlighting their potential benefits for both mentors and mentees. - **Preparation and Structure:** - The program aimed to be low-cost yet high-yield, with a focus on clarifying career growth paths within the organization. - Emphasis on the mentee taking ownership of the relationship and setting the agenda. - **Recruitment and Matching Process:** - Rappin began the process by first soliciting mentors before gathering information from potential mentees to facilitate informed matches. - He described concerns regarding matching mentors with mentees from underrepresented groups and strived for transparency in the matching process while keeping stakes low for participants. - **Implementation and Follow-Up:** - After the initial matching of 33 mentors and 41 mentees, Rappin encouraged them to meet regularly to focus on the mentees' career growth goals rather than project-specific tasks. - Acknowledging the dynamic nature of mentorship, he indicated that the relationships should be understood as temporary and adjustable as needed. - **Early Outcomes and Observations:** - Initial feedback showed that many pairs met regularly, indicating engagement and benefit from the program. - Some unexpected trends noted were that several senior individuals sought mentors, which posed a challenge in matching due to the limited number of available mentors. **Conclusions and Takeaways:** - Rappin concluded that a structured mentorship program can provide significant advantages for both personal and professional development, benefiting individuals and the company culture overall. - He stressed the importance of understanding organizational goals, being thoughtful in matching participants, and allowing flexibility within the mentoring relationships. Rappin's experience offers valuable guidelines for establishing mentorship programs in tech organizations, aiming to foster growth and support among engineering teams.
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