Many of our specialists have grown into senior developers and team leads. But today, we won’t be talking about the intern’s journey; we’ll be focusing on the mentor’s path. Who are the people who teach and why do they do it? We asked developers and mentors at HYS Enterprise about their experiences and thoughts on mentoring interns, and here’s what they shared.
Why did you decide to become a mentor?
Dmytro Barabash, .NET Developer: I have many years of successful experience teaching programming, so training and helping beginners is a natural thing for me. After all, it would be a waste not to use such skills if they’re already here :)
Oleksandr Sednev, Front-End Developer: I received this offer when I was still a newcomer at the company. I was working remotely, and my interactions were limited to just my team. So when I was offered a chance to participate in a mentorship project, I decided it was a great opportunity to get to know colleagues outside my team and to structure my knowledge.
What is important for a specialist to know if they intend to mentor others?
Dmytro: In my opinion, the most important thing is empathy. It’s essential to understand and always remember that what seems common knowledge, completely understandable, and even obvious to you as a specialist may be entirely unknown or unclear to an intern. In other words, you need to learn the delicate craft of «putting yourself in the intern’s shoes,» imagining how a beginner thinks.
Oleksandr: The main thing is to realize that setting tasks, monitoring their execution, and analyzing mistakes require time. It’s important to respect each other’s time, respond promptly to the mentee’s (a person who is mentored) requests, and give them enough time and attention. It’s also important to have certain psychological skills to understand the mentee’s level not only of knowledge but also of interest in cooperation.
How much time does mentoring take?
Dmytro: The time spent on mentoring varies greatly and depends on the number of questions from the intern. I try to always answer intern calls and talk with them for as long as necessary. However, an internship is about learning through practice, so usually, the intern doesn’t need a long lecture but just needs to be pointed in the right direction, with recommended materials to review. Once they’ve done that, it’s just a matter of answering questions that come up during their learning process.
Oleksandr: It’s hard for me to pinpoint an exact amount of time. It depends greatly on circumstances and human factors. From my experience, I can say that mentoring requires more time in the first month.
Does a mentor need a mentor?
Dmytro: First of all, it depends on the mentor’s own knowledge level. Secondly, I believe it’s important for a mentor to remember that learning should never stop, regardless of your qualification level. The world of technology is constantly evolving, so there’s always something to learn — from those who know more and from those with more experience. So, if a mentor has a mentor, someone they can ask or consult with, that’s great. If not, there’s always someone among colleagues to turn to. I’ve been very fortunate that, since I’ve entered the industry, all my team leads — past and present — have been highly experienced and exceptionally qualified, so I always have someone to learn from.
Oleksandr: Absolutely, yes. There’s always room to grow and develop.
What advice would you give to a future mentor?
Dmytro: Remember two things. First, a mentor is not primarily someone who checks work but someone who helps. Second, mentoring is a responsibility. It’s challenging for interns, and it’s important for the mentor not to discourage someone from developing in the industry while also not giving a false impression of the profession’s ease. So, you need to find a balance, as with everything in life :)
Oleksandr: Just do it. Mentoring is a great opportunity to structure your knowledge, gain new experience, and improve your hard and soft skills.
In conclusion, we can say that mentorship is not just an additional task that any qualified specialist can take on. It requires effort, learning, and growth. It’s a process and a journey that not only the intern goes through, gaining knowledge, but also the mentor, discovering new facets of interaction and knowledge exchange.