MENTORING

Do you have questions about your career or training choices? Would you like to develop your career or take a new direction, whether after a first experience or at a more advanced stage? Are you setting up a start-up and need advice? Are you looking for expert advice to help you in a particular area or for one-off assistance? This program is for you, and capitalizes on the strengh and mutual support of our community. 

Mentoring and expert advice: what are they?

Mentoring is a professionnal relationship in which a mentor helps a mentee to develop specific skills and knowledge in order to assist and contribute to his or her professional development. This is a long-term relationship.
Expert advice is based on the same objectives, but for a specific, one-off need that can be addressed in a single session.

Why use EPFL Alumni mentoring or expert advice?

The EPFL Alumni network is a goldmine of talent ready to help you. You are sure to find a mentor to answer your questions on an as-needed basis, or to help you make the right decisions. These exchanges will also give you the opportunity to expand your network and discover new horizons.

Why get involved as a mentor or expert?

Becoming a mentor or expert is a unique opportunity to get involved on a voluntary basis to strengthen the community, help students or other alumni by sharing your experience and expertise, meet new people and learn from your mentees.

What are the main principles of a mentoring relationship?

The mentoring relationship is voluntary and based on strong values: respect, sharing, trust and confidentiality. These are set out in the mentoring charter, which you will be asked to sign when you register. The mentor shares his or her experience and asks the right questions to help the mentee progress.
Important: once you have registered, we expect you to be reachable throughout the mentoring period, and to respond to your mentor or mentee in a timely manner. Out of respect for the people who give their time, we would like to avoid any "ghosting".

Who can apply?

All EPFL profiles are welcome from 3rd year Bachelor onwards.
Whether you're studying at EPFL in your 3rd year of Bachelor's degree, a Master's degree, a PhD, or have already received your diploma, don't hesitate to sign up as a mentee. If you are an alumnus or alumna of the School, your experience as a mentor is welcome, whatever your level of experience.

How to register?

1/ Access your Alumni account

Alumnus or alumna: if you have not yet activated your account, request your activation key from alumni@epfl.ch.

Student: create your account via this registration link. If you have graduated from an EPFL Bachelor's degree and are currently studying for a Master's degree at EPFL, you already have an EPFL alumni account. If you haven't activated it yet, ask for your activation key at alumni@epfl.ch.

2/ Fill in your profile and professional information – you can use the import feature from Linkedin to facilitate this. 

3/ Register as a mentor or mentee via the button below and accept the mentoring charter. Choose between two levels or mentoring: classic "mentoring" for a long-term relationship (several sessions with your mentor/mentee) or "expert advice", to address a specific point (a single session with your mentor/mentee). Then enter your expectations, areas of research or expertise, and your availability. 

4/ For both mentors and mentees, our tool's algorithm will suggest profiles corresponding to these criteria. You'll also be able to carry out a broader search and directly contact a mentor, expert or mentee of your choice. Once your request has been accepted, you'll be able to get in touch and schedule a face-to-face or online exchange.

How does a mentoring relationship or expert advice work?

See our Mentorship Guide for best practices related to the program.

If you are planning a mentoring relationship over several sessions, it's a good idea to hold an initial session to get to know each other and define the objectives and logistics of the meetings, using this document. For subsequent sessions (usually 4 to 6), you can consult our resources for mentors and our resources for mentees for inspiration.

It is a good thing to finish with a feedback and thank-you session.

All you have to do is register via the link below!